Cruise diary - my October vacation

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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This saga began back in March or April when I found a deal for a 9-day cruise to New England and Canada. Over the course of a few months, I canceled and rebooked several times to get better deals, till I finally settled. We went thru an on-line travel agent, got a very low fare that included travel insurance and a $50 cabin credit for a trip that Royal Caribbean was offering $50 cabin credit per passenger as long as we let them assign our cabin. So from beginning to end of the process, we saved something over $500 and had $150 available to spend on the ship or on excursions arranged thru the ship.

Our cabin was tiny – about 8 X 17 (136 sq ft) and that included the little bathroom and a closet. It was an interior cabin – no balcony or porthole – and it was just forward of the forward elevator bank on the lowest passenger deck, so a little bit noisy on occasion and any motion of crashing thru waves was felt more strongly. On the plus side, interior cabins are always dark, and we were able to sleep in much later than we usually would. Plus my husband likes naps, and on our at-sea days, he could snooze in blacked-out bliss.

Just a bit more about the accommodations – there was a mini-sofa – slightly smaller than a love seat – and a small end table that we could have done without, and a built-in desk/drawer/cabinet unit that held the TV and a small safe. The closet had more than enough space for our hanging clothes and our suitcases, and there were 3 drawers in it for folded items. Storage was not an issue, even in such a tiny space.

One of my coworkers agreed to house-and-pet sit for us. It was a double bonus for him – not only did we pay him, but his commute was halved by living at our house. We felt better, too, knowing someone was there rather than having a sitter come in for 30 minutes a day.

And so it begins…

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10/19 – Our drive from home to Baltimore was something under 2 hours, and we left after rush hour, so traffic on the DC Beltway and the BW Parkway wasn’t bad at all. We stopped on the way so I could pee and I decided to do the decent thing and buy something from the store. Unfortunately, the snack cake that I chose had a nasty chemical taste -as if they’d been soaked in cleaning products. I spit out the first bite and immediately got a stick of gum to kill the taste. I didn’t die, so there’s that.

We got to the ship around 11 and finally went aboard around noon. After a quick lunch, we were able to get to our cabin at 1, and our bags showed up about an hour later. This was an improvement over prior cruises when we weren’t allowed to the cabins till nearly 3. Mandatory safety drill at 3:30 – we had to muster at our assigned station and be accounted for, then they showed us how the life jackets were worn. Around 4, the docklines were pulled in, and we were underway.

We went to dinner at 5-ish and started the cruise with escargot! La-de-dah. We thought about going to see Wonder Woman which was playing in the ship’s theater that evening, but we were both exhausted. I think I was asleep before 8. FCD woke up and checked his phone and said it was 7:30, but it was actually 3:30, so we went back to sleep and finally got up after 8.

10/20 – Day at sea. We engaged in max chillage. We walked around the ship, sat and read, talked, listened to some of the shipboard musicians, ate, and generally relaxed. I was wearing my t-shirt that said “You read my t-shirt – That’s enough social interaction for today” and at least half a dozen people read it aloud! Cracked me up.

We’d talked about going to the show at 8:30 but turns out neither of us was in the mood. So I finished my book and FCD watched TV and we crashed early. It’s definitely a restful cruise!

One thing that I was thinking about - how do some of these passengers fit in the shower? Not being snarky here, really. Our shower is one of the larger ones we’ve had and there’s only one way I could stand so that I wasn’t touching the walls or the curtain, and there was barely space to spare. My guess is 18” X 36”, but with one corner cut so it wasn’t a full rectangle. I saw people who are half again as big around as I am or bigger. Maybe they have suites with bigger facilities.

One nice shower feature – this one had a bar where you could rest your foot while washing a leg. Of course, your butt stuck to the shower curtain while doing that, but on other cruises, we had circular shower stalls that lacked the foot bar amenity. On one cruise, I kept knocking the shampoo dispenser off the wall with my elbow – they are compact to be sure. OK, enough shower talk.

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10/21 – Boston. We docked just before 10 but didn’t get off till around 11:30. It was a short walk to the trolley stop and we were the last 2 aboard. I’d gotten our tickets on line and saved a couple of bucks. It was a hop-on/hop-off deal that went all around the city. Turns out the main trolley tour doesn’t go to the cruise terminal, so we had to change at the first stop.

We got off at stop 3 where Old Ironsides is berthed, but we went to see the USS Cassin Young – a WWII destroyer. It’s impressive to think about what that tiny ship went thru and the conditions its crew had to endure! I never took my camera out, so no pics, sorry.

There was a Navy rock band performing and the lead singer was quite good. It reminded me of the day I joined (44 years ago!!) when another young woman was also enlisting as a singer. I thought that would be a great way to be in the Navy, but alas, I lacked the talent. So avionics for me. But I digress.

When we were done touring, we got back on another trolley and got stuck with a particularly annoying driver/guide. I don’t know if it was the pitch of her voice or the volume of the speaker but I wanted to jam my fingers into my ears. She would slip into and out of a Bahstahn accent, she’d sing, and at least twice she laid on the horn long and hard, which didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in her driving. And we were stuck with her for 2 hours. We could have gotten off and waited for the next trolley, but there were lots of folks waiting and we wanted to get back.

On the plus side, the weather was perfect – sunny and low 70s. And when we switched back to the cruise terminal trolley, the driver was quiet and he deposited us right at the terminal entry. We got back around 4 and did dinner at 5. Then we went to the evening show - a concert by the ship’s orchestra, which was quite good. The leader told about his pets named Rolex and Timex – they were watchdogs. All his jokes were like that – it was fun.

After, we went to the buffet for dessert and we watched a container ship being loaded across from our berth. All in all a good day.

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10/22 – Portland, ME. We went ashore around 9 – it was a sunny and chilly morning. We walked down the main drag, then uphill to the art district. Being Sunday morning, most places were closed, and we weren’t interested in taking any tours. All along the main drag, there were booths where folks were selling local crafts. We paused to look at some hand-dyed yarn. The woman at that booth went out of her way to tell us about her amazing academic scores and how she could have gone to college anywhere. Yeah, we were so impressed. And there she was in a booth selling yarn. OK, it was really nice looking yarn, but I don’t work in wool so I didn’t buy any.

The really striking thing was how many beggars and homeless there seemed to be in Portland. Plus the hipsters – we saw a couple who were almost sit-com stereotypical. Coffee shops everywhere, too. We stopped outside one to see if I could take advantage of their wifi, but I’m still figuring out my tablet and we decided to move on. It wasn’t that big a deal – I was surprised how much I didn’t miss being on line.

The ship offered an internet package – for $12.99 per day, or $17.99 if you wanted to stream movies. Because you couldn’t possibly entertain yourself on a ship full of musicians, clubs, lounges, dance lessons, trivia games, etc, etc, for 9 whole days!!! Pardon while I roll my eyes.

Back to Portland - there was an exhibit at the science center about pirates that we decided to go see. It was pretty interesting, but not really worth the $20. I was surprised to learn that pirates elected their officers and replaced them if they felt it was necessary. And everyone shared in the successes of the ship. For all that they were criminals, they seemed to have a good, lawful system within their own society. And a lot of pirates were escaped slaves – the movies lie!!!

After seeing the whole exhibit, we decided to go back for lunch and hot tub time. We watched some football while letting the jets of water beat our backs. It was nice. Even getting out wasn’t too terrible a shock to the system as the temps were mild and there wasn’t much wind.
Not much else the rest of the night. We were both pooped.

10/23 – Bar Harbor, Maine. I’m pretty sure I heard the anchor being dropped when we arrived. So we got up, got presentable, and went to breakfast. It was foggy – duh, it’s Maine- and as we ate, we watched a local sightseeing boat arrive to ferry passengers into town. They’d also launched 4 of the ship’s tenders and later, a lobster boat/tour boat joined the flotilla.

It was around 9:30 when we headed down to deck 2 to get our stuff and go ashore. We decided to walk to a local museum at a leisurely pace, looking in shop windows along the way. We stopped in a Rite Aid for some hand lotion since we forgot to bring the tube from the car.
The museum was about the natives who lived in the area before settlers arrived. There were artifacts and various crafts and artwork. Some of the baskets were amazing, made in the last few years by descendants of the early natives.

On the way back, we got 3 really nice hoodies for cheap – the season ends Oct 31 so many tourist-related businesses were having close-out sales. Unfortunately, one of the hoodies has a small hole in one arm – we didn’t discover it till 2 days later, but I can fix it, and at 3/$50, they were still a really good deal. FCD wanted to stop at *Bark Harbor *and get a gift for Higgs – a lobster made of rope. And I had to stop for fudge.

We decided to have lunch at a place called Testa’s. We both got the Maine lobster dinner with a boiled lobster, a half ear of corn, and roasted potato chunks. We finished the meal with homemade blueberry pie with ice cream. YUM!!! I kept my lobster bib to give to my sister who demanded I bring her a gift. :smiley:

Then we continued back to the ship. That evening, the entertainment in the theater was a comic named Etta May – she had a few funny bits, so it wasn’t a bad way to kill some time. We went to the casino, thinking we’d turn our pocket change into a fortune, but the slots didn’t take cash. We didn’t want to mess with using our SeaPass cards – that’s how they trick you into spending too much. Plus the Casino is one of 3 smoking areas, and it stunk.

We went back to the room so FCD could watch football and I played a few games on my tablet till I was tired. It was a good day. I really liked Bar Harbor.

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10/24 – Saint John, New Brunswick, Canadia.
We arrived in the dark of the morning and it looked like it was raining, but it was just the fog. We went ashore and signed up for a trolley tour that wound up being delayed till 10:45, so apart from walking thru the tent with booths of local crafts, we mostly just sat and waited. There was a large painting of the Marco Polo, the fastest sailing ship of its day, and while the ship may have been historic, the painting was obviously the work of someone who knew nothing about vessels of any sort. As we sat, we played Spot the Errors… it helped pass the time.

We were given pins – apparently that’s a thing in some parts of Canada, and since this is the end of the tourist season we were offered pins at least 4 or 5 times.

The trolley ride was fun – the driver was an older woman who was a hoot and the guide was also quite entertaining. She talked about a fire that had destroyed much of the city in the 1800s, about a number of houses and mansions and their history, and about some of the locals. We went to the Reversing Rapids, but it was still an outgoing tide, so we missed the reversed part. Still, the tidal range was evident among the shoreline. I wish we’d been there a few hours later.

The tour concluded at the Farmer’s Market. We walked thru there, which didn’t take too long, then walked back to the ship, which was all downhill. After a late lunch, FCD took a nap and I went to deck 6 to read. He joined me just as the ship was leaving, so we went out on deck while it spun around and headed out to sea. It’s amazing how maneuverable such a giant vessel is – the magic of bow thrusters! I don’t think the ship was touched by a tug the entire trip.

The rest of the day was dinner in the dining room and a rather nice show by the ship’s singers and dancers. We went back to our cabin for TV but the signal kept dropping out, so we went to sleep. Not much for partying are we…

10/25 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canadia
We slept in – the joys of an interior cabin with its constant dark. The ship arrived in port around 10 and we went ashore by 11 or so. There’s a really nice boardwalk that passed lots of shops, rental booths, restaurants, and local attractions. Many were already closed for the season – more than one person remarked how unusually mild the weather was. I guess normally, it was quite brisk by late October.

We walked maybe a quarter of a mile to the Maritime Museum of the Atlanticand it was a terrific place! I learned about (aboot?) Goose boats! They had an exhibit about the Titanic that included items recovered from the wreckage. They also had working models of several engines where you could turn a crank or cycle and air cylinder and see how the engines operated. There were a number of amazing ship models – the details were most impressive.

For me, tho, the most interesting area was about the Halifax explosionand fire of Dec 6, 1917. It was a horrific event but full of incredible tales of bravery and sacrifice. I’ll be reading more about it now that we’re home. I wish we could have spent more time there, but being the sedentary folk we are, we ran out of steam. So we slowly made our way back, stopping for lunch and some pecan/bacon brittle for FCD. OK, yeah, I got some homemade chocolate.

Back at the ship, we opted for some more hot tub time. Then FCD lay down for a nap and I found a spot to read. We had a late supper, then went back to the cabin to watch TV and crash – that evening’s entertainment didn’t appeal to us.

Shortly after, my night of hell began. I was in and out of the bathroom all night. I assume it was something I’d eaten, tho I didn’t feel sick, but my stomach was not happy. It didn’t calm down till after 3 or so. The worst part was feeling cold – I wound up putting on one of my husband’s long sleeve t-shirts and some socks, and I fell back to sleep at last.

It was a rough night, the seas started kicking up and the closet and bathroom doors kept slamming open and closed, which didn’t bode well for Thursday…

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10/26 – at sea.
FCD was sick pretty much all day. I wasn’t feeling all that great, either, mostly from lack of sleep the night before. He slept a lot and I read a lot. It was rough and windy all day – they closed the promenade deck and the jogging deck because of the wind, and the pools were emptied – it would have been dangerous to try to get in or out of them. Heck, walking was a challenge.

I’ve got a bruise down my right shoulder and arm from where I slammed into our cabin door frame. We were leaving and I wasn’t prepared for the sudden lurch. OUCH! We found out later that at one point, the winds were 60 knots, gusting to 70 and the seas maxed at 20’. Hence the rough ride.

We ate sparsely and skipped the evening’s entertainment, retreating to bed shortly after 6. At least we had great weather for our port calls.

10/27 – at sea.
The storm eased overnight, but I still woke stupid early – 3:45 in the am, to be precise. I couldn’t fall back to sleep, so I read for a while, till FCD woke and we decided to shower and dress. Over the course of the day, we walked around, listened to various musicians, went to the Q&A with the captain and chief engineer, and sat around people-watching. We overheard a woman ask if we’d gotten to the Atlantic Ocean yet, because Canada was on the Pacific. Sadly, it wasn’t the stupidest thing we overheard on the trip.

We were going to watch the art auction, but you had to register to get in. We just wanted to see what it was about, not be assigned a paddle. So we passed. Instead, we went to the indoor pool, then to the outdoor hot tub (tho it was quite a bit chillier outside this time.) After changing back to dry clothes, we walked around on deck, then plopped down on deck chairs. Pretty much all we did was chill and chat.

We did go up on deck as we approached the Chesapeake Bay, and we saw the pilot boat rendezvous with the ship. It was really windy, so we returned to our cabin. I got the bags all packed except for the few items we’d need in the morning. There were a few clean garments left, so they were tucked together away from the dirties. We decided we’d take our own bags and leave the ship in the first wave. We set 2 alarms to be sure we’d be up in time, and we crashed.

10/28 – back in Baltimore.
I woke ridiculously early, but managed to fall back to sleep till our alarms went off. It took barely half an hour for us to shower, dress, and finish packing. We went up to Deck 4 and joined the line of folks waiting to exit at 7:30. I’m glad we didn’t wait any longer – there were more people waiting than I’d expected.

Once the gangway opened, it went pretty fast. The ramp was long, but all downhill, making for an easy exit. Going thru Customs was almost a joke – we showed our passports, said we had nothing to declare, and that was it. Does no one stamp passports anymore??

Then it was a short walk across the parking lot to the car, a slight detour to get a quick McBreakfast, and we were on the road heading south a bit after 8, home before 10. The puppy was happy to see us, I did 5 loads of laundry, and on Monday, it’s back to work.

And that’s how I spent my autumn vacation.

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Thank you, FCM! Going on a cruise is on my bucket list. I have friends who swear by them. I also have friends who feel trapped, especially at sea. Needless to say the latter group hasn’t gone on any since.

Every summer there’s a cruise to Bermuda which leaves my area . Friends who’ve gone on it have described it as a 7-day college frat drinkathon since they spend more time at sea. It’s one of the more popular cruises, given that it’s also the least expensive of any of the other cruises offered.

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Was the food good other than the one meal that possibly made you sick? Did you see beautiful fall colors?

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My husband and I are in our 60s and we were among the younger demographic aboard. We deliberately chose to cruise while school was in session to avoid too many kids, and for whatever reason, Royal Caribbean seems to attract an older crowd, which suits us fine. There were maybe a dozen kids aboard and we saw a few younger couples, but it was definitely not a partying crowd.

I’ve heard of cruises aimed at the partying crowd, but personally, I avoid them. I like that I don’t have to cook or clean, and I like visiting new places. Since we don’t drink or gamble, it really is a cheap vacation. So, kiz, do it sooner than later, because if you love it, you’ll want to do it again!

But I’m glad to be home with a decent size shower and my own comfy bed.

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**Butters **- for the most part, the food was pretty good. And there certainly was a lot of it. Even the lobster roll that I suspect upset my stomach tasted good - maybe I just reacted to one of the seasonings?

The breads and rolls aboard the ship were addictive. And the desserts were too numerous to be legal! I’m pretty sure I OD’d on chocolate. But I also made an effort to have fruit - I do love me some pineapple! And unless you’re a really really picky eater, you’ll find plenty to eat.

As to colors - not so much. It’s been a weird autumn and that seems to be reflected in the foliage. But we did enjoy the mild weather.

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Thanks for the report, I found it interesting.

We did a similar cruise a while back, though ours left from Manhattan, skipped Maine, but stopped in St. John and Halifax. We had similar foggy/windy weather; I remember the water sloshing out of the (closed) hot tubs. I also recall seeing waves splash against the windows during dinner (the dining room was on the third or fourth deck).

I’m glad you were happy with your interior cabin, but that would never work for me. I wouldn’t cruise without a balcony. But different strokes and all that.

And I’m not sure I would do another northern cruise - the weather is too iffy - but we did enjoy it.
mmm

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My husband did say he’d like to try a balcony cabin next time, and since we’d like to do the Panama Canal, I think a balcony would be a nice idea. So we shall see.

Considering our impending grandchild, I expect it may be 2 or 3 years before we cruise again, as I’ve volunteered to be day care…

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Did you ever see Wonder Woman?

It sounds like a nice, relaxing vacation. I’ve always been leery of cruises because I don’t want to pay a premium for something I can do at home - read. But it sounds like you had a good time. Is this your first pleasure cruise? Were you ever on duty on a ship while in the navy?

StG

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Never did see Wonder Woman - the second time they showed it was on the outdoor screen after sunset - too chilly to sit out there.

This was my 5th cruise - 4 were under 2 weeks, and I did one with my mom that was nearly 26 days and included a trans Atlantic leg. We also did a schooner cruise in Maine 7 years ago, but that was completely different.

And unless you have someone at home to cook for you and clean for you, there is a little more to a cruise than reading. :smiley: There really is a lot going on. We just aren’t interested in dance lessons or learning to fold napkins into animals or playing trivia or karaoke or gambling… OK, we’re slugs. We’re there to chill and not do chores.

When I was in the Navy, I was in the aviation community, and I joined before women went to sea. When it was allowed, I volunteered, but was sent to the Pentagon instead.

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I’m glad you had a nice, relaxing time, and I’m sorry to hear you and FCD had to spend part of it feeling poorly. Being sick at sea sucks, even if you’re not actually seasick–it just compounds whatever’s wrong. You don’t have the option to go home and den up, you’re probably cut off from some of your usual coping mechanisms, and you’re usually trying not to make whoever you’re sharing cramped quarters with miserable. (I once wrapped up a cruise on the edge of pneumonia, and it was a rotten damn experience.)

That aside, cruises can be fun, though I wouldn’t care to do them often. Time away from responsibilities and interesting new places to see are the main draws for me, along with occasional fun excursions. Tourist trap towns are a downside, though.

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I just did the Panama Canal with a balcony room (cheap thanks to my daughter’s travel industry benefits) and it is well worth it. You can sit on your balcony and watch the donkeys pull you through the lock. Plus those rooms have more room which we appreciated. We’ve done interior rooms also, but I don’t think I can give up my balcony in the future.

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Sounds generally like fun. And what’s your next cruise? Canal or elsewhere?

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Really enjoyed hearing about your trip, FCM. I particularly enjoyed hearing about your adventures in Saint John and Halifax–I’ve been to both cities on multiple occasions, and could picture where you were and what you experienced.

As for the pins–yes, that is a thing in Canada. My ex-wife travelled a lot on business in Canada, and she always carried a certain teddy bear. The bear wore a sweatshirt, and in every new place my ex-wife went to, she would get a pin for the bear’s sweatshirt. She left the bear behind when we split, and to this day, the bear sits on my dresser, in her (the bear was always a “she”) sweatshirt covered in pins of places she has been to.

Thanks for the post–I’ve always wondered about cruising, and thanks to your post, maybe I will someday.

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**susan **- the 3 cruises on our wish list are the Canal, Alaska, and South America/Antarctica. The first 2 are doable, the third may be financially out of reach, considering having to fly to and from the ports in addition to the cost of the cruise itself. But we shall see.

**Voyager **- my mom is seriously claustrophobic, so when she and I did our 4-week adventure, we had a balcony. I literally sold my car to afford that cruise, and I rather liked it - the extra space, for sure. On the other hand, we really don’t usually spend too much time in the cabin other than changing or sleeping, but in the Canal, I can see sitting on the balcony taking it all in.

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My wife and I have been on 2 Alaska cruises, we are looking at other places for any future cruises. The only issue we that we will have to deal with is the flying to get to the departure port, we live only half an hour from the Pier 91 in Seattle. It’s nice not having to deal with airline limits on luggage when cruising.