First Cruise - New England to Montreal

[Judy in Texas 150]

Two years ago for my 60th birthday, I chose a camping trip to The Fort with my friend Joyce. The first few days for beautiful... the last few were a wash out... one of those storms that just sits over Florida dumping BUCKETS of water.  We left early. 

 

This year for Joyce's 60th birthday, she picked a cruise.  Neither of us had been on one before so after much research, she picked the Holland America cruise from Boston to Montreal with stops in Bar Harbor Maine, Halifax Nova Scotia, Sydney Nova Scotia, Charlottetown Prince Edward Island, and Quebec City. 

 

We flew into Boston a few days early to visit Joyce's brother and sister-in-law and to drive up the Maine coast.

 

We took a circuitous route to get to her brother's house.  First stop:  Plymouth Rock

 

 

 

The monument around the rock:

 

 

Here it is...  It's a bit underwhelming.

 

 

Next stop, the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, Mass.  It's an old railway bridge converted to a garden.

 

 

 

Heading up the coast of Maine, we stopped at York Beach.  Nice camprounds on the south end of the beach:

 

 

Nubble Light on the north end of York:

 

 

The Bush compound in Kennebunkport:

 

 

Joyce with the LL Bean boot:

 

 

On the way back to Boston, we stopped in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where I lived for 12 year.

[blm2003 2]

I'm in! My wife and I have been thinking of a cruise like the one you took for a while now, can you convince us to go? Looking forward to more

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I've been waiting for this one.  And your first post didn't creep me out one bit. 

[Judy in Texas 150]

 Welcome aboard!

  

I'm in! My wife and I have been thinking of a cruise like the one you took for a while now, can you convince us to go? Looking forward to more

 Convince you, maybe. We had a great time.

 

I've been waiting for this one.  And your first post didn't creep me out one bit. 

Dave:  I've been trying to think of something creepy from this trip to post JUST FOR YOU.  Guess what?  I can't think of a thing! 

 

While in Portsmouth, we look a day cruise on the Isles of Shoals Steam Ship Company's Thomas Laighton.  We left from Portsmouth, went down the Piscataqua River to Star Island which is part of the Isles of Shoals off the Maine and New Hampshire coast.  Portsmouth Harbor is definitely a working harbor.  Note the salt pile and scrap heap in the background.  The scrap metal is sent to China. 

 

 

The new draw bridge from Portsmouth NH to Kittery Maine went up just for us.   I hope you like bridges.  This trip report is going to have lots of bridge pics. 

 

 

We went by the Portsmouth Naval Ship Yard.  Here is a submarine in for maintenance:

 

 

This is a reproduction of a gundalow boat.  You can take cruises on it, too. 

 

 

Portsmouth Light at Fort Constitution, Newcastle, NH:

 

 

Whaleback Light where the Piscataqua River meets the Atlantic Ocean:

 

 

Star Island is primarily a conference center; however, the general public can spend a few hours exploring it. 

 

 

 

The island cemetery from it's early days when it was famous for cod fishing.

 

 

One requirement for visiting Portsmouth is at least one meal at Newick's:

 

 

 

Next up.. the Port of Boston! 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

That last pic was awesome.  You could quit now and I'd be happy.  Well, not happy that you quit.  But just happy.  About the food.  Do you understand what I mean?  I should stop. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Great pics!

[Judy in Texas 150]

That last pic was awesome.  You could quit now and I'd be happy.  Well, not happy that you quit.  But just happy.  About the food.  Do you understand what I mean?  I should stop. 

 

We ate at quite a few "clam shacks".  Joyce will probably tell you a few too many.  :)   I miss the restaurants where the fishing boats tie up at the dock out back. YUM!  Nothing like it in this end of Texas.

 

Saturday morning we left Portsmouth early and headed to Logan airport to turn in the rental car.  For anyone who has ever driven in New England traffic, it's interesting to say the least.  We had to get the rental car shuttle back to the airport terminal and then grab a cab to the port.  Our cab driver was wonderful and had us there in less than 15 minutes.

 

There were two cruise ships in that morning - both Holland America.  We were getting on the Maasdam.  The Veendam had just returned from a 35 day "Grand Tour" to Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Holland and back.  The couple behind us in line had just gotten off the Veendam and were getting on the Maasdam.  $$$$

 

Waiting for check in to start:

 

 

The port building is an old warehouse:

 

 

There's our ship!

 

 

 

As soon as we got on the ship we started exploring.  We could see planes landing at Logan:

 

 

A barge went by:

 

 

We found someone to take our picture:

 

 

A bag piper from Halifax entertained us: 

 

 

Have you ever landed at Logan Airport?   It seems like you are going to land right in the water. 

We sailed right by the end of that runway:

 

 

...and an airplane flew RIGHT over us. 

 

 

The Boston skyline:

 

 

We sailed by a lighthouse.  There will be LOTS more:

 

 

I learned about Pilots.  Everytime we neared the next port, a tug brought out the Pilot (someone who is expert in the surrounding waters).  When we left, the tug would come back out to pick him up.

 

 

A view of the smaller pool - our room was inside the door and to the right.  I really liked that room.

 

 

Pool rules. Anyone using the pool must be potty trained.  No diapers allowed.

 

 

Sunset day one from our veranda:

 

 

Moonrise over the water.  Nice!

 

[blm2003 2]

Those sunset and moonrise photos are fantastic! 

[Judy in Texas 150]

Those sunset and moonrise photos are fantastic! 

Thanks and nice to have you aboard!

 

Pausing for general Holland America information:

 

We chose not to have an assigned seating in the Rotterdam dining room each evening.  We made reservations to eat there Day Two; but, the rest of the time we ate at the Lido buffet.  That worked well for us. 

 

Night time attire was listed as Business for all but two evenings which were formal.  Most people didn't dress up quite that much.  Business attire:  Slacks or a skirt with a nice blouse/shirt for the women   Dress slacks and a collared shirt for the men.  Formal nights: I saw two couples in what I consider formal attire.  Most men added a sport coat, maybe a tie and the women added a blouse with a bit more flair. 

 

We bought a soda card.  Fountain sodas were $1.50.  The soda card was $25 for a $50 card so the sodas ended up being $.75.   Water, tea, coffee, and juices were free.  A highlight of breakfast each morning was fresh squeezed orange juice.  It was squeezed right at the juice station.

 

They offer a "Signature Beverage Package", too.  $44.95 per person per day for 15 drinks... each day!  If you purchase it, everyone in your cabin "of age" must also buy it.   I don't see how anyone could drink that much and still be upright.  (Granted - I've never been to a GG :) )

 

If you buy a bottle of wine in the Rottendam dining room and don't finish it, they will store it for you so you can have it with your next meal there.

 

Each evening a newsletter was placed outside our room.  It included information for the next day:  the weather forecast; arrival and departure times at the next port; entertainnment; classes  [Microsoft, cooking, photography, bridge, ballroom dancing, health related (acupuncture, arthritis, foot print analysis)].

 

Overviews of the daily news from around the world were available in the Lido restaurant - NY Times, Britain Today, something from Australia. 

 

The age distribution on the cruise was about 60% babyboomers, 30% younger couples without children, 10% families.   We talked to a 30-something couple from a NYC suburb.  This was their first Holland America cruise.  They said their last cruise was on Princess which they felt out of place on - mostly retirees.  They liked the Holland America age distribution better. 

 

My best pre-cruise investment was a good pair of binoculars.  I used them A LOT!

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

I am in! I love lighthouses, bridges and the north!

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

Sounds like a great trip so far! I am from NH, so most everything you have mentioned/photos of is very familiar to me! We LOVE Newicks too!! My oldest goes to UNH so when we visit him, we always eat there! Yum!!!

 

Looking forward to reading more!

 

Heidi

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Great information on the cruise, Judy!  Doing one of those port hopping cruises in the Maritimes is a dream of mine for someday....as is doing a European river cruise. 

 

Regarding the Signature Drink thing...WOW!  15 drinks per day, per person?  I'd be sick and/or sleeping.  And your comment on GG's is funny.  If you ever get to a GG, you'll see that there is more coffee being drank than alcohol.  LOL! 

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

Looking good so far, waiting for more.

Since you commented about the wine, on DCL it follows you to the next dining room when you rotate. It amazes me how they keep that all straight.

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Looking good so far, waiting for more.

Since you commented about the wine, on DCL it follows you to the next dining room when you rotate. It amazes me how they keep that all straight.

 

Also if you decide to dine at Palo or Remy you can request the bottle be brought up there as well and they are happy to do that. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

What beautiful lighthouse pics!!!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm in!

 

Your photos are fantastic!  I especially liked the sunset/moonrise combo.  I learned from my photographer daughter that photographing the moon is not easy.

 

A cruise around New England and Canada sounds like a great idea.  Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

All your pics are wonderful!  I've always wanted to cruise with a similar itinerary and can't want to see the rest!

[GOBA Mom Lynn 18]

Great start!  I'm excitedly following along, as the last cruise we did (in 2003!) was from NY to Halifax on Carnival.

It will be interesting to see the similarities and differences.  Going north during the hot summer months is a great way to beat the heat.

[Judy in Texas 150]

Welcome aboard everyone! 

 

It was great to have such cool weather after another hot summer in Texas.  I would certainly recommend this cruise for people who want to Port Hop (as Dave put it) and to get a feel for the Canadian Maritimes. 

 

Day 2:  Bar Harbor, Maine

 

The Veendam left Boston after we did; but, it passed us overnight.  I would have loved to watch it go by.  Because the Bar Harbor port can not accomodate cruise ships, we moored offshore and "tendered" in to the dock.  Here is the Veendam:

 

 

The life boats are now our Tenders. 

 

 

It's our turn to go ashore.   I felt like we were packed in like sardines; but, the capacity for this boat used as a lifeboat is double of that when it is used as a tender. No clue where they put everyone. 

 

 

We picked a "Driving Tour of Acadia National Park" and it was just that... a driving tour.  We stopped once for 15 minutes where we could walk to the point to take pictures, walk the other direction to the gift shop, or stand in line at the restrooms.  We decided to take pictures.   If you want to see Acadia this would be an OK tour... If you want to spend time there, not so much. 

 

The Veendam is on the left and the Maasdam is on the right.  This is the last port the ships were in together. 

 

 

We had a bit of time left after the tour so we walked along the waterfront:

 

 

When we got back to the cabin we had a towel crab(?)

 

 

We made reservations at the Rotterdam dining room for supper - sorry no pictures. 

 

We also enjoyed the show in the Showroom at Sea.  There were 6-7 musical actors/actresses plus two dancers who were in the various shows plus a 5 member combo that provided the music.  They were all really good.  The two main singers (a husband and wife) had recently been on the road with major shows - he had been in Phantom and she had been in Les Miserable.

 

If you're not the stage show type, there were several bars, each with a different type of music. 

 

Next stop... Halifax! 

 

[Judy in Texas 150]

Day Three:  We enjoyed watching the ship pull into port and then leave each day.   Here we are arriving in Halifax:

 

 

 

A bag piper greeted us:

 

 

Pier 21.  I didn't realize Canada has it's own Seven Wonders:

 

 

If you are a webcam fan, here is one of the Halifax port. 

 

http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/halifax/pier-21.html

 

We signed up for a walking tour of Halifax.   Fortunately, they bussed us to the start.  Halifax is quite hilly.

 

 

We started in the Public Gardens:

 

 

 

 

 

King George VI (of King's Speech fame), Queen Elizabeth's father, planted a tree here in 1939:

 

 

 

Concerts are held here each weekend during the summer:

 

 

Serpentine flower beds come complete with heads!

 

 

 

This fountain commemorates the Boer War.  The Camperdown Elm behind it was planted in the 1749..

 

 

Next we walked around the outside of The Halifax Citadel.  It is still a working military facility:

 

 

 

It's clock tower was erected by HRH the Duke of Kent in 1803.

 

 

 

We walked back to the harbor and saw Theodore Too.  Isn't he the cutest thing!  Theodore will take you on a tour of the harbor:

 

 

 

Theodore also has his own TV show.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Tugboat

 

Another harbor pic:

 

 

Lots of ships went by us. This one was HUGE:

 

 

When we walked by the bar at the swimming pool, I saw all the beers lined up.  I thought someone might be interested:

 

 

It was a great day that ended with a full moon rising:

 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

When we walked by the bar at the swimming pool, I saw all the beers lined up.  I thought someone might be interested:

 

 

 

 

Oh my.  My heart just started beating faster. 

[Judy in Texas 150]

Day Four: Sydney, Nova Scotia

I hadn't heard of Sydney, Nova Scotia prior to signing up for the cruise but it became our favorite town of the trip. Small, quaint, friendly. No big McMansions lining the shores. Just little frame houses belonging to the hard working folks who call Sydney home. Since the winters are long, lots of people take up crafts to help pass the time. They were allowed to set up tables in the port building to sell their wares. I thought they were well made and reasonably priced. Example: A hand crocheted baby blanket for $25. I bought a hand quilted picture of the shoreline for $20.

One of the things the Sydney area is known for is fiddling. A young lady (20-something) fiddler joined the cruise in Halifax. She gave a concert in the Showroom at Sea that night. It was real foot stomping music. See the big fiddle to the right of the port building.

Today we took a trip to Fort Louisbourg:

"The Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest reconstruction project in North America. The original settlement was founded in 1713 by the French and developed over several decades into a thriving center for fishing and trade. Fortified against the threat of British invasion during the turbulent time of empire-building, Louisbourg was besieged twice before finally being destroyed in the 1760s. The site lay untouched until well into modern times, when archaeologists began to reconstruct the fortress as it was in the 18th century. Thanks to their efforts and the work of Parks Canada and the Fortress Louisbourg Association, you can now experience life in Louisbourg during its heyday. There are more than a dozen buildings open to the public including three authentic working 18th century restaurants. During the summer months hundreds of re-enactors or “animators” of all ages, from wealthy merchants to poor soldiers, populate the streets of the restored fortress working, playing, and living life as they would have in 1744."

On the way we saw a pile of lobster traps:

Here is a look at Fort Louisbourg as we approached:

Looking through a gate at a lighthouse across the harbor:

The chapel. There were ship models hanging in some of the windows:

Reenactors demonstrated firing the muskets and canons:

There were lots of buildings to wander through:

This lace tatting display is interesting:

A kitchen garden:

The buildings were but together with pegs as they would have been when they were originally built:

Views across a field:

It was an interesting place to visit.

On our way again, Joyce takes a few minutes to relax on the veranda:

There were lots of churches on the shore:

Another pilot boat:

...and another sunset. We had wonderful weather the entire cruise.

Next stop... Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I never heard of Sydney or Fort Louisbourg either. Thanks for sharing the information. It looks like a lot of effort was put in to the restoration.  Is this the equivalent of a National Park in the US?  Is Parks Canada the equivalent of the US National Parks Service? 

 

It is amazing what a different experience a cruise in the northeast is from a cruise to the Bahamas.

 

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

I am really like the shore excursions from the Northeast cruise.  I am glad to hear the weather was so nice for you.  The photos are great.

[Judy in Texas 150]

I never heard of Sydney or Fort Louisbourg either. Thanks for sharing the information. It looks like a lot of effort was put in to the restoration.  Is this the equivalent of a National Park in the US?  Is Parks Canada the equivalent of the US National Parks Service? 

 

It is amazing what a different experience a cruise in the northeast is from a cruise to the Bahamas.

 

TCD

 

Yes, Parks Canada is the equivalent of our National Parks Service:

 

Parks Canada (French: Parcs Canada), also known as the Parks Canada Agency (French: Agence Parcs Canada), is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.^[1] Parks Canada manages 44 National Parks (including seven National Park Reserves), four National Marine Conservation Areas, one National Landmark, and 167 National Historic Sites of Canada. The agency also administers the Canadian Register of Historic Places, a registry of historic sites in Canada.

 

There were a number of tour options at each port and there were always things to do on the ship if you didn't want to go ashore.

 

Here is a link to the Holland America website for this cruise :

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-destinations/canada-new-england-cruises#