New England and Canada Cruise 2014 Part 1

Last week we cruised on the Holland America Maasdam heading to Bar Harbor and Canada!

Day 1 (Saturday 9/13/14 At Sea)

Here is the link to the pictures.

The shuttle left for the ship about 9:45am and porters were waiting for us when we got off the shuttle. We tipped them $1 for each bag to check it in and then we find out that the check in was only about 30 feet away past the shuttle and we could have taken them there ourselves! Oh well, a lesson well learned and it only cost us $3! Within minutes we were through security and checked in to the ship. An hour later we boarded the ship and our cabin was ready. We immediately went to the Rotterdam dining room for our Mariner lunch and sat with 4 other people who were interesting. At 1pm I had to go see the Maître’d to change our dining from any time to assigned seating and we were given Table 68 at 7:45pm. Then we walked around the ship for a while before going back to our cabin to unpack our suitcases. At 3:15 we had our life boat drill and then went to taste a couple of desserts on the lido deck. After that we ended up sitting in the Crow’s nest watching us leave because it was so windy and cold outside! We met 12 people who were on the ship that had been in a fraternity at Indiana University years ago. Then we went back to the cabin to rest for an hour before getting ready for dinner. We sit with Diane and Agnes from Virginia Beach and Hebe from South Africa and Eve from England. They are so interesting!

Day 2 (Sunday 9/14/14 Bar Harbor)

Here is the link to the pictures.

We decided to go ashore after breakfast since we had to tender in this port. During breakfast it was announced that tender operations were suspended because the conditions were too rough and dangerous. Around 10am, it was announced that the port was cancelled and we were leaving. We felt bad for all the people who had never seen Bar Harbor before. They decided to have a Bloody Mary happy hour until 11am so we had a a couple of them. At 11am, Jeremy, the cruise director gave a talk about the big Halifax explosion in 1917 that killed or injured about 25, 000 people (half the population of the town). At noon we went to the dining room for lunch and then another lecture about the Montreal Expo ’67. After that we went to a cooking demonstration where we had a sample of Butternut Squash soup that I really didn’t like. We went to the Lido deck and got some dessert and I had the bread pudding which was wonderful. After a nap we had dinner and it was formal night so we dressed up. At 10pm we saw the show Bob Mackie’s Broadway where the singers sang Broadway songs dressed in Bob Mackie costumes and it was nice.

Day 3 (Monday 9/15/14 Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Here’s the link to the pictures.

After breakfast we left the ship to explore Halifax. We walked along the boardwalk and then took a ferry to Dartmouth, NS. It cost $2.50 per person exact change so we had to go to the RBC bank and exchange some money. There was a $3 fee for any amount of exchange so we exchanged $100. When we got on the ferry, the man gave us paper transfers to get back on the ferry so it didn’t cost anything to come back. When we arrived in Dartmouth (about a 20 minute ride), Don saw a map on the wall showing different businesses and one of them was Dartmouth Yarns. So, we walked to the yarn shop but they were closed on Mondays. After walking around a little, we headed back to the ferry and Halifax. We walked some more around Halifax when I looked up and saw The Loop sign. I vaguely remember that name coming up when I looked on the internet for yarn stores in Halifax so we went in. The girl there was so nice that I couldn’t resist buying some Opal yarn. Then we went back to the ship for lunch. We left the ship again to do more exploring and walked past the Citadel and around that area. Finally we decided we were tired and went back to the ship. We had walked over 10 miles! We had a little snack and then took a nap before dinner. After dinner we went to the show featuring a band from Cape Breton. They were quite good!

Day 4 (Tuesday 9/16/14 Sydney, Nova Scotia)

Here’s the link to the pictures.

Sydney was an extremely friendly town! We walked around town and looked for a yarn shop but it was closed down. After walking around town, we went back to the ship for lunch. After lunch we walked to the craft show at a local church and I found a bunch of knitters sitting there knitting! I showed off my socks and they invited me to knit with them when we come back. I bought a bookmark from them for $5. There was another craft shop that we stopped at while exploring and the prices were much higher. We stopped at the cruise terminal where there was a craft show and their prices were even higher. I enjoyed the friendliness of everyone that we met though. Before dinner we went to see the movie Draft Day with Kevin Costner and it was wonderful! After dinner we didn’t go to the evening show which was the movie Maleficent because we were too tire.

Things I Learned:

1. Boston in September can be pretty cool in temperature.

2. Don’t tip porters to check your bags in at the port in Boston.

3. Quebec Sugar Pie is really sweet and tastes like Mary Jane candy.

4. Chocolate Mousse Pie is wonderful. It is light and chocolaty!

5. Get a transfer before you get on the ferry to get back for free.

6. They were afraid of getting invaded by America and becoming Americans.

7. Many died in the Crimean War (which is in the Black Sea.)

8. There are a lot of beggars in Halifax.

9. Sydney is a very friendly town!

10. Sydney relies heavily on tourism.

11. Tim Horton’s sold diet Pepsi.

Original photos by Pat Hensley