New York City

Our bodies are in New York, but our spirits are still on the Maasdam sailing into Charlottetown, PEI.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

We have an early morning shore excursion today, so we enjoy breakfast in our suite before heading down the gangway to the waiting buses.  It is overcast and cool, but we are thankful for no rain as we head out to explore the “Lighthouses of Prince Edward Island.”  We enjoy a short ride through the historical residential district of Charlottetown, which is the smallest provincial capital in Canada, as Prince Edward Island is the smallest province.

We then head east to the first lighthouse visit, where we learn the difference between range lights, set apart from each other so ships at sea can calculate their distance from shore, and single lighthouses, which provide navigation guidance.  The lighthouses are no longer in operation and can be purchased from the provincial government and opened to the public if the new owner promises to keep them in appropriate condition and working order.  Two of the lighthouses we visit are square, while the third is the more traditional conical shape.  The square ones have living quarters attached and tourists can wander through the small rooms and then up the stairs to the light room itself.  In the conical lighthouse, there are vertiginous spiral staircases to reach the top.  Although the room is cramped and the sky is gray, the views over the coastline show the wild nature of the sea as well as the deep red soil for which PEI is famous.

The most well-known thing about the island, however, is the story of “Anne of Green Gables,” beloved by young girls everywhere.  We decide to skip all the tourists attractions associated with the novel and its author, but still manage to get the red dirt all over our shoes.  PEI is also famous for its seafood; PEI scallops are known around the world. What might not be as well known is the fact that over 80 varieties of potatoes are grown on Prince Edward Island.

Since it is getting cold and blustery we head back to the ship after the lighthouse tour rather than wandering around the town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York City

It’s Sunday night at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City—and I am obviously waaaaay behind.  But I hope to catch up over the next few days and report on the remaining ports that we visited on Prince Edward Island and in Nova Scotia, as well as the port visit that was cancelled in Bar Harbor, ME, and the Amtrak ride from Boston to Penn Station in New York.  So it’s back to . . .

Monday, 20 May 2013 
On the ms Maasdam Sailing Northeast on the St Lawrence River

This is our one planned sea day on the Maasdam, and it gives us a chance to sleep a little late and to enjoy all the varied pleasures of the ship.  Although she carries only 1250 passengers, all the public rooms you find on Holland America’s larger ships—like the Eurodam—are neatly fitted into the more limited and intimate space of the Maasdam.  Our Neptune Suite is on Deck 10, way toward the top of the ship and just behind the navigation bridge and the staterooms used by the Captain and other members of the sailing crew.  It is well over twice the size of the staterooms I am used to, with a dressing room as well as bathroom with Jacuzzi tub.  The king-size bed and large sleep sofa across the room look out full-size windows and doors to the double-size veranda with chaise lounges, chairs, and table (too bad it isn’t warmer, we could enjoy our breakfast out here).   

There is a private lounge reserved for suite guests in the center of the deck and it provides continental breakfast as well as snacks and beverages throughout the day (and night).  Best of all, there are two concierges to assist us with any special requests.  Other perks of being in a suite include free laundry and dry cleaning throughout the cruise, a gift bottle of champagne, special tendering privileges (which we don’t get to use; more about that later), and invitations to three cocktail parties with the Captain and members of the crew (we decide to stick mostly to champagne for this cruise).  And because I have over 100 sailing days on Holland America, I also enjoy special discounts in the shops and specialty restaurants.

In the late morning, the “Dancing with the Stars,” contest begins—it will last all week on the Maasdam and continue through the year on all Holland America ships.  Will and I don’t participate but it is a hoot to watch other passengers of all ages muster the courage to dance the samba, waltz, and cha-cha with members of the stage productions cast.  At the end of today’s auditions it is time for the special Mariner’s Lunch, to which repeat cruisers are invited and made to feel special (and, therefore, want to book more cruises).  Actually, it is fun, and Holland America indeed has the highest percentage of repeat cruisers in the entire industry.

In the afternoon we watch a rehearsal for tonight’s show—with the HAL singers and dancers—since we don’t usually make it to the 10pm show after dinner.  After that we decide not to do much except get ready for the first formal night Captain’s Dinner at 8pm.

 

 

 

 

Sydney, Nova Scotia, Maritime Provinces, Canada 

We are heading out of Sydney, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, tonight and heading for an early morning docking in Halifax, capital city of Nova Scotia.  I visited Halifax for a day and a half on my westbound transatlantic cruise last September, but this is a first-time visit for Will.  However, I need to catch up on our days in Montreal, at sea, in Charlottetown, and in Sydney, before I take you to Halifax.

Saturday, 18 May 2013
Montreal, Quebec

We rise to beautiful early morning weather in Montreal, with a view of the Olympic Stadium and the Champlain Bridge outside our windows.  We stop for huge breakfasts—with real Quebecois maple syrup on Will’s pancakes—at a restaurant next store to the Hyatt Regency before heading out to the Place des Artes in the Quartier des Spectacles (downtown Montreal is divided into districts—quartiers—based on the primary activities available in each area) outside the hotel.  This was the scene of a huge street festival last night celebrating “Montreal Day,” but this morning it is quiet and clean, and much like Lincoln Center in New York, with several theatres, the Montreal Opera House, and the Contemporary Art Museum.  Unlike Lincoln Center, Montreal’s cultural scene offers up a variety of architectural styles.

 

Montreal is most noted for its “underground cities,” which connect a number of large shopping plazas with subterranean passageways.  In other words, in the cold of winter and the heat of the brief summer, pedestrians can go many places without stepping into the streets.  These passageways are also connected to the Metro system which fans out into the suburbs.  We walk underground from the Complexe Desjardin underneath the Hyatt all the way south to the convention center and the Old City.  We walk back above ground through Chinatown and the Downtown retail district.  There are two other large underground passages connecting other parts of the city as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bus taking us the 10-minute ride from the hotel to the pier and the ms Maasdam is supposed to leave at 11am (the first bus left at 10:45).  But in the intervening 15 minutes someone somehow loses the bus that is supposed to return to the hotel to pick us up and there is a 90-minute wait for them to find another.  Needless to say, there is a busload of unhappy customers, since the HAL people don’t offer any information.  But after much grumbling and groaning (and getting stuck behind a recalcitrant stopped taxicab at the pier), we arrive at last.  Because we have been upgraded to a Neptune Suite on the Navigation Deck, we get expedited arrival service and don’t have to wait on any lines to check in.  I will report on all the other perks of being in a suite in a later blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch on board we have time for a short walk through Old Montreal, which begins just across the street from the pier.  At 5pm, the Maasdam slips from the pier and we sail out into the St Lawrence River, with magnificent views of the city towers behind us and the sites of the Olympics and 1967 World’s Fair (which I attended for three days) to starboard and port sides, respectively.  The river widens as we sail to the northeast and Quebec City, and there is a strange mixture of industrial and agricultural scenes as we pass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a special champagne reception (again just for passengers in suites) at 7:30pm, so we are happily tipsy (and very tired) as we head toward the dining room for an 8:00 dinner, with a table for two reserved by the windows.  It doesn’t take much to make us fall asleep and we dream about arriving in Quebec City in the morning (which I have already blogged about yesterday).

I will be back tomorrow with further updates and a report on our day at sea and our tour of lighthouses on Prince Edward Island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlottetown, PEI, Maritime Provinces, Canada  

It is hard to believe that our cruise is almost half over and I haven’t even started on making headway on this blog.  But I hope to be catching up before we dock in Boston on Saturday.  I will begin with Quebec and then get back to Montreal later.

Sunday, 19 May 2013
Quebec City, Quebec Province, Canada

We rise early with the sun today as we pass under a pair of bridges (one highway and one railway) over the St Lawrence River, connecting Quebec City to the southern part of Quebec Province, at 6am.  It is cool on the veranda, but we brave the breeze for the spectacular view and morning light as we pass under  the bridges (one suspension and one cantilever, almost like smaller versions of the two bridges crossing the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Maasdam does a U-turn before docking up against the streets of the Lower Town of Old Quebec.  We enjoy a continental breakfast in the private Neptune Lounge reserved for suite passengers only and then head out for an early walk through the city.  Although the shops and galleries are not open this early on Sunday, the streets are pleasantly quiet with few tourist groups yet crowding the pavement.  We follow the cobbled streets between two- and three-story houses built by the French and the British during the early settlement of the city.  We ride the short funicular up the escarpment face that separates the Upper and Lower Towns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The upper station of the funicular is at the Dufferin Terrace that follows the top of the old battlements along the river side of the Upper Town.  The famed Chateau Frontenac Hotel—the best known symbol of Quebec—stands at this very spot and towers over this old section of the city.  We follow the route suggested by our Michelin Guidebook that takes us along the eastern side of the battlements for views of the port and the river, and then winds through the residential and business area of the old city, with many churches and public buildings.  There is a distinctly European “feel” to Quebec, partly the result of the use of French to the almost complete exclusion  of English (in spite of official dual language status), and partly the result of the relaxed pace of life (especially on a Sunday morning).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about two hours of walking in beautiful sunshine, we head back down the Funicular and back through the Lower Town to have lunch back on board the Maasdam.  We are scheduled for an official afternoon walking tour of the city and tea at the Chateau Frontenac, but since the tour covers much of the same area we saw in the morning, Will decides to stay aboard the ship.  I head out with the tour, which is led by an excellent guide with lots of knowledge of the history and architecture we are seeing (which, of course, I could not provide on the morning walk).  But after taking the Funicular again, it seems to be more of a “running” than “walking” tour and the guide is often a block or two ahead of most of the group.  We make a number of stops for short talks about the sights, but there is little time to take pictures when we are moving between stops.  Tea and pastries at the hotel provide a nice respite before we walk down a series of ramps and stairs (including “break-neck stairs”—don’t ask!—back to the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sail out of Quebec City at 5pm, heading toward the Gulf of St Lawrence and a day at sea tomorrow.  We take our gift bottle of champagne to dinner with us, so we will settle in for a good night’s sleep

 

 

Bonjour from Montreal

Saturday, 18 May 2013

Montreal

Good morning from the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Montreal.  After a long day of plane rides and time changes we are glad to be here in French-speaking Canada, preparing to board the ms Maasdam.  It's a 10 minute ride to the pier just below Old Montreal and we should be on board in time for an early lunch and then have time to go ashore again to explore the area.

There was lots going on Friday night in Montreal, including a big "Montreal Day" celebration right outside our hotel in front oh the Opera House.  But after a short walk and dinner in the hotel, we were ready to get a good night's.

The next posting will tell about our Saturday adventures in Montreal and boarding the Maasdam--and our wonderful Neptune Suites accommodation--with pictures too!

I HAVE MADE A FEW CHANGES TO THE ITINERARY

Yes, I have just returned from a wonderful 18-day cruise from Santiago de Chile to Ft Lauderdale, FL, on Holland America's ms Veendam.

And now I am off again for a seven-day cruise from Montreal to Boston on Holland America's ms Maasdam.  This time Will is going with me and we will also be spending three days in New York and four days in Virginia (one in Cobbs Creek and three in Richmond) after the cruise ends.

I look forward to this trip not only because Will is accompanying me (actually it's a belated gift for my 65th birthday in January 2012), but because we have been upgraded to a Neptune Suite on the Navigation Deck of the Maasdam.  Not only is the suite twice as large as the usual stateroom, with an extra large veranda as well, but it comes with many special priveleges:  e.g. complimentary laundry service, private lounge on the Navigation Deck, complimentary hors d'ouerves and drinks in our stateroom, special embarkation and tendering services, cocktails with the Captain and Ship Officers.  Sometimes it pays to be a loyal customer!

May 2013

17   Fri       6:30am  Lv Tucson                                         

                  12:57pm  Av Atlanta

                   2:45pm  Lv Atlanta                                        
                   5:23pm  Av Montreal  / Hyatt Regency Hotel

                                                                                                               

18   Sat      4:00pm  ms Maasdam Lv Montreal / Neptune Suite 002                                       
                                           Cruising St Lawrence River

19   Sun     7:00am  Av Quebec

                   5:00pm  Lv Quebec                                                                                          

20   Mon     Crusing Gulf of St Lawence

21   Tue      8:00am  Av Charlottetown, PEI                      

                   5:00pm  Lv Charlottetown

22   Wed    8:00am  Av Sydney, NS                                 

                   4:00pm  Lv Sydney

23   Thu      8:00am  Av Halifax, NS                                  

                    4:00pm  Lv Halifax

24   Fri       8:00am  Av Bar Harbor, ME (tender landing)     

                   5:00pm  Lv Bar Harbor

25   Sat      7:00am  Av Boston  / disembarkation                                    

                   9:40am  Lv Boston (South Station) / Amtrak 161 
                   1:44pm  Av New York (Penn Station) / Hyatt Regency Hotel

26   Sun     New York

27   Mon     New York

28   Tue      7:05am Lv New York (Penn Station) / Amtrak 79

                   11:57am  Av Fredericksburg, VA (FGB) / Budget rental car
                    2:00pm  Lv Fredericksburg
                    4:00pm  Av Cobbs Creek, VA / Gail and John Ziemba 

29   Wed     1:00pm  Lv Cobbs Creek / Budget rental car                                 

                    3:00pm  Av Richmond / Richard Priebe

30   Thu       Richmond

31   Fri         Richmond

June 2013

1    Sat          2:22pm  Lv Richmond                                      

                      4:04pm  Av Atlanta
                      8:06pm  Lv Atlanta                                         
                      9:03pm  Av Tucson