A cruise - part 3

 Next, on my  cruise, was another day at sea. Late morning, crew members were coming  around the decks telling everyone we had to go inside.

A helicopter medical evacuation was going take place, so no passengers would be allowed outside until it was over.  I couldn't see anything but heard the helicopter and saw it flying away.

I read later that a passenger had fallen into a diabetic coma. The ship was 5 hours from any port so that's why they needed the helicopter. The person did recover.

No helicopter landing pad on this ship so the helicopter had to hover while the rescue was taking place.

It was good to see how quickly and efficiently the emergency was handled by he crew and staff.  Even before that event was cleared, there was another announcement "alpha alpha alpha"...another  passenger with a medical problem.

I happened to be in the area of this one. Crew arrived, held up a sheet for privacy and loaded the passenger on a gurney. No helicopter ride for this one.

Aside from that it was a relaxing day. I ate watermelon 3 times (and other stuff too).

There were a series of talks most afternoons about WWII. Interesting, but made audience members a bit sleepy...me included, so there was a nap afterward.

That evening was a musical show in the theater. Afterward, lots of us were drawn outside to enjoy a particularly beautiful sunset. The color was so much more intense than my photo shows.

The  next port stop was Sydney Nova Scotia. I had to meet at 7:30 am for my bus tour, so I'd ordered a room service breakfast the night before.

The tour was a trip along part of the Cabot Trail. A well known scenic drive.

Again, the photos are nothing like seeing it in person.

 

It was an all day tour so lunch was included. Seafood chowder again, sandwiches, and mussels. Dessert too.  I did not eat mussels. I've never tried them and they don't look appealing to me.

Again, the guide was top notch, with a wealth of information, pictures and articles to pass around...music from the area...really giving us a good visit.

It is a beautiful area. I'd like to go back sometime and drive the entire Cabot Trail.

Later listened to a girl band in the Centrum. They were so talented. Enjoyable.

The theater show that night was a magician. He was talented too, but I'm not really a fan of magic acts.  Didn't want to pass it up though.

Our final port stop was Halifax Nova Scotia. This town is known for it's part in the recovery of the bodies of those who died in the Titanic disaster. Many of the victims are buried here.

 

They have a museum with a Titanic exhibit but I chose another bus tour to see more of the countryside.

This time it was a double decker bus, but fully enclosed. I rode up top for the best view.

We had a tour around the city then up along the coast.

The main stop was Peggy's Cove...a small scenic fishing village.

It was overrated and ridiculously crowded because there were seven tour buses visiting here at the same time.

We had 45 minutes to stroll around...but a big chunk of that time was spent in crazy long lines for the bathrooms. 

Would not recommend this area.

Lots of lobster traps stacked along the way on these bus tours. 

Here is examples of the old wooden kind used for years.

On the bottom is the new metal style used more nowadays.

More lovely scenery on our drive looping around back to the ship. 

Here is the harbor pilot guiding us out at sail away time.

The cruise wound down with the two final days at sea.

It hard to make out in my photo, but we had dolphins and some whales swimming alongside the ship for a pretty good while. 

The dolphins were easy to spot but the whales only gave away their location by spouting water. By watching closely after the spout one could see a quick flash of the whale's back.

Late afternoon, a heavy fog developed.

I had just walked out on deck when the ship fog horn went off for the first time.

I nearly jumped out of my skin!

It blew several times periodically until the fog cleared.

A really good show in the theater that night. A music group playing older popular rock songs...just like the original performers played them.

A very talented and energetic group!

Awww, it's the last day. I enjoyed some early morning quiet time with coffee on the pool deck.

Later went to a question/answer session with the captain (he's a cutie!) and the hotel director and a couple of other crew members.

Then to my cabin to get started on packing a few things.  Then back out on deck. This time to the upper deck for awhile. Sunny and warm but extremely windy up there.

I had one last fruity drink and then dinner at the buffet.

Back out on deck a beautiful full moon rising over the ocean.

A lovely end to the cruise.

Usually I get a bit homesick when I'm away. This time I could have continued this vacation a while longer.

A cruise - part 2

 The first port stop on my cruise was Boston. It's an industrial port as well.

I had a bus tour lined up to see the city, including the historic areas and to go to the Prudential Building, where they have an observation floor.

When you go in, there is a dedicated elevator that takes you straight up to the 52nd floor!

There are glass walls on all sides for remarkable views of the city.

Then you can take a different elevator up one more floor where there is another level with glass walls...this time open at the top! It circled the building too.

Sort of a scary feeling for me! 

Fun though. It was the best part of the tour.  The tour guide had to deal with a non-working microphone on the bus and had to shout all her information...competing with the roar of the air conditioner fans.

But still a good tour and I saw lots of changes since I visited Boston about 28 years ago.

Back on the ship is was a "dress your best" night. It seems that many people are getting away from packing formal wear, including me...so it was fine just to wear black pants and a nice top.

Entertainment was a former Olympic gymnast. He not only did a pretty amazing routine...

He also had some hilarious comedy skits...like this one where he flipped up into a handstand, revealing a pharaoh head under his robe...then waved his legs back and forth to the song "Walk Like an Egyptian".

Later in the cruise he also gave a talk on improving your memory. I guess I needed it because I forgot and left my hearing aids in the cabin...so I couldn't hear much of what was said.

This was a nice area of the ship called the Solarium. Covered but with slide open windows. A quieter area so a good place to read or take a little snooze in the lounge chairs.

There is a pool in there and hot tubs (I never get in either) and in the back is a small restaurant counter where you can get sandwiches, snacks, fruit, desserts and coffee.

That's where I went for breakfast most mornings.  Better just to order one thing than to go up to the buffet and try to eat a bit of everything!

Our next port was Saint John.  It was a bit chilly this morning. Pulling into port...scenic on this side...

Industrial on this side. There's a container ship being loaded (or unloaded).

Before the cruise I thought the port was St John's in Newfoundland...but I was mistaken. It is Saint John in New Brunswick.

I only realized it when the tour guide was saying that many people make this same mistake.

Oh well, I haven't been to either place before.

I chose a bus tour for the day. The guide was great with lots of info and facts to share about the area. 

The first stop was at the Bay of Fundy, which is known for having the world's highest rising tides. This spot is where the St John River flows into the bay in the morning.

We came back to this area late in the day and the high tides cause the water in the bay to reverse and flow back into the river.  It's called the Reversing Falls.

Unfortunately not so scenic because of the paper mill built here.

Lots of other stops during this day long tour. An Irish Pub where we had a Canadian beer, Moosehead, and were entertained by a singer.

Also this market with handcrafted items, groceries and snacks.

Another area with shops and a little lighthouse.

I saw lots of these shrubs but the guide wasn't sure what they are called.

Covered bridges.

A lunch was included with the tour...seafood chowder (it was good, and filling) with a biscuit and a cookie.

We stopped at a rocky beach with some caves in the cliff. Anyone who wanted to walk over to them had to hurry because the tide was rising. I just looked for a couple of souvenir rocks (which we are not supposed to take on the ship, shhh!).

Then a long drive back to the ship. A good tour, a good day.

Dinner at the buffet then an audience participation show sort of like the Newlywed Game, funny.  Then afterwards a comedian, not very funny.

Well, this is getting long too, so I'll have to add Part Three.

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A cruise. Part one

 

In the past I have always chosen to go on warm sunny Caribbean cruises when the weather at home is cold and the skies are gray.

This time I chose a cruise north to New England and Canada, where it's a few degrees cooler, during hot summer weather at home.  

I sailed on this ship " Vision of the Seas".

But first, I have to back up a bit and tell about the day before the cruise. 

I was nearly fully packed and was giving the house a good cleaning (I like to do this each time I leave on vacation).

About 3:00 in the afternoon there was a call from the water company. They had an alert that I was using way more water than usual and they wondered if I was filling a pool.

To make a long story short...an underground leak was discovered between the meter and the house...so it was my responsibility to repair. I was able to arrange for a repairman to come out the next day. (The Sasquatch came over while they worked)

Meanwhile, the water had to be turned off at the meter. I hurried up and showered and filled buckets and clean containers with water to be able to get ready the next morning.

I'm so glad the water company got hold of me that day, or it would have been leaking the 9 days that I was away.

But now...back to the cruise. The ship is the smallest ship in the Royal Caribbbean fleet.

Still pretty big though. This is looking one direction down the hall from my cabin.

I didn't get a balcony this time. They were double the price of this "ocean view" room.

It was nice because if I had a short nap in the afternoon, I could lay sideways on the bed and look out at the ocean.

I was on deck two. Here's the rest of the room. You can see it's older, but clean and well maintained.

I'll admit, I was a little disappointed at first but after a short time I really liked the ship for it's smaller size and convenient design. It reminded me of the first cruises that Lonnie and I took back in the 1990's.

This is the main pool area.

A good spot for a bon voyage drink!

The ship sailed from Baltimore harbor.  There's the harbor pilot boat ready to guide us out.

See you later, Baltimore!  Great weather, too.

As we sailed out we came to the remains of the Key Bridge that collapsed last year when a cargo ship ran into it. 

Here it is a bit closer.

It was slow sailing all evening. We actually had to first head south...leaving Baltimore and heading down through the Chesapeake Bay...all the way  past the coast of Virginia to reach open water and begin the journey north.

I unpacked my suitcase then had an early bedtime since I'd gotten up at 3:00 am for my 5:30 am flight. I slept like a log. The ship sounds never seem to bother me.

Lovely weather again the next day which was a day at sea. I just relaxed near the pool area but in the shade. I read a while, worked on stitching a while, and did some people watching.

I had pre-paid for a meal in the onboard steak restaurant.  I had a filet that was really good.

Lots of older people on this cruise. It was a slower more laid back feeling.

So many friendly people ready to start up a conversation.

 

It seems like so many of the conversations start with " Where are you from?".  Then we talk about cruising and our favorite places to cruise. 

 Fun just to sit in the lounge areas in the evening and listen to live music and talk a bit.

This is the "Centrum"...the main lobby of the ship with the glass elevators. Different performers during each evening.

These were my favorites...a Caribbean/Reggae sound. 

 This is getting sort of long already. I'll go ahead and stop here then I'll work on part two.