Sept 9 - The Journey Home

We settled on meeting at 6:30 AM at our cabins to start the trip home. The buffet was open at 4:00 for the four people like us that were leaving early. I just couldn't resist all the four's.

It is basically a non stop walk to a line of awaiting cabs. We take a larger suv.

We arrive at the airport just after 7:00. We are in real good shape time wise. Leaving early paid off. Sometimes the congestion to get off a ship takes hours.

There are kiosks where we can print and tag our own luggage tags and boarding passes. Well three of us can. Adrienne's boarding pass won't print. After a 20 minute wait at the counter the agent quickly prints her pass.

On to security check. Probably the most disorganized I have ever seen. Some items were x-rayed over and over. I was swabbed down for explosive residue at least 3 times. Lynn's infamous scissors, which often get scruitny, took 2 people and several minutes before they determined they were too small to be of concern.  A fact that was taken into account when she purchased them years ago. After they determined they were OK, back to the beginning to be x-rayed again. Just a very slow process. We have now been at the airport well over an hour. Fortunately Quebec Ciry is a relatively small airport with only about a hundred planes per day.

We wander slowly towards our gate. Even though I had requested wheelchair assistance, I won't need it here. The distance is short.

The wait begins. The incoming flight is late. By the time it arrives and we begin to board, we are past our departure time. This is beginning to not look good. Our connection time in Montreal is only about 90 minutes.

The door is closed. The plane moves a few feet. There we sit. The pilot can't get a landing time in Montreal.

We receive an update via Air Canada's app. It will be another half hour before we depart. Making our connection will be impossible.

Sooner than anticipated the plane gets in position to take off. The pilot informs us the flight time will be 15 minutes less than normal. A miracle on a 55 minute flight.

En route we all get notice that we will be unable to continue our flight on the intended schedule and we all have been rebooked to another flight to Orlando 8 hours later. But all is not lost. The internet also tells us that the incoming flight for our original plane will be an hour late arriving. Is there hope?

We decide everyone is on their own to try and make the original flight. It is probably a mile or more between gates. The kids can almost run. Lynn walks much faster than I. I have requested a wheelchair and will be one of the first off the plane.

We land. I check with the agent. Yes the plane is here. No guarantees they will let us on, but the chances are better if we have the original boarding passes. Thank goodness for paper ones. How far? A long ways. If you run your chances are better, maybe.

I find the wheelchair man. Yes he has a chair for me. Can we go now? No! Not until everyone is off the plane. That will be another 20 minutes. Can we steal your chair? Sure.

Off we go. Lynn pushing. My carryon in my lap. The long route is very well marked. I look for signs, Lynn watches for pedestrians.

The kids catch up with us after about 20 minutes and Steve takes over wheelchair duties.

As we leave one terminal area headed to another they need to scan our luggage tags, indicating we have left the area even though Air Canada still has our checked luggage. So far all is still good.

Eventually we pass through US customs. Quick and easy. Over halfway there.

Soon gate C73 is in sight. Many passengers still waiting to board. This is a good sign. Now the big test. Can we get on the plane?

After a lot of checking we get new boarding passes. Where our luggage will go is anyone's guess.

Shortly I get a message that at least one of our four checked bags is headed to this plane.

There is an issue getting the plane ready and boarding is still being delayed. About 10 minutes after we arrive at the counter. Boarding begins.  I am called to board first. I guess a reward for even making it to the plane.

The plane is old. I do not get the extra leg room I had paid for. There are no USB charger outlets, no display screens of any type, no free internet.  But at least we won't be 10 hours late getting to Orlando.

The seats are terribly worn out. There. Is no bottom or back support. The gentleman across the aisle from me has to sit crooked with his knees in the aisle because there is no room for him to sit any other way.

Bur at least we are on our way. Then there is an announcement in the cabin. Is there a Doctor on the plane?  No response. Is there anyone with any medical training?  Still no response.

The entire flight team is busy with a passenger. The plane begins to descend. Are we being diverted?

Silence from the crew. I can overhear one of the attendants on a phone conversation with a medical person somewhere.

The plane levels off at a lower altitude.

No update, and maybe no diversion.

Another hour and the crew announces they will be around with a snack and glass of water. There has been no food or beverage service and we are now about 3 hours into the flight.

The flight attendants appear to be in a more normal routine. We are told we are 30 minutes from Orlando and to prepare for landing.

Our aporoach is through scattered thunderstorms. We land hard but safely and taxi to the gate. After nearly everyone has unbuckled and started to get overhead luggage we are asked to keep the aisle clear for boarding EMS personnel.

Shortly the ill passenger is able to walk off the plane with assistance of EMTs.

Is our luggage really with us? Luggage tracking says so. It is and we are soon on the final leg of a long hard day.

Drop the luggage, turn on the AC and water and go out for dinner. The fridge is empty. Once back home everything is unpacked and all the clothing heads to the washer.

Three weeks to relax before our next "vacation".

Sept 8 - Quebec City

We arrive in Quebec City and are clear to disembark by 8:30. The ship will remain here for about 2 1/2 days. An overnight stay for us before we disembark tomorrow morning, and an overnight stay for the arriving passengers for the next cruise.

I have been here before, but it has been years and I really don't remember much of it.

The coldest day of the cruise so far, the high is expected to be about 60 today. We take the free shuttle to the edge of old town and spend about an hour walking before returning to the ship. Our timing was perfect, 20 minutes after returning onboard there was a heavy rain that lasted about 15 minutes.

The ship is pretty quiet this afternoon. Lunch at the Salty Dog. A cheese dog and fries with bacon and cheese. Hey I can't always eat good stuff.

The suitcases are packed mid afternoon. We have decided to do self asist for tomorrow's disembarkation. Adrienne and Steve will help Lynn and I with the luggage.

For self assist we can leave the ship whenever we want, and are not dependant on the cruise line to have our baggage ready.

Dinner is prime rib. Good flavor but marginal quality of beef. We decide that we will meet at the cabins at 6:30 AM to start our trip to the airport and home.

No show tonight, just some rest before returning to reality.

Sept 7 - Saguenay

During the night we change our clocks back to Eastern time. At 2:15 AM we pick up our pilot for the trip in the fjord to Saguenay.

For days the forecast has been for rain here. When we get off the ship the skies are clear and sunny and the temperature approaching 70.

We received the warmest reception here by the local people of any port on this entire trip. Remarkable since the largest employer in town had to recently shut down because of the illegal tariffs imposed by our president. The aluminum smelter had to close as most of its output was sold to the US. With a 45% tariff and a slowing US economy, sales dried up putting thousands out of work.

Adrienne and Steve rented a car here to go to a park and take a several mile hike.

The car was litterally on the sidewalk outside the terminal. The rental clerk worked off a card table, and the car keys were in the back of a van.

Their hike was good. Strenuous but fantastic scenery. The only disappointment, no beluga whales which they hoped for but realized the posibility of a sighting was slim.

In midafternoon there was a short but heavy shower. Still much better than had been forecast.

I manage to spend the last of my onboard credit. A sweatshirt for Lynn and a hat for Steve. Dinner was again good. After dinner we try the piano bar again. Much more successful this time. No obnoxious passenger overpowering the entertainer.

Tomorrow we will be in Quebec City. Being in the protected waters of the St. Lawrence seaway, the seas are calm.

Sept 6 - A Sea Day

It is a little cooler today, probably in the mid 60's. Most of the day is sunny with a few showers producing rainbows late in the day. I spend much of the day writing this blog and trying to solve the glitch of disappearing photos from my gallery.

The writing I am successful at. Three of us spent seversl hours on the disappesring images to partial success. We couldn't figure out why or how to prevent it, but when it does happen I now know how to recover them.

Information in the app, especially as far as the day's schedule is concerned, is very unreliable when it comes to entertainment. Probably just carelessness or schdule changes.

Adrienne and Steve have a couple hour hike planned for tomorrow. For the past two weks the forecast has been for rain all day.  Now they are preedicting showers.  A substantial improvement.

The seas remain between 1 and 2 meters most of the day. Our speed varies from 10 to 20 knots based on local regulations.

Tonight is another formal night. I would guess only 15%  of the men are wearing a jacket.

Being a special night, the ship sets up a stand to sell flowers. They look beautiful. None are sold.

Lobster is the main item on the menu tonight. I have cheese tortilini wirt peas and ham. All was good. The lobster tails were larger than usually seen. Lynn said they were very good.

Tomorrow we are in Saguenay.

Sept 5 - Charlottetown

As we dock this morning the skies are sunny and the air about 60 degrees. It is forecast to be 70 by 9:30 and 74 by noon. Another perfect cruising day.

There is not much here that entices me to leave the ship. A leisurely breakfast in "The World Fresh Marketplace", commonly know as the buffet. For a few hours the ship is quite empty, but that doesn't last as passengers soon begin to return.

Yesterday Lynn did a little laundry. Yes self sevice, kindof operated by your medallion. Use your medallion to pay for a token to operate the washers and dryers. About $6.00 for a load. Much better than $35 or $40 for the ship to do. I haven't cruised Princess enough to get free laundry.

This is the first time that everyone is not back to the ship on time. Fortunately they did make it before departure. The captain made it very clear he had to leave at his scheduled time and he would not delay departure. We are headed towards the St Lawrence seaway and there are numerous speed restrictions in place so he would be unable to make up any lost time.

We will be geting close to where the possibility of seeing whales gets pretty good. Steve, the other Steve,  my son in law, finds a website that shows the data being received from transponders used to track whales. Now they just need to swim our way.

Dinner is good as usual. I have southwestern white bean chili. We decide to skip the show, instead opting for the piano bar. One of my favorite venues, but my first stop there  this cruise. I'm just not the night owl I used to be.

Unfortunately there was a very loud passenger at the next table that talked so loud he overpowered the entertainer.

Everyone in the room had little choice but to hearing his trucking, restaurant and "you tube" production stories.

The following seas pick up to to 5 feet or as we head towards the St Lawrence Seaway. The ship remains very stable with no sense of motion.

Tomorrow will be a "sea day" as we head towards Saguenay.

Sept. 4 ‐ Sydney

Another great day. The seas remain calm, the skies sunny amd warm.

I have been to Sydney a number of times. We take our picture in front of the giant fiddle on the dock. A must for every passenger.

The last 2 times I was here a student from a local college was doing a survey of visiting passengers. I was disappointed, not this time.  After 2 years of survey they probably realize that tourists don't spend as much as the cruise lines may claim.

On our ship, the Majestic Princess, there are several quick service food places in additon to the buffet. One is The Salty Dog where they serve hamburgers, hotdogs, and french fries. An excellent choice for lunch. After nearly a week I will say the food is not disappointing. Hot food is served hot. For example the burgers are individually cooked just before being served, not cooked en mass and served out of a steam table pan like some ships may do.

We have a surprise visit by Canadian health inspectors today. I witnessed one officer taking pictures of something he didn't like, but we have heard nothing from the staff.

The Piaza, or centrum area of the ship is well laid out and quite functional with lots of seating and several bars. Musical or other entertainment is usually continuous starting at about 3 pm.

Another flat beverage in the dining room. I recognized the problem instantly now that I have seen it several times. Obviously the problem wasn't fixed yesterday, just circumvented. Quickly replaced so they have CO2 somewhere, just not at the standard service bar for the dining room.

Lynn gets a real surprise tonight. Just after dinner she gets a call from a gal that was one of her best friends in high school. A big surprise since she lost contact with her about 8 or 9 years ago and has been unable to locate her. Life is good.

A production show tonight. The singers are very good, the content... well that is a maturity thing. My daughter and her husband knew every song, I had no idea what they were singing.

The seas are calm as we head to Charlottstown for arrival early tomorrow morning.

Sept 3. - Halifax

Another fantastic day. Low 70's, sunny, a few scattered clouds.

I have been to Halifax a number of times. The first was almost 70 years ago. Took the Blue Nose ferry from Bar Harbor. I remember a little of the ferry ride, nothing of Halifax. For my last visit it was cold and rainy but we did lots of touring..

We take a short walk off the ship and down the dock a bit. Lynn's daughter will be here in two days, arriving on a different ship. We took a picture so she can take one in the same place. The stupid little things tourists do.

Another sideline on Princess technology. I went to the front desk with several questions about disembarkation at the end of the cruise. She was almost clueless except to say I should get a flyer in my cabin tonight.

Separately I asked a staff member which direction to the gangway. She sent me the wrong way. Common sense and basic knowledge is lost when you become too reliant on technology.

A strange Canadian law restricts the number of bars that can be open while the ship is in port. The thought being that people will go ashore to get a beverage. What it really does is put a lot of extra work on the servers as they have to go further to serve guests.

A new experience for me. Midafternoon suddenly the ship lost all power. The captain immediately told everyone not to panic and just stay where you are and avoid walking in the darkened hallways and not to attempt to use the elevators.

I just happened to be in our cabin, only aware of the problem as the automatic lights blinked on an off several times as the power went down.

Within 5 minutes the captain informs everyone that we were connected to shore power, and it was the shore power that failed. Our engines have been started and they are in the process of restoring all services starting with the stalled elevators.

The automatic lights in the cabins is another well intentioned failure. The intent was if you get out if bed, a light comes on under your night stand. As you approach the bathroom another light comes on.  The only problem is that the lights are triggered by the slighest movement. Roll over in bed and the lights cime on and wake you. A pillow strategically placed on the floor helps in most cases.

And of course the slot by the door that turns everything off when you leave the room has been bypassed with the insertion of a pemanent card.

So I've digressed. Dinner is good again tonight. The only hitch, the carbonation has failed at the dining room beverage station used by the servers. Every drink they served was flat until I pointed out what the problem was. The staff didn't catch it and all the guests knew was that the drinks didn't taste right.  Replace many drinks and all fixed.

The seas remin calm. I risk saying this but the weather is much nicer than I expected. Tomorrow we will be in Sydney.

Sept 2 - Sea Day

No northern lights to see last night. We make our way out of the Bay of Fundy and head towards Halifax.

I haven't been on a Princess ship in a number of years. This ship is only about 8 years old. Originally launched in Asia,, she was refurbished earlier this year for the American market.

Their newest innovation is Medallions. A device about the size of a quarter that functions as a smart key, tracking device, and instant identifier. Linked to the ships app on your phone it performs a number of clever tasks.

You can link with other travelers in your party and it can tell you where they are on the ship and how to get to them, or you can chat with them.

You can place a food or beverage order on your phone and the server is shown where you are to bring it to you.

You place an order ar the bar, and the bartender knows who you are, just by your pressence close by.

Approach your cabin and the door unlocks and the display outside welcomes you with your picture.

Perfect no. For example, leave the medallion in the wrong place in your cabin and the door continuously locks and unlocks. A fact denied by Princess. Adrienne ordered a beverage and it was delivered somewhere, just not to her. All in all, better than what many other lines do.

However, Princess is relying so much on technology to help the guest, simple things like signage are lacking.

My first task of the day is monthly reports for the train club. The internet service is on par with other cruise lines. I prepare all the financial statements and dues reminders for every member. 150 emails and all is taken care of.

The rest of the day is easy. Tonight is a dressier night. Some passengers are dressed to the 9's others in tee shirts and shorts.

We have the same wait staff for dinner each night, but at a diffetent table in his section. We are off in a corner in a small room with only 5 tables. They know. It is right where I belong. Actually it really is a good location as it is more quiet than being in the middle of a big room.

The weather remains fantastic. 70's during the day and calm seas. Some passengers spotted a few whales today, I didn't.

Tomorrow we will be in Halifax.

 

Sept 1, 2025

St John, New Brunswick

The seas have remained calm, the skies clear. Today we are in St John. I don't know why, but I have been of the mindset that we were going to St Johns, NF, a confusion in names made by many people.

I was here before, just about 8 years ago. Arrived on the Vision of the Seas, stayed 5 days in rhe hospital, and flew back to Orlando. An adventure I don't want to repeat. You can read the full story if you go back to October 2017 in this blog.

While on the topic of having been here before, I was also here about 70 years ago. Took the Blue Nose  ferry from Bar Harbor. No, I remember a little of the ferry but none of Halifax from that trip. Sorry no blog to go back and read either. Lots of stuff wasn't invented yet.

St john is noted for it's 50 foot tides and river rapids that flow both ways. Our arrival and departure time must be synchronized with high tide, otherwise the harbor channel is too shallow and the currents too strong for safe passage.

Often referred to as a tide, the drastic change in water level is not a tide but is caused by the normal 3 and 4 foot tides sloshing in and out of the bay of Fundy much as you can slosh water in a pan or a bathtub.

Tonight we go to the steak restaurant. An absolutely good choice. The food, beef tenderloin, was excellent and the service perfect. Much better than Royal's Chops restaurant has been in years. They were busy but not packed.

The main show tonight is a mix of "mind reader" and slight of hand illusionist. The theater was almost full for the late performance. The early shows which traditionally are performed to a full  house are simulcast to a second venue to help alleviate the over crowding.

The seas remain calm. Most of the day remperatures were in the low 70's. There is a probability of being able to see the Northern lights tonight. The captain has promised to wake us.

Tomorrow wil be a sea day.

Aug 31 - Portland, Me.

Portland is a very slow cruise from Boston. The ship is ready for disembarkation by 7:30. We have 2 tours booked, a trolly tour of the city, and a boat tour of the harbor.

The weather is absolutely perfect. Sunny skies, low 70's. What a relief from the Florida heat.

Our tour guide on the trolley is one of the best I have encountered in years. Like so many areas that have lost industries to foreign competition, Maine's tourism industry has become the biggest contributor to its economy.

Over the years portland suffered 4 major fitres that destroyed most of the city. We always hear of the Chicago fire, but Portland's was on the same scale. The last accidently started by childrn playing with fireworks.

After the trolley tour we enjpyed a delicious lunch at a local tavern.

On the water tour we saw the lighthouses from the waterside, learned about the current lobster industry, and an abbreviated naval history of the harbor.

Finding the tour departures much further from the ship than I anticiipated, I elect to Uber back to the ship. Definitely worth the $10. The mature legs are not as robust as they used to be.

We have 7:00 reservations every night in the dining room. Tonight I have fetticiene alfredo. Basically pretty good. So far all of the food has been appropriately hot, one of my pet peeves.

The production show was so so. The singers talented, the content not my favorite.

The weather and the seas remain perfect. Tonight we head to St. John, New Brunswick.

 

Saturday Aug 30 - Boston

We received an email from Princess that we will not be able to board before noon time. We change plans, Adrienne and Steve are going to be tourists and Lynn and I will take all the luggage and meet them on the ship.

Knowing the limited facilities in Boston, we arrange a late checkout from the hotel. Adrienne and Steve had checked their bags with the hotel and given me the claim tickets. 

It is time to leave. The hotel staff can't find the checked bags. Fortunately I have a vague idea what they look like and help the clerk sort through 2 rooms packed with luggage.  They are soon recovered.

A call to Uber.  A nice gentlemen with his first run for the day. He puts our cruise terminal destination into his navigation app. I neglect to follow our progress. After about 20 minutes he pulls up to a hotel. No way is our ship in the back yard.  He is lost, but I am not concerned. I still have a couple of hours to board.

He goes and talks to the bell hops standing by the curb. I now open up Waze. We are about 15 minutes from the ship.

I soon learn the hotel gets dozens of people looking for the cruise terminal each weekend. Another case of of the gps database containing an error that never gets fixed.

I now give the driver turn by turn directions, and hold my phone so he can follow my map. We soon make it to the cruise terminal. Our luggage is placed on a cart to be sent to the ship.  We head to passenger check in.

It is now 1:30. It does not appear a single passenger has cleared port security. We join the line with thousands of other pasengers. Ŵe eventually board just after 3:00.  Needless to say, Boston does not have a good system to deal with cruise ship passengers. Unfortunately the cruise lines will get the brunt of the complaints, but shore side is totally controlled by local authorities.

The up side is that the cabins are ready and we can drop our carry on stuff. Our luggage is also there ready to unpack and be stowed.

The usual routines of safety video, checking in at our muster station, and finally a bite of lunch at 4pm.

The ship gets underway a few minutes late just after 4.

Dinner at 7:00. No show tonight, everyone is beat. Tomorrow we will be in Portland, Me.

Boston to Quebec City

It is mid June. My daughter Adrienne asks about doing a cruise with them from Boston to Quebec City departing Aug 29 and ending September 9.

We said sure, never considering departure is on Saturday of labor day weekend. Once we realize the foolishness we conclude the wise thing to do is to get to Boston a day early. If nothing else this gives us several backup flights if something goes astray. The stupidity of me to be flying on labor day weekend.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon. We load the luggage in Tim's suv. A long time friend, he has graciously offered to take us to the airport. It takes several attempts to get the luggage arranged so the door will close.

We arrive at the terminal dropoff area. Deafening alarms are sounding. It is impossible to communicate with the baggage counter. Finally the alarms cease but my ears continue to ring. There is a problem with the conveyor that takes the luggage to where ever it goes prior to being placed on the plane.

TSA takes about 20 minutes. Pretty good. We head to the tram to take us to the gate.

Despite our plane arriving 50 minutes early on it's previous flight, it is just announced that our flight is delayed 30 minutes. The terminal is packed, barely a place to stand.

We find a restaurant and order a beverage to pass the time.

The next few hours are uneventful. The plane is full without an empty seat. I have been flying comfort plus in recent years. It helps tremendously!

We arriive in Boston just too late for the complimentary shuttle to our hotel. Internet wisdom of prior travelers says Uber is better than a taxi.  Uber fares are quoted at about $70.00, but it appears we need to lug our luggage to a nearby parking garage. The line of taxis is about 200 feet down the sidewalk. At least in sight.

We opt for the cab. Our luggage quickly loaded we are on our way. The meter slowly displays larger numbers. It is almost midnight. No traffic, he makes an illegal left turn into the driveway of our hotel.

The meter has stopped climbing. $26.00!

We check in and get a much needed nights rest.