September 03, 2025

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.