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| Regal Princess © 2016, R. Ono |
During our visit to New York, we decided to add a five-day
round trip cruise on the Regal Princess that would take us from New York to
Halifax, Nova Scotia and Saint Johns, New Brunswick. As an additiional bonus, this
trip included two relaxing at-sea days.
When we left New York, the wind was very strong with some
light rain. As the Regal Princess departed its pier docking, two tugboats pulled
the ship away from its berth. Without this assistance, the wind could have
pushed the ship back into the pier. The wind continued overnight and into the
next day. The captain reported gale force 7-8 winds (30-45 mph) and up to 18 foot seas.
Although the Regal Princess didn’t rock and roll much, likely due
to its four stabilizers, the weather caused the Captain to alter our itinerary.
The change swapped around port days for Halifax and Saint Johns. Apparently,
the entry into the port at Saint Johns is very narrow and the high winds can threaten
the Regal Princess’ maintaining its path into the harbor. With this change, our walking tour of
the historic town of Lunenburg, via our Halifax visit, had to be cancelled as the
walking leader was unavailable for the new date. Lunenburg was founded in 1753 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This town is known to as a surviving example of a planned North American British settlement. The building architecture and original town layout has been preserved for over 250 years.
Our first day at sea was spent relaxing – largely in our
mini-suite cabin. It was too windy to walk on deck and the ship was moving a
little too much to use the fitness center. We’ve found that we're susceptible to getting quite
a headache using the gym equipment when the ship is rocking back and forth. Besides
visiting the on-board shops, having meals and watching a production show, the
day moved forward in a slow meandering fashion. A highlight of the day was perhaps our
dinner of escargot, Caesar salad and lobster.
Halifax
In Halifax, the highs reached only the mid-50s, with light winds. Without a planned port excursion, we walked along the Halifax wharf,
enjoying the city and harbor views. Leaving the wharf area, we turned towards the Public
Garden. This 18 acre garden opened in 1867 and contains over 140 species of trees, monuments, lakes and fountains. The garden is a National Historic Site of Canada.
Halifax has an interesting footnote as related to the American Revolution. Around 1775, when fighting occurred near Boston, Loyalists from the American colonies came and stayed in Nova Scotia. Over 30,000 Loyalists may have arrived in the Halifax area over the next several years and permanently settled. The downtown Halifax area provides visual clues of the British and American residents from the many stately Victorian buildings. The New York Times recently posted a travel article on Halifax.
Halifax has an interesting footnote as related to the American Revolution. Around 1775, when fighting occurred near Boston, Loyalists from the American colonies came and stayed in Nova Scotia. Over 30,000 Loyalists may have arrived in the Halifax area over the next several years and permanently settled. The downtown Halifax area provides visual clues of the British and American residents from the many stately Victorian buildings. The New York Times recently posted a travel article on Halifax.
Departing the Halifax port, we heard the Regal Princess’ fog horn for
the first time. The horn plays the musical theme from the old “Love Boat”
television show. I’m sure hearing this tune is entertaining for the passengers
and nearby ships.
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| Theodore Too (an imitation tugboat) © 2016, R. Ono |
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| "Got Drunk" by Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenbertg © 2016, R. Ono |
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| Public Garden Pond, © 2016, R. Ono |
Saint Johns
The weather was partly cloudy and with moderate winds as we
arrived in Saint Johns. As rain
was expected later in the day, we made the most
of our time by disembarking the ship by late morning. We walked to the
historic information center and enjoyed viewing the humorous human sculptures
that were placed outside the center. Continuing our walk, we visited the Old
City Market and viewed the colorful vendor offerings. The City Market is Canada's oldest farmers market, chartered in 1785.
Via a network of covered and climate controlled walkways ("pedways"), you can travel from the
City Market through the Brunswick Mall to the Public Library and Convention
Center. At the end of the walk, near the library, we stopped for coffee (and
donuts) at Tim Horton’s before making our way back to City Market. Leaving the
market area, we walked through the downtown heritage area, where we could view
commercial and residential buildings from 1800s.
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| John Hooper Sculpture © 2016, R. Ono |
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| City Market © 2016, R. Ono |
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| Saint John's Church © 2016, R. Ono |
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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| © 2016, R. Ono |
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