We had an amazing cruise along the Eastern Coast of the United States and up into Nova Scotia, Canada. I'm excited to share some of the highlights with you today.
Day 2 was our first Port of Call, Newport, Rhode Island. We did a lovely cliff walk to the Breakers Mansion, one of many mansions in the area that served as summer homes to the very wealthy.
Following the walk we had lunch at 22 Bowen's Wharf Bar & Grill, starting with a specialty cocktail of house-infused pineapple vodka. I enjoyed a warm lobster roll. It was delicious and I decided to have a lobster roll at each port of call in a fun, if unscientific, experiment.
Day 3, our Port of Call was Boston, Massachusetts. A city filled with history that we enjoyed learning about from our guides on a hop-on, hop-off trolley tour. We had time for 3 stops. We chose Paul Revere's house (did you know that man had 16 children?!!), Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution, the oldest naval battleship in the country, the little museum attached which is aimed more towards children (good thing we are kids at heart), and our final stop was for a drink at Cheers, the inspiration for the TV show.
The lobster roll for the day was from a tiny, little place called James Hook & Co. It was very crowded with minimal seating inside and picnic tables outside. It was very different from 22 Bowens in Rhode Island but the Lobster Roll was just as good. No cocktails today but wine that was served in plastic cups.
Lunch was at Stewman's Downtown. This lobster roll was mayo-based as the restaurant did not offer a warm version. It was lightly dressed and filled with large chunks of meat. Delish!!!
Day 5 was spent at sea. We had a leisurely morning having coffee with the Captain who was being interviewed and answering questions. This was followed by an International Wine Tasting. We were provided 12 pours from 6 Countries, 6 whites followed by 6 reds, served with charcuterie.
We went to lunch afterward for pizza and, of course, more wine. This was followed by a nap!! Another couples-massage before a wonderful dinner after which we went to a fun show featuring a comedic magician.
It was a good thing we had a relaxing day on Day 5 because Day 6 was very busy. We started with excursions in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We hopped on and off a bus tour where we learned all about this island that reminded me very much of our Upper Peninsula. The colors were gorgeous, the landscape is mostly granite deposited by the glaciers.
We hopped off at a cemetery where victims of the Titanic were laid to rest. The Titanic sunk about 700 miles away from the coast of Halifax. The rescue ships from Newfoundland were about 300 miles away. They rescued the survivors who were taken into NYC. The bodies recovered by the ships from Halifax were brought on board and tagged with numbers. Those bodies never identified were buried with just the date, April 15, 1912 and their tag number on a plain stone. Those bodies that were identified contain names and sometimes different headstones according to the abilities of the families to provide for them.
Lunch was at the Bluenose Tavern. I had my 4th Lobster Roll of the trip. This lobster roll had much more dressing and much less lobster, however, it had a much lower price tag as well. It was the least favorite of the trip but still pretty darn good.
We then boarded another bus to head into the little town of Peggy's Cove, home to only 40 year-round residents and visited by roughly 700,000 tourists yearly. It is a quaint little fishing (lobstering) village with a lighthouse, a church, some restaurants, several artist boutiques, and a lobster cannery.
After dinner, we went to the Rock Opera put on by the Princess cast. They did a great job. Then, on the way back to the room, we approached the area where they were setting up for karaoke. Frank is a karaoke king so, of course, we had to stop. I even let him talk me into doing a duet. We got to bed well after midnight and I was awake at 5 AM so I was glad that the last day was a sea day.
We spent the day, packing up and lounging, hitting the places on the ship we hadn't had a chance to visit.....Hello Gelateria, I'm talking about you......
This was an amazing vacation. As always, I am happy to be home. I would absolutely do this trip again in a heartbeat. Each port had many more places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do. Princess Enchanted was enchanting!! We had the premiere package. The food and wine each day was amazing. The Medallion program that Princess has incorporated into their packages is phenomenal. It was like having your own waitstaff standing by your side each moment of the day.
We are hitting the ground running. On Monday Frank has a CPL Class, Thursday night we are back at the Fisher Theater for MJ, The Musical (I can't wait) and next weekend we are having a large, late gathering for Oktoberfest, which should have taken place in September but there are 16 of us and this was the first date that we could find that worked.
Tomorrow will be spent unpacking, doing laundry, going to the grocers, prepping food for the CPL class, and planning the menu for the following Saturday. Here is the Weekly Menu until then......
Saturday
Stopped for Carryout Chinese on the way home from Airport
Sunday
Risotto with Chicken and Cranberries
Monday-CPL Class
Breakfast
Coffee and Assorted Juices
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Yogurt with Granola and Fresh Fruit
Lunch
Vegetable Soup
Meat and Cheese Platter for BYO Sandwiches
Monster Cookies
Dinner out after Class
Taco Tuesday
Build your own Tacos
Wok Wednesday
Chicken Stir Fry
Steamed Rice
Thursday
Out for dinner before the Theater
Fish Friday
Coconut Shrimp Sheet Pan Dinner
Your cruise sounds terrific!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
It was wonderful. Thanks for stopping by.
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