No matter how many times a year I cruise, I always forget something. This time, I forgot vitamin pills and a connection cable to make sure you get the pictures that appear on the blog — yes, some may look like they’re taken by a rank amateur.
That’s me.
I jumped on WestJet for the trip from Vancouver to Newark airport as the sun was coming up. Waiting in Cape Liberty, New Jersey, the 
Celebrity Summit…and a 14-day cruise with stops in Newport, Boston, Portland, Bar Harbour (going lobster fishing there), Quebec City overnight, Halifax and Charlottetown.
WestJet still has some very funny people, and overall the service was okay, but those roast beef sandwiches! They need a shot of taste and 
freshness. By the way, WestJet has gone cashless so if you want a drink, you better have a credit card.
Landing in Newark is a treat. The upper level tram takes you anywhere on the airport and connects to ground transpiration to New York and elsewhere — easy.
Hotel, I found, was a good bargain for that quality of hotel — the Sheraton Airport and with my CAA card, my room was $85 US.
Next door at the Ramada was Teddy’s Sports Bar. Lots of football and baseball games and the pub food were pretty good.
In the morning, I checked service to cruise terminal from the hotel. Most 
prices were well over $50. Ever the bargain hunter, I took the (free) shuttle back to the airport, where the ground transportation desk located in arrivals had it for $31. If you’re in this position, make sure to ask if the driver is going directly to Cape Liberty.
The cruise terminal at Cape Liberty is in the middle of nowhere, so don’t plan to get there early and browse before boarding…unless you want to scour an old military base.
Only one ship was in port — mine — Celebrity’s Summit. Check-in was a bit slow but as one staff member told me, they had never seen so many arrive on flights all at the same time. It was 32 degrees (Celsius) the day I landed. Embarkation day was 20 degrees with some showers.
The Statue of Liberty was visible through the foggy conditions but as we went directly out to sea, Manhattan and the statue were some distance away and holding 700-mm lens in a 25-knot wind is not a lot of fun shooting through the haze. We didn’t get any closer to Manhattan as the track goes straight out to sea from the New Jersey side.
Over the next 14 days, I will keep you informed on my adventures as we port in three states and three provinces.
All for now.
