It will be great to get back home after 14 wonderful days on the Celebrity Summit. I say wonderful because the ship had very few problems and I got to see places I’d never visited.
Charlottetown, Bar Harbor, Portland (Maine), Newport were new, while Quebec City and Boston has seen a lot of years since my last visit.
Biggest disappointment? Winds were up and I didn’t get to go lobster fishing in Bar Harbor on board the Lulu. In fact, the one thing this trip convinced me to do more often is find participation events at the various ports.
The winner? Quebec City.
When you pull in to the dock, the whole city is right there. Place Royale, where the French Civilization in North America started, is only a short walk from the cruise ship, right in the middle of the dock area. You walk up, take the E bus, take the funicular or find any other mode of transportation and you are inside the walled city in minutes.
We arrived there at 1 p.m. on Day 1 and left at 4 p.m. on Day 2. Easily, and I do mean easily, a second night would have met with cheers. An unofficial poll — no Ipsos-Reid here — showed that Quebec City was the favourite port, although the Japanese group likely voted en masse for Charlottetown, because of Anne of Green Gables. They know the entire Anne story well, as it’s been in Japan’s educational curriculum for decades.
But for most of us, it was no match for Quebec City. The museums, the lifestyle and the history all made this stop our best.
Here’s a quick recap of the trip…
• We left from Cape Liberty, which is in the middle of nowhere in New Jersey so do not come early thinking you can browse through the
stores. Only one ship — ours — so it made for a lot less crowding. However, if you do come early, you can easily spend a few days in New York.
• Newport, Rhode Island is a great walking city — in fact they all are. The visitors centre is located a couple of blocks away and it’s one of the best because the transportation hub is right there.
• Boston has The Freedom Trail, which covers a lot of territory and is a good suggestion. If it’s a nice day, grab some deli food and spend some time in Boston Common. Quincy’s market will take hours and if you love
baseball and the team is not in town you can tour Fenway Park. Just keep in mind they won’t let you into the dugouts or onto the field, which is a shame. Also ask the tour guide why you don’t have a statue of the greatest hitter in baseball history, Ted Williams. Maybe we can start a campaign!
• Portland, Maine offers a lot of walking, is an easy city to get around and has friendly people.
• Bar Harbor is built so you can take your time, with benches everywhere. Lots of people-watching. If the fog is in, don’t buy the tour to Cadillac Mountain because you will not see a thing. Also if you’re looking for a great breakfast or lunch, try Jeannie’s on Cottage St. Remember here and at Newport, you tender in — if you’re new to cruising (or to reading about it) that means anchoring in the bay and taking small boats to shore.
• Quebec City has one must-see for me. Try and make it to the Island of Orleans. In fact, I would suggest renting a car. This Island’s twice as big as Manhattan and is loaded with artisans whose specialties are food, wine, painting, sculpting and just about anything that can be artsy. When I say food and wine, I am talking about variety — cassis, cheese, ciders, maple syrup, breads, etc.
• Halifax is where city fathers (and mothers) have done a great job on the cruise ship terminal. One suggestion for Halifax: How about more places to sit in the terminal while you wait on the tour buses? Make sure you walk along the waterfront…the locals do and you will find it’s a pleasant walk with lots to do, including their maritime museum. Then if you have the energy, walk up to Citadel Hill and take a tour or rent a car to a must, Peggy’s Cove.
• Charlottetown was our last stop. Most were heading to Anne of Green Gables country, but I decided to follow a portion of the coast by car and I’m glad I did. The city is easy to walk around.
As a Canadian, I should have made this trip a long time ago and I’m glad I finally did.
I am on the road with a couple of cruises in November but we will be back tomorrow with lots of cruise news.
All for now.
