crusinbanjo

I would agree with Lois on a guess of the average age. Almost all were very active, and they needed to be, because getting on or off the ship required climbing or descending the 36 step gangway.

Mrs Banjo and I were jealous this morning watching you all on the Quest, as you sailed through the Cape Cod Canal. What a beautiful sight to see, I hope you all are having a wonderful cruise! Can’t wait to be back on board.

Mrs Banjo and I are just off the Whisper. Although I cannot comment on that particular suite, our suite was adjacent to the forward elevator and stairwell, as well as the self serve laundry. I can report that we never experienced any excess noise, in fact we never heard the elevator, people on the stairs or the laundry. I would take the suite without hesitation.

Very true, but we enjoy the cruise as well, not so much for the foliage, although sometimes it is good even from the ship, but for the "Just getting away" factor. This Itinerary is particularly good for us because, like you, we were born and raised here and although we have traveled all over the world, this is still our home and to jump on requires no interaction with the airports! Hope you make it back soon!

Ok, so Mrs Banjo and I are home now, but I wanted to finish my posting, as I have not commented abut Bar Harbor, or as we say in New England Baaahhh Habbbaahh. Rewind the tape for the weather, it was repeat of the spectacular weather from the previous few days. The sun was bright and the seas were calm. the Captain brought the ship to anchor at about 8am, right on schedule. All passengers were required to present themselves to the Border Patrol personnel that had boarded the ship for an "in person" passport check. So, when notified, Mrs Banjo and I were off to the Bar to pick up our passports, go through the line and then return our passports to the ships crew. All was pretty easy, just a formality really. We were able to go ashore by tender after the tours departed at about 10 am. The first thing I noticed when we reached the docks was that the town was almost a ghost town. Pretty much everything and everybody, except a very few, were gone for the season. Mrs Banjo remarked that we had never seen the town so empty! Good and Bad for us! Good that there were no crowds, but bad because most of the shops and restaurants were closed for the season. So what to do? We were determined to just enjoy another fantastic Autumn day. The fall colors were almost gone, but if you looked around a bit, there was still some beautiful flowers and tree color left. We walked the Main Street and most all of the side streets, then strolled along the shore path, (always a nice walk), chatting with other ship mates and local folks raking leaves and doing yard work. It all made for a fun day. We ate Lunch at Getty's, one of the two restaurants we found open. Clam Chowder and Fish & Chips. Yum, the last of the season for us. The rest of the afternoon we spent just sitting in the park and soaking up the Autumn sun. Tomorrow, in Boston we depart and it is back to our diets and enough of this life of luxury........Although we are both loving it! We hope Lois and all the other passengers enjoy the remainder of the cruise. Our last dinner on board in the Restaurant. I can't say enough about the Waiters and staff, we just enjoy them so much and are always humbled by what they do to keep the Passengers happy. So, Hats off to the Restaurant crew aboard the Silver Whisper, thanks for a great cruise!

That is very good advice. Mrs Banjo and I spent the week prior to this cruise winding our way around New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts before driving to Quebec to catch the cruise. The color along Rt 302 in New Hampshire was just spectacular with brilliant reds and yellows.

I would agree. Peak color was 2 weeks prior to this cruise. Although we did still have some color, it was well past the peak.

I think the other 5 imaginary bags were from other cabins, (who are jealous), trying to glam on ! Haha.

P.S. I’ll post pictures when I’m back home with high speed internet.

Cruising into Halifax, we were treated to the sight of the newest US Super Carrier, the Gerald Ford. What a sight to behold and a magnificent ship. She was fully outfitted with F-18’s, helicopters, and Intruders all on deck. As the captain brought the Whisper to it’s berth, our suite, once docked, had a great view of the carrier. Broken record time….. the weather was perfect, bright sun, comfortable temps. Mrs Banjo and I did what we have done at every stop, we went off walking. Down the boardwalk, the up the hill to the Citadel. The Citadel is an 1800’s fort built to defend the city and harbor of Halifax. Halifax harbor is important today, but in the 18th and 19th century, it was even more important to the British as a supply port that remained ice free through the Canadian winters. It needed to be defended, and even through WWl & WWll the port of Halifax was a staging point for convoys destined for the front. The Citadel was so impressive, and combined with the other harbor defenses, Halifax has never been attacked. we toured the Citadel until the noon cannon was fired, another impressive sight. After that we continued our walking tour to include the old burial grounds and the cemetery where bodies from the Titanic are buried. Continuing on we stoped into a few of the churches that are open for viewing, the first Governor’s house and back down to the boardwalk to the Titanic Museum. Finally a stop at the Farmers Market. The market was moved since our last visit to a location next door to where the Whisper was berthed. the market is a combination of products for the locals, groceries, fresh fruit & veggies, etc, gift shop for cruisers and cooked food stalls, (kind of like food trucks, but in the market). So much good stuff. ok about a 5 mile hike in all, my feet are getting tired, so back to our floating home for a shower, a drink and another fabulous dinner in the restaurant with some new friends. We ran into Lois again in the bar, the night before she was on stage with the captain and cruise director to receive her 100 days cruising award…… and the free laundry. (I wonder why she put out 7 bags of laundry the next morning…….hmmmmm?). Anyway, it was pretty cool and well deserved. smooth sailing again tonight, tomorrow it is Bahhhh Haaabah. Will report again on our final stop before disembarking in Boston

After leaving Charlottetown, and enjoying a spectacular sunset, the seas kicked up overnight, just to remind us that we were not on a small river or lake. Through the night, the ship rocked and rolled, but we didn’t mind, as it started late and ended as we approached Sydney. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the weather in Sydney, although somewhat cold in the am, did not disappoint! More sunshine. As far as Autumn colors, they are pretty much all gone, but the towns are pleasant. The locals are still very welcoming, even though the season is essentially over. Mrs Banjo and I, as I have said earlier, have done this IT many times because it is a great getaway for us and this time, in particular, it got us back into the mindset of cruising and travel after an almost three year hiatus due to Covid. It feels good to be cruising again. Our day in Sydney, like many of the previous was spent on a self guided walking tour. Mostly we don’t even need a map for this town and we re-explored Sydney’s first Catholic Church, the Jost House, (the first general store), the Cossit House, the Episcopal church and the heritage museum, all before lunch. Then it was just walk and shop until our legs were ready to fall off before returning to the ship. I have to say, the offered SS tour on this IT are not very inspiring, maybe it is because we are very familiar with the towns, but the listed tours, and the tours we participated in were not the best. One tour we took some years ago, (on a different cruise line), that was fabulous out of Sydney was the Coal Miner’s tour. This tour took us to a real coal mine where we met retired coal miners who took us deep into the mine to explain and show us what coal mining was. Coal mining, as you may know, was a big part of the economy here, and it helped fuel the steel industry that was the life of Sydney for many years. Anyway, that tour I would have payed extra for. After returning to the ship, something kind of funny happened. Mrs Banjo and I don’t require much attention from the cabin service, or butler. We just appreciate the clean room and towels. Today, it seems like the butler doesn’t feel like he is doing enough for us! We don’t use room service, and most tasks, we simply do ourselves. Well today the butler appeared at our door and wanted to know why he had not done anything for us and kept asking if he could do this, or that. Finally, I felt guilty so we agreed that he would bring us some caviar and canopies. He returned with quite a spread and a bottle of champagne as well. I hope we have not insulted the man by not asking for much, it seems to me that he is plenty busy. on our departure from Sydney, we were advised by the tour director, Katerina, that the seas would be rough, well they were, for about an hour, before it was smooth sailing overnight and into Halifax harbor. Tonight we dined in La Terraza, I must say, the food was ok, but the atmosphere and staff didn’t seem up to the task. On this cruise, the best meals and service we have seen is in the restaurant! The other venues, where reservations are required, we’re not nearly as good, IMHO. I’m not slamming La Terraza, they do a great job at breakfast and lunch, we just feel the dining room has been better. Sadly, only two more days and our first Post Covid cruise will be ending in Boston. This has been a totally positive and enjoyable trip. There are a few things I might change, if I were in charge, but I’ll save them for the post cruise review. Right now, I am going to enjoy Halifax!

No, it was the self laundry on the ship……. I probably should have used the one downtown……. I’m never going to live this one down, I just know it!

Charlotte Town on PEI is always a good stop. Rain was forecast for the prior night into morning, but it stopped before we docked, so just a cloudy, high humidity day. Many people were off on tours of the town by horse drawn wagon, others on their was to see the Ann of Green Gables with lobster lunch. A few brave souls even went off on a walking tour. Since this is our fourth time on this IT, Mrs Banjo and I opted for our own walking tour of the town. Prior to leaving the ship Mrs Banjo wanted to do a bit of laundry, since the self laundry was close bye, I took all of the items that we don’t send out and got them into the washing machine. I don’t know how, but when I started the machine, it locked into a 3 hour wash cycle. Mrs Banjo was not to happy with me! But, what could I do? So, what to do? I decided we could do a two & a half hour walking tour, return to the ship, transfer the cloths to the dryer, and have lunch, while the cloths dry. After lunch, folded and went back out to finish our planned tour. It all worked out, but I don’t think I will ever live it down! I think we have the cleanest underwear on board. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! The Confederation House, after 6 years of reconstruction, was still not complete, (can you believe that !). I am so glad we got to see the inside prior to the start of construction, because the last 2 times we were here, we thought it would be complete. The nice lady in the knit shop across the way said she was told it will be completed for NEXT year. Oh well. As we normally do, we stopped to see all the historical churches, the Kirk of Saint James was of particular interest because it is a little less known, but still quite beautiful. A nice lady was very happy to see us and gave us some insights to the history of the Kirk. I don’t think any of the walking tours went out that far, so they all missed a hidden gem. The rest of our tour included the 1929 American La France fire engine parked outside the firehouse and a look at the historic homes along the waterfront. Dinner was quiet and delightful, just Mrs Banjo and myself. The halibut and scallop was very good and as usual, our waiter was helpful and pleasant. The seas became rough for a time overnight, but calmed as we approached Sydney. great weather today in Sydney, will report on activities later.

Personally, I would rather they drop the door to door and reduce the price. Many of the service offered, (like Blacklane car service), is not available to many of us and the credit is minimal and does not cover the actual cost of the service. We can easily, and always do, book our own car service, and mostly our own transfers to and from the ship. Flights are sometimes SS other times we book our own flights and pre or post hotels.

So, sorry for not posting yesterday. Yesterday we sailed in the fog until the captain stopped the ship and dropped anchor off the Isle de Madeline. We could not see anything. It was as we say in New England, “a super duper pea super”. From the ship we could not see anything, except fog, but we new the island had to be out there…….somewhere. The Isle de Madeline seems to be in the wrong place, so many ship, we were told, just ran into it and sunk, so they put in a number of lighthouses to try and let ships know they were there. In any case, the captain knew where to stop and the tender drivers were able to find the harbor. Even through the fog. The tender ride was about 15 minutes. on Isle de Madeline, Mrs Banjo and I went on the scenic tour of the central island. First stop, wine tasting. We tasted 4 different award winning wines made from some odd fruit, including dandelion and arctic cranberry. It was all pretty tasty and the wine maker was quite the comic salesman. A few folks bought wines to bring home. Then it was off to see the lighthouse that was barely visible because of the fog. Then it was off to visit the beach with the red sandstone cliffs. This was the best part of the tour, I think we could almost see our ship…… but, of course, the fog. After that was the most exciting tour through the downtown business district. We saw all 3, three, traffic lights and stopped at the church that was damaged by the recent hurricane. All in all the tour was not much of a tour, but our guide was quite the character and made it an enjoyable diversion. After returning to the ship , it was time to shower and get ready for our planned dinner with Lois. We met in the bar, as planned and enjoyed another fabulous dinner of lobster bisque, filet of beef and strawberry Bombe for desert. Thank you Lois for some great conversation. I have to say again, the ship is in very good condition, the crew has been fabulous, (as expected), the food has been very, very good and the weather has been absolutely beautiful with seas that are as calm as I have ever seen. Today we are in Charlotte Town, Prince Edward Island. cloudy weather, but very moderate temps. Will report on this later, it’s time for lunch.

I agree !

Tuesday and more great sunny weather. The sunset last night was just spectacular, and the sun rise this morning was just as spectacular! I will post photos when we get home. Today in Havre St Pierre, Mrs Banjo and I were able to get tickets for the Iles Quarry tour. It was very very interesting! We boarded a smaller boat for a 45 minute ride, in the incredibly calm water, we saw some seals and Minky Whales enroute to the island of Iles Quarry. The island does not have a quarry on it, it is named for quarry as in hunting. The island is a national park and has an old growth forest along with some arctic landscapes in addition to the limestone rock formations that you seen in the brochure photos. Our guide was great and very knowledgeable about the environment, plants, and wild live. Then it was back to the ship for another fine lunch in La Terrazza out on the back deck while soaking up more sunshine. Then off on another self guided tour of the town! Wheeehhh! Thanks Lois for finding us in the lounge at tea time. It was nice meeting you and we look forward to dinner tomorrow. ok end of another fabulous day. Time to shower and get ready for more food, can you believe it? more to follow.

Monday turned into another fabulous day in Canada. Although we did not get on any tours, we did a self guided city tour and just enjoyed the sunshine and pleasant temperatures. Sept Isle, has some beautiful homes along the waterfront. Additionally, we were impressed with the 3 banks, 11 bars and 1 Ford dealership we saw on our walk about. 😄😄 On arriving back at the ship we learned a new trick. If all the tours are wait listed and you can’t get tickets, just hang around the tour meeting point before the tour departs. Somebody will, for sure, not show up and you can take their place! We are going to test this out sometime soon, and will report back.

So I could be wrong on the cash thing, generally we try to bring local currencies, and have traveled on a lot of different cruise lines. So, I’ll beg forgiveness, because we normally don’t need help from the desk and my memories could be flawed on which line we were on when we needed to make change.

We have always been able to exchange or break up larger bills in different currencies from the countries we have visited via cruise ship. Guess I’m just living in the past. Cash……..how quaint

Thanks for the offer. Next time we might divert to Albany….. free dollars and all. Haha. I always hang on to any foreign currency from previous trips. On this occasion, before we left, I went into my safe and came out with $130.50 Canadian. I dropped all the Loonies and Toonies in a contribution box at the church in Quebec City, then spent the $20 note on museum tickets, that left me with the $100 note that cannot be changed on board. I’ll get the job done, somehow.

Overall, the cruise is still one of our favorites. The scenery never disappoints and it’s close to home, so no airports to deal with. Glad to be back to cruising on a fine ship with a good crew. It’s going to be another good day.

Monday morning on SS Whisper, sitting in the observation lounge on deck 10 as we approach the Sept Isles. Seas are calm and sun is shining, but it is pretty cool today with some wind. Mrs Banjo and I were not able to secure a tour for today, so we were told the locals sponsor a shuttle into town and we are planning another self guided tour. The tour desk staff was very helpful and we did arrange to get on tours for tomorrow and Wednesday. The fact that all tours are sold out is one of my pet peeves. When Regent went to the everything is included and couldn’t deliver on tours, we left them and have never returned. I hope SS is not going down the same path. The only other complaint I have is that I went to the front desk asking them to break down a $100 Canadian bill and the response was, “we only haveUS dollars on board”. Now think about that, we are in Canada for almost the entire cruise and the ship only has US dollars? So today we will go ashore and find a bank or ATM for smaller bills. Hopefully the shuttle is free or the driver has lots of money to make change!

Totally agree, it has been a beautiful day, sunshine, warm weather, just spectacular! I also agree the staff is, as always, very friendly and helpful. The ship appears to be in very good condition. Last night we ate at La Dame, it was ok, not something I would do very often, but it was a nice quiet evening meal. I often will book a specialty restaurant for the first night of the cruise so as to avoid all the lines at the main restaurant. The food was good and the staff pleasant and helpful. La Dame had only 4 tables last night and as our meal was ending the chef came out to say hello and be sure all were satisfied with the food. The scallop potato’s were to die for, the rest was very good. because we booked at the last minute, most of the excursions are full or wait listed, so Mrs Banjo and I have been wandering the ports on foot. Today we were a bit disappointed, (not SS fault), that we could not get to the paper pulp museum. On our last visit, the town had a shuttle bus that for a few dollars you could ride there and back. At the visitor info station I asked about getting there, the nice lady to me the best way was by taxi, but unfortunately there are none in town. That made me chuckle, so we did a self guided tour of the town. We are hoping to get on something tomorrow or maybe Tuesday. in any case, we are enjoying the cruise, we home the weather continues to be good. Lois, you might try to find us at tea time, that has not been a busy spot. Look forward to meeting you as well

Totally agree, it has been a beautiful day, sunshine, warm weather, just spectacular! I also agree the staff is, as always, very friendly and helpful. The ship appears to be in very good condition. Last night we ate at La Dame, it was ok, not something I would do very often, but it was a nice quiet evening meal. I often will book a specialty restaurant for the first night of the cruise so as to avoid all the lines at the main restaurant. The food was good and the staff pleasant and helpful. La Dame had only 4 tables last night and as our meal was ending the chef came out to say hello and be sure all were satisfied with the food. The scallop potato’s were to die for, the rest was very good. because we booked at the last minute, most of the excursions are full or wait listed, so Mrs Banjo and I have been wandering the ports on foot. Today we were a bit disappointed, (not SS fault), that we could not get to the paper pulp museum. On our last visit, the town had a shuttle bus that for a few dollars you could ride there and back. At the visitor info station I asked about getting there, the nice lady to me the best way was by taxi, but unfortunately there are none in town. That made me chuckle, so we did a self guided tour of the town. We are hoping to get on something tomorrow or maybe Tuesday. in any case, we are enjoying the cruise, we home the weather continues to be good. Lois, you might try to find us at tea time, that has not been a busy spot. Look forward to meeting you as well