mking8288

Gangways now open on Deck 5 Fwd and Deck 7 Aft, ship has been cleared and pax can proceed to go ashore. Proof of vax and ArriveCAN e-receipt/QR code needed, along with the usual ... And, rain poncho or umbrella ☔ and a lined jacket recommended 😉

Aren't you on the Prima this month ? All is well 😅 We're going between 18 to 20 knots overnight, fog horn being used and indeed left Portland behind the VOS. Plus, finally felt the ship moving 😆 Anyway, local time corrected to 8:29 ADT. Weather - wet ... this morning, going ashore a little later. Folks gathering by the gangway already

Good morning, local time 8:50 am now, ship is behind schedule but almost engine full stop now. Raining here in Saint John. Not expected to be cleared for guests to go ashore for maybe up to 1 hour w CBSA clearance. Satellite WiFi is slow & poor, switching over to Google Fi data and on 5G coverage on dual sim Pixel smartphone 😄

Q menus and dessert portions are huge, enough for 2 to 3 to share. Our total came to $109 and zeroed out, and as usual for good to exceptional services, we do a cash tip directly and always appreciated, and kept by the server's team. Tomorrow night, we'll do Teppankai 🥢🍚 for the fun ... the dedicated room is exceptionally large as the ship was destined for the China market when built.

Used on 2nd Platinum dining coupon tonight at Q Texas SH with live music, not very busy & no restrictions, etc. It's a lot of food for 2 to eat and finish, unless you are very hungry.

Ah ... Turn on the lights and found an unexpected guest on our bed tonight, again, 😁 Advance the clock by one hour tonight, per special notice. P.S. will upload all the Freestyle Dailies later with faster WiFi.

Some of the nearby small islands in Portland

The waterfront, easy walking & do it yourself exploring what’s nearby.

VOS left just we started the engines, on our way at 5:22pm. Today, we changed our clock to match local time.

Last pix above is an Irish naval offshore patrol vessel, the LÉ James Joyce (P62) docked at the marina. It started raining around 2:30 pm and it's been steady with a light mist. Apparently, many discovered the forward Observation Lounge, prime windows seating taken. Foliage chasing ?? No signs of colors or leaves changing yet ☹️ Weather forecast for tomorrow in Saint John, NB is showers in the morning, cloudy & 56 deg F in the afternoon.

It's a long walk on the pier as the VOS was docked much closer. Courtesy shuttles (mini golf cart that seat 8 😎 are available, subject to waiting in line to get a seat for the quick ride.

Twin lobsters, lobster specials, and lobster rolls, including lobster n seafood from mobile truck where cash isn't welcomed over mobile payment. Lines formed outside some businesses but sadly, not all survived the pandemic. Need to get a ride and can take a bike along, it's available just like NYC and Boston, etc.

Let's go ashore to Portland's waterfront & see what's happening -

There's no Laundry Special yet as we do our Platinum special, lined the downsized paper bag with a (clean) plastic liner from Residence Inn, rolled tightly and it's going to our steward. Meanwhile, ship just finished running an emergency training drill w the crew, lasted a full hour. Life boats lowered partially as part of the action steps ... watching it from The Local. Yes, they got hash browns today. Tonight's Special ...

It's a cloudy morning, 54 degree F and wet weather expected by afternoon - rain on its way. Long pants to pair with a lined jacket for a walk to town along the waterfront. Ship just been cleared & pax can procces to gangway.

We had an unexpected visitor tonight 🤣🤣🤣 Haven't seen these in a while 😊 nor did we asked for anything at all 😃

Sunset with Boston downtown in the near distance 😎

Skillfully done, U-turn and backing out done in 15 minutes, no pilot boat that I can see - only BPD's harbor patrol chasing small boats ahead, siren blasting for not yielding right of way or getting cruise ship's path. Boston's Logan Int'l Airport Portside as we head east before turning north to Portland overnight. Time for a lighter dinner tonight.

Bye - leaving the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal on time. Boston PD's fast harbor patrol boat racing starboard side to get ahead of us ...

Ever Fore - it takes 4 tugboats to help guide the container ship to set sail & navigate sideway first, before heading out - next stop is NYC with a 9/21 arrival. LTE and 5 G signals Portside, onboard the Joy are now much better - by the balcony - without being blocked by the EverGreen's Ever Fore WiFi routers all over the ship as seen here are the key to relaying satellite coverage. And, at 5:55 pm - looks like we are ready to leave shortly. Sideway thrusters are on ... being tested.

WiFi info from the Joy's iCafe Desk, manager hours as posted. The Norwegian App works on free WiFi inTRAnet but not all the sub-modules are fully functional. Restaurant availabilities and booking not offered and available.

From here, Lyft ride back to Falcon cruise Pier is between $15 to $20. Hailed a taxi ride to go back, total came to $20 - tips all inclusive - less than 10 minutes ride.

Summer Street & Beach Street, Boston's Chinatown Archway ... new small businesses are up but many older ones did no re-emerge post-Covid & never recovered. Tufts University and Tufts Medical Center is on the opposite end of the small Chinatown - at Kneeland Ave & Washington Street - quite a contrast of old, historic and low-rise townhouses & buildings vs. modern high-rises.

Otherwise, it's a 30 minutes walk from the Cruiseport to South Station, $20 with Uber or Lyft, taxis are limited but available. Next stop, Chinatown's Gateway on Summer Street, the archway is a 7 minutes walk from here.

DIY Boston tour, a short walk to pick up the Silver Line bus #SL2, $2.50 p/p for a short ride to South Station's underground terminal. And a very helpful and friendly bus driver.