VEENDAM: June 15-22 Boston to Quebec AKA "Honey we're home"

[Krazy Kruizers]

A review with pictures is always great.

I agree -- the Lobster Rolls in Bar Harbor were the best of all the places we tried them.

[monina01]

Love your review. And having spent 21 days on Veendam this year, I can agree with you full heartedly: Captain Bos is tha best!!!!:)

[shrimp56]

The Craft & Design Center in downtown Sydney had an interesting array of art and crafts. I was sorely tempted by some beautiful hand-dyed silk scarves, but I don't wear half the ones I have, so passed them up. I did buy a small pottery piece that had a Japanese feel to it. Mostly I was waiting for my sea glass in the Cruise Pavilion Market. I had pre-shopped so I knew exactly what I wanted. There's a lot of kitsch, but the market does contain some fine artisans. The two I purchased from were "Twisted and Tied," the work of two couples, and "Wreck Cove Pewter" where I bought several gifts for family. Both their tables are along the right-hand wall as you enter the market.

 

Lunch, once we located it was at Governor's Pub & Eatery, which was in the process of finishing a new balcony. I admire the brave souls that were eating out there. We ate inside.

 

 

I had a delicious fish chowder. Service was glacially slow, which didn't please the spousal unit, but I was just enjoying relaxing after our walking around Sydney.

 

 

I have a "turnover" card from the late president of Syracuse China that gives me permission to "turn over" plates. So I did.

 

 

The Cruise Pavilion had free wifi as did most of the cruise terminals on our other stops. I know the crew used those extensively as the wifi on the ship IS pricey. We had splurged on the 250 minute plan @ $100 and the laundry package @ $50. I realize that we all travel with different budgets and interests, but these two purchases made our life simpler. We did use all the minutes.

 

The sign below on the dock shows the sense of humor we found in Sydney. When I went to the information desk inside I asked whether they offered "good advice" or "free advice" and the guy said which do you want? It was a very pleasant day in Sydney.

 

 

After "Happy Hour" with the family we ate dinner with jplewis and husband in the Lido as it was the Indonesian Buffet. The costumes of the servers was lovely. There we decorations. The food was interesting, but not spectacular. It was fun having a table cloth and chatting with our friends.

 

This ancient dude got the Indonesian treatment.

[shrimp56]

Charlottetown, PEI

Our sail into Charlottetown was a contrast of verdant green and red soil. Very bucolic indeed. The cruise dock is a bit farther from town than in Sydney, which is to be expected since C-town was a much bigger city.

 

 

View of Charlottetown as we were docking.

 

The church spires are those of St. Dunstan's Basilica, the Anglican cathedral. The low beige building at the waterline about center was Lobster on the Wharf, where we ate lunch. To the right are expensive condos.

 

The dance of the tour buses

 

We watched the "Dance of the Tour Buses" from our balcony. The to-ing and fro-ing needed music so I mentally hummed The Dance of the Hours from La Gioconda. RED bus gets an F in parking, Our bus for the Lighthouse Tour was the yellow one to its right.

 

We had decided on the lighthouses since husband had no interest in Anne of Green Gables and, although I had loved the books as a child, it wasn't a a major interest for me.

 

The Lighthouse Tour was wonderful. Our guide was very informative. We saw loads of scenery and 2 1/2 lighthouses. Half a lighthouse? That would be a range light pictured below. A range light was a pre-GPS system to get a ship headed in the right direction by lining up the stripe on the smaller one with the stripe on the big one. Or the colored doorways, depending. I'm not really sure of this one's name. While the lighthouses are maintained by a private group now (all have been automated), this one was on private property so we couldn't get closer.

 

A range light

 

After a long scenic drive we arrived at Prim Point Lighthouse. In a fit of insanity I decided I was going to climb it.

 

More to come...

[shrimp56]

In a fit of insanity I decided I was going to climb the Point Prim light. There were four levels with various exhibits and of course the view from the top. The semi-stairs gave way to ladders for the top two. I have short legs so I had to haul myself up with my arms. A lot of folk made it to the 2nd level and decided that was enough. This was set up as the living quarters in the old days when there were lighthouse keepers. You can see the "stairs" to the left in the picture below.

 

 

On the next level I looked up. EEK. Trudging ever onward the next level had artifacts and some original Fresnel lenses. Looks like a giant alien bug from this angle.

 

 

 

The view from the top was lovely. I enjoyed it while I caught my breath. Then I faced the trip down, backwards all the way. It sure didn't help my less than perfect lower back, but what hurt the next day were the tops of my thighs. Remind me not to do this again.

 

 

Our third stop was for Wood Island Lighthouse, set on the southernmost tip of PEI. There were interesting exhibits in the keeper's cottage, but I skipped the climb this time. As I said a non-profit association maintains the lighthouse. Part of their income comes from the little gift shops in the more important ones, so be generous. Yes, you've paid for the tour, but this is a project worth supporting. The people who talk to you at the lighthouses are volunteers, full of wonderful stories about the lighthouse keepers.

 

Wood Island Lighthouse

 

Rum running was big in this part of the world during Canadian prohibition PEI went dry in 1901 and wet in 1948, the longest span of any Canadian province.

 

Rum running exhibit

 

On the way back the skies opened and the rain came pouring down. While it was much lighter when we got back to the cruise terminal, we were looking for lunch as close by as possible. I asked our guide where the nearest lobster roll and she pointed to ... (more soon!)

[debjo]

For shrimp56...

We're thoroughly enjoying your "pictured" review...great idea...didn't know we could add that many pictures! I'll have to give it a try some time!

 

Many people who embarked on the 15th were on the two week trip, which ended on the 29th. DH and I joined the VEENDAM for the second week of that cruise...walking up the gangway on 7/22! It is so nice to see the "reverse" part of this trip, especially since the weather deteriorated on our "week". Love your pictures from BAR HARBOR...we experienced it in deep and heavy fog with torrential rain!

 

We're also card-holding members of the Syracuse China Turn Over Club...with the closing of Syracuse China a few years back, we delighted in this portion of your posting! (We're always turning the plates over too!)

 

Looking forward to reading about your adventures in Quebec! It had also been nice "seeing" what some of the other Shore Excursions were like with your pictures...we'll definitely be making another Quebec to Boston cruise in the future...so much more to see and do!

 

Debjo

[Coolcruise02]

Great review! Can't wait for more.

[debjo]

For shrimp56...

Forgot to mention...it sounds like you had an even better time on your cruise than we did...and we totally enjoyed our week on the VEENDAM. You have a real knack for writing...informing us AND giving us a chuckle or two!

Debjo

[shrimp56]

DebJo - Well if you hung out at all with the carryover from our roll-call you would have chuckled a lot too. It really made the difference. My attitude is always when I travel that there is good someplace. It just might not be what you expected. I'm not a Pollyanna, but I acknowledge life's quirks and, as the current meme goes I "carry on." Life is too short to not enjoy it as much as you can.

 

I hope we are together on a cruise where we can "turnover" to our hearts content.

[mamaofami]

In a fit of insanity I decided I was going to climb the Point Prim light. There were four levels with various exhibits and of course the view from the top. The semi-stairs gave way to ladders for the top two. I have short legs so I had to haul myself up with my arms. A lot of folk made it to the 2nd level and decided that was enough. This was set up as the living quarters in the old days when there were lighthouse keepers. You can see the "stairs" to the left in the picture below.

 

 

On the next level I looked up. EEK. Trudging ever onward the next level had artifacts and some original Fresnel lenses. Looks like a giant alien bug from this angle.

 

 

 

The view from the top was lovely. I enjoyed it while I caught my breath. Then I faced the trip down, backwards all the way. It sure didn't help my less than perfect lower back, but what hurt the next day were the tops of my thighs. Remind me not to do this again.

 

 

Our third stop was for Wood Island Lighthouse, set on the southernmost tip of PEI. There were interesting exhibits in the keeper's cottage, but I skipped the climb this time. As I said a non-profit association maintains the lighthouse. Part of their income comes from the little gift shops in the more important ones, so be generous. Yes, you've paid for the tour, but this is a project worth supporting. The people who talk to you at the lighthouses are volunteers, full of wonderful stories about the lighthouse keepers.

 

Wood Island Lighthouse

 

Rum running was big in this part of the world during Canadian prohibition PEI went dry in 1901 and wet in 1948, the longest span of any Canadian province.

 

Rum running exhibit

 

On the way back the skies opened and the rain came pouring down. While it was much lighter when we got back to the cruise terminal, we were looking for lunch as close by as possible. I asked our guide where the nearest lobster roll and she pointed to ... (more soon!)

 

 

SO, curious minds want to know where you had the lobster roll.

[Bonnie L]

Gee Sally, I was there and I can hardly wait for the next posting. I am ready to go back!

[shrimp56]

SO, curious minds want to know where you had the lobster roll.

 

It's named near the beginning of the first Charlottetown post. But you will have to wait until tomorrow for the picture and review.

 

Bonnie_L -- any time --we'll go back with you and Wayne :)

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience and photos.

[Cruisin Kay D]

LOVE LOVE LOVE this review, Sally!!! Who said no pictures of our happy hour group??? I didn't get to vote on that!

(Yes, as everyone has read so far, Sally has such a superb knack for humorous writing!!!! She has a special gift for sure!!)

HAL helped to make our "family" Happy Hour at Crow's Nest very happy with drink special of "buy 1, get 2nd for $1" from 4 to 5.....this helped keep our drink bills down quite a bit!!

[shrimp56]

Sally!!! Who said no pictures of our happy hour group??? I didn't get to vote on that!

 

Actually I have only one actual picture of Happy Hour involving a large number of Lemon Drops. I have a LOT of our pre-cruise party at the Marriott, but I usually don't publish pics of peeps without permission. I do intend to mail them to our group one of these days.

 

And thank you for your kind comments. This cruise is easy to write about because we had so much fun!

[shrimp56]

INTERLUDE

I know, you want the lobster roll, but I need to back up a bit to include 3 photos found lurking on my phone.

 

Halifax: Hop on Hop off buses at the dock

 

Sydney: Just inside the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion

 

On way to PEI: Cape Breton fiddlers at breakfast on the Lido deck (Part of the "On Location" theme)

[shrimp56]

THE LOBSTER ROLL

I asked our guide where the nearest lobster roll was and she pointed to ... Lobster on the Wharf.

 

 

The menu was in Japanese and English and our waiter was totally cool, but the lobster roll, while tasty, filled only 2/3 of the length of the bun, the rest being poorly disguised by a piece of greenery. Husband's fish and chips were very good.

 

All the coleslaw is because I didn't want fries. I didn't want all that coleslaw either!

 

It was still drizzling after lunch so we headed back to the ship through a long shed full of not too great tchotchkes. The WiFi users were huddled in a small bunch of folding chairs. PEI is a great place to visit, but they need to up their cruise terminal game.

 

ms Veendam and the loooong cruise terminal to her left

 

I didn't take a lot of pictures of the ship's interior this trip, but here's one of The Martini Bar in the new MIX area.

 

 

Dinner was our second in Canaletto. We were joined by Soroptomist and her mom. The service was terrific and we even managed to get extra limoncello on our dessert, thanks to Soroptomist.

 

 

My chicken cacciatore resting on a bed of yummy polenta

 

Our limoncello dessert

[shrimp56]

AT SEA

Today was our only official sea day, to be followed by a day docked in Quebec. We decided to pack as much as we could so we could enjoy our full day in Quebec, although it felt VERY odd not to have a sail away at the end of the day.

 

We finished our packing just in time for the Disembarkation briefing in The Showroom at Sea. Consistent with our policy of not doing everything, this was our first visit to that venue on the cruise. We also didn't make the Mariner Brunch, because we ate in The Pinnacle (see below) and ended up having to chase down our tiles for the rest of the cruise. They aren't all that pretty these days, but like with children, your first tile is special!

 

 

I will mention, as others have, the shilling for 9s on the survey. It was repeated to the point of annoyance. If they are doing away with this, mostly useless session, I would miss seeing all the crew singing together, but, since we declared this the last one of these we would attend, it doesn't matter to us either way.

 

Lunch was in The Pinnacle, again with Soroptomist and her mom. The food and service were very good indeed, not to mention the blessed peace and quiet.

 

Northwest Five Onion Soup

 

My crab & shrimp cake

 

Lime and Orange Panna Cotta

 

For those of you wondering about how to arrange payment when you eat with others, our solution was that we paid for Canaletto and they paid for The Pinnacle lunch. Since both were $10 per person we evened out.

 

I enjoyed my second acupuncture appointment this afternoon. Dinner was formal in the MDR. Our Asian pork dish was tasty, but under-sauced. Since we didn't have a set table we seldom had the same servers. All were competent and, as a table for 2, our service was swift, most of the food was good to very good, but there were enough exceptions that we already have Canaletto and Tamarind reservations for our August cruise on ms Eurodam.

 

Husband and MDR all dressed up

 

This dish was a letdown after our Pinnacle lunch.

[shrimp56]

AROUND THE SHIP

Just a few images taken at various moments.

 

One of the much loved floor mats

 

Not all the art was ancient.

 

I loved this painting of old ships.

 

Nice old pot lurking in a corner.

 

Decorations at the beginning of the Lido Buffet line

[TylerRose]

I suppose my only problem with your review- is that it makes it even harder to countdown without desperation for this itinerary. (for us, not until the end of September)... great pics, great anecdotes... I am enjoying every post, indeed.:D

[shrimp56]

I suppose my only problem with your review- is that it makes it even harder to countdown without desperation for this itinerary. (for us, not until the end of September)... great pics, great anecdotes... I am enjoying every post, indeed.:D

 

You will have a wonderful time I am sure and I'll look forward to your report!

[jplewis]

Sally, I did get a necklace at Twisted & Tied also - just one. One night in Crow's nest they had changed servers - we were crowded around our one small table with many glasses - due to 2 for 1 plus $1. A different young man asked if we would like him to bring another table. We laughed and said "Right". He went to the next area, picked one on and brought it to us. Can you believe that after 10 of us crowding around one little one for a week?

[mamaofami]

Thanks for the info on the Lobster Roll. Sorry it was disappointing. We haven't eaten in that particular restaurant, and we stuck to steamed lobster and mussels in PEI.

[jplewis]

DebJo, they were part of our CC group that began in Boston. So sorry we weren't all able to get together more on 2nd leg. We still met but I can understand many wanted to see the "DWTS" activities and they did conflict with our "meeting"time".

Patsy

[shrimp56]

Thanks for the info on the Lobster Roll. Sorry it was disappointing. We haven't eaten in that particular restaurant, and we stuck to steamed lobster and mussels in PEI.

 

Lobster roll is the best way for me to eat lobster as without the "ballast" the meat is a bit too rich for me. The roll I had at Lobster on the Wharf was good. I just objected to their use of greenery to try to disguise that there wasn't much lobster there.

 

DebJo, they were part of our CC group that began in Boston. So sorry we weren't all able to get together more on 2nd leg. We still met but I can understand many wanted to see the "DWTS" activities and they did conflict with our "meeting"time".

Patsy

 

"Meeting time"? That's a euphemism for "drinking time". :) I've been on enough cruises to know that the way our roll call connected was pretty unique. Which makes me feel really lucky that Patsy and Cruisin_Kay_D kept us heading in the right direction.