Leaf Peeping in New England and Canada

[I_r_a]

It was the adventure of a lifetime: searing heat, chilling cold, smooth calm seas, lashing gales, bright blue skies, enchanted moonlit seas, grey overcast days, pitch-black nights and glorious Fall foliage. Itinerary: The Celebrity Summit out of Port Liberty to Boston; Portland,ME; Bar Harbor; Saguenay, CA; Quebec City; Charlottetown; Sydney, CA; Halifax; return to Bayonne, NJ.

The trip from home to The Summit was uneventful – drive to satellite parking, shuttle to airport, plane to EWR, overnight at Country Inns and Suites (https://www.radissonhotels.com) and shuttle to the ship. Because we both have back problems, we chose to have wheelchair assistance where possible. (One advantage of getting old).

No complaints about the boarding process or lunch at the Oceanview Café & Grill. Our cabin was made available about 13:00, and our luggage was brought in soon after.

I think that I should start by saying that the revolutionized Summit doesn’t look as bad in person as it does in pictures. (It’s not entirely grey). Nor does all of the furniture seem to come from IKEA.

Cabin 7201 is one of only 12 Family View accommodations. It suddenly came open one evening, and I was able to change our reservations from a verandah cabin. Lucky us. =left The inboard FV cabins provide a bedroom, a sitting area and a large verandah – luxurious space for a couple. We would not choose it for 3 or more adults, nor would we choose it for travelling with children.

There are pix of a similar cabin at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2664512-summit-fv-8181-comments/?tab=comments#comment-57518900

It’s 8 bells (4:00 PM) and we are off. A quick maneuver up the harbor to see the Statue of Liberty


and the skyline of New York City

before passing under the Verrazano Narrows bridge and heading out to sea.



First port of call, Boston, MA - grey, cold and rainy. Boston was not new to us, and the weather didn’t appeal. However, the skies cleared before we left port, giving us a lovely image from our aft balcony as we sailed away.




More to come

[eyecantwait]

Ok, I'm hooked!

[Laurab23]

Did your FV have a mirror near the hair dryer?

 

Laura

[TeaBag]

I'm looking forward to more too, as we were on this cruise also, in #1140 (middle aft cabin deck 11).  We have a very similar picture of Lady Liberty.

 

We walked 12 miles in Boston!

[I_r_a]

Hi L,

 

We asked the cabin steward for an extension cord which we connected to one of the sockets near the doorway between the bedroom and sitting room.

 

This allowed my Lady Wife to use her hairdryer in front of the mirror in the sitting room.

 

Ira

[I_r_a]

Second stop, Portland, ME.  Our first view of Autumn colors, but again, wet, cold, grey and rainy.  We elected to not take the 08:30 ship’s excursion.

       Next scheduled stop, Bar Harbor, ME.  However, the Captain elected to avoid the high winds and steep swells that were coming our way and raced for the safety of Saguenay, CA.  Good thinking Capt. Matt.

 

    On we motored, through the grey days and dark nights, staying just ahead of the storm.

 

 

 

    Two days later, we were safely tied up in the picturesque village of Saguenay, CA.

 

More to come

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by I_r_a

[puppycanducruise]

Nice pictures.

Looking forward to more.

Thanks.

[Turtles06]

19 hours ago, Laurab23 said:

Did your FV have a mirror near the hair dryer?

 

Laura

 

2 hours ago, I_r_a said:

Hi L,

 

We asked the cabin steward for an extension cord which we connected to one of the sockets near the doorway between the bedroom and sitting room.

 

This allowed my Lady Wife to use her hairdryer in front of the mirror in the sitting room.

 

Ira

 

That seems to be the difference between the corner FV and the "inboard" FV -- there's no mirror in the sitting room/second room of the corner FV.  

 

OP: thank you for taking the time for your review.  Sorry about the weather issues, and sorry you missed Bar Harbor.  We were on this cruise Sept. 8-22.  Capt. Matt was great!

[Laurab23]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

 

That seems to be the difference between the corner FV and the "inboard" FV -- there's no mirror in the sitting room/second room of the corner FV.  

 

OP: thank you for taking the time for your review.  Sorry about the weather issues, and sorry you missed Bar Harbor.  We were on this cruise Sept. 8-22.  Capt. Matt was great!

We have a corner FV and I hope they fix this problem. Hate to risk 7 years bad luck by bringing my own mirror.

 

Laura

[I_r_a]

Motoring down the fjord that afternoon, we were treated to the glorious colors.

 

 

        The next day, we were tied up in Quebec City, CA, which was near the peak of its leaf peeping season.  The ship’s excursion, this time, was at a reasonable hour, and we went off into the hinterlands, visiting Montmorency Falls

 

         And taking in the colorful spectacle of the changing leaves.

 

        With the weather still unsettled, Capt. Matt sailed directly to Sydney, CA, where we enjoyed the highlight of our visit, a drive along the Cabot Trail up to Ingonish and back.

 

        Just spectacular.

More to come

Edited November 6, 2019 by I_r_a

[OnTheJourney]

I was on this cruise...indeed terrific. Can't say enough wonderful things about Capt. Matt. His decision to change itinerary the way he did was brilliant. And then taking so much time to do two presentations for the ship to explain it all and take questions was most impressive. Thanks for this thread. Maybe I'll throw in a couple pics of my own. The fall foliage was truly astounding!

[OnTheJourney]

Speaking of Saguenay.....besides the great foliage, it was a most moving experience seeing this statue, especially so when the captain turned on the ship's spotlights and circumnavigated it in the evening when we left. I took the picture, but copied this in from a website....

 

Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay

Overlooking the Saguenay from Cap Trinité since 1881, the Virgin Mary statue was commissioned by Charles Napoléon Robitaille, a local salesman who prayed for the Virgin Mary’s help when he fell through the ice on the river. Nine meters (30 feet) tall, the wooden statue is covered with painted lead, which had steadily eroded over the years prior to the statue's restoration in 2008. Gleaming high upon the cliffs, it remains vigilant to ensure the safe passage of all exploring the river.

 

And how about this amazingly calm water as we entered the St. Lawrence. Loved the patterns that were formed by (presumably) the currents in the river.

 

 

Views from the top of Montmorency.....we did this same cruise 5 years ago and wished we could have gotten up on the bridge - so finally did on this trip. 

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

On the bridge...sort of a little scary but awesome!!  (I r a....sorry..I should not be hijacking your thread!!! But can hardly resist sharing more pictures from this truly wonderful cruise). I'll try to restrain myself....

Edited November 7, 2019 by OnTheJourney

[I_r_a]

Thanx for the supplementary photos, OTJ.

 

More of the Cabot Trail:

 

 

        Our last port of call was Halifax, a busy port with few items that interested us, but we were “treated” to a ludicrous sight, the AIDAdiva, which we named The MV Kissy Face.

       And so, back to Bayonne where we debarked, collected our luggage and took a cab to the Dollar Car Rental at EWR.  Here, at the very end of civilization, we picked up car and drove off up the Hudson river to Buttermilk Falls Inn in Milton, NY.  (https://www.buttermilkfallsinn.com/).

More to come

[OnTheJourney]

That one picture reminds of me traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall. Gorgeous color. 

[I_r_a]

  A very scenic drive, even in gray, cloudy weather.  We were disappointed to find that one can no longer drive through West Point, but has to get an advance permit.

 

       The Inn was very, very nice. 

                             view from room

       A drive through the neighborhood proved both spooky

       And colorful

       We returned to EWR, dropped off the car, took the shuttle to the terminal and 5 hours later we were safe and sound at home.