LIVE: Caribbean Princess to Canada and Greenland, August 15-31, 2022: Geoherb goes solo again

[Thrak]

CB has Coffee and Cones so there "should" be actual milkshakes and malts available. I had the best malt in a hundred years (well, not quite that long...) at Coffee and Cones on Emerald Princess. I asked for "lots and lots" or malt and the guy put in "lots and lots". It was great!

[Cruzin Grandma]

4 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

I asked the room service steward who delivered my minibar items. She did not know. I'll try to ask someone else who may have a better idea later.

Thank you!  I’m enjoying reading your posts!

[geoherb]

Temptation was available at the International Cafe when I went down for the ring toss. They're doing a cruise long mini Olympics. (Don't let the U.S. Olympic Committee know.) Each sea day will have a different event--ring toss, bean bag toss, putting, basketball, etc. Passengers get 5 points for showing up. Today we got additional points added for however many we scored on the ring toss game. A few people are in the lead with 50 points apiece. I had 15. Unfortunately, the two rings I nailed were the 5 and the 10 point ones instead of the 25. Around three-quarters of the people had 0. The points will accumulate throughout the cruise.

 

The little mini cheesecakes at the International Cafe are my weakness. Today's flavor was mango. They're light and deceiving, I'm sure.

 

I stopped by the station where a crew member is helping people with app problems. I gave up, though, because my phone would not replicate the problem I was having earlier with making dining reservations. It was just spinning and spinning on a "loading" page. But now that I'm back in my cabin, I managed to get it to work. I have a reservation at a shared table at 6:20 in the Palm Dining Room. I'm hoping it's less crowded than the two central dining rooms. 

 

[Thrak]

13 minutes ago, geoherb said:

I have a reservation at a shared table at 6:20 in the Palm Dining Room. I'm hoping it's less crowded than the two central dining rooms. 

 

 

Did you book this with friends or is it "general sharing"?  If it's just regular old sharing please let us know how that works out. We cruise in December and I'm feeling leery of dining with general sharing. We are double vaxxed and double boostered but still wonder about sitting at a table full of strangers who may or may not be carriers.

[Acorns Away]

On 8/15/2022 at 8:30 AM, geoherb said:

I made it to LaGuardia on my early morning flight. It left Raleigh around 5:30 and made it to the gate around 7:20. It was a great flight, only half full. I had a seat with no one beside me. My luggage was waiting for me at the luggage carousel. There were a half dozen Princess reps there as well. Another half dozen have shown up since.

 

We are waiting for the shuttle buses to start taking passengers over to the terminal. The supervisor is emphasizing to the other employees to tell passengers that we're better off here than waiting over there.

 

The itinerary for the cruise is three ports in Canada and three in Greenland and lots of days at sea. It's a 16-day cruise. We will stop in Halifax and Sydney on the way to Greenland and St. John's on the way back. The three ports in Greenland are Nuuk, Nanortalik, and Qaqortoq. I've only been to Halifax out of these ports, so the rest will be new to me. 

 

There's a great roll call thread going for this cruise with hundreds of posts. There's also a very active Facebook group.

 

I am hoping the internet works well enough for me to make daily posts here. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. The ship will be sailing on 10-day Canada/New England cruises for the fall after this cruise, one way between New York and Quebec and vice versa. 

Looking forward to your reports - especially the weather in Nuuk and Qaqortog as we will be there in September.

[geoherb]

7 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Did you book this with friends or is it "general sharing"?  If it's just regular old sharing please let us know how that works out. We cruise in December and I'm feeling leery of dining with general sharing. We are double vaxxed and double boostered but still wonder about sitting at a table full of strangers who may or may not be carriers.

 

It's is general sharing with strangers. I was wrong about it being less crowded in the back. I had to wait about 10 minutes in line. At one point, it stretched up the stairs to the Promenade Deck. Tonight was the first formal night, so lots of people dressed up and wanted to eat early. They had the entrances marked--one for people with reservations and one for people without them. But they were telling people without reservations to check back at 8:00 or later. 

 

I'm not sure how I'll feel about sharing a table with strangers on my next cruise when we won't have to test before boarding and any natural immunity I may have from having had Covid in June has waned. Maybe I'll have my third booster by then.

[geoherb]

Dinner tonight was delicious. I had the crab cake appetizer, an appetizer size portion of the Indian butter shrimp, and the filet mignon. Dessert was one of my favorites: the hazelnut chocolate journey. Unfortunately, we are rocking and rolling a bit, and they postponed the production show (Broadway Ballroom) for later in our cruise. John Bressler, a piano player and former nominee as Princess entertainer of the year, performed two shows in the theater instead. I enjoyed his show overall, although he's not that great a singer. He ended up, though, being funnier than last night's comedian. 

[californiagirl]

Thank you so much for answering my questions.  My upcoming cruise is solo as well.  I sleep late when my husband is not with me therefore my meals are later.  I plan to eat dinner close to 8:00 so you’ve put my mind at ease.  My cruise in February was a zoo at the dining room door. 
 

I hope your internet luck holds out too!

Edited August 17, 2022 by californiagirl

[c-boy]

... " Tonight was the first formal night, so lots of people dressed up and wanted to eat early.

 

HA !  slap me and call me  .

 probably from the North East ...outstanding !

[geoherb]

The forecast for today in Halifax is calling for rain after lunch. I'll try to get the bulk of my walking around in the morning, have lunch, then visit the indoor places in the afternoon before heading back to the ship. The cruise director recommended walking down to Point Pleasant Park. There are easy trails and a Martello tower--an old round stone fort.

 

I forgot to mention that I went to dinner early last night so I could be finished in time for the Yes-No gameshow. It was fun as always. Only one contestant managed to make it the full three minutes without saying yes or no. A few made it into the last quarter on the clock. The first one out lasted just 7 seconds. Kristoff and Gareth were the inquisitors. 

They did not enforce the formal dress code at dinner. I'd guess 10 percent of the men in the dining room had on casual shirts. The majority did wear jackets and ties. There were a few in tuxedos. I did not feel out of place in my dress shirt and tie and slacks. I did not see anyone wearing shorts or jeans or baseball caps in the dining room.

 

The ship continued to rock and roll throughout the night and still is this morning.

[edinburgher]

Thank you for doing this Geoherb.

 

Following along as we have friends from Alabama sailing with you.

 

Hoping you get into all ports and have a wonderful time both ashore and onboard, and that all remain in good health throughout.

[geoherb]

Just now, edinburgher said:

Thank you for doing this Geoherb.

 

Following along as we have friends from Alabama sailing with you.

 

Hoping you get into all ports and have a wonderful time both ashore and onboard, and that all remain in good health throughout.

 

A man from Alabama sat at my table this morning for breakfast. I did not get his name. I know he's going on the world cruise next year on the Island Princess.

[geoherb]

The weather delayed our arrival in Halifax by about an hour. I got to call home and talk to DH while watching the workers tie up the ship's ropes as we docked. It was a light rain, but the shopping cart handle and Skywalkers was blocking most of it as I walked back and forth while talking on the phone. My T-Mobile plan includes free calls from Canada. I waited until getting the confirmation message: "Welcome to Canada! Your plan includes coverage that gives you 5GB/mo. of high-speed data On Us, plus unlimited calls and texts to and from the US at no extra cost. Enjoy your stay!"

 

They just made an announcement that excursions are delayed, naturally, because of our being late in arriving. Passengers with tickets need to check in at the theater or excursion desk. Several have been canceled.

[edinburgher]

A man from Alabama sat at my table this morning for breakfast. I did not get his name. I know he's going on the world cruise next year on the Island Princess.

 

Our friends are travelling as a couple and most unlikely to be taking a world cruise due to the length of time that would take.

 

They were on the RC along with at least a couple of hundred others.  CC user name begins Cooo

Edited August 17, 2022 by edinburgher

[geoherb]

5 hours ago, edinburgher said:

A man from Alabama sat at my table this morning for breakfast. I did not get his name. I know he's going on the world cruise next year on the Island Princess.

 

Our friends are travelling as a couple and most unlikely to be taking a world cruise due to the length of time that would take.

 

They were on the RC along with at least a couple of hundred others.  CC user name begins Cooo

 

He is on the cruise with his wife, but she was sleeping in this morning.

[geoherb]

Here is today's Patter. The rumors about afternoon tea are true: they're not having it on port days currently. I remember when they made the change to choosing not to serve lunch in the dining room on port days several years ago. We still miss it sometimes, especially in the Caribbean when we get back to the ship in time for lunch or don't leave at all.

 

Someone mentioned that the line for afternoon tea yesterday was to the piazza. I did not go.

 

[geoherb]

I had a great time in Halifax. I walked down the Point Pleasant Park. A misty drizzle fell. I did not need my umbrella most of the time, but occasionally it would start raining enough to get it out.

 

There are nice wide walking paths with fine gravel. I enjoyed seeing a lot of locals walking their dogs. There are some ruins of a fort there and the Martello tower. A man saw me trying the door. He said they keep it locked now, but that when he was a kid, people used to be able to climb to the top.

 

 

[geoherb]

From the park, I walked to the Halifax Public Gardens. They're Victorian gardens originally designed in the 1800s. I enjoyed walking along the paths. The hike over from the park was a couple of miles. I enjoyed walking along neighborhood streets past Victorian houses, modern houses, and 20th century bungalows. 

 

 

 

 

[geoherb]

At noon, they fire a cannon from the Citadel. We toured it 20 years on our first cruise to Halifax. It was quite a hike up the hill to get a good view. Here's a photo of the changing of the guard after they fired the cannon.

 

 

[geoherb]

I enjoyed a tasting at J.D. Shore/Halifax Distillery. We met the owners on a cruise several years ago. It was great to catch up with one of them today. I got to taste several rums. My favorite was the rum cream, which is better than Baileys. The s'more rum cream was also very tasty. 

 

The tours and tastings take place at 1 and 3. I wouldn't have wanted to push doing the one at 3 and having to dash back to the ship for our 4:30 all-aboard time. 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by geoherb

[geoherb]

I finished up my time on shore at Salty's, a restaurant on the waterfront. I sat at one of the tall tables in the bar area. I had already picked out what I was going to order: the seafood platter with half a chilled lobster, beer-battered haddock, crunchy shrimp, breaded scallops, potato salad, and slaw. The lobster and scallops were wonderful. The shrimp had a bit too much batter for my taste. The fish was good. It was an expensive lunch, but worth it to me since I had not gone on a formal shore excursion. 

 

 

[Megamixer]

We will be getting onboard on the 31st when you arrive back in NY.  I realize you're going a bit further north than we will be but can you give me an idea about clothing for going ashore.  Is it warm enough to be comfortable in shorts or should I pack more jeans and long sleeved shirts.  I looked at temps for all out ports (yesterday) and the highs and lows were low to mid 70's during the day and low 50's at night.

[treesah]

I'm enjoying your report.  Thank you.  Great photos.  I admire cruisers who take the time to share their adventures with those back home.  It takes time and effort.  Kudos to you.

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, Megamixer said:

We will be getting onboard on the 31st when you arrive back in NY.  I realize you're going a bit further north than we will be but can you give me an idea about clothing for going ashore.  Is it warm enough to be comfortable in shorts or should I pack more jeans and long sleeved shirts.  I looked at temps for all out ports (yesterday) and the highs and lows were low to mid 70's during the day and low 50's at night.

 

Today, it was in the mid 60s. The rain made it feel colder. I wore shorts and was fine. I brought along two pairs of shorts, one pair of jeans, and two pairs of dress pants. 

[CruzeQueen2]

On 8/16/2022 at 11:35 AM, geoherb said:

Temptation was available at the International Cafe when I went down for the ring toss. They're doing a cruise long mini Olympics. (Don't let the U.S. Olympic Committee know.) Each sea day will have a different event--ring toss, bean bag toss, putting, basketball, etc. Passengers get 5 points for showing up. Today we got additional points added for however many we scored on the ring toss game. A few people are in the lead with 50 points apiece. I had 15. Unfortunately, the two rings I nailed were the 5 and the 10 point ones instead of the 25. Around three-quarters of the people had 0. The points will accumulate throughout the cruise.

 

The little mini cheesecakes at the International Cafe are my weakness. Today's flavor was mango. They're light and deceiving, I'm sure.

 

I stopped by the station where a crew member is helping people with app problems. I gave up, though, because my phone would not replicate the problem I was having earlier with making dining reservations. It was just spinning and spinning on a "loading" page. But now that I'm back in my cabin, I managed to get it to work. I have a reservation at a shared table at 6:20 in the Palm Dining Room. I'm hoping it's less crowded than the two central dining rooms. 

 

Thank you for posting pics and everything! Enjoy your live-froms.