Live from Saint John’s Newfoundland and St Pierre et Miquelon on the Tahitian Princes

[thesavvyoldlady]

July 20th was a great day for all of us onboard the Tahitian Princess. It was the first time in four days that we didn’t wake up to a cold and foggy North Atlantic Sea weather day. As we pulled into St John’s, Newfoundland, at the eastern most tip of the American Continent, it was as if a miracle occurred… the sun was out and the passengers onboard all had big smiles on their faces. Everyone seemed to be stepping a little more lively and even though many of us aren’t morning people until our first cup of coffee or tea, we were all chattering happily and laughter could be heard all over the ship. Kudos to Captain Ravera and his staff who worked vigilantly on the bridge both day and night to get us safely through the icebergs, gale force winds and fog. There were times in the past three days when the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see the water. At 4:00AM of the morning we were to dock at St. John’s, when most of us were sleeping Captain Ravera was called to the bridge by his officers. While the fog horn blew every 5 minutes warning other ships of our position the ship, again this is no Disneyworld ride folks, was safely guided through the proverbial pea-soup. When I asked the Captain how he managed the long hours on the bridge, he smiled and said, “It’s part of the job, madam.”

The Newfoundlanders, (I hope that’s a word), were unbelievably welcoming to the passengers on the TP. We woke to the sounds of a fife and drum and when we disembarked there were two beautiful and friendly black Labrador dogs and a black Newfoundland dog to greet us. Many of the passengers took advantage of a photo-op with the dogs. We were also greeted with the firing of two cannons at the entrance of the harbor. Okay, there were quite a few jokes being made as to where the cannons were being aimed. Anyway, it was quite a nice welcome that made our journey there seem even more of an event.

At 9:15AM my husband, “The Crabby Old Guy” and I boarded a van with a few of the nice people we met on board and were off through the beautiful countryside to get on a boat for whale sightings and a look at Puffin Island. (Some of us were shocked when in Iceland we saw roasted puffin on the menu.) Once on the boat they announced that a pod of 11 to 15 humpback whales and a calf were spotted in the fjord, so we took an unexpected brief detour to go whale watching. The commentator on the boat said whale watching is 90% patience and 10% luck. Let me tell you it was definitely our lucky day because for more than an hour the whales performed as if they were in a show at Sea World. One mother and calf both breached the water at nearly the same time; it was an incredible sight to see a 30 to 40 ton whale rise out of the water and jump 10 feet in the air. So much was going on that many of us missed incredible photo shots all around the small boat. It wasn’t long before we all agreed to meet back onboard the TP and swap photos. Interestingly enough the majority of us had taken the cruise to see Puffin Island and the whale watching was just secondary, but at the end of it all we agreed that the highlight of the trip were the whales and even 100,000+ birds on the sanctuary island as fantastic as that was, could not top the whale watching experience.

After we spent over an hour watching the whales we headed back on the original course and sailed out to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve and North America’s largest Atlantic puffin colony…what an amazing sight that was! Over a hundred-thousand (who do you think counts all of them to verify the tourist script?) puffins, seagulls and kittiwakes were perched on and flying in huge warming flocks around the rocks and inlets of the sanctuary island. The puffins looked like miniature penguins all lined up in the crevices in the rock. I was surprised to learn that the puffins only keep their colorful orange beak for three months during the mating season.

Once back onboard the TP most of us headed for the buffet. Although many of us planned to take a stroll through the town which, by the way, is very hilly the urge to take a nice relaxing nap seemed to work for many others of us. You must remember that we all wanted to be bright-eyed and alert when we made our after dinner donations at the casino.

July 21st we docked in the French Territory of St Pierre et Miquelon. The town provided us a complimentary shuttle (a yellow school bus) to take us into the heart of the town which was about a 10 to 15 minute ride. The town was a beautifully quaint fishing village that had much of the charm of a French-mainland town. Outside the information center was a lady playing old French songs on an accordion while inside the attendants were handing out maps and samples of the local berry liqueur. The weather was sunny and beautiful and it was just pleasant to take a leisurely stroll through the town. The shops were open in the AM and PM but, keeping with good French tradition, even when the cruise ships are in port, most of them closed between 12:00 noon and 2:00PM. We were told that cod fishing was the island’s main industry. For any ladies interested they now also sell cod skin pocketbooks and wallets which are quite attractive. Oddly enough the cod skin resembles the snake skin bags and wallets that were so popular years ago.

Many of the ship’s passengers were trying to get a signal on their cell phones, but to no avail. One of our dinner companions was told that there are no cell phones on the island. When she asked the information hostess how they were able to get by without cell phones she quickly and earnestly replied, “It’s a very small island.” ah, such a French answer…LOL. One passenger on hearing this story did reply that, “Our teenagers would be revolting and sending up smoke signals.”

This evening was the one “Chef’s Table” on this cruise (on this length voyage there are usually two but with Mr. Norovirus on board one had to be cancelled). Unfortunately, we were not able to do this food-as-theater event but from what we hear it is well worth the $75-80 per-person charge. The meal, which begins in the galley with a tour, includes champaign and wine pairings with appetizers and then everyone goes to one of the specialty restaurants for the remainder of their specially prepared gourmet meal. The entrée is the chef’s choice, and usually includes lobster, veal or lamb and all served in a grand style. Passengers are given a souvenir photo with the chef and Maitre de Hotel and a beautifully hand printed menu. Seating for these events are limited so if this sort of fine dining event is of interest inquire of the Maître’ de Hotel or the call the dining reservations line early on.

Oh, one final note of calm about our Norovirus visitor, particularly for those coming aboard for the July 25th sailing out of New York. I spoke with the ship’s Senior Doctor, Dr. Lana Strydom, just today (July 23) and she told me that since 7/17 all has been normal on the gastrointestinal front! Food service and all the amenities on board are back to a blissful state of enjoyment. They all

[Druke I]

That is an interesting part of North America.

 

Way back in Aug 98 we came across from Dover to NYC via Iceland/Greenland, and Newfoundland, on the late great Royal Princess. (Didn't have St. Pierre et Miquelon on our itinerary.)

 

We also had extreme fog before St.Johns, and it did not clear for us. We found the Newfies to be very friendly.

[ggprincess2004]

Thank you for that wonderful update. Please do post the photos of the whales when you have the opportunity. Oh, to have been there!

[rdsqrl]

Thank you for another update from your incredible voyage. Resting up for after-dinner casino donations made me laugh out loud.

Oh, and if you're posting whale photos per ggprincess's request, you could throw in a photo of the Newfoundland and Lab dogs, too!

[paul929207]

Savvy,

 

Thanks for the update. See you tomorrow.

[Northender]

Thanks for the nice update on St. John's. I loved the way you were met by two Labs and a Newfoundland. The Province Newfoundland is now known as Newfoundland and Labradour.:):):)

 

Was the excursion you took in St. John's from the ship or was it a private one and who was it through?

 

Thanks

[laughing husky]

thanks for the continuing updates. Will be on the ship in January in Asia after it is renamed. I am very excited....Thanks....

[bellamare]

Thanks for a great review, looking forward to your final instalment. Where are you planning to go for your next cruise?

[thesavvyoldlady]

Thanks for a great review, looking forward to your final instalment. Where are you planning to go for your next cruise?

 

It was an incredible cruise. The final installment will be up this week. We have so many pictures that I will post them on www.thesavvyoldlady.com.

 

Our wish list for cruises includes the Amazon, Asia and a Christmas river cruise through Germany. Not quite sure which will be first LOL.

 

Glad you enjoyed my review.

 

Hugs,

TheSavvy Old Lady

[TracieABD]

Great review. Thanks a bunch.

[thesavvyoldlady]

Thanks for the nice update on St. John's. I loved the way you were met by two Labs and a Newfoundland. The Province Newfoundland is now known as Newfoundland and Labradour.:):):)

 

Was the excursion you took in St. John's from the ship or was it a private one and who was it through?

 

Thanks

 

The tour that we took was private... Gatherall's Puffin and Whale Watch. They charged us $70-78 US. The ship was charging $119 but theirs included a stop at a light house. The ship was clean and they picked us up and dropped us off at the ship. Great tour.

 

PICTURES CAN BE SEEN AT http://thesavvyoldlady.com click on cruise reviews. Enjoy

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks

[WileyToo]

Firstly ... It's St John's NOT Saint John's ... secondly ... Newfoundlanders don't like to be called Newfies !! It kind of resembles calling a black person by the N word !!!

 

But still I am glad you enjoyed your visit here .. and pleased to hear you left alive ..