Sunday, August 25, 2024
I was heading up to the Crow’s Nest for our vanilla latte (me) and Americano (Chuck) when I heard the announcement that the tenders (water shuttles) were ready to start taking people over to Bar Harbor. Since we didn’t have a HAL tour planned, we received instructions on where to pick up our tender tickets to go over at our leisure. The weather was predicted to be beautiful, and it was. Sunny, warm, and breezy.
Bar Harbor was a repeat port for us, and we went to Arcadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain. Today our plan was to wander along the shoreline path in Bar Harbor.
Not all ships who want to go to Bar Harbor can go. Bar Harbor, like many other popular port cities, have started limiting the number of ships that can show up in one day. I don’t know how the cities pick which ship(s) get to stop on any given day, but I was glad the Zuiderdam was the one allowed today.
Once we finished our breakfast in the Lido and I got a bag of laundry ready to send out, we picked up our tender tickets. We didn’t have to wait long for our number to be called because the bulk of the passengers had left on the earliest tenders.
Once we exited at the Bar Harbor port area, we turned left and soon found the signs pointing to the start of the path. We followed it just admiring the scenery of Frenchman’s Bay and chatting with fellow path walkers. We even met some Dawg fans who were staying at one of the Bed & Breakfast places. Unfortunately, part of the path was blocked because of some storm damage that had not been completely repaired.
At that point, we veered off the path and walked back to the tender port area via the downtown area and Agamont Park. There were several people eating large ice cream cones. One woman who volunteered to take our picture said that we had to get one at Jordan Pond Ice Cream and Fudge shop if we loved homemade ice cream. Yes, please. Who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?
Chuck chose a scoop of mango and I chose a scoop of blueberry. The combo was delicious.
We made it back to the ship before the designated lunch hours were over and I decided to try their avocado rolls along with a salad. I thought the rolls were kind of bland. Needed some wasabi.
With such an exhausting morning 🙄, an afternoon nap was definitely in order. We woke up in time to get ready to listen to a set from the Third Avenue West ensemble in the Ocean Bar and our first Pinnacle Grill dinner. Sleep – Eat – Repeat.
I chose my standard – jumbo shrimp cocktail, seared scallops, and key lime pie. Chuck chose crab cakes, halibut, and a cheese plate. We shared an order of candied bacon. I loved everything except the key lime pie. I thought this version was just too sweet.
We went to the first set of the Rolling Stone Lounge Band. Next, we went to the HAL singer and dancers’ show – “All That”. From the show description, I thought it was going to be songs from old variety shows. Instead, to me, it was just random songs from different eras. I didn’t have any problem with their performance. I just didn’t get the theme.
We ended the night with the last set of the Rolling Stone Lounge and some slot playing in the Casino.
And they are still calling passengers’ names to turn in their Canadian customs form which was due yesterday. What is the problem? The form took all of 3 minutes. Just fill it out for crying out loud.
Tomorrow – Halifax
