Tag: travel

Return to Portland, Maine

Friday, August 14, 2026

I’m glad we got to spend some time in Portland last week because today we had to pack for tomorrow’s disembarkation and meet with Customs and Immigration. I hate when our last day is a port day instead of a sea day. However, we are in port until 9:30 tonight so we could go out later on this evening, but we didn’t plan to do so.

We moved the clocks back last night so we are back on Eastern Daylight Time. I rolled out of bed and headed for the Explorer’s Cafe for my last latte for the trip. 😭

The towel animals were loose again today so I decided it was time for my red duck to find a new home. As you can see, I placed it on top of the head of the towel animal in the hall on my way to get coffee. By the time I got back with the coffees, the duck was gone (I told you that rubber duck hunting was popular).

I saw on the daily menu that the main dining room was doing brunch today so we went around 10:30. Chuck had the steak and egg skillet and I had the mushroom crepes.

We then went to the Casino as we wanted to play his Free Play. The Casino was supposed to stay open until 1:00 but we found out that they were told to close early and we only had about 25 minutes to play and then cash out our card. You don’t want to leave any casino money on your card as it takes weeks before they will send you a check and usually you have to hound HAL to get them to do it.

Once that was over, it was time to pack up the cabin. I found the movie Angels and Demons to watch during the packing. I was surprised I had never seen it before.

The time on our notification to meet with C & I was 1:40. It was well after 2:00 before our Number was called. The ship had the lines well organized. They even told you which stairs or elevators to use to get to the meeting point (should have done that earlier with the shore excursion disembarkation mess.).

There were staff members in the hall to keep everyone moving and in the right line. One line was for US citizens only. The other line was for everyone else. With the number of Canadians on this cruise, the lines were about even.

We were told to bring our room key, the letter that was sent to our cabin, and our passport. They had set up facial recognition in the Ocean Bar. Chuck breezed through. It didn’t recognize me until I took off my glasses. Weird. Sometimes it works fine with my glasses on – sometimes not.

One lady in front of us had to be pulled out of line as it was not recognizing her at all. Guess they did a manual check of her passport. The last stop was to have a sticker put on our room key and we were told we could now go ashore.

Since the packing was pretty much done, we opted to just enjoy the sunshine and breeze on the Sea View deck until it was time for our Canaletto dinner. (They called the last number at around 3:45. Would have been a bummer for people with an independent tour at 1:30.)

I don’t typically book specialty dining on the last night of the cruise. However, today was Chuck’s birthday and we really like the Canaletto. His favorite meal is the Osso buco. HAL used to offer it on the menu, but they don’t anymore. Earlier in the week when I was making the reservations, I lamented to the maître d’ that I wished Chuck could have it for his birthday meal.

The maître d’ asked me to wait one minute and he went to the Chef and asked him if he would prepare it for tonight for the two of us. The Chef agreed. I was so surprised and happy but not as happy as Chuck was when I told him. It was delicious. Then they surprised us with a birthday cake. Just another example of why we like sailing HAL so much.

After the meal, we listened to one set of the Ocean Bar band and then went to see the HAL singers and dancers perform “Hits on 45’s.” If you don’t know what a 45 is, here is a Google photo. My Dad had lots of them, and I had some until the transition to 33’s (which I still have). I have to say I was truly impressed with their rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

a 45 record – one song on each side
a 33 record – several songs on each side

We also said good-bye to some of our favorite staff members. Hope we’ll see them again one day on another dam ship.

Time to call it a night – make sure we have what we need for the morning’s disembarkation, lock the luggage, and place it in the hallway. We’ll see it tomorrow at the Boston port.

Up Next: Disembarkation in Boston and Traveling Home

Return to Halifax, Nova Scotia

Thursday, August 13, 2026

I really like this city – at least the parts I have seen. The waterfront walk is so nice now that all the construction seems to be over. I even Googled average price of oceanfront condos in Halifax –

  • Mid-range oceanfront condo: ~$800k–$1M for a 2–3 bed unit with direct beach access 
  • Luxury penthouse: $1.2M–$1.5M for a 4–5 bed penthouse with panoramic ocean views 
  • Smaller waterfront unit: $600k–$750k for a studio or 1-bed with partial ocean view 

Oh well. They are nice to look at.

After coffee and a leisurely breakfast, we left the ship about 9:45 and started walking to the downtown area. As I mentioned before, the walk to downtown is uphill.

There was some construction going on at various streets we had to detour around. However, the detour led us to a very nice park. We spent some time people watching before we headed back downhill to the boardwalk. My watch recorded 3 miles.

We spent the rest of the day in the Sea View area and as we departed Halifax, the clouds started rolling in and it became much cooler.

Tonight was the second dressy night, so we went to the main dining room for an early dinner since we had skipped lunch. Chuck had the beef tenderloin with crab and I had the NY strip. I had to give Chuck some of the steak. I didn’t realize how big it was going to be.

After dinner, we went to the Casino and then to the first set of the Ocean Bar band. We decided to see the repeat of Breton Thunder’s “Unleashed” show since we enjoyed it so much the first time.

After it was over, Chuck decided to play some cards, and I called it a night. Somehow, we managed to miss the Chocolate Surprise parade of servers handing out all sorts of chocolate treats. Bummer. 😒

Up Next: Portland, Maine

Return to Sydney, Nova Scotia

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Chuck woke up feeling great this morning so after coffee and a Lido breakfast, we decided to go for another walk in Sydney.

This time we retraced our steps from a previous visit. I wanted to see if the Gargoyle was still keeping watch in someone’s yard. He was. We walked about 2 miles round trip.

Still looking good!

When we returned to the ship, I found our Immigration schedule for Portland, Maine and our luggage tags for disembarkation for Boston.

There are pros and cons to having to go through Customs and Immigration in a port other than the disembarkation port. Our time in port for Maine on Friday is 1:00 to 9:30. We have nothing scheduled.

However, if you have an independent tour scheduled, you might be out of luck if your time to meet with C & I is later than your tour time. Nobody gets off the ship until they meet with officials and people with HAL tours get priority times. If the officials get to the ship late, too bad for you. The ship doesn’t control C & I.

However, once we get to Boston, disembarkation should go very smoothly and no C & I will be necessary. We have already done it in Maine. Grab your luggage, grab a ride, and off to the airport.

We spent the afternoon by the pool. Before dinner, we attended a performance by the Vivace Strings – a trio (pianist, cello, violin) who perform both classical and contemporary songs. They have also performed in the main dining room during dinner. They are excellent musicians.

Tonight was the Orange Party for this cruise. The party this time was being held at the Lido pool area which I think is a better venue than the World Stage. We went to the main dining room for the Dutch dinner menu. Chuck had the Dover sole and I had the pork cordon bleu.

We attended the Hal singers and dancers performance of “Feel the Beat” – an upbeat presentation of music and dance from the different decades. It was a very good show. After the show, we stopped by the Lido pool area, and the Party was in full swing.

Cruise Director ready for the Orange Party

We finished the evening in the Casino.

Up next: Return to Halifax, Nova Scotia

Return to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

So today took an unexpected turn. Chuck woke up sick to his stomach. So, instead of a walk around the town, we spent the day in the cabin.

We did not have to make a visit to the Infirmary. We have had to go to the Infirmary before on other ships and have received excellent care. However, if you go, please know that your account will be charged for the cost of the visit. Get copies of all the paperwork and once you get home, submit it to your travel insurance company. Hopefully, you’ll be reimbursed for the cost.

He started to feel better around dinner time so I went to the Lido and brought him back a bland sandwich of white bread and turkey and some “smart water” which had magnesium and potassium. He was able to hold it down. I also brought some Ginger Ale.

Since I had the “do not disturb” sign in the door all day, the room stewards did not knock or come in. When they saw me in the hall that evening, they asked if everything was okay and were very distressed that Chuck was not feeling well. They repeatedly said to call them at any time if they could do anything for us. Kind fellows.

After eating, Chuck went back to sleep and I didn’t stay up much later.

Up Next: Return to Sydney, Nova Scotia

Since I didn’t take any photos of the visit today, here are some from previous visits:

Sailing Back on the St. Lawrence River

Monday, August 10, 2026

We had to move our clocks forward last night, so I didn’t roll out of bed until about 8:00. When I went for coffee, I found our disembarkation papers for Boston in the mailbox.🙁 I also found a maintenance notice that said the water would be turned off from 1:00 to 4:00 tomorrow when the ship is in Charlottetown.

I thought about walking the Promenade, but the weather was foggy, windy, and very cool. Instead, I took my coffee and went to the Coffee Chat with the Cruise Director. I was pleased to see that all the officers she was interviewing today were female. I don’t think I have ever seen this scenario happen before. They each had very interesting stories.

Cruise Director Karlijn
I don’t remember the names, but the areas were L-R: Human Resources, Guest Services, Marketing, Entertainment

I met up with Chuck to play some in the Casino and then we went to the Main Dining room for lunch. I had the chicken korma and he had a hamburger.

I was concerned that the chicken korma might be too spicy for me but it was delicious. So good, that I slurped it all up without even thinking about getting a photo. Google will have to suffice.

Google photo of chicken korma with rice

He was heading back to the Casino to play cards, and I found a warm spot in the Lido pool area to read. I had tried the Sea View area, but it was still way too windy.

I then went to the Future Cruise Consultant’s presentation on future cruises. I didn’t see anything that really called to me. I still want to do the 28-day Alaska cruise one day, but I’m happy to have booked a 14-day Alaska for 2027.

We opted for a Lido dinner. The show tonight was Breton Thunder’s “Heritage” show so we decided to skip it. We listened to the first two sets of the Ocean Bar band and then went to the Crow’s Nest to dance to the hits played by a DJ.

Once the DJ ended the set, we called it a night.

Up Next: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Return to Quebec City, Quebec

Sunday, August 9, 2026

We had an early 7:00 arrival today with a chance of rain. We had a room service breakfast so we could avoid the crowds who would be eating in the Lido to get off the ship early.

Caught the free shuttle to Old Town about 9:30. After walking in a different direction from the other day, we took the funicular to Upper Town and walked around the terrace at the Chateau Frontenac. We didn’t go into the Chateau this time as last year we had a walking tour of the inside public areas. It was very interesting.

We walked from the Upper Town back to the shuttle pick up point. Even though it was all downhill, it was not an easy walk with all the cobblestones. We took a rest stop in a little park. Once we were back on the ship, my watch had recorded 4 miles.

We were sitting on the Sea View Deck after getting a snack from the Lido when the skies opened up and it was a downpour. We saw some poor souls trying to make it on the ship without any rain gear and they were soaked to the skin.

It was a perfect time for a short nap before we needed to get ready for our Canaletto dinner. Chuck had the short ribs again and I had the shrimp.

While we were eating, the Cruise Director announced that due to technical issues there would be no show in the World Stage that evening.

With no World Stage show, the Ocean Bar and Casino were even more crowded than usual. We only stayed for a little while and then called it a night.

Up Next: Sailing on the St. Lawrence River Again

Montreal, Quebec

Saturday, August 8, 2026

The disembarkation process started at 7:15 with the Cruise Director announcing that people who were able take all of their own luggage off the ship could start making their way to the gangway.

The room stewards were already hard at work cleaning these vacated cabins to make them ready for the next set of passengers. We had already told our room stewards just to ignore our room today and that we would keep the “do not disturb” sign in so they would not have to deal with our cabin that day. They seemed to appreciate the gesture.

We chose not to get off the ship today. We had a leisurely breakfast in the main dining room and then walked a mile around the promenade.

We ventured up to the Crow’s Nest as we hadn’t been there at all this past week.

I love all the fresh flower arrangements HAL provides around the ship.

I made dinner reservations for two nights at the Canaletto. The new guests started to arrive.

Even though our departure would not be until 7:00, they still held the sail-away party at 4:00.

We saw our room stewards early that evening and they insisted that they wanted to service our cabin that evening, so we took the sign out. They looked exhausted and should have just let us wait until tomorrow. We went to the Mariner’s Reception at the Lido pool area and then ate dinner in the Lido.

We did not attend the Welcome Aboard show in the World Stage but instead went to all three sets of the Ocean Bar band. The Casino was to open at 10:30 that evening but I skipped it.

Up Next: Return to Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Friday, August 7, 2026

We moved the clocks back one hour which is always nice. When I went for coffee, I found our in-transit letter for Montreal in our mailbox. I was surprised that there would be no meeting with Customs officials. Our experience has always been that even in-transit guests have to meet with officials and then can get back on the ship or go exploring. All we have to do is get off the ship if we want to and bring our keycard and in-transit card to get back on.

We ate breakfast in the Lido and then decided to go to Old Town in Quebec City. It was too hot to walk from the port. We waited a while for one of the shuttles and then decided to take an Uber. We have had good luck with Ubers in Quebec City before. Not today. At first, it was supposed to be a 10-minute arrival. It sooned turned into a 25-minute wait. We should have stayed in line for the free shuttle.

We wandered around Old Town and then took the shuttle back to the ship. We enjoyed the sun and breeze on the Sea View for the rest of the day. Everyone enjoyed sailing under the St. Lawrence River bridges. The Captain announced that we only had 8 ft. clearance. It’s the bridges that keep the larger ships from going all the way to Montreal like the Volendam can.

We went to the Main Dining room for the newly introduced “Sail Away” Dinner. At this dinner, the representatives of the food and beverage team are introduced while the passengers clap in appreciation.

Pork Medallions
Eggplant Parmesan
Baked Alaska

Once dinner was over, we went to the HAL singers and dancers show “Curtains Up.” It was a compilation of songs from famous musicals. Chuck was not a fan of the show and left early. I enjoyed it.

I met up with him in the Casino. When he decided to play cards, I called it a night. There was already a lot of luggage in the hallways ready for their departure in Montreal tomorrow.

Up Next: Montreal, Quebec

Sailing the St. Lawrence River

Thursday, August 6, 2026

It’s never a great start to the morning when you are half-asleep and then get startled by an animal – even if it is a towel animal. I was heading for the stairs to go to the Exploration Cafe for my latte when I was confronted by this elephant. I am used to seeing the traditional “Animal Zoo” on the Lido deck but this is the first time I have ever seen them escape the confines and appear in the hallways.

It was a very nice day but breezy. I walked a mile around the Promenade and then read for a while on one of the Promenade loungers. I was able to enjoy the sun but avoided the wind.

We skipped breakfast and then went to the Pinnacle Grill restaurant for our 12:30 lunch reservation. I have to say the lunch was much better than the dinner last night.

Later that afternoon, we attended the Comedian’s matinee show. She was very funny. I could especially relate to her frustration with all the medical “portals” we have to navigate today.

It was the 2nd dressy night of the cruise, but we were not that enamored with the main dining room menu and not that hungry after our Pinnacle Grill lunch. We opted for a light Lido supper.

We went to the Casino and I found a tiny duck sitting on one of the machines.

Then, we went to Breton Thunder’s second show – “Unleashed” where they do some songs other than traditional folk tunes. I especially liked their version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

After the show, we went to the late set of the Ocean Bar band and then called it a night.

Up Next: Quebec City, Quebec

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Today was another early port day and it was sunny. We decided to treat it as a Sea Day. On previous visits, we have taken a walking tour of the town and visited the Anne of Green Gables House and Gardens.

I walked a mile around the Promenade deck. I took some photos of the port area. Chuck and I had skipped breakfast, so we had an early Lido lunch.

Chuck spent about an hour in the pool while I sunned on the side.

That evening, the Ocean Bar Band was performing an early set and then was going to be off until the 9:30 Orange Party. Once the set was over, it was time for our Pinnacle Dinner.

I have to say that this dinner was a disappointment. We each had the Atlantic Halibut. Neither of us thought it was very good. We usually love Halibut.

The Orange Party was held at the World Stage which I thought was a weird venue. I just popped in to take a photo of the stage set-up. It was 8:00, people were already staking out their seats.

We spent time in an uncrowded Casino. When Chuck decided to play cards, I got some hot tea and called it a night.

When I got back to the cabin, I found our Mariner tiles had been delivered.

Up Next: Sailing the St. Lawrence River