Arcadia J715 Saguenay

Saguenay was our last port on cruise J715. It is an isolated self-contained Canadian town at the end of a fjord off the St Laurence Seaway. We were berthed aside a floating platform which was designed to accommodate cruise ships. There is a well designed purpose built cruise terminal, and visitors to the area are welcomed with enthusiasm.

Although our arrival had been delayed by several days, the townsfolk had pulled together to ensure that everything was in place for our arrival. Entertainers were on the dockside to say hello.

The tourist desk was fully manned with free maps and a warm welcome. Busses had been 'borrowed' from around the town to shuttle us on the two route 25 Canadian dollar hop on hop off service with English speaking guides. We found ourselves on a yellow school bus for part of the 75 minute journey.

This was also a good place to practice speaking French, as the locals spoke slowly, and greatly appreciated visitors who made the effort to speak their language. We took the bus into the main town, saw the impressive cathedral, the iconic wooden clad houses and wandered down the main shopping street.

Although phenomenally windy on the dockside, the town itself was calm and reasonably warm.
It was only after we returned to the ship that the rain descended in torrents forcing our final (Great British) sailaway inside to the Crows Nest.

(Thank you to fellow guest Anita for allowing me to use this photo.)

Today 29th Sept we are at sea on the second of six sea days which will transport us back to Southampton. It is 4 pm ship's time. We have passed through the Belle Isle Strait which divides Labrador from Newfoundland, and are just beginning to feel the swell of the Atlantic Ocean.   I will try and post some pictures from around the ship in the next blog post and keep readers updated about the weather. Photos of New York will follow later.

More Change on Arcadia J715

Hello once again from cruise J715....sorry for the delay in posting, but we have had three busy days. Firstly, we were informed that we would be going to Saguenay on 27th Sept (today) instead of it being a sea day, and we would not now be visiting Sydney, Nova Scotia on 28th, which was the scheduled port. This meant a later sail out of Quebec yesterday, immediately followed by a day in Saguenay today, then six sea days home to Southampton starting tomorrow instead of the scheduled five. The change does sort of make sense, because we lost our day in Saguenay earlier due to the propeller problem. I've never been to Sydney, so I really don't know what we have missed. I rather hope it's horrible. The P and O staff have had to reschedule a load of coach trips, and it has been somewhat confusing, but everyone has been trying to make the best of it.
The GOOD NEWS is that (albeit shorter than planned) we had a fabulous day in Quebec. The weather was beautifully warm, and the night-time sail in was impressive.

I stood on our balcony cabin and watched the local folk dancers wait until the gangway was in place, so that they could board the ship for their slightly delayed show.

The following morning the ship was bathed in bright sunshine.

Provisions were taken onboard by crane, including a large supply of pumpkins....maybe in preparation for Halloween? 

We didn't take a coach trip, but wandered into the old town and admired this fantastic town with its historic buildings, impressive furnicular railway, and quirky streets. Chris made another friend.

When we returned to the ship I finally had time to take my first swim in one of the ship's two pools, and dry off in the heat of the afternoon. The weather lifted our spirits as we watched the sunset behind Quebec before our overnight journey to Saguenay.....more of that shortly.

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Arcadia.....Repaired and Heading for Quebec

It is 7 am on Sunday 24th September. We are half way through our cruise and sailing through the Gulf of St Laurence towards the St Laurence Seaway. The sea is calm and the sun is shining.
A lot happened yesterday. The Captain gave us a full update about Arcadia at 9.00 am . Divers had been examining part of the propelling mechanism overnight and discovered some rope which had caught up inside, causing the damage. He explained that this had probably come from a fishing boat.
We therefore stayed in Halifax for the day, until the damage had been repaired. Extra busses were laid on to take us towards town, as for safety reasons, passengers were not allowed to walk across the dockside. The staff did their best to keep us fully informed.

We had already learned that the delay for repairs will mean a shorter visit to Quebec. This is, of course, disappointing, but it did give us more time to explore Halifax. In 2001, my husband, Chris, (Mr Bits) travelled twice to Halifax. The purpose of his trips concerned some failed relationship issues which had occurred shortly after 9/11, but shortly before Chris and I met the following year. It is not within the remit of this blog to tell the story, but if anyone is interested, I do recount the tale in a short autobiographical 99p ebook novella on Amazon. All profits go to Diabetes UK. This is the link South Something.
Suffice to say, that Mr Bits was grateful for the opportunity to revisit the town, and finally lay to rest the last outstanding demons.
He was surprised how much development had taken place in sixteen years. Halifax has certainly changed. The previous day we had taken a coach tour to Peggy's Cove. It was impressive, but Mr Bits was amazed at how busy it was.

On our extra day we caught a shuttle bus to Pier 24, and then walked to Pier Twenty One.

We  used our cruise cards to pay £30 each for the 90 minute hop on hop off tour on a 1960s bus. We sat upstairs.

My last journey on a similar bus was on my way to school in the late 60s. The bus was uncomfortable then, and nothing has changed! It was far too bumpy a ride to take photographs. We returned to Arcadia by 3 pm, in time for me to sign up for the ship's Passenger Talent Show later in the cruise.
So before I sign off this post, here is the answer to the one question many of you have asked.
Have we been offered compensation for the missed ports?
The answer is 'yes'.
No one can blame P &O for the bad weather, but, when combined with a mechanical fault, this has had a negative impact on our enjoyment of the cruise, and this has been recognised by P and O. Each passenger has received an extra £200 onboard credit and 20 % of the cost of the cruise in the form of a future cruise credit. We are grateful that P and O have made such a prompt offer. I for one, just want to get on now with enjoying the rest of my cruise. One final point.... if you are on this cruise, remember to check your travel insurance, as some policies do pay a small amount for missed ports.
See you all in Quebec.

Arcadia is Poorly

I woke this morning with an overwhelming feeling of optimism. The sea was much calmer, the rain had stopped, and a dramatic sunrise began to emerge over our cabin balcony.

We had arrived in Halifax, our trip to Peggy's Cove was waiting, and I intended, in due course, to write about today's trip.

However, knowing how many friends and family of passengers are following my blog, I have decided to use this post to update you on more recent problems.

We were back on board by the designated time of 3 pm ready to set off on our journey to Saguenay. When nothing happened in a hurry, we assumed that a coach load of passengers had been delayed. Then around 4 pm, the Captain announced that the ship had 'technical difficulties', and our departure would be delayed.
A man in a hard hat appeared, and an additional gangway was brought to the portside.

 There seemed to be a lot of men talking and scratching their heads. Strange equipment was installed next to the ship.

We waited until 6 pm, listened to a single bagpipe play 'Speed Bonny Boat' on the dock, watched Crystal Serenity sail out to the tune of 'What a Wonderful World', and finally received more information from the Captain. The ship still had problems....we would not be sailing tonight......he would update us at 9 am tomorrow morning......shuttle busses would be provided for anyone who wished to return to Halifax in the evening. There was no information given about how many shops, restaurants and bars would be open, so unsurprisingly most passengers stayed on board.
Rumours have grown about what the technical problem is....possibly something to do with a propeller or side thruster, but we have been given no more official information. The lack of information is really not helpful.
Nevertheless, we are all safe, and the ship's activities continue to keep up morale. Here are the amazing Matt and Sarah keeping us all entertained.

I will update readers tomorrow, as soon as I have something to tell. (We are still 4 hours behind the UK).

Farewell USA

If you have been following my blog, you will know that we have experienced some rough weather on cruise J715. After a warm two days in New York, we encountered high winds on the edges of Hurricane Jose, and the hurricane is still around. As a consequence, we missed Rhode Island and we have also now missed out Bar Harbour. This is a great shame on a cruise which is not 'port heavy', but we can't blame P&O for bad weather. It's just bad luck. So we were relieved yesterday when we reached Boston and were finally able to step on land, even though it rained all day!
Boston is a spacious town, famous for tea parties and Havard University, but on this occasion we chose simply to explore the town. P&O provided complimentary shuttle busses from the port to the centre. The queues were long, but the wait was short, as the bus service was well organised.

We were dropped by the ornate Quincy Market, which was full of food outlets and quirky stalls and well worth a visit. 

We purchased a couple of Christmas decorations and I bought a lobster hat, which might come in handy for one of my poetry performances. The shopkeeper insisted on taking this photo of us both.

   

Despite the rain, we managed to visit the harbour and a couple of small parks, as well as watching the popular hop on trolley busses which take tourists around the town.

  

   Chris made friends with a famous US basket ball player.

My favourite part of the day was definitely lunch. We sought refuge from the rain in a restaurant called Tia's where we tried the local Clam Chowder which they serve in bowl made out of bread. It was absolutely delicious, and I enjoyed gradually eating the bread as well as the soup. I might try making this at home, if I can work out how to make the bread strong enough to support the soup!

   

 Today we have again been at sea, as we make our way to Halifax Nova Scotia. We've been in a wet force 9 gale all day, but remain hopeful that the weather will eventually improve!

Cruise Diversion

Cruising is rarely dull. We have now been informed that Hurricane Jose is heading North towards New York and beyond. It is category 1, so quite small compared to the terrible storms which have devastated the Caribbean, but powerful enough to cause some very rough sea states if you happen to be in the vicinity. So the Captain has changed our itinerary. Yesterday while we were at dinner, he announced that we would be missing out Rhode Island and heading straight for Boston. For those of you with friends or family on our cruise, this is nothing to worry about. We are simply running away from rough seas rather than sailing into them. It will be a shame to miss Newport, but these things happen. We should arrive in Boston at about 9 pm today. The sea was a bit choppy overnight (force 7) so I think it was a wise decision to divert.
Before the hurricane approached, our evening sailaway from New York was beautifully warm and calm and memorable.
I will add my hectic daytime photos of New York to a later blog post. but for now here is a taste of our amazing nightime sailaway.

Trump is in Town

It is 6.30am (11.30 am  UK time), and we are sailing along the estuary of the Hudson river on the approach to New York. The air is warm, the sky is cloudy, and the sea is totally  calm. It is eerily quiet.
Over the last couple of days, I have begun to understand why sailors lost their sanity, if they spent too many hours at sea. I have enjoyed our sea days, but it is good to finally see the distant lights as we head towards New York.
This is not a time to isolate ourselves in the privacy of our balcony. Like most passengers we climb to the upper decks for a panoramic view of the sights. We are not disappointed. As promised, just before 7.30 am the  Verazzano Bridge looms through the clouds on the horizon. It is not a clear morning, but this does not spoil the view.

The entire population emit a collective gasp at the closeness of the top of the ship to the underside of the bridge, but we pass underneath without incident.

We then all move to the starboard side and wait for the appearance of the Statue of Liberty. Despite the murky sky, she provides and impressive welcome to New York.

The US coastguard boat which accompanies us with its gun in full view does not feel quite so welcoming, but we assume it is there for our protection.

So here we are in New York, the city which never sleeps, and it is soon time to pass through the US security. This is a rite of passage for every single passenger and crew member. No one is exempt. At out allocated turn (about midday) we are summoned  into the terminal with our cruise cards, passports, Estas, and customs declaration. All fresh food is forbidden to be brought along, so Chris has to resort to a wrapped chocolate biscuit and a sealed carton of orange juice. These prove indispensable as the queue takes almost two hours to reach the security desk. Documents shown, finger-prints taken, retinas scanned, passports stamped, and we are officially in the USA. We sigh with relief as we head to our coach for our 'Highlights of New York' tour. It is a Sunday, but the city is filled with police and traffic jams. "Is this usual?" We ask our guide. "Not on a Sunday" she responds, but the next few days are exceptional. It is the UN conference, and Trump is in town"     

More about Arcadia's Journey to New York

What a difference a day makes! The sea is now calm, the sun is shining, and, although it is slightly breezy, many passengers are enjoying sunbathing on the open decks. We are about 900 nautical miles from New York, and hope that land will be visible tomorrow. We are due to arrive in Manhattan at 10.00 am on Sunday.

I do feel quite emotional this morning. Last night we woke at 2 am and looked north out to sea to the area where the Titanic sank over 75 years ago. The bitterly cold waves were moving around with force, and visibility was low. It was hard to imagine the terror and pain which many of the passengers underwent. Then this morning we woke to news of a terror attack on a London train. We are just relieved for London, that the situation was not worse. Well done to all the services who responded so quickly.

On a more positive note, today we  listened for a second time to the P&O amazing speaker ‘Calendar Girl’ Tricia Stewart. Her idea for a WI calendar has now raised millions of pounds for the ‘Bloodwise’ charity which supports Leukemia Research. She was an inspiration. She was popular enough to attract large audiences to the Arcadia Playhouse. It is beautifully designed and still remains my favourite entertainment venue of all the P&O ships.

I will post pictures of more venues in another blog post, but to finish today, I have some different photographs which you might not find in the brochures.

Here we have one of the three launderettes. They are quite small, so always in demand.

This is the letterbox for messages, which is outside every cabin.

And here we have Mr Bits in the Crows Nest on a formal night. He is using my book to hide the fact that he has removed his bow tie.

For those of you who have friends or family on this cruise, I will try and post some photos of our sail in to New York on Sunday. As always, thank you for reading my blog.  I do not put advertising on this blog, so make no money from it. I just write it for fun. If anyone is interested in reading my novel. This is the Amazon link. Claire Baldry: Different Genes

Atlantic Crossing

We are currently on the P and O ship Arcadia, heading towards New York. The outward crossing involves 7 sea days, and this post was started on day 2. Ship's time was then 7.48 am, 2 hours behind the UK. Each day so far they have given us an extra hour at 2 am so we gradually convert to USA time. Mr Bits' insulin pump is coping with the changes, but his body is very confused.
Within hours of leaving Southampton, the wind speed increased to force 9, and discreet paper bags (they call them comfort bags) appeared attached to the hand rails in the lift lobbies. Luckily, we are good sea travellers, and don't need the bags, but it was still a challenge to move around the ship. With such an early rough sea, our legs had had very little time to adjust to the sea's movement. Some passengers looked very white-faced indeed, and others hibernated in their cabins.  

Nevertheless we managed to wobble up to the Viceroy Room for a joint meetup with fellow facebook and cruise critic passengers. Leon, the entertainments manager, popped in to say hello, and P&O provided complimentary tea and coffee for the 50 of us who had braved the journey to the front of the ship. The captain then appeared and sat down next to Mr Bits. The captain posed for photographs with passengers, and explained that once we had crossed the 'continental shelf', there would be less conflicting currents, and the sea would be calmer.
It's reassuring to know that our leader understands the seas. He was of course correct. This morning we woke up in a much reduced force 6, which is still quite a swell, but we can at least stand up. Yesterday, the covered pool was netted off, but I am hoping they will open it today, and I can soon test it out.

It is now day 3. Thankfully, the sea is much calmer. We have been to three quizzes, watched two comedians, listened to one speaker, and ate an alarming amount of food.
I keep meeting people who tell me they are reading my book. They've obviously looked at my facebook link from the cruise group, and downloaded the kindle version of my novel.  "Are you the writer?" they ask. "Who me?...Oh, yes, so I am!" I hope they enjoy it, or we might not have any friends by the end of the cruise.
In my next post I will tell readers more about the ship.