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.