Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Portland, ME (09/15/25)

 

Portland, Maine.  It's a nice place to walk around when the sun is not too high in the sky.  There is enough old architecture in the port district, that one can easily find interesting buildings to photograph. And yet, it's a relatively modern place to be in, most of the traditional seaside businesses having left the main road years ago.

When we arrived in Portland, US Customs and Border Control requires everyone to get off the ship, so that they can verify every passenger on the ship's manifest.  We woke up early, so that we could get off the ship at our appointed time.  And then, we hit a minor roadblock: someone typed my name wrong on the manifest.  My name was changed from Marian to Narian.  AARGH!  Once the CBP person caught this error, he fixed it and sent me (and RQS) on our way. 

However, this doesn't mean that Portland's nautical past has been forgotten.  Take a walk down any of the side streets and you'll see traces of its nautical past.  For example, the above establishment has been here for years.  Now, it's a full service tavern.   

At the end of the pier is the original Luke's seafood restaurant. From its humble seafood processing beginnings in Portland, it has morphed into a restaurant chain with branches around the world.   We killed a couple of hours before walking to Luke's as it normally opens at 11 am.  One problem: they had no electricity when we arrived.  (A circuit breaker was triggered, and they had to reset it.)  We appreciated this delay, as it gave our breakfasts more time to be digested.

When we finally got into Luke's, we ordered the fried clam bellies, and they were on our plates before RQS was finished in the washroom.  We feasted, and the lady at the next table struck up a conversation on cruising.  It was a nice thing to chat with a stranger about something we all enjoyed - especially our trips to Bermuda.

All too soon, it was time to return to the ship.  So we walked the mile back to the ship and decided to rest for a while before the evening's activities started.

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Tonight was dress up night, and we again donned our finest for the photographers downstairs near the atrium. I couldn't wait to take off my blazer and tie to be comfortable while dining at the ship's steakhouse.  This would be our second visit to the place, and I tried to order different things from what I ordered on our last visit.  Well, I almost did just that, but had the same dessert.  Today's main course was a veal chop so thick that I couldn't finish it all.  RQS was wearing something similar to what I would have worn had I been able to go as Marian.  (Well, there will be opportunities to do that once the Orange Snowflake leaves office.)

After dinner, we went back to our room to relax for 30 minutes, and then on to tonight's entertainment in the ship's theater. Tonight's show was a musical revue called "On The Bayou", and it was a pleasant performance of songs with a New Orleans area theme.  (Mind you, this was a little bit of a stretch, but the best way to label these numbers.)  Most of the performers did their songs justice, and in contrast to the last night's performer did her songs better.

 

Next it was off to the lounge where we saw Carlos Oscar and his comedy routine.  (Think of Joe Pesci as if he had a Puerto Rico background.)  As much as most comedians don't get me to laugh, Carlos did. Much of his routine got into the differences of men and women, but not in a nasty way.  Instead, he exaggerated how our behaviors seem, such as women flothes shopping for themselves and then for their partners.  Would I see him again?  If this show is an example, it will be on the last night of the cruise.

 

Canada/New England Cruise 2025 - Saint John, NB (09/14/25)

 

Our last day in Canada, and I met someone from where I used to work.  Long story of our relationship made short: He is a Type-A, and I am a person who doesn't fit into a type mold. As such, we butted heads when working, but were pleasant and polite now that we are no longer at the bank.

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We arrived on a Sunday and had breakfast in the buffet.  That's where we sat next to a former rival coworker and shared pleasantries. It was nice to know that there were no hard feelings.  Then, we decamped to our cabin to pick up some things and go into town.

For those readers who haven't been to Saint John yet, the passenger port has room for two ships on a normal day.  There is a shopping area next to the terminal with stores housed in shipping containers.  Once out on the main street, one will find street merchants selling their wares, with stores, pubs and restaurants doing their thing on the other side of the street.  To go inland from here requires navigating up some steep streets to the top of a hill.

Since it was a Sunday, most of the shops in this district were closed.  But, as one would expect, the church was open for Sunday services.  It was the first time that I've visited this city where the port district was quiet.  It was a perfect day to photograph some of the old and unique buildings in this part of town.  Sadly, the candy store that sold us "Toxic Waste" candy was no longer in business, nor was the city's police museum.  So we walked back to the ship for a late lunch.

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Eventually, dinnertime came and we were seated next to a nice British couple.  Even though we were at separate tables, we were close enough to consider our tables to be shared.  I had two appetizers, a main and a dessert, and I was well sated after the meal.  (The appetizer was a poached pear with blue cheese, and the dessert was a poached pear with cinnamon.  So I don't feel that guilty about having two pear dishes.)  All too soon dinner had to end, and we went back to our cabin for a few before the nightly theater entertainment started.