Day 04 - An Unplanned Port

 

This was a day where we reached a port (Cornerbrook, Newfoundland) that met two requirements: First, it was a foreign port, which allowed the ship the luxury of scheduling extra sea days without worrying whether a return to the United States would violate the American Passenger Vessel Services Act, and allow the passengers to stretch their land legs for a change.

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We awoke around 9:00 am (8:00 an EDT) and slowly got moving to breakfast.  RQS went off to exercise, while I went to the cabin to relax. Even though we were not likely to need the ArriveCan app, we were glad to NOT have deleted it.  We could need to show the receipt we received it we encountered a troublesome customs agent when landing at a Canadian port. Before RQS went off to exercise, we had checked with the shore excursions desk, but they had no information available about the port.  (Too bad that I forgot about the whatsinport.com website, as it could lead me to information on what to do at this post.)

 

When the ship was finally docked and cleared to disgorge passengers, we decided to go out and try to contact people in the world outside the ship.  RQS was able to reach her friend who checked in on her cats.  I, on the other hand, checked in on my email - not much was going on at home.  Later in the day, it was off to another specialty dinner at Ocean Blu, NCL's seafood restaurant.  Again, the atmosphere was great, as was the food. We finished our dinner in time to see NCL’s production of Footloose.  (It’s not a show I’d pay to see on Broadway.  But then, I’m not a fan of musicals, nor am I a fan of the story.)  At least, the production was good, and RQS enjoyed the play.   .

Day 03 - Another planned Sea Day

 

Today, we found out about the ship's observation deck. It is a much nicer and quieter place to hang out than the library.  Only one problem - it gets crowded quickly, and it's often hard to find two seats together where a couple could chill and read their books while sipping a cup of coffee.

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RQS got up early to see a photography presentation, while it took me a while to get moving. Eventually, I ended up eating a leisurely breakfast, then headed down to the observation deck, forgetting about the photography presentation. I ended up getting to the photo area late, and decided to skip the rest of the presentation because I was 30 minutes late. So, I went back to room and started to read.

Later on, RQS and I went to Cagney’s (NCL's specialty onboard steakhouse) for a prime rib dinner. Sue was impressed by the restaurant. Unfortunately, our meal was slightly marred by an incident with my key card. First, the wine steward forgot to return my card after ordering a bottle of wine. Then, our departure from the restaurant was delayed while my card was processed for storing the wine and then for charging the meal. After dinner, if was off to the theater, where we saw a Taiwanese magician perform.

When we got back to our room, the captain made an announcement: We were no longer going to port in Charlottetown, PEI, as Hurricane Ian made it impossible to visit this port. Instead, we’d be visiting a port in Newfoundland, Corner Brook. This would my first time this far North on the Eastern side of Canada, and I was looking forward to the experience. Our only lingering questions were: Will other Canadian ports scheduled for our cruise have been affected by the hurricane? And, will other ports be substituted if these ports are unavailable? If so, which ports?

Day 02 - A planned Sea Day

 

This was the first of two consecutive sea days. When we got on the ship, we expected to follow Hurricane Ian on its way up the coast. Little did I know how this hurricane would affect this cruise at this time.

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After waking up, we had a hearty breakfast. From there, we explored the ship a little and went back to the library to read. On the way back from the library, we both needed to check on things at the internet cafe. Given how minor cell phone configuration issues can run up big bucks on marine phone charges, I needed to make sure my phone was set up properly. (I knew to keep Airplane Mode on for the trip. Yet, I was getting some Facebook notifications. So I turned off all Wi-Fi, which caused me problems using the NCL app.) The fellow at the internet cafe said my phone was set up correctly, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he was right. RQS's problem was simpler - she forgot to tip her Uber driver, and she needed to know how to tune her Wi-Fi on to give him his tip, then to turn it off afterwards. This was a simpler task to take care of.

After lunch, RQS and I were tired and needed to nap, We ended up going to an earlier dinner than planned, but missed the entertainment venues we wanted - a Beatles “tribute” band and a singer of Elton John songs. After a few minutes watching a couple of lounge singers do their thing in the atrium near “the Local”, we went back to the room and put the lights out for the evening.

Day 01 - Starting off on our cruise

 

Early this morning, RQS and I “rushed” to get showered and dressed. Sadly, this was not a cruise that I planned to take in Marian mode. But, for RQS's first cruise, I wanted to make it as pleasurable for her as possible.

Before calling an Uber, we decided to walk over to a local Wendy's and grab a breakfast sandwich. This was a big mistake. Wendy's does not do breakfast well, and we were disappointed with the quality of service, the quality of the "food" and the variety in their breakfast menu. (We should have known better when Wendy's does French Fries for breakfast, instead of doing a Hash Brown offering on their grill.) So we walked over to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee, then called an Uber.

The Uber arrived shortly after 11 and took us to the pier via the back roads. He didn't want to go into Manhattan via the Midtown Tunnel while the UN was in session, so he chose to go via the 59th street bridge and zig-zagged his way to the pier. When we arrived at the pier, the place was mobbed. There was a line stretching from pier 88 to pier 90 with people waiting to check in to our cruise. We were glad we got there early, as we were onboard by 1:30 pm because the on-boarding process went smoother than expected..

By the time night fell, we were exhausted and got to sleep early.

By the time you see this.... (a short post)

 

By the time you see this post, I'll have returned from my cruise.  I'm looking forward to getting on the ship and spending a week and a half with RQS away from our troubles.

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It's been a while since I've cruised with anyone, and the last cruise was a disaster.  My former cruise partner (FCP) and I had a blow out, and we never were able to patch things up.  (There is more to the story - regular readers will know what I'm talking about.)  Although FCP said that we could have recovered our friendship if the problem was just our cruise kerfuffle, I doubt that.  The troubles we experienced at the end of our cruise made it clear that I no longer wanted to ever cruise with her again.

So, it's with a little bit of worry that I go on this cruise with RQS.  Will 10 days together strengthen or weaken what we have together?  Who knows?  But she is much more level-headed as a lover and friend than FCP was as a friend.  I'm grateful that I'm with someone who has no drama in her life....

Taking a Covid test that I might need to retake.

 

As I've mentioned, I am taking a cruise in the next few days.  I had to reschedule a Covid test, as I got bad information from my cruise line, forcing me to take the PCR test one day later than planned.  However, the person at the test site said that I might not receive the results of the test until the time I'm supposed to embark on my cruise!  So I had to hunt around for a place that would do a rapid antigen test and was lucky to find one near me.

This is a minor annoyance which would have been unnecessary had we taken the next cruise with this itinerary.  Canada will no longer require vaccinated people to take Covid tests before entering their country, nor will anyone need to use the ArriveCan app before getting on a cruise. What I have to do for this cruise will not be needed anymore.  But before then, I am stuck running all over the place just before going on my cruise.  (Thankfully, I have RQS on my side - she's like having an extra right hand.)

So, I have a busy day planned for tomorrow.  First, I'll be dropping some books off at the library.  Then, I'll be driving to Yonkers to take my supervised rapid antigen test. And after picking up some cash from the ATM, I'll be off to RQS's house to stay the night before trekking to the cruise terminal.  Hopefully, I'll get there in time for a late dinner, but who knows?

Looking forward to my cruise

 

RQS is a well educated lady.  But she hasn't been to as many places that I have been because of conditions which she has lived with for many years.  (And, no, I won't go into details here.)  So, it will be a pleasure to be able to go back to previously visited ports with her and explore places I've wanted to see, but couldn't on those cruises.

There are two ports on this cruise which I haven't yet visited: Sydney, NS and Charlottetown, PEI.  One of them looks interesting, while the other looks like a bore.  Yet, RQS and I will get off the ship to walk around and see things for ourselves. Next comes Halifax, NS and St. John, NB.  From Halifax, we will go to Peggy's cove and have a good time there.  But at St. John, we will likely walk to the central market (St. John's version of the old Essex Street market in NYC). look around, and get back on the ship.  My Canadian pen pal agrees with me, this port doesn't have much to say for it.  

Once we leave Canada, it's off to Portland, ME and Boston.  Portland has a nice shore front area, and we may yet take a lighthouse tour.  But if we don't, we'll walk around and look for a seafood restaurant to find a place where we can get a lobster roll or two.  Lastly, we dock in Boston, where RQS's friend will drive us to the USS Constitution before driving us back to the ship.  

I expect that we will have a great time on this trip.  I only wish I could be doing it in Marian mode....

Beware of accidental misinformation from a "trusted" source

The other day, I realized that I was getting confused when trying to figure out the exact window in which I needed to take my proctored pre-cruise Covid test.  So, I called up NCL and I was told that I could take my test on Tuesday for a cruise that sailed on Friday.  Technically, he gave accurate advice, but not complete advice.  The Canadian government's site requires that the Covid test be taken within 72 hours of embarkation, not 3 days before embarkation as could be implied by reading all the materials at hand.  Given that I had scheduled my Covid test for 2:00 pm Tuesday and my embarkation was scheduled for 1:00 pm on Friday, I should have been OK.  But what about RQS?  Luckily, RQS read things a little differently than the person from NCL, and we both were able to schedule our Covid (PCR) tests for Wednesday, fulfilling Canadian requirements to the letter. This incident taught us NOT to rely on call center personnel who have been poorly trained to answer questions requiring subtlety of thought.  We will now be much more careful in dealing with issues such as this, and ask more questions ahead of time when we have to deal with seemingly ambiguous issues.

I'm hoping that this is the last headache for us before cruising together.  I'm sure of one thing: Both RQS and I will be writing complaint letters to the CEO of NCL.  Even if nothing gets done for us, these complaints do get passed on to appropriate parties to act on (or not act on).

Subways

 

One of the topics that came up in my recent chat with my niece was the topic of underground transportation.  In London, they have an underground line which was comfortably cool in the summer when it was built over 100 years ago, and now is uncomfortably hot in the winter.  In New York, most of the lines are very warm in the summer, but have some ventilation that keeps them from being dangerously warm.

When I was young, I never had problems with riding the subway.  It was still a new experience to me, and something I took for granted as I got older.  Forty years ago, if I heard a loud bang! while on the train, I'd assume (like other riders) that someone had fired a gun.  Today, New York is a safer city, and the same loud bang is thought to be something not threatening.  Things have changed a lot in the short span of my life.

Recently, New York's governor has proposed plans for an Interborough Express line which would run from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Woodside, Queens on freight trackage owned by the Long Island Railroad.  It is a smart idea, as it will be a relatively inexpensive addition to the New York mass transit network, and will allow for better commutes for people living and working in the outer boroughs.  However, it would be nice to see New York build out the full route of the proposed Triborough Express, which would benefit Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx as well.  Hopefully, the shorter route will end up being a "phase 1" to this project.

Recently, NYC's mayor has made a move to turn the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch (See: Legacy and Planned Restoration) into a linear park, similar to the High Line in Manhattan.  Most transit geeks consider this to be a big mistake as provisions were made in the existing IND line build out for connections to this line.  It would be another needed connection that would lessen Southern Queens as being a transit desert.  Hopefully, the NIMBYs will not get their way on this....

As you can see, I think of other things than life as a Transgender Person.  Hopefully, my readers will enjoy my writing on other subjects that interest me....

Something that bothers me....

 

Although TCL is a friend, she has one habit that bothers me.  Whenever I state a preference for doing something that is not 100% logical or something done in a way she wouldn't do in my position,  Tonight, she hectored me about being a little cheap with my preferred mode of airport transportation for my Hawaii cruise.

Since I don't expect to get flight information for my Hawaii trip from the cruise line until early November, I know that I shouldn't be taking any long trips between Mid-October and Mid-November.  This will allow me to take care of any flight plan snafus that may arise due to cruise line booking issues. Additionally, this will allow me to quickly jump on the phone and complete my flight reservations, making sure that I upgrade to "economy plus" with checked luggage.  Normally, I'd have preferred to book my air separately from the cruise.  But in the age of Covid-19 and its aftermath, I'm glad that I have one-stop shopping, a single contact point if there are problems with my cruise booking.

When I eventually receive my flight information, I will make decisions on how I will get to/from the airport.  I don't want to spend $300+ on cab fare, unless absolutely necessary.  I'd rather find a cheap parking lot near the airport or take mass transit instead.  Too bad that LIRR East Side Access will not be open on time for my trip, as I'd have flown out of JFK instead of LGA.  TCL wonders why I am being frugal in this area.  But I'd rather save money in NYC, so that I can spend it in Hawaii.

As soon as I get home from my New England / Eastern Canada cruise, I will do several loads of laundry, then start packing for Hawaii.  This will save me the headache of putting summer clothes away, and then having to unearth them shortly before my cruise.  It'll be nice to feel the warmth of the sun in the middle of December.  I can't wait!

Taking it easy....

 

Soon, RQS and I will be seeing this sight as we depart from New York on our Autumn cruise.  The big question I will be asking myself is: How much "Alone Time" will I need in this relationship?  I've found that I get tired of having the same people around me after a few days, and this was likely a factor for me in my breakup with XGFJ - I needed time apart from her more often than I told her.

I opened up with this thought, as I started to wonder how well RQS and I will get along on a 10 day cruise.  We will likely be OK, but I have minor worries about it.

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Today was a good day for me, though most of my plans went sour.  My niece and I were able to connect with each other via Zoom, and we were online for an hour chatting about things in general.  Now that I know that she prefers the use of one communications tool, we can schedule Zoom meetings at will and keep in touch.

My niece is glad that she's in England right now, and loves the early Autumn weather they are having.  Soon, winter will come, and she'll be flying back to the States with her husband.  (This assumes that her passport gets renewed before their trip. She has an expired US passport, and will need it renewed for her return.) I told her of my plans to visit sometime in the next couple of years (in Marian's female gender presentation) and she noted that I shouldn't have any problems with it when I visit.  This is a good thing, as I find it more comfortable for me to dress as Marian instead of Mario.

Although I ran my mouth at a mile a minute, we had a good chat.  Hopefully, we'll be doing it again soon.

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I was supposed to speak with my former student clinician for my speech therapy.  She has delivered her baby, and is up to her eyeballs taking care of her infant. So we haven't had much time to chat in a long while.  The same goes to a lesser extent for KM, a woman I used to work with at the document imaging firm.  Although I was supposed to speak with both women, it was just as well that I didn't - I was in the mood to be alone.  In many ways, I was like Greta Garbo in saying: "I want to be alone." 

As you can guess, being with people was the furthest thing from my mind today....

How empty the malls are.... (A quick post)

 

I was looking for a picture of the interior of the Hudson Valley Mall when I decided to post this entry.  Sadly, I couldn't find it in all the mess in my picture folder.  However, I was saddened by what I saw today in a local mall.

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After lunch with a former coworker, I decided to drive to Ulta Cosmetics in the Jefferson Valley Mall and pick up some Dermablend foundation.  When I got inside the mall, I became sad - almost no one was walking the mall, and more than half the storefronts were vacant.  I was in and out of Ulta in 5 minutes, and decided to kill some time before RQS's train arrived.  This might not have been the best thing to do, as I could see the signs of an obsolete mall - most storefronts were empty, and the on-site health club, Orange Fitness, was closed as well.  Only a handful of stores were open, and I was the sole focus of attention at Bath & Body Works, as I was the only customer in the store.  

30 years ago, this mall would have been crowded in the middle of the day.  Now that most retail shopping seems to be done online, there is no need for most of the malls that used to populate suburbia.  It's sad to see things change.  At least, I can get what I want and more on Amazon....

Counting down the days....

 

It's less than a week until we go on our cruise, and I'm getting a little nervous about this trip.  In the past, I'd be concerned about whether I'd get to the cruise terminal on time.  I'd be concerned about whether I'd be able to feel comfortable traveling with someone else in my cabin.  And I'd be concerned whether my travel companion would need too much of me to have a good time on the cruise.  (FCP wanted to see me in the casino occasionally while she gambled, and she gave me a Double Sawbuck ($20) that I ran up to $360 on one trip.  XGFJ wanted me to go swimming with her on the cruise line's private island, while I wanted to sit and read my books.)  This trip, I'll get to see how RQS and I get along, and how much she'll need of me while I try to relax.

This trip makes me a little more nervous than usual.  When I took my last cruise at Christmastime, I was worried that I might contract Covid-19 before the cruise.  The Omicron variant started to spread quickly, and what was supposed to be a maskless cruise changed into one where we were supposed to be wearing masks in all public places, save when one was eating or having a casual drink.  Even though I am vaccinated and double boosted, I still have concerns about having a positive test result.  Given the strange nature of Covid-19, one can be asymptomatic, test positive, and not go on the cruise.  Even worse, I could be symptomatic and have to quarantine at home.

For the most part, I am looking forward to this trip.  There's a part of me that wants to go to DC again, this time as Marian.  (I'd have to bring Mario's clothes with me, as I would likely have to treat her cousin and his wife to dinner - returning the favor they showed us on our last trip.)  Two people I know live in the DC area, and it would be nice to see them again as Marian.  Hopefully, we can do this next year, time and money permitting....

Although my cruise is a week away, I've already started packing

 

Getting ready for a cruise is always a pain.  However, I have taken New England/Eastern Canada cruises before at this time of year, and know that I'll need mostly long sleeve shirts, a couple of short sleeve shirts, a week's worth of trousers, and all the other things a guy might need.  (Yes, I'll be in male presentation for this trip.)

This is one of those trips where I have easier than my cruise partner, RQS.  She's digging out the clothes she wore last spring, while I can pick and choose any of the male garments I have in the closet and know they will be OK.  However, it'll be much easier for me to pack for my Hawaii cruise, as I have enough summer clothes (lightweight dresses, etc.) that I can choose from to wear in the Hawaiian climate.  Additionally, I have started to view YouTube videos on what to pack for a Hawaiian trip, and have learned a couple of things in advance of need.  (Thank you, RQS for the summer hat!  It will be a big help when I'm out in the sun....)

Luckily, I was able to install the ArriveCan app on my cell phone without any problems.  I'll have to update it with my Covid Test status within 3 days of my cruise's departure.  (I can only imagine what I'd have to deal with if I still cruised with FCP.  After she forgot her cruise documents on one of our cruises, I had to be extra careful to make sure that she remembered to print off her eDocs before cruising.)  RQS and I seem to be a better fit as traveling partners, as neither of us are making the travel mistakes that novice travelers would make, nor did we get each other upset when we encountered problems on out trip to Washington, DC.

As you can guess, I over pack, as I don't have to worry about weight limits when cruising out of New York.  However, I'll need to buy an electronic luggage scale before I take my Hawaii trip.  (And that's only one of the things I'll need to buy before that cruise.)  I only wonder if RQS will enjoy cruising after this first cruise together....