Highlights from Thursday and Friday: 1) We booked a cruisetour to Alaska at the end of May, 2023. 🎉 2) As we prepare to leave the ship on Saturday, we’re saying goodbye to our dinner wait staff, our room stewards, and our concierge. And I fight back tears as I give each of them a gratuity and thank them for how kind and lovely they’ve been to us.
You can skip all the ‘blah blah’ and go right to the photos.
Cruising the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Sep. 1, 2022
As I said when we set out from Charlottetown late yesterday afternoon, we were required by the Powers That Be to not travel faster than 10 knots as we moved through ocean that was populated by the endangered North Atlantic Right Whales. So it was a lovely, quiet journey through the waters around the east coast of Canada.
We went to the Main Dining Room for breakfast and enjoyed one of my preferred crossword puzzle (me) and political wonky (Jas) breakfasts. Mine involved buckwheat pancakes and not enough maple syrup.
When breakfast was over, I went to the Neptune Lounge for my appointment with the Future Cruise Consultant. Yes, that is a job title in the cruise industry. The FCC meets with current passengers—while they’re still high on the fun they’ve had on this vacation—and sells them on their next vacation. Jas and I had already talked about what we wanted to see next, and that was Alaska. A CruiseTour of Alaska, like we had booked in 2020. I sat down with the lovely young woman who had this job on the Zaandam, and told her exactly what we wanted: Inside Passage from Vancouver to Whittier, then train to Denali, total of three days in Denali, then back to Anchorage and fly back to CLE/PIT. At the appropriate moment, as if I had paged him, Jas walked in. We told him what the FCC and I had agreed upon already. He looked at the deck plan for the Noordam, which will be our home away from home for seven days beginning May 28, 2023, and told us exactly which Neptune Suite he wanted us to occupy. Just like magic! He gets so many Good Boyfriend points for showing up at the proper moment and saving me from having to make the which-suite decision! We each paid our $25 down payments and went back to our lovely suite.
[Have I mentioned how much we loved having booked a Neptune Suite? Honestly, having that spacious room with the large verandah as our home base made this a truly lovely vacation.]
We spent some time back on our verandah, then I took my iPad and Apple Pencil and phone and earbuds and went up to the Crow’s Nest to study my “Godspell” score in peace and quiet with views galore of the coast of Canada, just a few miles away. In a little bit, Jas came up and joined me. We walked down the stairs to the Lido Market, got some lunch, and brought it back up to the Crow’s Nest. Honestly, it couldn’t have been more enjoyable. That view!
We spent the afternoon in a leisurely manner, which may or may not have included naps and jigsaw puzzles. Then we went to Canaletto for dinner.
Canaletto is the upscale restaurant, serving Italian cuisine, that is situated next to the Lido Market, starboard side, with great big windows. (See pictures below.) We went earlyish to dinner, just the two of us, and it was lovely.
This is the point where, if I haven’t already said it, I have to tell you that Every. Single. Person. who is employed by Holland America Lines is kind, friendly, capable, personable, and a delight with whom to interact. The personnel in Canaletto provided us with a very relaxed environment, delicious food, and a friendly demeanor. Is it any wonder that passengers go back to this brand again and again?
After dinner we caught up with our pals and had more drinks and conversation. And our At Sea day was over.
Quebec City, Quebec, Sep. 2, 2022
We pulled into port in Quebec City around 7:00 a.m., but had nowhere to be until 12:45. We went to breakfast, then came back to our room. When we left for breakfast, I stood my suitcase on the floor at the end of the bed. Budi and Juli took my hint, and placed the protective “Luggage” covers on the foot of the bed. So when we got back from breakfast, the suitcases went up on the foot of the bed and we started getting our packing organized.
After lunch, Kerry, Marilyn, and I met at the port building to join our walking tour of the lower and upper cities. We learned much trivia about Quebec, along with a lot of historical facts. We rode the funicular from the lower city to the upper city, then went to the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac for tea. It think I’ve said enough on social media and should just let it go. In summary, I wish we had gone back to the ship and had tea in the Main Dining Room rather than at the Frontenac. Next time ….
Afterwards, we walked back down to the lower city, then along Saint Pierre before turning to go out to the port and reboard the ship. What were my impressions of Quebec City? I heard some great music from street musicians. I saw lots of little shops that would have been fun to explore, were I not on a scheduled walk. And I saw more expensive cars there than I think I’ve ever seen in any other city anywhere in North America. Oh, and I’d like to go back. Jas suggested that we watch for a show that we want to see, and take the train from NYC to QC.
Back to the ship a few minutes before we were set to sail, met our pals for drinks, and had our final dinner at Table 33 in the Main Dining Room. Ate more fabulous food and said goodbye to Ucci and Jingga, who had provide such selfless service to us the entire week. One more round of drinks, then back to the room to finish our packing and set our bags outside our door.
What a great vacation we have had. Now we’re going to go spend three days in Montreal.
Holland America 2022, Day 5—A Day at Sea; Day 6—Quebec City, Quebec
