wwinfl91
June 24th, 2004, 03:50 PM
Well I finished the last post with the ship sailing out of New York and heading towards New London Ct. The Maasdam was making the first visit for HAL to New London and the first for the year for any cruise ship so we were told to expect a big reception including a 14 gun salute when we arrived. We weren't disappointed. This was one of most friendly ports we have ever visited. Everyone seemed very happy to see us and did everything they could to make us feel welcome. We took the free shuttle to the railroad station where a variety of local organizations had set up stands to welcome us. We had been going to try to visit Mystic seaport but after finding out they didn't open until 10 AM and with the ship leaving at 2 PM with us needing to back on board at 1:30 we decided it just wasn't enough time. So instead we decided to walk out to Fort Trumbull which was built as part of the same set of fortifications that included Fort Sumter which we had visited in Charleston SC. This fort was in better shape having escaped any attacks since the Revolutionary War. There was a large museum with exhibits explaining the history of the fort. After the visit we walked around the town and saw the oldest operating courthouse in the USA (from 1743).We also saw several houses that went back into the 1700's. After an interesting visit we caught the shuttle back to the ship. As I mentioned above this was the port with the most friendly people I have ever seen. Everyone offered to help and happy to talk with you. If you get a chance to visit New London I would definitely recommend it. After heat in New York the weather during our visit was cool and cloudy with temperatures in the 60's and 70's.
Once back on the ship we went to the Lido for some lunch and then went back to the cabin to take some pictures as we left the port. Royal Dutch High Tea was served during the late afternoon with some excellent treats. Tonights dinner dress was casual and again we had an excellent meal with our great table mates.
The next day we were going to be visiting Boston. The one absolute of this port as far as I was concerned was seeing the USS Constitution. This ship, known as "Old Ironsides" was built prior to the War of 1812 and is the oldest surviving commissioned warship of any navy in the world. So our plan was to get into Boston and then find our way there first. As it turned out the ship again provided at the last minute a no cost service to shuttle us from the docks to the center of Boston which we appreciated. Once into Boston itself we decided to purchase tickets for the day on something called the Beantown Trolly service which allowed us transportation around town including out to the Constitution. Once at the Charlestown Navy yards we got our first view of the Constitution and I was really glad we made this our first stop. The line wasn't too long to go through one of the most complete security checks I have ever been through. Then we joined the line for the hourly tour rather than just going aboard the ship and only getting to see the top deck. After a short wait, which was spent taking pictures of the ship, we boarded the ship with our guide, Dave, who was a Petty Officer in the Navy. The other line was closed and the deck was cleared so only our tour was on the ship. Dave gathered us together after a giving a few minutes for people to take additional pictures. He gave some history and information about the ship including the information that the ship was taken out once a year in order to remain a commissioned warship in the Navy. We next went down to the first gun deck and again received some more information on the history of the ship and were allowed to take more pictures. After this we were asked to go back up on the main deck and were allowed to take more pictures if we wanted. There is a museum there with additional information about the ship and Navy yard we visited and then we boarded the next Beantown Trolly that showed up so we could see some more of Boston. But we had accomplished what we had set out to do even if we hadn't seen anything else. By the way the temperatures had changed again and we saw temperatures in the high 80's and even low 90's while we were in Boston which again we had not expected.
The Beantown Trolly route goes out to the Navy Yard and then returns back into the city itself. We stayed on the Trolly viewing some of the sights of the North End followed by a trip around the Boston Common and past the Theater district. We decided to get off at the State House building across from one side of the Boston's common rather than continue onto the Trolly to Cambridge and the BackBay area. We wanted to catch the start of the Freedom Trail and visit some of it's highlights before our time in Boston ran out.
The trail begins at the Boston Commons, goes by the "new" Mass State House building (from 1795),The Park Street Church, the old Granary Burying Ground, Kings Chapel, Ben Franklin statue and the first school site, the old South Meeting house, the old Cornor Bookstore, which unfortunately was closed and looking for a new owner, the old State House and Faneuil Hall. We elected at this point to catch a harbor tour that was included in our Beantown Trolly ticket and which allowed us to take some additional pictures of the Constitution. So we didn't see Paul Revere's house or the old North Church. We had seen from a distance the Bunker Hill moument when we were visiting the Constitution. We got some good seats on the stern of the sightseeing ship and appreciated being able to sit down for awhile and also appreciated the harbor breezes. After the short cruise tour, it was beginning to get late in the afternoon so we found the place where the shuttle buses were boarding and returned to the ship, sweaty and hot but feeling we had seen a lot of Boston in a short time. Once back on the ship we stopped up in the lido for some pizza and ice cream after we cooled off in the cabin for a few minutes. Then we were back on the deck for pictures of harbor as we left Boston around 5 PM. We had another casual night to look forward to at dinner and after another great dinner with our tablemates and a short walk around the ship we retired for the night looking forward to seeing what the weather would bring in Bar Harbor the next day.
We arrived at Bar Harbor Maine around 7 AM at one of the few ports we would be tendering in. The weather had changed again. It was cool and cloudy with light showers. Trisha and I had originally signed up to a tour that included a carriage ride in Acardia national park but that tour was cancelled. We then signed up for a regular bus tour of the park which included a stop at the top of Cadillac mountain. Unfortunately the weather didn't decide to let us see much from this lofty point. All we could see was clouds and fog. We enjoyed the trip anyway and got to see several other sights along the way. After returning to Bar Harbor we wandered around the town taking pictures and visiting the many shops and stores and picking up a couple of souvenirs. We also stopped at a liquor store and picked up a bottle of Maine wine to try. Then we returned to the ship via tender to catch some lunch on the ship. The ship sailed away from Bar Harbor around 3 PM with us on deck again taking more pictures. Tonight was the 2nd formal night of the cruise and we stopped to check out the excellent choices that were being offered for dinner. Formal nights always bring out the best in the chefs and tonight was no exception, lobster, steaks, etc. After another excellent dinner we strolled around the ship and then turned in for the night. As you may have noticed we are not much into going to the shows so they are going to be neglected in this review since we didn't attend any. We did go to the Crow's Nest several nights for drinks and to listen to the music which was very good.
Well I think I will close this part 2 for now and begin on part 3 which will cover our stops in Halifax, Sydney and Charlottetown as well as our cruise in the Saquenay Fjord. I will finish this review up with our stop in Quebec and our 3 day stay in Montreal in Part 4.
Once back on the ship we went to the Lido for some lunch and then went back to the cabin to take some pictures as we left the port. Royal Dutch High Tea was served during the late afternoon with some excellent treats. Tonights dinner dress was casual and again we had an excellent meal with our great table mates.
The next day we were going to be visiting Boston. The one absolute of this port as far as I was concerned was seeing the USS Constitution. This ship, known as "Old Ironsides" was built prior to the War of 1812 and is the oldest surviving commissioned warship of any navy in the world. So our plan was to get into Boston and then find our way there first. As it turned out the ship again provided at the last minute a no cost service to shuttle us from the docks to the center of Boston which we appreciated. Once into Boston itself we decided to purchase tickets for the day on something called the Beantown Trolly service which allowed us transportation around town including out to the Constitution. Once at the Charlestown Navy yards we got our first view of the Constitution and I was really glad we made this our first stop. The line wasn't too long to go through one of the most complete security checks I have ever been through. Then we joined the line for the hourly tour rather than just going aboard the ship and only getting to see the top deck. After a short wait, which was spent taking pictures of the ship, we boarded the ship with our guide, Dave, who was a Petty Officer in the Navy. The other line was closed and the deck was cleared so only our tour was on the ship. Dave gathered us together after a giving a few minutes for people to take additional pictures. He gave some history and information about the ship including the information that the ship was taken out once a year in order to remain a commissioned warship in the Navy. We next went down to the first gun deck and again received some more information on the history of the ship and were allowed to take more pictures. After this we were asked to go back up on the main deck and were allowed to take more pictures if we wanted. There is a museum there with additional information about the ship and Navy yard we visited and then we boarded the next Beantown Trolly that showed up so we could see some more of Boston. But we had accomplished what we had set out to do even if we hadn't seen anything else. By the way the temperatures had changed again and we saw temperatures in the high 80's and even low 90's while we were in Boston which again we had not expected.
The Beantown Trolly route goes out to the Navy Yard and then returns back into the city itself. We stayed on the Trolly viewing some of the sights of the North End followed by a trip around the Boston Common and past the Theater district. We decided to get off at the State House building across from one side of the Boston's common rather than continue onto the Trolly to Cambridge and the BackBay area. We wanted to catch the start of the Freedom Trail and visit some of it's highlights before our time in Boston ran out.
The trail begins at the Boston Commons, goes by the "new" Mass State House building (from 1795),The Park Street Church, the old Granary Burying Ground, Kings Chapel, Ben Franklin statue and the first school site, the old South Meeting house, the old Cornor Bookstore, which unfortunately was closed and looking for a new owner, the old State House and Faneuil Hall. We elected at this point to catch a harbor tour that was included in our Beantown Trolly ticket and which allowed us to take some additional pictures of the Constitution. So we didn't see Paul Revere's house or the old North Church. We had seen from a distance the Bunker Hill moument when we were visiting the Constitution. We got some good seats on the stern of the sightseeing ship and appreciated being able to sit down for awhile and also appreciated the harbor breezes. After the short cruise tour, it was beginning to get late in the afternoon so we found the place where the shuttle buses were boarding and returned to the ship, sweaty and hot but feeling we had seen a lot of Boston in a short time. Once back on the ship we stopped up in the lido for some pizza and ice cream after we cooled off in the cabin for a few minutes. Then we were back on the deck for pictures of harbor as we left Boston around 5 PM. We had another casual night to look forward to at dinner and after another great dinner with our tablemates and a short walk around the ship we retired for the night looking forward to seeing what the weather would bring in Bar Harbor the next day.
We arrived at Bar Harbor Maine around 7 AM at one of the few ports we would be tendering in. The weather had changed again. It was cool and cloudy with light showers. Trisha and I had originally signed up to a tour that included a carriage ride in Acardia national park but that tour was cancelled. We then signed up for a regular bus tour of the park which included a stop at the top of Cadillac mountain. Unfortunately the weather didn't decide to let us see much from this lofty point. All we could see was clouds and fog. We enjoyed the trip anyway and got to see several other sights along the way. After returning to Bar Harbor we wandered around the town taking pictures and visiting the many shops and stores and picking up a couple of souvenirs. We also stopped at a liquor store and picked up a bottle of Maine wine to try. Then we returned to the ship via tender to catch some lunch on the ship. The ship sailed away from Bar Harbor around 3 PM with us on deck again taking more pictures. Tonight was the 2nd formal night of the cruise and we stopped to check out the excellent choices that were being offered for dinner. Formal nights always bring out the best in the chefs and tonight was no exception, lobster, steaks, etc. After another excellent dinner we strolled around the ship and then turned in for the night. As you may have noticed we are not much into going to the shows so they are going to be neglected in this review since we didn't attend any. We did go to the Crow's Nest several nights for drinks and to listen to the music which was very good.
Well I think I will close this part 2 for now and begin on part 3 which will cover our stops in Halifax, Sydney and Charlottetown as well as our cruise in the Saquenay Fjord. I will finish this review up with our stop in Quebec and our 3 day stay in Montreal in Part 4.