Triumph NewEngland/Canada Sept. 17, 2005

Hi! Anybody out there going on this cruise or been on Triumph or to this area?

Hi Doughboy,

I love the Canada/New England itinerary... a port review from our most recent cruise is posted on this thread:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=104291

Happy to answer any questions on these or other ports.

Hi! Anybody out there going on this cruise or been on Triumph or to this area?

We did the Canada/New England cruise on "sister ship" Victory in 2003.. a great cruise... 7 nights was not enough.. Feel free to post or email me if you have any questions!

We're doing the Triumph 5 night Canada/New England itinerary on June 18, 2005. It's our first cruise and a slightly belated honeymoon. We'll let you know how we like it. ;)

Looks like your cruise goes to Boston, Portland, Sydney, and Halifax. Ours just goes to Halifax and St. John's, Newfoundland. Since both of us grew up in New England, Boston and Portland are of absolutely no interest, which limited us more to itineraries going to the Canadian maritimes. My work schedule unfortunately limited the time I could take off to one week at that time of year, and we didn't want to wait until 6 months after the wedding to go on one of the fall cruises - so imagine our surprise when we learned that Carnival starts Canada/NE cruises in June! It really has worked out very well.

You are going to love cruising. This one will be my third. We went a couple of years ago on Royal Caribbean to the Western Caribbean. The first one we were on Carnival. The food, the entertainment everything is just great. When is your wedding day?

We sailed sister ship Victory last year on the five-night Canada cruise to St. John and Halifax. You should be prepared for cool weather - even late June can be chilly, although we ate breakfast on the Lido deck most mornings. Halifax was great! It is very easy to explore on foot - there is a walkway from the dock to most of the attractions along the harborfront. Lots of good restaurants along the way. We went to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic - aside from the Titanic exhibit, there's a lot to be learned about Halifax's maritime history as well as the Acadia, a 1913 Canadian Coast Guard ship that is well worth a visit. The Citadel is a short (uphill!) walk from the waterfront. There are lots of harbor tours available along the waterfront.

We were in St. John on a cool, cloudy day. Took one of the 1-hour horse-drawn trolley tours that gives you a pretty good overview of the town and its history. There are some really pretty parks that are worth visiting - they'll give you a map as you disembark. The City Market is a neat place - it's a food market with stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and everything else from soup to nuts. Reminded me a bit of Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. We had lunch at Steamer's, across the street from the dock (yes, location is everything) - had some great lobster bisque and local brew.

Keep an eye out for dolphins along the way - on the return leg, we spotted a school of dolphins off Cape Cod.

Hope this helps - I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Thanks so much for your information. I have been looking on line today for information on Halifax. I can't wait. Thanks for the advise about the weather. I wasn't really sure what we would run into. Please share any info you have.

Awesome information - and the heads up on the weather is appreciated. We'll make sure to pack accordingly.

We're starting to think about shore activities now. I think my fiance is stopping by AAA to pick up the guidebook(s) for Halifax and St. John. We might do one or two of the tours offered by Carnival but especially in Halifax we're pretty comfortable with exploring on our own since it sounds as if it's really easy to just walk around.

He's got a good-natured bet riding with his brother-in-law that we'll be the only people under the age of 30 on the ship. ;) It's just that a cruise to Canada doesn't seem like it would attract many from the younger set. We think it's a perfect fit for us, though.

Katiebug - Fiance might be surprised! There were a lot of kids on our June 28 Victory cruise - I think it all depends on when school lets out in various parts of the Northeast. (New York lets out the week of your cruise, but New Jersey kids are usually out of school by the 18th.) And to go along with the kids were a fair number of younger parents. I did see a fair number of younger couples who didn't have kids in tow - maybe because it's such a convenient cruise from New York. While we've passed the "thirtysomething" stage (June 18 will be our 22nd wedding anniversary:eek: ), I don't think you'll feel out of place at all. We loved this trip!

Do be prepared for fog - the North Atlantic is notorious for fog, even during the summer. When there is fog, the ship will be sounding her horn every few minutes. It can be startling for those who haven't heard it before. I did not have a problem sleeping with the horn sounding - and for those looking for a real "ocean liner" experience, it's actually somewhat enjoyable. The fog will come and go; when we left St. John, we were in fog from just about the time we left the dock, but out on the ocean the fog lifted and we had a wonderful moonlight night sailing to Halifax.

I am just getting more and more excited hearing what the weather etc is going to be like. I just can't wait. I love to hear the horn blow.

As for the AAA book, my husband is an insurance agent with AAA and he brought home the books the other day. A lot of information to read.

Everyone is right, be prepared for cool, cold or foggy weather but also bring some summer outfits (especially for port days, wind on see days will make any day a little cooler) since June can also be quite hot (in the 25 Celsius range). You never know what to expect in June, September or October in Eastern Canada. Bring clothes that can be layered. That’s the most important thing, IMHO.

I was just on the Triumph on the Nov 27th sailing and I live in Halifax.

The ship is beautiful and so is Halifax. Feel free to ask any questions about either.

One really neat thing to do in Halifax (you can spend the whole day just along th waterfront!) is see if Bluenose II is in port and take a harbor cruise onboard:

http://www.bluenose2.ns.ca/

The Maritime Museum is excellent, there are numerous restaurants (we ate at Murphy's on the Water) and lots of other harbor cruises.. And it's not that far a walk up the hill to the Citadel.

We had weird weather in Sept 03 with temps close to 80 in Halifax and Sydney! Best thing about the 'net is that you can check the "estimated" weather for your ports of call with 10-day forecasts and it helps a little in packing...

The Bluenose II sounds great. I am going to check into that. Thanks!

We're doing the Triumph 5 night Canada/New England itinerary on June 18, 2005. It's our first cruise and a slightly belated honeymoon. We'll let you know how we like it. ;)

 

Looks like your cruise goes to Boston, Portland, Sydney, and Halifax. Ours just goes to Halifax and St. John's, Newfoundland. Since both of us grew up in New England, Boston and Portland are of absolutely no interest, which limited us more to itineraries going to the Canadian maritimes. My work schedule unfortunately limited the time I could take off to one week at that time of year, and we didn't want to wait until 6 months after the wedding to go on one of the fall cruises - so imagine our surprise when we learned that Carnival starts Canada/NE cruises in June! It really has worked out very well.

Your Cruise goes to Halifax, and Saint John, New Brunswick. not St. John's NF

Awesome information - and the heads up on the weather is appreciated. We'll make sure to pack accordingly.

 

We're starting to think about shore activities now. I think my fiance is stopping by AAA to pick up the guidebook(s) for Halifax and St. John. We might do one or two of the tours offered by Carnival but especially in Halifax we're pretty comfortable with exploring on our own since it sounds as if it's really easy to just walk around.

 

He's got a good-natured bet riding with his brother-in-law that we'll be the only people under the age of 30 on the ship. ;) It's just that a cruise to Canada doesn't seem like it would attract many from the younger set. We think it's a perfect fit for us, though.

www.tourismsaintjohn.com has great information on Saint John. They will send you lots of stuff if you email them and ask.

Enjoy your cruise and Saint John

Your Cruise goes to Halifax, and Saint John, New Brunswick. not St. John's NF

Yeah, we figured that out. Our TA told us Newfoundland but Carnival says New Brunswick...so we figured something was different fairly quickly. ;) We got the TA straightened out too.

There were a lot of kids on our June 28 Victory cruise - I think it all depends on when school lets out in various parts of the Northeast. (New York lets out the week of your cruise, but New Jersey kids are usually out of school by the 18th.) And to go along with the kids were a fair number of younger parents. I did see a fair number of younger couples who didn't have kids in tow - maybe because it's such a convenient cruise from New York.

The fact that it leaves from NYC is part of why we booked this one! It certainly is convenient for folks in southern New England as well as NY and NJ. We live in Connecticut so we'll be taking the train into the city the day before the cruise. It's so nice to not have to pay for airfare.

We don't mind kids on the ship, not at all. :) It would be nice if we weren't the only younger people around.

i'll be getting on while you are getting off.

<The fact that it leaves from NYC is part of why we booked this one! >

That's why we took this cruise - we figured it was an easy way to try cruising for the first time. DH wasn't too sure about cruising, but he was hooked by the end of the cruise and booked this summer's cruise several weeks after we returned. Enjoy!

Thanks, Host Caroline, and all - we are planning on the 9/17 sailing as well (and driving to the port was a reason we chose also). Lots of great info here on the ports.

Parking at NY Port is $24 a day- It's something to keep in mind!

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Cruise_Ship_Terminals_Parking_Directions__PORT_OF_NEW_YORK.aspx

Hi, JBBoothman

Finally, somebody that will be on the same cruise. Even though it is early, I am getting sooo excited.

Parking at NY Port is $24 a day- It's something to keep in mind!

We did Sept 11, 2004 Carnival Victory to Boston, Portland, Halifax and Sydney. This is our $0.02 worth about the Canada portion.

Weather - You never know. It may be 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) or it may be 25 degrees C (77 degrees F). For that matter, it could be that range in one day. It may rain, be sunny or both. Plan for everything. When we were in Sydney, our cabbie said that it was threatening snow the day before. It was 75 the day we were there. Go figure.

Off the Beaten Path Attraction - There is not much to see in Sydney. You will see all you need to see in Halifax. Halifax has a beautiful waterfront and as others have said, the Maritime Museum and Citadel hill. In Sydney, get a cab and drive half an hour to Glace Bay and do the Miner's Museum (http://www.minersmuseum.com/). It is a good informational tour. Karen was born in Glace Bay and her grandfather was a miner in Nova Scotia, so it was a pilgrimage for us. Be prepared to meet some of the nicest people in the world. The "East Coasters" are a credit to Canada.

Parking - We parked at Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey and ferried to midtown. Parking was $7.00 for weekend days, $9.00 for weekdays, for a total of $66.00. The ferry is $5.50 per person, per trip. The total was $88.00. This pales in comparison to $198.00 at the pier plus tunnel or bridge fares of $6.00.

When we got off the ferry in midtown (West 38th and 12th) we rolled our baggage up 12th from 38th to 50th (12 short blocks) when the ship was waiting for us. We don't mind walking and are very physically fit, so the 10 minute walk was a breeze. From the ferry pier to the ship and beyond in both directions is a Harbourwalk pathway. This path is paved and completely improved for walking, running, biking, blading, or rolling luggage. We walked to and from the ship.

When we returned to our car it was there without any problems, although we had a dead battery. Joe the security guard came by with a battery booster and got us off and running. Simple and easy.

Lobster - On the Victory, they could give me enough lobster on lobster night. Order double to start, the keep eating, keep asking and they keep bringing.

Best Advice - Have fun and relax.

We went to Halifax and St Johns on the Victory in July 2003. It was also our first cruise and wanted a 5 day cruise to see if we would like like cruising. We were totatlly hooked by the end of the cruise. Everyone is right about the weather. It was quite cool. It was too cool to go swimming and the only ones in the pools were the kids. Dress in layers for excursions because the mornings can start cool but it warms up during the day, then gets cool again in the evenings. Peggy's Cove is a nice place to visit in Halifax- a quaint fishing village, with a lighthouse and rocks to walk around on. Walking distance from the ship is a crystal factory where you can watch them actually blow the glass as they make the crystal pieces.

Carnival Victory 07/03

Star Princess 11/04

Radiance of the Seas 09/17/05