Explorer of the Seas - New England and Canada Review (August 28, 2014)

[BillOh]

Subscribed! Yay, I am so looking forward to this!

 

Me too. To the OP, great observational skills. As, I've said recently, I can find value in any review, its not hard here. I started reading to learn about the itinerary, but already after reading their first post I want to take this cruise.

[denisey]

I am enjoying your review so much! This is not a ship or itinerary I was looking at, but since I enjoyed your Europe cruise review, I knew I would love this one too!

 

Thanks!

[cruiselife4me]

Great review! I've never thought of this itinerary but I'm imagining my mom on this and she'd love it!

 

Thank you!

[BillOh]

Great review! I've never thought of this itinerary but I'm imagining my mom on this and she'd love it!

 

Thank you!

 

As much as I hate to agree with anyone from Michigan during football season ;) Me too. The OP is doing a good PR job on this one.

[Guest maddycat]

It's true. Cape Liberty is not the easiest of ports to navigate. The trick is just to know in advance where you should be going. (I know, I'm full of great advice. Don't run with scissors. You're welcome.) I had read on CC (thank you!) not to use a GPS, so we used a combination of Google maps and directions from CC poster 138east, which were spot on. 138east, if you're out there, thank you! And to anyone going to the Cape Liberty, I would recommend googling 138east for her directions. They're a huge help.

 

Anyone new to Cape Liberty should read and post on the cc East Coast Departures Board. 138east is a valued contributor.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415

 

The only mistake we made was accidentally getting in the drop off line instead of turning left (at the warehouse) to get to the parking lot. No worries, we corrected quickly, went through the parking toll gate ($19/d), and were directed to a parking spot by a friendly attendant. Because we had a good amount of luggage, we opted to take the complimentary shuttle, driven by a very nice lady, who told us how to pick up the shuttle coming back. We dropped off our luggage (tipping the porters of course), and were on our way to check in.

 

That was not a mistake. If you drive to the end of the drop off lane you will be able to drop off your luggage. Then you can procede to the parking lot, and since you no longer have any luggage, you can walk the very short distance to the terminal. You can even drop off your passengers and meet them at the terminal entrance after you park.

Edited September 17, 2014 by maddycat

[chengkp75]

Great review.....can't wait for the rest. I've been on this itinerary almost every year for quite some time. I never knew about that donut shop. Wish I had, but will surely get there next year. They sound delicious. Almost like the Pennsylvania Dutch "fasnachts" , made every year on Fat Tuesday before Lent. The "real" fasnachts are made with mashed potatoes. And oh so yummy.

 

We really did have a great cruise. It was our granddaughter's graduation gift and she had a great time. She, too, would have loved that donut shop, especially since they don't have them on the ship any more. :(

 

Again, your review is very informative and the pictures are great.Thanks.

 

 

Gwen :)

 

 

 

One thing to note about the Holey Donut, is that the shops only make one batch of donuts daily, and will close when they are sold out, so best to get there early. Everything I've had from Two Fat Cats has been phenomenal.

 

Something else you might not find elsewhere is the deep fried lobster tail (Guinness batter) at Bull Feeney's.

 

Bull Feeney's, Grill Room, Front Room, Corner Room, and the Oyster Room at Boone's (all the "Rooms" are owned by the same guy) are all fabulous eats.

 

Allagash brewery has tours, and is right downtown. The Great Lost Bear is a short taxi ride from the ship, and is nationally known as a brew pub, having 75+ craft brews on tap.

 

For the intellectual side, there is the Longfellow house (Henry Wadsworth), the Victorian mansion, and the Art Museum.

 

Everything but the Bear is walking distance.

[Great 2 B at Sea]

We were also on this same cruise, and I am really enjoying your review along with all the wonderful pictures. It was a great cruise and we love the Explorer! Had a fantastic time! Keep up the great work on your review!

[subtchr]

Yay, great review! I am subscribing, as we are taking this cruise next year at the same time (sailing August 27), although it will be on the Liberty.

 

Thanks for the photos and insights!

[skatermegs]

So excited for a new England review! Can't wait to read more :)

[CRUISEBOY305]

Great review, that's for sharing your wonderful experience. I did Canada New England about 2 years on Jewel from Boston. Loved it so much that I'm doing again in exactly 32 days this time on Brilliance.

[Dawniepoo]

This is the one cruise I truly truly cannot wait to do. Thank you for the fabulous review so far!

[windjamming]

Great review.....can't wait for the rest. I've been on this itinerary almost every year for quite some time. I never knew about that donut shop. Wish I had, but will surely get there next year. They sound delicious. Almost like the Pennsylvania Dutch "fasnachts" , made every year on Fat Tuesday before Lent. The "real" fasnachts are made with mashed potatoes. And oh so yummy.

 

We really did have a great cruise. It was our granddaughter's graduation gift and she had a great time. She, too, would have loved that donut shop, especially since they don't have them on the ship any more. :(

 

Thanks Gwen! What a lucky granddaughter to have such a generous, kind, fun grandma! (And congrats on her graduation!)

 

For sure, you now have a "to do" for next year in Portland. :) And I will have to keep a lookout for the fasnachts next year right before Lent at the Amish markets in NJ!

 

Thanks again for your kind words!

[windjamming]

Am enjoying reminiscing with you. Our NE cruise experience was also remarkable. Was cruising with my sister and recovering from a broken foot and everyone we met was so helpful. Very fond memories!

 

We were also on this same cruise, and I am really enjoying your review along with all the wonderful pictures. It was a great cruise and we love the Explorer! Had a fantastic time! Keep up the great work on your review!

 

Thanks Deb and Great 2 B at Sea! Wasn't it just a fabulous cruise?

 

Deb - hope your foot is continuing to heal nicely!

 

I'll write more about this in the "ship" portion of the review, but it really amazed me that pretty much everyone I met onboard - both crew and passengers, and now online! - was SO nice. So refreshing and wonderful how friendly folks were - holding elevator doors or offering seats. It really was such a pleasant experience. How did I miss out on sailing on the Explorer all these years? :)

[windjamming]

Me too. To the OP, great observational skills. As, I've said recently, I can find value in any review, its not hard here. I started reading to learn about the itinerary, but already after reading their first post I want to take this cruise.

 

Thanks BillOh - I'm flattered! You've been so helpful on CC - glad I can provide some new information!

 

Great review! I've never thought of this itinerary but I'm imagining my mom on this and she'd love it!

 

Thank you!

 

silver_cloud, we never considered this itinerary either, until we started looking for cruises out of NJ. And even then, we were seriously questioning Boston as a stop. (I love Boston, but as a cruise port?) It turned out to be one of our favorite days. It's a fantastic route, very relaxing, very easy. Hope your mom enjoys it!!

[windjamming]

I am enjoying your review so much! This is not a ship or itinerary I was looking at, but since I enjoyed your Europe cruise review, I knew I would love this one too!

 

Welcome denisey!! Definitely a different feel to this cruise than the Mediterranean one but just as enjoyable! Thanks for your kind words!

 

That was not a mistake. If you drive to the end of the drop off lane you will be able to drop off your luggage. Then you can procede to the parking lot, and since you no longer have any luggage, you can walk the very short distance to the terminal. You can even drop off your passengers and meet them at the terminal entrance after you park.

 

Ah, maddycat, thanks for confirming that! On hindsight, I figured we could have probably gone all the way to the luggage drop off but wasn't sure how to get back to parking. Glad to know it's a practiced route.

[windjamming]

One thing to note about the Holey Donut, is that the shops only make one batch of donuts daily, and will close when they are sold out, so best to get there early. Everything I've had from Two Fat Cats has been phenomenal.

 

Something else you might not find elsewhere is the deep fried lobster tail (Guinness batter) at Bull Feeney's.

 

Bull Feeney's, Grill Room, Front Room, Corner Room, and the Oyster Room at Boone's (all the "Rooms" are owned by the same guy) are all fabulous eats.

 

Allagash brewery has tours, and is right downtown. The Great Lost Bear is a short taxi ride from the ship, and is nationally known as a brew pub, having 75+ craft brews on tap.

 

For the intellectual side, there is the Longfellow house (Henry Wadsworth), the Victorian mansion, and the Art Museum.

 

Everything but the Bear is walking distance.

 

chengkp75, I'm convinced you know everything about everything!! I had no idea we were feasting on such treasured, rare commodities (for that day) at Holy Donut!

 

I will now have to return to Portland to try that deep fried lobster tail. There is no word in that 4-word phrase that is bad.

 

Oh I didn't know Allagash was so close! I love their white beer.

 

Thanks for stopping in!

[windjamming]

Yay, great review! I am subscribing, as we are taking this cruise next year at the same time (sailing August 27), although it will be on the Liberty.

 

Thanks for the photos and insights!

 

Great review, that's for sharing your wonderful experience. I did Canada New England about 2 years on Jewel from Boston. Loved it so much that I'm doing again in exactly 32 days this time on Brilliance.

 

Thanks subtchr and CRUISEBOY305!! I am so jealous of your upcoming cruises on this route! You probably already know what a gem it is, so let's keep it amongst ourselves, ok? :D

[windjamming]

So excited for a new England review! Can't wait to read more :)

 

This is the one cruise I truly truly cannot wait to do. Thank you for the fabulous review so far!

 

Thanks skatermeg and Dawniepoo! It means a lot to know that you are enjoying the review! (One never knows!)

 

I should have Saint John up later tonight. Thanks again everyone!

[alligeek]

Fantastic review! You have a very good sense of humor. :) We'll definitely take your advice about parking at the port. Thanks for posting this!

[chengkp75]

chengkp75, I'm convinced you know everything about everything!! I had no idea we were feasting on such treasured, rare commodities (for that day) at Holy Donut!

 

I will now have to return to Portland to try that deep fried lobster tail. There is no word in that 4-word phrase that is bad.

 

Oh I didn't know Allagash was so close! I love their white beer.

 

Thanks for stopping in!

 

I'm not sure about everything about everything (just ask my wife:p), but I love my town of Portland. I enjoy great food, and Portland is a great food town.

 

One of my son's friends is a brewmaster at Allagash, and he says that the Allagash White accounts for about 75% of their sales.

[windjamming]

DAY 5 - SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK [Not St. John's!!]

 

Today we are in Saint John, New Brunswick. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada and where many British loyalists fled after the Revolutionary War. (To distinguish itself from these other similarly named places, Saint John is stylized as "Saint" John. )

 

On our only other trip here about 10 years ago, we went to the Bay of Fundy, which is notable for having one of the highest tides in the world. It truly is an interesting phenomenon. For this trip, I checked the tide timetables, and since we would be missing high tide, decided it would not be worth the trip.

 

Instead, we decided to (again!) walk around town. For research, I found Tom's Port Guides invaluable. He lays out walking distances from where the ship is docked, and just our luck, had just updated the Saint John guide this summer.

 

First, this is what found ourselves in that morning. Yikes!

 

 

By 9:30ish, enough fog had burned off that we decided to head out. In Portland and Bar Harbor, we left the ship on Deck 2. Here at Saint John, they had a jetway (is that what it's called) connected to Deck 4. Since there was a bit of a chill in the air, it was even heated! I already love Saint John - what a great first impression!

 

Here is a picture of the jetway as we were sailing out that afternoon (spoiler: the day brightened up)

 

Using Tom's Port guide, we mapped out a route from the Marco Polo port that used the pedway (an indoor set of connected walkways and escalators) from Market Square through Brunswick Square and all the way to the City Market.

 

On the way to Market Square, we had a lovely view of our Explorer. Innt she beautiful?

 

 

This is an easy walk. 10 minutes along the sidewalk to Market Square, and from there, indoors. For those who cannot take escalators, there are also elevators. Both Market Square and Brunswick Square are malls and connected directly to the City Market. Plenty of bathrooms, restaurants, Tim Hortons, shops, and even the city public library!

 

Of course, as bona fide Jerseyans we had to look around the malls! Because it was Labor Day (in both the US and Canada), a few shops were closed but most were open. One store in particular, called Inspire Collections, was having a tax-free day - a big deal, as tax is 13% in Saint John!

 

We finally got to the City Market, which is the oldest farmers market in Canada. I was interested in seeing dulse, which is a local seaweed specialty and supposedly sold at the market. I couldn't find much detail on the Internet about it so was curious. One of the vendors offered free samples. It turned out to be simply dried seaweed. It was…salty. Not a fan.

 

The market was interesting, but nothing really struck our fancy neither as a souvenir nor as something to eat. Since it was still overcast, we decided to walk back, again browsing in the stores.

 

Of course, after lunch, the day brightened up considerably! Mom and I didn't have an urge to go back out, and because we hadn't really enjoyed the ship yet, we took a walk around the outside decks and saw this beautiful view of the Harbour Passage along Market Square.

 

 

And, finally, it was time to sail away. Good bye, Saint John!

 

 

Summary

 

Port: Saint John, New Brunswick

 

Activity: Pedway Walk and City Market

 

- The ship docks in Marco Polo cruise terminal if it's the first or only ship in town. (I believe there is another dock further outwards.) It's about a 10 minute walk from the ship to Market Square, which has both an indoor mall as well as restaurants with outdoor seating near the harbor, and I'd guess another 15-20 minutes to City Market. (We never walked the distance without stopping by the shops, so it's just an estimate.)

 

- The city pedway is a terrific resource for bypassing the streets, which can be steep. The pedway is simply a bunch of connecting buildings. Excellent signage everywhere.

 

- The City Market is fun to walk through. Vendors selling produce, crafts, and hot meals all are in side by side stalls. Dulse is the local seaweed specialty, and although it's more of an acquired taste, it's worth trying. (One of the vendors was giving out free samples.)

 

- Also in town: the pink hop on hop off buses were very popular. The city public library is also in Market Square mall. (Not open when we were there because of the holiday, but it seemed nice.) There is a Beavertails truck right near Market Square!

 

- This is a real town. Not terribly touristy, and the malls reflected the everyday population. We walked by a food court (where there's a bathroom), clothing stores, a Hallmark store, a Starbucks, and random gift shops.

[cruzinlady1947]

I do have a picture of the inside of the market, that I would gladly post, if you want. I don't want to highjack your review though. I am really enjoying it. I wish I would have read it before I cruised. I will bookmark it for future reference. Thanks.

 

Can't wait for the next installment, to see what else I missed. :p;)

 

 

Gwen :)

[windjamming]

I do have a picture of the inside of the market, that I would gladly post, if you want. I don't want to highjack your review though. I am really enjoying it. I wish I would have read it before I cruised. I will bookmark it for future reference. Thanks.

 

Hi Gwen, a photo of the market would be fantastic!! I think I get so caught up in the moment sometimes that I forget to take out my camera. Would love to hear any thoughts or experiences you had, too - not hijacking at all!

 

Thanks again for your nice words!

[cruzinlady1947]

 

 

It's not a great picture, but gives you an idea of what it looks like. This is down center aisle. I loved the butterflies hanging from the rafters.

 

Thanks. I love sharing pictures. Maybe because I love looking at other people's pictures. It somehow adds to a review.

 

Now, back to your informative review.

 

Gwen :)

[atb]

We do this cruise every year - and ours is coming up in just a few weeks. We don't do Boston this time - but still happy to get my annual lobster roll fix.