New England Cruise In Sept - Has anyone been?

[kellygirl719]

Hello Everyone!! I'm a pretty seasoned cruiser, but DH and I will be taking our first New England Cruise out of Boston to Maine and Canada Sept 14th-19th on the Jewel. Now, I'm from Boston (so glad we don't have to fly to a port!!) so I know the weather in Sept in New England can go either way... I was wondering if anyone has ever taken this cruise at or around this time of year? If so, do you know if a lot of people sit around the outdoor pool? We were definitely planning on packing bathing suits etc. but I wasn't sure if there is much "Pool Deck Life" on a New England Cruise :-) Any input is greatly appreciated!!

 

Happy Cruisin,

Kel

[negc]

kel,

 

pack your bathing suits....the Jewel has a beautiful covered solarium, so not matter what the weather, the pool can be used.

 

We've done this cruise twice, but not on Jewel, and the weather one time was OK for the outdoor pool, but the other time was quite cool. Living in NE you know how September can be.....warm, hot, cool, cold....take your pick.

[RenieRaider]

Bill is correct! Pack your suit!

The Solarium is beautiful and warm.

 

We went in September a few years ago and it was chilly out there on the Atlantic in the Gulf of Maine! ! I worn my windbreaker most of the time when walking on deck. Maine is a Turtleneck and Sweatshirt over type of itiniary... the shopping will be FANTASTIC as they start closing down the shoppes for the winter. :-)

 

Love the Jewel of the Seas. We like being out back, near the SEaView Cafe for Sailaway. Peaceful. That's where our Mix & Mingle met as a matter of fact.

 

Bon Voyage!

[dougp26364]

While the solarium is a great indoor pool, I wouldn't go so far to say it's open all the time. Rough weather or moderate sea's that get the wave action going in the pool will close all the pools down.

[kellygirl719]

Thanks so much!! I hope the Solarium is open, it looks beautiful from the pics :-) negc - I see you're from Rockland I'm not too far from you, I live in Halifax! I'm assuming you did this cruise out of Boston? What time did you get to the Port to embark? We're shooting to get there between 1-2, I wasn't sure if we should go earlier or later.

[Aviator of the Seas]

This is my review of the Oct. 4, 2008 Jewel Canada/New England cruise out of Boston. Hope it helps.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=47885

 

And yes, the Solarium is great when it is too cold for the outside pool. It was always open during our trip.

 

Enjoy.

[jmraggs]

Here are some pics of the outdoor pool area and the solarium on Jewel:

 

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We were also on Radiance in Alaska and swam in the warm Solarium pool as no one was outside because of the COLD weather!

[negc]

Thanks so much!! I hope the Solarium is open, it looks beautiful from the pics :-) negc - I see you're from Rockland I'm not too far from you, I live in Halifax! I'm assuming you did this cruise out of Boston? What time did you get to the Port to embark? We're shooting to get there between 1-2, I wasn't sure if we should go earlier or later.

 

Hi neighbor. You will be pleased to note that the solarium is usually open 24/7 (unless it is temporarily closed for cleaning or the seas are rough and they have to drain the pool). More frequently than not however, it is open almost all the time. We have done this and several other cruises out of Boston and usually try to get there between 11:15 and 11:30. By that time the passengers from the previous week's cruise have cleared out and they have begun to process the current week's cruisers. We are frequently onboard and having lunch in the Windjammer by noon. In the past they have had a goodly number of personnel manning the check-in stations so processing usually moves pretty quickly.:)

[jmraggs]

Hi neighbor. You will be pleased to note that the solarium is usually open 24/7 (unless it is temporarily closed for cleaning or the seas are rough and they have to drain the pool). More frequently than not however, it is open almost all the time. We have done this and several other cruises out of Boston and usually try to get there between 11:15 and 11:30. By that time the passengers from the previous week's cruise have cleared out and they have begun to process the current week's cruisers. We are frequently onboard and having lunch in the Windjammer by noon. In the past they have had a goodly number of personnel manning the check-in stations so processing usually moves pretty quickly.:)

 

We are doing this cruise in October and have never been to the Black Falcon cruise terminal, is everything easily marked on where to enter etc. I have read other posts where people seemed confused on where to enter the terminal/drop off luggage. Any help would be appreciated!;)

[negc]

We are doing this cruise in October and have never been to the Black Falcon cruise terminal, is everything easily marked on where to enter etc. I have read other posts where people seemed confused on where to enter the terminal/drop off luggage. Any help would be appreciated!;)

I am a stickler about proper signage and I have not noticed any problems at Black Falcon. There are state police along the route to the terminal directing traffic, so just follow the flow. If you are driving, drop off your fellow passengers and all the luggage at the terminal building and then proceed back to the parking garage which is only a relatively short walk back to the pier. There are porters at Black Falcon to take your luggage and inside the building there will be RCI personnel to direct you to the check in area. Suite guests, and Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Plus members will have dedicated check in lines and there are usually a large number of people handling the check in so things generally move quickly and efficiently. In our experience when we have arrived at the terminal by 11:30 am we are generally onboard before noon.:)

[RenieRaider]

Black Falcon/Boston is one of the easiest to Check In at. After you get your Card you'll proceed Up an Escalator (or elevator if required) to where RCCL will have a Photo Op set up for you. Then you'll proceed on to the Security Check Point and then immediately Up the gangway towards the ship. Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!

 

Very exciting! Boston has on of the most beautiful skylines.

 

Enjoy your cruise and Bon Voyage!

[jmraggs]

I am a stickler about proper signage and I have not noticed any problems at Black Falcon. There are state police along the route to the terminal directing traffic, so just follow the flow. If you are driving, drop off your fellow passengers and all the luggage at the terminal building and then proceed back to the parking garage which is only a relatively short walk back to the pier. There are porters at Black Falcon to take your luggage and inside the building there will be RCI personnel to direct you to the check in area. Suite guests, and Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Plus members will have dedicated check in lines and there are usually a large number of people handling the check in so things generally move quickly and efficiently. In our experience when we have arrived at the terminal by 11:30 am we are generally onboard before noon.:)

 

Great, many thanks! Someone is dropping us off by car, so we won't need to park in the garage which makes it easier. I was planning on being their around 11:00 - 11:15. Of course when we get to board will be another story.:D

[kellygirl719]

Aviator, Great review! (That's funny about Boston drivers....) I'm so pumped to go. DH and I are just looking for a low key/relaxing week away.... sounds like we've picked the right cruise.

 

negc - thanks for the additional information, I think we'll probably leave our house around 10:30ish instead of noon time, I'm so relieved that we're avoiding rush hour on route 3 the way there and back.

 

Thanks to everyone else!!

[lakelorain]

We're going on the 9/19 cruise out of Boston. We were on the Jewel in April for a Panama Canal cruise. Loved the Jewel. We picked this NE/Canada cruise because it was the Jewel.

If you haven't already joined the form message board for your cruise, please do and sign up for meet and mingle.

My sister-in-law and her spouse took this cruise last year our of NJ and loved it.

[kellygirl719]

Hello - me again!

 

I have another question, this time about excursions... I've been reviewing the ones that RCCL offers at each stop, should we book through the ship? Or are we better off getting off the ship to see if there are any local tours? Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Kel

[Aviator of the Seas]

In Bar Harbor we booked Ollie's Trolley directly. I suggest you get there first thing in the morning since it is a very popular tour and gets sold out quickly.

 

In Halifax, since time was tight, we booked the AM Hop-on, Hop-off tour and the PM Peggy's Cove combo through the Explorations desk on the ship. They got us back in the nick of time.

[lakelorain]

We booked short excursions in Halifax and Portland which gives us the rest of the day to do whatever appeals to us when we get there. In Bar Harbor we are renting a van with 2 other couples so we can see the area at our own pace. Of course we'll go to Acadia and tour Bar Harbor. I understand there are a lot of great small towns nearby that the tours don't visit. We are lucky that wet me some people from near Bar Harbor on our last Jewel cruise. They are going to be our escorts.

We also met people from St.John on the Jewel so they are giving us a tour there.

I think that it really isn't necessary to book a tour except maybe for Acadia because you'll be in the US and Canada. It is very different from touring in a foreign country. We will just ask the locals where to go. We got great tips from the locals when we went to Alaska. They knew all the best places and also knew the best way to get there. I'm sure, with all the ships that come in, they've become a great source of information.