From Canada…to Canada: Discovering Liberty, Eh? – LB 08/24/23 – 09/02/23

[DDaley]

I am late but I so love that you took the duck boat tour in Boston! I lived in MA for a few of my elementary school years and loved going on field trips to Boston and Plymouth Plantation. As an adult, I’ve been back to visit family several times and I finally got my duck boat ride years ago on my 31st-ish birthday. Even though I am way too old, the operator let me “drive" too because I said I had been clamoring to go on one since I was a kid!  

Your beautiful pics are making me think I need an East Coast/Canada cruise in my future! 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Wandering down Main St. in Bar Harbor and Hubby said this shirt sums up his life so far…

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I love lobster and I love pizza but keep them separated at a respectful distance !  

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 hours ago, asquared17 said:

GREAT pictures. man the weather is beautiful for this

 

3 hours ago, Matt said:

Looks like a great itinerary. I think you should do it again, but sail from Boston with all of us on Serenade in October!

Unless someone is going to fund it fully for me, I have the time, but not the budget for another one lol. 

3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

Those pics look so good, the weather seems to be great for this sailing. How did the tender go? I have been hearing it's a mess a lot of times.

@asquared17 and @Ampurp85 yes! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous today. When we rolled in this morning around 7am, the fog was so thick I was worried. But it totally lifted and it’s not hot at all. Only in the high 60s. 

We had an excursion booked so getting off was a breeze. However, I did read on the FB roll call group that those who used the regular ticket method, it was a bit of a disaster. There were some people who could not leave the ship until almost noon. 

1 hour ago, Rags1 said:

In my younger days I loved people. But now…

^^^^THIS^^^^ 

[Lovetocruise2002]

55 minutes ago, DDaley said:

Your beautiful pics are making me think I need an East Coast/Canada cruise in my future!

It has definitely been beautiful with the ports so far! 

[OCSC Mike]

13 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

2 hours ago, Rags1 said:

In my younger days I loved people. But now…

^^^^THIS^^^^ 

Not sure what it says about me but I think I was way ahead of the curve on this one, lol.

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I love lobster and I love pizza but keep them separated at a respectful distance !  

I thought that would be the case too, but we took the advice of @themillennialcruiser and it was delicious! I will post some pics later when we return to the ship. 

[themillennialcruiser]

34 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I thought that would be the case too, but we took the advice of @themillennialcruiser and it was delicious! I will post some pics later when we return to the ship. 

So glad you liked it!!

[Lovetocruise2002]

Ok, back on the ship around 5pm, and we got in the line for the tender around 4:15pm so that tells you something. While in line for the tender, we also heard some complaints from people around us who did not have an excursion booked. Apparently, they were only letting off a few at time and some of them did not get off the ship until after 12pm. There were some really unhappy people.

[Lovetocruise2002]

Backtracking a bit….

The tour that we booked was “An intimate tour of Acadia National Park”. It was a max of 14 people and lasted about 2.5 hours. This tour was not cheap but I would say this tour was worth it for the convenience and small group size.

My only wish would be that more time be given at the summit of Cadillac Mountain and Thunder Hole. But for the amount that you see, it was a great overview of everything. Some random photos of the tour from Hubby’s phone. He is back flowriding again. 
 

[Lovetocruise2002]

After the tour ended (around 12:30pm), we headed over to Geddy’s for lunch. Even before @themillennialcruiser recommended this place, a few others had told me about it as well. Hearing it from @themillennialcruiser only confirmed to me that I wanted to go here. For those of you who don’t know, @themillennialcruiser sailed with us on the Anthem GC back in 2019 and I know she has awesome taste!

Anyhow, I was so thankful because I was afraid that it would be very busy there and we did not have a reservation. There was a line to get, but the place is larger than it looks. We were seated pretty much right away. Our strategy was to order a few things that we wanted to try and then share it all. It was more than enough food for us for a lunch. Also, very delicious! That lobster pizza was a fantastic recommendation! 

[Lovetocruise2002]

After lunch we took a stroll down Main Street. It was people overload. There were two ships in port today and even some of the shop keepers were saying it was very busy. Only one shop keeper did not seem to care about the crowds

[Lovetocruise2002]

The kids had two things they wanted to do here on Main Street. First was to try Whoopie Pie. We found a place that supposedly had good ones (Pink Pastry Shop) and we decided to get it from there. 
 

[Lovetocruise2002]

After wandering into what seemed like a hundred souvenir stores, we found the second thing on their list; Sherman’s Book Store. It is the oldest book store in Maine. We spent quite a bit of time here. 
 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Now back on the ship. Headed to the suite lounge for a drink and then MDR for dinner tonight. I am so tired, I might even say the heck with it and wear shorts to the MDR

It was another great day today in Bar Harbor! All fantastic ports so far. 
 

[Ampurp85]

First potato donuts, then duck fat fries, and now a whoopie pie!!!!!!

You guys are living the dream, my food dreams 

[Lovetocruise2002]

28 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

First potato donuts, then duck fat fries, and now a whoopie pie!!!!!!

You guys are living the dream, my food dreams 

Yeah, cause we’re not living any food dreams in the MDR and WJ sorry, that was the suite snob that came out. I will put her back in the closet as I head to the MDR now lol

[Lovetocruise2002]

Oops! It is White Night and I am sitting in the MDR in shorts, and wearing black I have fallen far. Who is this? Lol

[OCSC Mike]

29 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yeah, cause we’re not living any food dreams in the MDR and WJ

Don't lump them together! #teamWJ

[Jax]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Also, very delicious! That lobster pizza was a fantastic recommendation! 

It seems strange seeing shore excursion food comas. But I have to say I love following along! Who needs MDR and WJ

[Jax]

34 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

sorry, that was the suite snob that came out. I will put her back in the closet as I head to the MDR now lol

IYKYK

[LandstromCruise]

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am so tired, I might even say the heck with it and wear shorts to the MDR
 

 

BLASPHEMY!!!  

 

[bellemiche]

So I need to know if your hubby bought a shirt at any of your stops.  

[BeachGal]

2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

The tour that we booked was “An intimate tour of Acadia National Park”. It was a max of 14 people and lasted about 2.5 hours. This tour was not cheap but I would say this tour was worth it for the convenience and small group size.

Thanks for the great pics/info on that excursion - I have the same one booked in Oct.

[Ampurp85]

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yeah, cause we’re not living any food dreams in the MDR and WJ sorry, that was the suite snob that came out. I will put her back in the closet as I head to the MDR now lol

Lol you don't have to be a suite snob for that statement to be true. I pretty much always do some type of dining package. I see you, I hope you feel seen . 

But on another note, it seems like everyone is enjoying this cruise despite it not being on a big ship with actual suite class razzamatazz. You husband must really be good at the flowrider. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

4 hours ago, Jax said:

seems strange seeing shore excursion food comas.

It seems strange that we are spending so much money eating in ports. We never eat in ports usually. 

4 hours ago, Jax said:

IYKYK

I know

4 hours ago, bellemiche said:

So I need to know if your hubby bought a shirt at any of your stops.  

 

3 hours ago, BeachGal said:

Thanks for the great pics/info on that excursion - I have the same one booked in Oct.

You’re welcome! Let me know if you have any other questions that I did not answer already.

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

But on another note, it seems like everyone is enjoying this cruise despite it not being on a big ship with actual suite class razzamatazz. You husband must really be good at the flowrider. 

We are enjoying this cruise a lot! It’s been a lot of laughs and bickering, classic family good times. But this is very different from our usual Caribbean cruises and I think we all find that difference a bit more refreshing. Also, we knew what we were getting into so we set our expectations accordingly. 

Hubby is getting better. Practice makes perfect. He has his blue band now the last few cruises so he enjoys that a lot more. It’s more quiet when you can go to the stand up sessions. 
 

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

I see you, I hope you feel seen . 

Omg! Something really bad happened tonight. I am going to tell you guys something and hopefully you all don’t think less of me. My family was mortified

The suite snob was good. She stayed in the closet while I ate my dinner, made polite conversation with everyone, had two glasses of wine, and then at the very end, one of head waiters came around to check on us. We told him all was good and that our servers were awesome, which they are. Then he asked about the food. 3 of us said everything was great. I could not lie.

He asked me and I told him that everything is fine, and the service is fantastic. Then he said he is aiming for 10/10 on food and service. Well…I was at this point smiling and nodding. But he kept pressing asking me what I thought about the food. I could not keep the suite snob in the closet.

I went on a long rant/vent, while smiling the whole time, about how we have been sailing since 2002 and the MDR is not as it used to be. Told him how their cost cutting has lead to everything being just mid and no “wow” factor with any of the dishes. I tried hard to reassure him that it does not reflect on their dining room whatsoever, that I understand completely this is a corporate problem, and the “problem” is way bigger than he can fix.

Then he called the executive chef on his phone to come speak to us because he said he felt like the chef needed to hear this feedback as well. At this point the kids were so embarrassed they made an excuse to leave. I felt terrible too, but at the same time, I think all the frustration from the changes over the last few years just came out, and I might have lost my filter a bit after two glasses of wine and the martini I had in the suite lounge.

Anyway, in the end, they said they want to hear this type of feedback, because like what else are they going to say? And I told him, in the end, I know there is not much they can do because the problem starts with Mr. Liberty and corporate. And then he asked for my cabin number. Omg sorry

[Lovetocruise2002]

For those keeping track…dinner was Taste of the UK tonight. 

Off to bed now. We move forward one hour tonight and our excursion is long (6.5 hours) tomorrow. 
 

[Jax]

59 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Omg sorry

It was the perfect storm…..5 nights of MDR and WJ coupled with your frustration and On a serious note, good for you! By speaking up you have given them an opportunity to hear your concerns first hand vs reading them in the post cruise survey.  There are so many thoughts running through my head but I will leave it there.  

[Ampurp85]

I do think we need to speak up, otherwise it won't change. I wasn't a fan of the MDR or WJ before the new menus and I'm still not a fan now. I feel like the WJ has too many reduced offerings. And the MDR isn't consistent. I sailed Mariner in Jan 2019 and was blown away by both. I understood it being lacking a little during the restart, even in 2021 it was okay. By 2022 it was worthless . I did find it to be more than okay on Freedom in April but I also went in with such low expectations that if it was just hot, it would be acceptable.

I don't think it was bad of you and I don't think it has anything to do with being a suite snob. You have a refined pallette. Your taste are personal, you enjoy the truffle , the MDR feeds the masses. There is no "wow" in the food, the wine helped you vocalize the truth.

[Xaa]

They asked.  You owe them an honest and respectful answer and it sounds like that is exactly what you gave them.  No ranting or raving or demanding anything.  Just feedback.  I think we all know the business decisions are made and the return of wow under their current budget is unlikely, but that knowledge is no reason to pretend good is great and not speak.

As always, loving the blog.  You've sold this itinerary to me.

[Curt From Canada]

I think the cruise line “process” is extremely flawed for getting feedback on their food service.  Putting customers in a “vulnerable” position at the table surrounded by family, friends and onlookers is a great way to:

1). Not get Feedback: Our cruising friends now just say “10” as the wait staff approaches on the last two nights in the MDR.  They do not even wait for the question.

2). Minimize Feedback: Most people we cruise with think the food is average.  When asked even below average food gets a nod that it was “OK”.

3). Encourage “One & Done” Feedback:  I might do it once, but the “bad taste” (pun intended) left after a dramatic appearance by the Executive Chef would cause me to save it all for the post cruise survey.

Their post cruise survey process is fairly good and we use it every time.  In the main dining room or speciality restaurants it has become a waste of my time to give any deep, honest feedback ( the more I give feedback … the more the experience becomes average or mediocre ). 
 

The strategy is clear (across the major cruise lines) … drive down the base cost for cruising and make profit on the onboard spending.  I am comfortable with this approach because we have changed our cruising strategy over the last 5-10 years.  We will eat the average food on the ship and if we want something extra special eat off the ship.  There are no Michelin Star meals that we can see on a cruise ship.  We did this on our Norway cruise twice … it was wonderful.  This allows us to:

1). Get the Cheapest Fares available:  We are fortunate that we can cruise during slow periods.

2). Go to places in the world that cruise ships excel: Alaska twice and Norway once Antarctica, Panama Canal and Greenland/Iceland up next.  Too many places in the world to see to let average food hold us back.

3). “Drink Up” All the Complimentary Offerings:  We will continue to drink our D+ drinks, dance endlessly to the live music on board, watch the shows and “ride the rides”as much as we can, spend time with family and friends (that we rarely have time for this back in the “real world”).  

4). Hold Each Other Close and Share the Experience:  Life is too short and it is easy to miss the pure joy of shared experience. Back in March we spent over an hour by ourselves overlooking the sea from the Enchantment pool bar that cantilevers over side of the ship. We talked, we laughed and drank up both our drinks and the sun. There was no one else in the world for that hour … just us.  A memory we will not forget. 
 

These experiences far out way the disappointment of the average food we put up with.  
Just stop asking me for feedback on your average food.  

Curt from Canada

 

 

[OCSC Mike]

2 hours ago, Xaa said:

They asked.  You owe them an honest and respectful answer and it sounds like that is exactly what you gave them.  No ranting or raving or demanding anything.  Just feedback.

Agree with this 100%... unless you're sugarcoating exactly how unfiltered you got from the drinks, lol.

[OCSC Mike]

8 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Taste of the UK tonight

One funny anecdote. We ate in the WJ on Indy on UK night last year. I have a few British friends. I sent one of them pics of about 5 different dishes... and he basically told me "that all looks horrible!"

Some of it seemed fine to me, some not, like most of my WJ meals, but I'm obviously not a UK food connoisseur.

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

Agree with this 100%... unless you're sugarcoating exactly how unfiltered you got from the drinks, lol.

No sugarcoating. There was no ranting or raving.

[asquared17]

y’all i am so late to this party (WOW that was a busy past 12 hours) BUT. 

TRUFFLE. PIZZA. 

I NEED A MOMENT TO REFLECT. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

Day 6 - Saint John, New Brunswick 

 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

9 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Omg! Something really bad happened tonight. I am going to tell you guys something and hopefully you all don’t think less of me. My family was mortified

Anyway, in the end, they said they want to hear this type of feedback, because like what else are they going to say? And I told him, in the end, I know there is not much they can do because the problem starts with Mr. Liberty and corporate. And then he asked for my cabin number. Omg sorry

I wish more of us could do what you did!  Perhaps then someone would get the point that some changes are good…and necessary…BUT…some changes are NOT good and unnecessary!  
Good for you for speaking up…I am taking your “energy” along with me on my November cruise!  

[Lovetocruise2002]

Today’s tour (booked through the ship) is Best of Saint John and the Bay of Fundy. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

This is the first time ever, that I have seen this in a port of call. It’s a nice feeling lol

[Curt From Canada]

15 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Today’s tour (booked through the ship) is Best of Saint John and the Bay of Fundy. 

Jealous … on both of our 2 maritime cruises St. John got cancelled.  Earliest we can go now is 2025 (probably more like 2026).

I hope the Bay of Fundy is still there then. 

Curt from Canada