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Adventure OTS, 13 Night Snowbird Migration Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale Oct. 8, 2018


twangster

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I looked far and wide and the most dramatic TWC (The Weather Channel) moment I could find was this lounger that tried to liftoff at some point.

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Most outer decks remain closed.  Pool deck is open as is the sports deck, but no one is up there.

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With a small stagger to my step I figured I might as well have a pint to justify the stagger so I went to the pub.

I noted they put take-home bags for the dining room near the stairs.  They must be planning on feeding us well tonight.

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While in the pub the ship became very smooth again.  I ventured out to fog and the fog horn protocol activated.

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Since then, a few hours later, it's gotten even smoother and the fog has lifted quite a bit. Still raining lightly.   The sky is looking distinctly brighter.

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Back to normal ocean conditions and smooth sailing.  i suspect what we sailed through isn't related to Michael and likely just the North Atlantic being the North Atlantic.

All in all the ship behaved very well and I didn't see any guests upset by the subtle rocking we experienced.

Off to dinner, top tier event at 7:15pm.  I suspect I better show up an hour early to get a seat.

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Day 5 - Dinner

I decided to eat dinner in the MDR after looking at the menu.  MTD reservation set for 6pm off I went arriving at about 10 minutes before my 6pm reservation.

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My section from a previous night full they put me in a new section.  While the wait staff were friendly and well suited for the job service was slow.  Possibly the slowest I've experienced in any MDR on any ship. A full twenty five minutes after being seated they came to take my order.  First course arrived after another 30 minutes.  To put that in perspective as a solo traveler I've frequently been out of the MDR in under 60 minutes.

French onion soup

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Australian Bass

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I was careful to ask if this was a fresh water Bass or a Sea Bass.  Sea Bass I was assured.  

For those that don't know I am not into super fishy tasting seafood.  What most restaurants pass off as SeaBass is often pretty mild and I've had it numerous times.  This was pretty fishy tasting.  I know it's good for you and I tried, but two bites in I was done.  

This is what I like about cruising.  Try something.  If you don't like it, order something else.  

On this night thought I was already an hour into the meal and I knew the Top Tier event would be a zoo.  I'll grab something later, dessert please!

Next up, Sugar free Cheesecake.

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Gobbling that down off I went straight out of the deck 3 MDR into the line for Studio B and the Top Tier event. 

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I tried specialty restaurants once and couldn't get used to it. Dim lighting and small portions. Even MDR wasn't my thing. I try to be less formal on a cruise because that's the main point behind a vacation.
When I was on Adventure last year on my South Caribbean cruise, people used to takeout their Windjammer dinner and go sit on the deck to watch the movie while eating. I loved that experience , so relaxing ?

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The Top Tier event line was longer than it was for the ice skating show the night before.  Deck 3 cabins are to my back, the MDR to the right past the stairs and Studio B seemingly 3 1/2 miles to the left.  I've never seen a Top Tier event attended like this one.

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A few minutes before the posted time they opened the door and we proceeded inside.

I always like when Top Tier is in Studio B because it means the skaters will do a quick routine for us.  Tonight was no exception. 

It starts with a fun skit with a couple in what appears to be a French restaurant with the girl tipsy with wine while her companion tries to keep her on the straight and narrow.  Pulling her back at times, spins, twirls and a bunch of skating routines I don't know the proper names for while she shrieks with 'drunken' joy.

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Very well done.

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Next up an individual skater doing some more amazing skating moves.

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At one point she is skating backwards and does a full backflip.

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Nailing the landing like she did the night before.

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This is a very small sheet of ice.  It's no where near what we see in the competition skating or the Olympics.  Very well done.

Next the Senior officers are presented ending with the Captain who a does short speech.  I was a bit surprised when 25-30% off the people got up and walked out once they sensed his speech wrapping up.  Indeed this is a strange cruise.

The Captain offered there are over 10 million Crown and Anchor members now.

Time for Top Tier numbers.

Gold 685

Platinum 406

Emerald 225

Diamond 630

Diamond Plus 499

Pinnacle 78

That amounts to 1,838 Top Tier with 1,207 vying for Diamond Lounge access.  

Top cruiser 1,975 nights.

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I went to the main theater but while the singer was good, it wasn't my era of music so I left from the back of theater standing room only area.  It was packed.

Seas have settled down quite a bit and checking the radar it seems what's left of Michael is straight off our port side several hundred miles away.  Seas were quite normal and what you might expect on any cruise.  It's hard to capture in the darkness but there is really nothing to show.

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To the pub where once again I finished off the Kraken.  Where is @Matt when you need him?  (or his disappointed, rejected mug?)

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5 minutes ago, twangster said:

I was a bit surprised when 25-30% off the people got up and walked out once they sensed his speech wrapping up.  Indeed this is a strange cruise.

Indeed!

I actually loved the stats. Is there a way to find out these Top Tier numbers and top cruiser on any cruise?

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@twangster Really enjoying your live blog from Adventure! I know you have mentioned that you will be on the Symphony transatlantic... any chance you will be live blogging that one too? I am really hoping you wouldn't mind sharing all the must-do's on the ship. Ive been binging on youtube vlogs, tours, and reading the live blogs from Symphony but a large number of the live b/vlogs focus on the port stops vs ship life. 

I am going to be on Symphony OTS on the Nov 24 sailing which is the one directly after after Matt and the group cruise's sailing so I will not have the opportunity to listen to Matt's review before embarkation. Matt mentioned he normally doesn't upload cruise compasses daily and it makes total sense, he should be having fun his (and the RC Blog) family! 

@Lovetocruise2002 on periscope mentioned I should ask you if you wouldn't mind uploading for when you're on the transatlantic. In your experience, have these repositioning cruises been pretty much the same setup for onboard activities to the "regular" sailings? 

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@TheaFromCDA - I haven't decided if I'll be live blogging Symphony.  There are several cruise friends on that one and I'm not sure I'll have the same time to dedicate to blogging.  

Longer cruises do deviate from a normal 7 night rotation.  There are the same number of shows which is one reason the entertainment cast likes the longer cruises - they perform the same number of times so they have more 'down' days on longer cruises.  That being said, the shows are often the same but offered at different times.  

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22 minutes ago, TheaFromCDA said:

@Lovetocruise2002 on periscope mentioned I should ask you if you wouldn't mind uploading for when you're on the transatlantic.

Sorry @TheaFromCDA, I totally got mixed up on Periscope earlier.  That's what happens when you are trying to make dinner while watching a scope and watching 4 kids ?

I should have known better that the TA was not the same as a regular sailing.  

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Day 6 - Halifax, continued...

Our progress so far...

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Inside the cruise terminal at Pier 21 are a number of shops offering local crafts and other souvenirs. 

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Halifax and Pier 21 has a lot of history and in the past this very pier served to be the point of arrival for many who immigrated to Canada.  In that sense it's Canada's version of Ellis Island in NYC being the primary seaport used for transatlantic crossings for much of the 1900's.

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Plenty of hop on, hop off buses which if walking isn't your thing are a great way to self-explore the city.

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Halifax is another old Canadian city with lots of history.  It was the birth place of Samuel Cunard whose parents immigrated here in 1783.  As a businessman he formed a steamship line that would later be known as the Cunard Line sailing from Liverpool, England.

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A memorial to woman who volunteered in a variety of roles including during the war efforts.

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"The Emigrant" - In many cases men left their families in their home country to pursue work in the new world. later sending money home to them.

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Given the role that Halifax has played as a seaport it is also one of Canada's largest Navy ports.

A memorial to those Navy ships and crew lost in World War 2.

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This leads to a very nice Harbor walk that follows the shore.

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The Harbor walk continues and is home to many restaurants and shops.

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A Canadian Navy ship was leaving the port this morning.

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A nice playground for anyone with kids can be found along the Harbor walk.

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The "Last Steps Memorial Arch" is a tribute to the thousands of men who departed Halifax during World War 1 to fight in the trenches overseas.  Over the course of the war over 350,000 Canadian troops departed from Halifax. 

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A view towards the Atlantic with that Navy ship growing smaller on the horizon.

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Despite it's history Halifax is a very modern and clean city.

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City Hall.

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One of the oldest Anglican churches in Canada.

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A view up the hill toward the Citadel of Halifax.

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In 1917 as the World War 1 raged on, a Norwegian relief ship collided with a French munitions ship in the narrows of Halifax harbor.  The French ship was carrying explosives from New York City destined for France.  It burned for 25 minutes before 2926 pounds of explosives detonated.  The resulting fireball and shock wave flattened two square kilometers of city.  More than 1,600 were killed, 9,000 injured and 6,000 left homeless.  

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The Citadel of Halifax remains never to have been attacked by an enemy.  It's place on top of this hill gave it a commanding view and ability to defend the harbor along with many other forts and defensive positions located around the port.

Today it is a museum operated by Parks Canada.

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Hmmm, more cannons pointed at our ship.

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It also serves as a museum for Canada's war efforts in both World Wars, Korea and Afghanistan.   

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A section of the moat has been re-created in the form of World War 1 trenches of the Western front that Canadian soldiers fought in.  

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"Keep your head down"  Yeah, no kidding.

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Back to the barracks used by soldiers in the Citadel.

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Upstairs has been converted into a museum with exhibits.

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A recreation of the monument to Canada for it's role in liberating the area located at Vimy Ridge in France.

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Admission was $7.80 or around $6 US.  Well worth it.

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Back on the ship I laid down for a nap (that Canadian beer is pretty strong).

Shortly after I went up for sail away and discovered the flowrider was operational.

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The sole participant had brought a wet suit and was pretty good.  He had it to himself.

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The slides were also operational and I can confirm the water is NOT heated. 

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Slide rules in case anyone is interested.

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As sail away got closer I saw some sail boats in the harbor.

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The Peak-a-boo bridge was open for the first time in many days.

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Down to the helipad for sail away.

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The pilot boat tagging along waiting to pickup the harbor pilot.

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Off to dinner in the Windjammer for German night (Ironic after so much World War history today).  Tonight was a formal night and I just didn't feel like doing the MDR.  Food in the WJ was very good.

Around 6pm the Captain announced a guest was in a critical medical condition and we would need to return to Halifax to drop them off for medical attention.  Unfortunate but it happens.  

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As a result our arrival in Saint John, New Brunswick tomorrow has been pushed back to around noon.  The Captain will provide an update in the morning at 8am.  

Just before 9pm we made our second departure from Halifax.

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Poutine ?

Curious @twangster, is this your first time in Eastern Canada?  I really need to book a cruise to venture out that way.  Lived in Canada my whole life and the furthest east I've gone is Ottawa.  I love the pics from the last few posts. So much history is there....

BTW @firebuck that is likely where you'll find real poutine, not on Anthem lol

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3 hours ago, TheaFromCDA said:

@twangster Really enjoying your live blog from Adventure! I know you have mentioned that you will be on the Symphony transatlantic... any chance you will be live blogging that one too? I am really hoping you wouldn't mind sharing all the must-do's on the ship. Ive been binging on youtube vlogs, tours, and reading the live blogs from Symphony but a large number of the live b/vlogs focus on the port stops vs ship life. 

I am going to be on Symphony OTS on the Nov 24 sailing which is the one directly after after Matt and the group cruise's sailing so I will not have the opportunity to listen to Matt's review before embarkation. Matt mentioned he normally doesn't upload cruise compasses daily and it makes total sense, he should be having fun his (and the RC Blog) family! 

@Lovetocruise2002 on periscope mentioned I should ask you if you wouldn't mind uploading for when you're on the transatlantic. In your experience, have these repositioning cruises been pretty much the same setup for onboard activities to the "regular" sailings? 

@twangster oh whoops!   Didn’t realize you were travelling with  friends  and wouldn’t want to liveblog in your shoes myself! 

Do you normally do recaps when you get home? 

@Lovetocruise2002 no worries! You were trying to help + the dinner prep thing! I can’t really keep up w periscope I almost missed your advice cuz the chat moves so fast. I’m pretty new to periscope so I’m still trying to figure it out lol. All the hearts flying and quick comments on one tiny screen that I can’t keep up sometimes. I don’t know how Matt keeps up when answering questions !

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Just now, TheaFromCDA said:

 

@Lovetocruise2002 no worries! You were trying to help + the dinner prep thing! I can’t really keep up w periscope I almost missed your advice cuz the chat moves so fast. I’m pretty new to periscope so I’m still trying to figure it out lol. All the hearts flying and quick comments on one tiny screen that I can’t keep up sometimes. I don’t know how Matt keeps up when answering questions !

Thread hijack here...You can actually scroll back and view old comments on the live broadcasts. I find that quite handy sometimes. But yes, it requires some quick reading. That is why multitasking while watching scopes is not always the best idea ?

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29 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Poutine ?

Curious @twangster, is this your first time in Eastern Canada?  I really need to book a cruise to venture out that way.  Lived in Canada my whole life and the furthest east I've gone is Ottawa.  I love the pics from the last few posts. So much history is there....

BTW @firebuck that is likely where you'll find real poutine, not on Anthem lol

I've been to the maritime provinces several times, both as a kid in the family wagon but also as an adult.  Mostly by car, a few air trips.  This is my first visit by cruise ship.  

When you drive there, you see and experience a lot just by driving, stopping, spending nights here and there.  Gaspe Bay Peninsula for example.  Very beautiful area.  Cruising is different.  Not in a bad way, just different.  Seeing covered bridges in PEI for example that aren't in downtown Charlottetown.  An excursion can get you there, which I didn't do but that I knew that when I chose not to do an excursion.  I could have rented a car which is a very viable cruise ship day trip thing to do, especially with a family where excursions add up with each additional family member.   As a solo cruiser a car rental is often more than an excursion but provides a lot more flexibility than an excursion.

If you are going to rent a car, research ahead of time and plan a route leaving some time for being spontaneous.  No different than flying to NS, NB, PEI, etc.

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Day 7 - Saint John, New Brunswick

Beautiful sunrise this morning as we make our way to Saint John.

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Windy today and all outer decks are closed.  Seas and ship are smooth, just windy.

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The Captain just addressed our revised port times.  Saint John requires some extra time to set the lines so our planned time to be ready to leave the ship is around 1:30pm.  All aboard time will remain as scheduled at 6:30pm since the area is tidal and we must time our departure to avoid low tide.  

Our progress so far...

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The journey so far has been 1449 nautical miles.

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41 minutes ago, firebuck said:

ohhh dang. I was there this spring -  I guess they didn't last much longer.  I'll just have to take more trips up to the Great White North!

Well, if @Matt will do a Canada/NE GC in summer 2020 we can all go and get poutine together!

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Just now, mpoole3 said:

Really enjoying the review!  The pictures are great as always, now leave something for me to share next week okay!    

A few questions: 

1. Has the drink card showed up? (I'm going no DX). 

2. How much is a kraken and coke? 

The 10 draft beer deal for $49 plus 18% showed up on day 3 but they only have Heineken and Strongbow on tap.  No 10 drink card that I've seen, but with many port days on this sailing I'm sustaining mostly on local beers in port, then Diamond drinks until later in the evenings when I switch to a couple of Kraken and diet. 

A Kraken and diet is $8.26 all in.

Beer and shot combos appeared to day, $3 more for the shot.  

Drink package was $57 on board available until day 3 of this 13 night sailing.

Lately I've only seen a 10 drink show up late in a cruise, like with 2 days remaining.  YMMV.

A Voom special "today only" has been offered every day.  Buy a day pass of Surf and Stream and connect a second device for free. 

A new Voom offered appeared tonight.  Buy Surf and Stream for the remainder of the voyage for $49.99.   However it appears this isn't combinable with C&A discounts.  

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Day 7 - Saint John, New Brunswick, continued....

Eager for our arrival I headed to deck 12 to find very strong winds as we continued across the Bay of Fundy towards Saint John.  I went down to the Solarium on deck 11 where windows can be opened, even if briefly, to take a photo.  It was pretty windy and the flags raised by the crew were snapping in the strong wind.

Our first real glimpse of the entrance to the harbor.

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The Bay of Fundy has the greatest tidal changes of anywhere in the world.  I noted the rocks in water indicating the tide was leaving the harbor as we sailed into the Saint John harbor. 

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In some ways the entrance to the port appears somewhat industrial as first glance so I was glad to see the indications of a nice looking community on our port side.

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Even now, close to land, the winds were strong and kept the flags snapping.

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Until this point the upper decks were too windy to be safe but finally the land sheltered enough wind so we could venture up to deck 12 and see more of our approach than we could from the Solarium. 

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The cruise terminal waiting our arrival.

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A familiar face was ready to assist but not needed on this day.

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This is a bridge over the Saint John river that ends as it empties it water into the harbor and through it into the Bay of Fundy and the sea.  I'll later be walking along this area and spending much of day close to the river.

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The terminal was pleasant but we quickly made our way out of the terminal into a tent structure where shops are set up. 

Upon entering the tent I encountered the most cruel entrance to a port city I've ever encountered.  The wonderful smell of fudge and other goodies being heated for our temptation and enjoyment.  

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The wonderful smell is coming back to me hours later as I write this.  Must.  Resist.

Outside (without fudge in my teeth) I started walking along the sidewalk and saw my familiar friend once again.

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Like other ports up to this point, Saint John has some beautiful architecture.

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I was on a mission to walk to the Reversing Falls, approximately 45 minutes away by foot.  I've gotta keep my step count up to beat @ellcee on her Anthem cruise.

My GPS app led the way and I walked through some very nice looking residential areas.

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After some time I received affirmation I was on the right path. Looking up the Saint John river as it flows towards the sea.

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I came across Riverview Memorial Park with a monument to soldiers who lost their lives in South Africa from 1902.

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I was left with the impression "This is a city I could call home".

Not long after I made the turn towards the Reversing Falls.

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Across the river is a mill which no doubt is a great source of employment for many locals.   The river had some flow which was very distinct but it occurred to me something wasn't right. 

It was flowing upstream.   

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A vert distinct current upstream from the direction of the harbor on my left towards land and points upstream to my right.  Weird, most rivers flow towards the sea.

A bridge over the river was to my left.  More on that later.

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As I mulled about and took photos, it occurred to me the flow was increasing and rapids were starting to form, still flowing upstream.

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At its lowest the water here can be up to 15' lower and the river flows over waterfalls towards the sea.  At this point though, it was flowing very clearly and strongly in the upstream direction.

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To properly experience the Reversing Falls you either have to come at multiple times as the tides change or be very patient and hang around for hours to see it yourself live.  I was getting thirsty.  I noted a visitor's center at that bridge, time to make my way there.  

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There are now two bridges over the river, one for trains and one for cars.

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Looking back towards downtown our ship was very prominent on the city skyline.

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The first attempt at a bridge many years ago met with disaster.  So did the second attempt.  The third time is a charm and that bridge remains.

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On the opposite side is a restaurant and the Skywalk.

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The current in the river, still flowing the wrong way, was very strong and distinct.  Small whirlpools formed and disappeared.  It was very mesmerizing to watch.

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Across the bridge is where an excursion is more likely to drop you off.

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Our ship remained prominent in the background.

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There are steps and a path down to a viewing platform closer to the river.

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I spotted a small boat approaching from the direction of the harbor.

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It's motor had failed it was being sucked into the rapids - just kidding.

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I watched it play in the current for a while then my hunger (and thirst) over came me.

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The restaurant has great views and while I often avoid restaurants tied to a scenic attraction (CN Tower,  Space Needle, etc)  I was glad I stopped here to eat.

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Like any decent restaurant in the maritimes, live lobsters were available. Real lobsters.  

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First, I needed a Barking Squirrel.  

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All beer served here is from the Moosehead Brewery which is right across the road behind the Mill.  I'm very familiar with Moosehead beer having grown up on it although just the one lager that is typically shipped out of province.  

Watching the water flow upstream was quite mesmerizing.  It's really moving!

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My Canadian Elk burger was fantastic.  

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Followed by a Moosehead Pale Ale.

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To give you an idea how much water is flowing upstream, here is a time lapse video as I ate an Elk.

If I was able to stay longer, you would see the flow reversing and the river returning all that water towards the sea.

Here is the Moosehead brewery as seen from the restaurant.

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With that it was time to head back to the ship.  I chose to follow the road across the bridge and downhill towards downhill.  I used the river as my guide so I basically followed it to the ship.

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Once I walked down the hill on the sidewalk beside the road I reached river level and found a nice riverwalk along the shore.

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The ship remained in sight for most of the walk at this point.

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It's a really nice walk.  Why didn't I come this way going to the reversing falls?

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There are nice areas along the path that are designed for children and are educational in nature.

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Art work also can be found, including this cargo container.

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"Wind and Water"

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This path is part of The Great Trail, also known as the Trans Canada Trail that reaches from coast to coast and is some 24,000 km long (15,000 miles).  I walked part of that trail near the other end in Victoria, British Columbia when I was on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog group cruise in June on Explorer of the Sea to Alaska.

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Getting here by cruise ship I imagine is infinitely more enjoyable compared to walking the entire 24,000 km of it.

Continuing towards the ship there is an opportunity to approach the river and rock hound.

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Continuing, there is a nice boardwalk where the shuttle boat I saw playing under the bridge departs from. 

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It's a very family friendly area and inviting.

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As the slogan goes, "Find your beach".  Set up for beach volleyball this looked like a great mid-summer thing to do.

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Walking along the sidewalk back to ship shows what a clean, pedestrian friendly city Saint John is.

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Back on the ship I took some Saint John photos absent of the wind that was present earlier in the day.

The terminal and tent area for the cruise terminal.

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Like Halifax the hop on, hop off bus is a great option for self-explorers.

Saint John is a really nice city and I'm glad they didn't cancel our stop from the high winds or medical diversion we experienced early.

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The flowrider was running but empty.

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In the Viking Crown Lounge each night they have set up a temporary bar for the nearly 1,300 D/D+/P C&A guests that are eligible.

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Approaching sail away and sunset I went up to deck 12 to see what I could see.

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Those smoke stacks are the Mill at the Reversing Falls.

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We spun around 180° and headed out of Saint John harbor.

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While subtle in this photo, I could see the river had reversed course and was draining into the harbor and the sea.

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When can I come back?

With that our departure was underway and we escaped with the tide that was once again draining from the river into the sea.

Our progress...

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Total cruise distance so far,  1,527 Nautical Miles.

Clocks go back one hour tonight.

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