2014 Winter Cruise

The Cruising Sailor's Squadron has had a Winter Cruise since 2007. It was invented and promoted by Trish and I after we visited Cobourg Ontario during March Break in 2006. This year we went to Kingston Ontario.

Kingston is about 3 hours by car from Toronto. The problem is highway 401 runs just north of Lake Ontario and id prone to whiteouts and bad roads. I tried to organize a bus, but could not get enough interest. We were going to drive until there was a bad crash three weeks ago. My sister Mary decided we would go by train.

Our train at Union Station

Joan and Margaret settling in

Trish looking very comfortable 

On the way we were mostly beside the lake and able to see were our boats will be sailing this summer on the way to "The Islands". It was a good day to be off the water with a strong on shore breeze.

Leaving Toronto

Lake Ontario

More of Lake Ontario

Port Hope

Once in Kingston we had a wonderful time visiting the Great Lakes Museum filled by dinner at the Kingston Yacht Club. It felt like home having been to Kingston so many summers.

I have to include a picture of the Wolfe Island Ferry, which we must cross each year both coming from and going to the islands.

The Ferry in front of RMC Canada's West Point.

The next three pictures are of some of the models on display at the museum.

We walked over to KYC and had an excellent dinner with a number of their members who had come over to keep us company.

Generally this would be the end of the cruise with the cruisers finding their way home after breakfast Sunday Morning, but we had a hockey game to watch. At 7:00 AM Sunday Canada would play Sweden for the Olympic Gold Metal.

Charlie and Patricia Scrivener had the foresight to order a suite and invited the group who had not gone home already to join them for the game. As you are all aware Canada beat the Swedes 3 - 0 and we got both the women's and men's gold in hockey and I should mention curling.

The group during the game

As Canadians we were all very excited as we won

Thank you to Patricia and Charlie for putting on the best hockey breakfast ever.

A poor video taken entering Nassau

Saturday February 1, 2014 we entered Nassau Bay at 7:00 A.M. I tried to take a video with my GOPRO, which had been "fixed" at the end of December, but it would not work so I used my camera.

As you will see there are a couple of problems with the video. First the Ship moved very slowly. This made for a very long video. The solution to this was I speed it up. At times when there was something to see I slowed it back down again. The second problem is I am no good at videoing. There is no solution to this problem. The third problem was the wind which was not very strong but made a terrible noise during the video.

I decided to show the video so as those of you who have not even had the four days in the warm weather Trish and I had could experience the journey into Nassau.

There is no requirement that anyone watch the complete show. Please feel free to turn it off before you reach the end.

I will mention there where 5 very large ships in town on the day we were there. As soon as we had landed the one at sea at the end of the video docked beside us. I figured about 12,000 to 13,000 people. I think they all went to Paradise Island so we did not see them.

I have to include the ships we saw

I can not tell you much about these boats. I thought we would see more but we definitely saw a number. Remember most of the time we were at sea it was cold and were not sitting on our balcony.

"Last Supper"

On Tuesday we ate our last meal. Trish can always let go. I on the other hand have a very difficult time saying good by to anything. The fact that it was now under 50F outside made the transition easier. I have included some pictures of the ship Roger and Linda and Trish and I.

Linda and Roger

Trish and Bill

Every night as we returned from dinner our stewart had made us a towel animal.

Some were startling.

All of our towel animals in a row

I will now upload some pictures of the Carnival Splendor.

Hall 

Waiters singing during the show on the last night.

Main lobby

Freeport well sort off, actually a commercial Port Lucayan

On Sunday we went to Freeport or actually Port Lucayan a very industrial port with almost nothing around it. Just before we left Matthew our son told us to go the The Pier One Restaurant. This is the restaurant which feeds the sharks every hour. It was walking distance from the ship so we went over. It was closed for lunch and had not opened for dinner by the time we were pulling out of the harbour.

Pier One Restaurant

We could not go to lunch but did go to the shore at the restaurant where Trish found a Hermit Crab. She said we have to get a picture for the kids. Trish did not mean our children, but Nikie, Parker, Kennedy and Quinn our grandchildren.

This is were the sharks come in to feed. We thought we saw them out about 30 to 40 feet. They did not come close enough to get on camera, but isn't the water great.

While we went to the shore we did not wade in or go swimming.

The water really is this beautiful. I have read that when we sail to The Bahamas we will have to read the water. Here you can clearly see the dark blue deep channel.

Another picture which I could not resist adding even if it is similar to the one above.

The Bahamas and Nassau

First let me explain the delay. I had hoped to keep the blog up as I went, but the cost of wifi on board was very high per minute and the amount you could actually complete within a minute was very small.

All four of us had a wonderful time and would recommend Carnival to anyone. The crew was excellent and even in a storm the ship was very smooth. As I have said this is not a complaint, but the food was not as good as I thought it would be. By this I mean it did not consist of a lot of cream sauces and other fancy but fattening stuff. The food was in fact excellent just not too fancy.

This was a test cruise to see if Trish and I could go on expensive cruises when we return from our year long trip this August. Porter and Carnival passed with flying colours. Our next trip on a ship will most likely be through the Panama Canal. We would like to be on a smaller ship perhaps 1500 passengers rather then 3000.

We spent no time at a beach. While in Port Canaveral we rented a car and started to drive to Fort Pierce to check up on friends. We had just started out and decided to turn back. We could just see the road with the rain and were not sure the Mursels would still be in Fort Pierce. As it turned out they started their trip the day after we would have been there. They are headed to the Bahamas. We will hopefully hook up with them next winter.

Nassau was good but very run down between the cruise ship docks and the bridges to Paradise Island. Once we reached the bridges things looked up. We went into Starbucks were they refused American Express. The reason for this was so as they could receive American Dollars and give Bahamian Dollars back. At a store later Trish asked for American change and was handed American change which was covering Bahamian money. On our way out of the terminal we were told by several taxis they would take us to Paradise Island for $5. This let us to believe there was some kind of control or pricing system. On the way back we were tired so when a taxi stopped and offered to drive us back we said yes. After a 2 minute drive substantially shorter then a trip to The Island we were charged $12.

If you go to Nassau be very careful. You are going to be ripped off this is for sure if you get off the boat, but try and minimize the damage. Also be careful. When we got back to the ship we read the warnings from Carnival concerning the gangs in Nassau going after tourists. I guess they are good enough to have seen that Trish had taken all her jewellery off. We had checked out the marinas East of the bridge anticipating a stay next year, but after the actions of one cap driver we may give it a miss.

As we walked to lunch we ams across a fisherman selling bait. The couple were from Nassau or at least got into a Bahamian car

We saw a number of Canadian Flags

Nassau Harbour

Trish at The Poop Deck over looking the harbour

The view behind Trish

A Market Street dominated by one of the Cruise Ships

A Market Street dominated by one of the Cruise Ships

Arose but perhaps not between two thorns.

Epic was even bigger the Our ship Splendor