I was up by 5:30am or so to watch us come in to Halifax Harbor. The fog that’s been following us for a few days was still present, however, and I still couldn’t see more than 100 yards or so from the ship. Might as well grab some coffee.
An hour later there was some daylight and the fog had abated some, so I rousted Sherri as we were nearing downtown and we went up to the top deck to watch us come in. The ship nosed in to near the pier, then did a 180 so that we come along the starboard side.
Since our cell plan covers US and Canada we were able to catch up on emails, texts, and photos in the morning. We disembarked around 10am and made our way north along the waterfront to downtown proper, with plans to meet up with Ann and Greg and Shane, Katie, Will, and Sam at the “wave” around 10:45. Sher and Siena made the obligatory stop at Tim Horton’s for treats, then we found the others. We had a nice time walking along the water with everyone and catching up, especially since I hadn’t visited Canada over the summer and missed out on those times. Around lunchtime I peeled off with Rowan to return to the ship and grab lunch, while Sher and Siena headed toward Spring Garden and Lululemon with plans to shop and meet Amanda. After that she was able to connect up with Aunts Betty, Dorothy, and Kay.
My watch reports 8 miles of walking today, and Sherri’s has 14!
For sailaway, we enjoyed the unique perspective of sailing past McNab’s Island and Georges Island from 200 feet up. After sailing south out of Halifax, we made our turn to the NNE toward St. John’s Newfoundland.
We were able to capture tonight’s sunset with Siena:
The kids went to see the illusionist show in the main theater, after which we went for our usual dinner in the main dining room. For some reason, compared to previous cruises our dinners are fast! We’re basically in-and-out in an hour, almost unheard of on a cruise ship. I attribute this to being in the second seating, where the dining room isn’t packed to capacity. And I can’t believe I’m saying this but part of me is missing the entertainment and showmanship of the Disney dinners (except for that rad talking turtle in Animators Palate!)
According to the captain’s announcement this afternoon, some people with missed travel connections to New York were able to join the ship today in Halifax. While I’m sure they would’ve preferred avoiding all the travel headaches, they really haven’t missed much, and there’s lots of cruise ahead.
Regarding Halifax, we were both surprised by the amount of development along the waterfront, and how the fulcrum of activity has shifted south away from the Marriott and casino. Deloitte seems to anchor an impressive development of condos, offices, and retail. Further south, another large building, possibly called Cunard, seems to be being developed in phases. These units are not inexpensive, either.
