Vista on Port Days

On days when Vista is in port and many people are away from the ship, you might assume that activities onboard the ship slow down or perhaps the workers might get a little break. But in reality, that’s when other types of activities rev up!  

 

exterior painting and maintenance

While ship employees work hard at all times, the ship itself is an even bigger beehive of activity doing things that can’t necessarily be done while at sea. Obviously, port days are when the ship must be refueled and supplies get loaded and stored on board. Both of these involve many people and more than a few hours of work to accomplish.

 

it takes many hours to re-load supplies

  

 

While that is going on, the crew is busy carrying out their maritime safety and fire drills. The Cruise Director’s voice comes into every area of the ship (including guest cabins) as emergency drills are carried out. The emergency signal sounds very loud, almost ear piercing. It’s hard to imagine that even the most hearing disabled could not hear it. Blinking blue lights run up and down every hallway while all shipboard employees, dressed in required safety vests are stationed at key points waiting on the Cruise Director’s next instruction. Every employee knows exactly where they are to go and what they are to do and they practice these drills faithfully. It’s reassuring to know that if there ever was a real emergency, ship personnel is well trained.

 

exterior cleaning - a constant job

Also while in port, outside maintenance crew is busy washing decks and balconies, cleaning and painting the ship’s exterior and checking and maintaining every mechanical part of the ship. Of course the culinary staff never gets a break and the laundry service is busy 24/7 washing and pressing bedding for every bed on the ship, laundering towels, tablecloths, napkins, etc. They also keep all staff and crew uniforms clean and neatly pressed, in addition to hundreds of guests personal laundry. Add dry cleaning and shoe shines to that as well.

 

     

 

So the ship’s crew is always hard at work. Many employees are visible as they serve the passengers but many others are hard at work behind the scenes. They are all impressively well trained. They are always courteous, calling us and other guests by name (Mr. & Mrs. Ward) and ALWAYS greet and speak to us, whether they know us or not. 

 

The ship employees workers from many different nationalities and it is a true blessing when they are able to get a job like this and send money back to their families at home. Without question, it is hard work but it is a job, which many of them might not have otherwise. We see a large number of workers from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc. –  800 crew members from 47 different nationalities! That’s a ratio of 1 staff member to 1.5 guests. No wonder we are spoiled!

 

       

 

Winding it down...

With only a few days left on our trip around the world, passengers are beginning to prepare for Miami, the same port where this journey began last January 6. Yesterday about 20 persons disembarked in Boston, it being closer to their home than Miami. Others are starting to pack their bags, deciding what will fit and what they will leave behind.

Yesterday we were able to go through immigration on board the ship where we took possession of our passports again. This will make it easier for us when we reach Miami. Our ship didn't arrive in Boston until 4 p.m. Having hit the "high spots" there some years back, we didn't have anything special planned. So we hopped on Oceania's complimentary shuttle to go to Quincy Market downtown. We walked around the market area for a bit but it was really hot. It’s definitely summer time in the good ole USA!! Even so, it feels good to be back on home soil and particularly so as we see and feel the excitement of America’s preparation to celebrate its 250th birthday tomorrow! 💖💙💖

 

Quincy Market Hall

 

Located right outside the market is a life-sized sculpture of Red Auerbach, the legendary Boston Celtics coach relaxing on a park bench with his signature cigar (below, right). Other bronze sculptures nearby celebrate Boston's sports and political history.  

 

  

Wild Benches of Hope

  

We enjoyed some yummy fruit drinks while walking through the giant food hall but caught the shuttle back to the ship in time to have pizza for dinner. 

Just before dark, we climbed to the very top of the ship in hopes of seeing fireworks from there. They were going off on both sides of the ship, but at a distance so unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any really good shots. 

 

 

For us, the winding down of our time onboard means sharing meals with special friends we’ve made on this voyage, likely for the last time. Today we completed our study of Colossians with the friends we’ve made in our Bible study. Afterwards all the ATW passengers gathered on the deck for a group photo.

 

gathering for ATW group photo

Ronnie with friend Tom Hanley

 

Tom is from Ft. Worth and a very nice guy. We met him and his wife Diane on the 2023 ATW cruise on Oceania's Insignia. Sadly, she passed away while snorkeling in the Polynesian Islands only weeks after joining us.

After the photo gathering, we met our Bible study leaders in the Dining Room for lunch. I had the "Impossible" Burger (alternative to meat) with all the fixins. However, this bun was a first. Apparently this is the way they make them in Aquamar Restaurant (the 'healthy" restaurant on board). It was delicious, in spite of the color of the bun. I jokingly said it was probably colored with squid ink. I later googled and think I may have been right - yikes! It didn't taste weird; in fact it was delicious! And their sweet potato fries are soo good - crispy on outside, soft on inside. I will miss these, and that's probably a good thing!

 

Below is a photo I took of Ronnie's ukulele group after practice yesterday. They sounded pretty good! (some are not present in photo) I recorded a few of their songs but unfortunately I can't post videos here. 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Canada!

Lots of passengers are seeing red! And not just because it's Canada's color. Talk about a change in itinerary! Today we should have been well on our way to New York City. Instead, we spent a second day in Halifax, the Vista docked in port and the cause of lots of turmoil. As passengers, we weren't told specifically what the “technical issues” were, whether it was due to a software or hardware failure. All we knew was that we weren’t sailing until things were back in order. For Ronnie and me, it has meant nothing but an extra day spent in a beautiful city. But for many passengers, it has caused all kinds of grief and frustration.

It's Canada Day!

Vista undergoing repairs - Port of Halifax

Unbeknownst to its guests, the Vista limped into port in Halifax early Tuesday morning. Something was wrong, but we were unaware. We only knew that we would depart later than usual. As the day went on, rumors began that we would not sail at all. And that's exactly what happened. We woke to the same view off our balcony as the day before. We knew there was a problem, but we didn't know what it was until the captain informed us early this morning of "technical difficulties".

When things like this happen, no one is to blame. At the same time, no one factors “technical difficulties” into their travel plans. As most of us know, an unscheduled problem can wreak havoc on the best laid plans, resulting in lots of frustration, hand wringing and extra expense in some cases. 

Logistics of the ship itself in terms of when and where it can make port, plus the resulting changes to the onboard scheduling are not at all simple. Also, these changes can create all kinds of logistical problems for passengers as well. Suddenly, those persons scheduled to disembark in New York can no long do that. Why? Because we won’t be stopping in New York. And passengers scheduled to disembark in Charlotte? Not happening! The ship is now going to make port in Boston. But the bottom line is that Oceania Vista must make port in Miami on July 6 in its scheduled time slot. 

For those staying onboard today, activities were quickly re-scheduled. Those of us who are not dealing with missed ports, car rentals, changed flights, etc had another day to enjoy mild weather in the beautiful city of Halifax. And today was Canada Day. I’ve never seen so many red t-shirts and white maple leaves! It seemed as if half the city was out to celebrate the holiday. Flag waving Canadians and their babies, children and even dogs dressed in patriotic attire, creating a celebratory atmosphere.

 

    

view of boardwalk from our ship

street food and live music along the boardwalk

poutine - a classic Canadian dish 

        

 

decked out sloops in harbor

from our balcony again

I had hoped to walk the cobblestone streets of the historical part of the city this morning, but it was a lot of hill climbing and my back was not in favor of my going. So for me it turned into somewhat of a chill day while so many of my shipmates dealt with the changes in plans caused by the last 2 ports being cancelled. 

Often the ship's culinary team will make dinner with the dishes of the geographical area we are in. Today I learned what poutine is - it's fried potatoes with cheese curds and some kind of brown gravy poured over the top. What's not to like about that? They were on the menu tonight along with mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and other local favorites. A chocolate cake was also a salute to Canada's birthday celebration.

 

Happy Birthday, Canada!

Goodbye, Canada!

PS One of the passengers on the ship today was quoted as saying “A bad day on a cruise ship, is, pretty much, still a great day!”

 

A day in Halifax, Nova Scotia

We were supposed to make port at 9 a.m. this morning. As always, today's schedule was set with detailed onboard activities plus all logistics in place for those who had booked excursions for today. But at 9 a.m. we were nowhere near land. Finally the captain came on with a general announcement apologizing and saying that there had been a “technical” issue and we wouldn’t be making port until 12:30. 

This has never happened before, and right away passengers began speculating as to why/ Fog? Pilot error taking us off course? Engine trouble? We don't know yet what the "technical" issue was. Anyway, it means less time in port, but they did add 2 extra hours on the re-boarding time, so there was still plenty of time to do whatever one wants to do.

late arrival in Halifax

I can’t say another word before posting last night’s sunset. Yesterday was a bit weird in that part of the day was so foggy we couldn’t see a thing, yet the sun would come out and the sky would be bright and clear, then later it was back to fog. It was still foggy last evening as the sun was setting at 8:45 p.m. I happened to look out just as the sun was about to dip below the horizon and this is what I saw! I grabbed my phone and snapped a few photos; however, they aren't nearly as beautiful as the real thing. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything more beautiful than a sunset in fog over the ocean!

Below was our balcony view as we sailed into Halifax Harbor this morning. The weather was absolutely perfect, although it did get warm later in the day (high of 74 but it felt hotter than that). I shouldn’t complain, given the temperatures we’ll find at home soon.

 

Georges Island Lighthouse 

 

Ronnie was again able to run off ship in Point Pleasant Park this morning which made him very happy. While he was out running, I walked perhaps 15 minutes away to a large grocery store to pick up snacks and goodies for our room stewards.

Administration Building, Point Pleasant Park (photo credit: Ronnie) 

 

While we were sitting in The Wave eating lunch, this party boat went by so I snapped a quick photo of it. We considered going to a movie, but it was already 2:30 p.m. so we decided not to try to go anywhere in the 3 hours before boarding. 

 

a different kind of party boat

 

Ronnie also took a picture of these bagpipers who were playing inside the terminal. I was in the room and missed getting to hear them. The heavy Scottish influence can be seen in the stores around the port. Tartan shows up in ties, kilts, gloves, caps, throws, socks, scarves, tote bags and all kinds of locally crafted souvenirs. 

 

bag pipers at port

 

men's kilts for sale

kilt vs skirt (if I wore underwear...)

         

100% lambswool throws

      

tartan scarves

tartan coasters

A few facts about Halifax and Nova Scotia – 

* Nova Scotia literally translates from Latin to "New Scotland".

*Scottish baronet Sir William Alexander was granted the land by King James in 1621 to create a Scottish colony, cementing the name "New Scotland". 

*Halifax is the capital city of Nova Scotia, a province of Canada. 

*Halifax boasts the second largest natural harbor in the world. 

*Its 250 year old history has been shaped by its maritime past and it is now the busiest seaport on the east coast of the Atlantic. 

*Halifax is considered the cultural center of Nova Scotia and Canada’s headquarters for finance, scientific research, health care, military, government and higher education. 

*It is home to a large number of colleges and universities and has the highest ratio of educational facilities per capita of any city in North America – impressive! 

*It also has over 4,600 miles of coastline and 1,000 lakes and over 150 lighthouses!

This evening while having dinner with friends from Iowa, we learned that we won’t sail until midnight. Perhaps we would have planned something else had we known earlier. But honestly, we're just as happy to stay in. I do hope this means that the crew will get to go out and enjoy themselves tonight. They aren't allowed to get off the ship at many of the ports because they have to stay behind and work. 

Below is another ship we spotted at dinner tonight. I thought it was pretty so I walked out on the deck to grab this shot. Good night, Halifax!

 

sailboat carries visitors past Georges Island Lighthouse in Halifax Harbor