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 

More Randomness

Our 4th sea day in a row and everyone is anxious to reach Halifax! And we're looking very forward to celebrating July 4th in Charleston, South Carolina as well. Travel is fun, but it also serves to remind us that there is no country like ours. USA!! We are seriously blessed and we often take it for granted. 

 

Four sea days in a row is a little much. Since we left South Hampton, this last segment of the cruise has been completely full. A lot of ATW passengers got off in South Africa to go elsewhere, then returned to the ship for this last segment. Others are new to this segment only. We got used to having about a third less passengers, so the ship feels more crowded now, especially around meal times. 

This morning started with breakfast in our room, then Ronnie's ukulele practice followed by Bible study. We only meet on sea days so we have only one more "Sunday service" and a couple more times to meet for Bible study. Below is a photo someone took yesterday after our time together. As with most group photos, some people are hidden. You can also tell that we don't know if it's warm or cold, as we're dressed for a mixture of seasons. ha! Do you see the blond in the front row (4th from left) wearing pink heels? Are you ready? She is 90!! She's the one whose birthday we celebrated recently. (I posted photos I took at the party, but did not include her in those). And NO, I am not lying!

 

 

Yesterday morning was another Sunday Brunch where the food and presentations were absolutely over the top. We've had several of these and I've posted pictures of them before. 

 

omelet station

making my veggie omelet

 

no brunch should be without a string quartet!

In the afternoon, the ship had a silent auction with the proceeds being divided up and given to the crew. These young people work so hard to take such excellent care of us - and always with a smile! Whatever they get paid, it probably isn't enough but they are very thankful to have these jobs and be able to help their families back home.

Liz, a friend from Canada who we know through our Bible study bid $400 for a cross stitch picture. It was made by various people on the ship (each person making a pattern to represent where they're from), and someone else stitching all of them together. She will have it blocked and framed when she gets home. It is definitely one of a kind.

 

Liz from Alberta with ATW cross stitch - 2026

Today the ship is collecting donations of shoes, clothing or anything else that passengers don't want to carry home with them. The donated items will also go to the crew members and their families. 

More randomness - Here's a random picture of friends who won the boat making contest awhile back. Each contestant or group had to 1) make a ship 2) from "found" materials around the ship or on land and #3 it had to float. These 2 couples from our Bible study group were the proud 1st Place winners! Here's a picture of them with their winning entry. Congratulations Kevin, Wendy, Diana and John! 

 

1st Place - Boat Building Contest

We don't plan to start packing until the day before we dock in Miami because our 4 large bags are still in storage. It's not the easiest task for the staff to fish out 4 specific pieces of luggage given the hundreds of bags being stored. And even if we had them, they would need to stay in our room until disembarkation, which would limit our floor space. So we will probably wait until the day before we leave to get our bags and pack.

This afternoon we went for tea and scones in the Horizon lounge. It was sunny earlier today; now it is foggy again. I snapped this photo out the window in the Lounge which is on the back of the ship.

 

scones, jam, clotted cream

solid fog

 

Randomness

I don't have much to say because we're only halfway through a long stretch at sea - 4 days in a row! The days are beginning to get a bit longer - no more nights with the sun not setting. The weather is still quite chilly, which prevents people from dining on the decks or outside in the Wave restaurant. The result is a very crowded Terrace (casual dining). 

Today we ordered burgers from the Wave and had a nice lunch inside visiting with our friend Tom Hanley from Ft. Worth. He lost his wife early in the cruise but came back to the ship, probably thinking it best for him to be around other people. His daughter Grace joined him in LeHavre, France and we got to meet her and help celebrate her 31st birthday at dinner a few days ago. 

 

someone making a nice toast to Tom & daughter Grace

a very fattening chocolate mousse cake

Our days are winding down now, with only 9 days left on the ship. However, we're looking forward to our next port in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia. From there it's on to New York, NY, Charleston, South Carolina and our final port in Miami, Florida where we initially set sail. We've begun making an effort to have lunch or dinner with most of the friends we've made on this voyage before we say goodbye in Miami. 

 

Ronnie and some of the men from Bible study group enjoying breakfast in Grand Dining Room

 

I learned this morning that we have another photo contest coming up. We can submit 2 entries - one in the Portrait Category and another in Landscape Category. The entries can be from this segment only, starting in South Hampton. Since I only learned about this today (the digital folks are not the best organized) I haven't taken any photos that would fit in the Portrait Category. I do have one cute one so I may enter it anyway, although it's not technically a portrait. Submission date is July 3 so perhaps now that I know I can come up with something else between now and then.

 

twin toddlers zooming by on scooters

 

I'm trying to select one for the Landscape category and this is where I need help again. I have it narrowed to 4, which I will post here and I appreciate any feedback. Please help by giving me your #1 and #2 choices. Thank you!! It really helped me the last time - you picked a winner!

 #1 Reykjavik, Iceland

 #2 Cork (Cobh), Ireland

 #3 Cork (Cobh), Ireland

#4 Falmouth (Cornwall), UK

Reykjavik, Iceland

What a beautiful view to wake up to! Thirty minutes later we were enjoying a room service breakfast. With a day in port and nothing special planned, we stayed on board and enjoyed a very lazy morning. We saw a lot of the countryside when we were here in 2024, so we decided just to take the shuttle into town and walk around a bit. The weather has turned rainy, cold and blustery, so I personally wasn't interested in spending a lot of time outdoors.

The photo below was taken from our balcony around 7:30 this morning.  

 

Mount Esja in background

 

Reykjavik, Iceland's government seat is home to half the island's population. It is a colorful city with concrete houses painted in light colors topped by colorful red, blue and green roofs. Its name comes from the Icelandic words for smoke (reykur) and bay (vik). 

Iceland is known as the "Land of Fire and Ice" due to its landscape shaped by glaciers and active volcanoes. The tiny town of Reykjavik is surrounded by ice covered peaks, volcanoes and geothermal vents. Most of the homes here are heated by near-boiling water from the hot springs.

The majority of marine activities include whale and puffin watching. 

Here are some interesting facts about Reykjavik.

It is the northernmost capital city of any sovereign state in the world. Because of it's location, it experiences dramatic light shifts, from just 4 hours of daylight in winter to the near constant "Midnight Sun" during the summer solstice. 

Meaning of the Name: When the very first Norse settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, saw steam rising from the hot springs of the area, he named the bay Reykjavík, which means "Smoky Bay".

Zero Global Fast Food Chains: There are no permanent global fast-food franchises. The last McDonald's closed in 2009, making Iceland one of the few places worldwide without them. 

City of Puffins & Literary Greats: It is the only capital city in the world with a major puffin breeding colony (located on the nearby islands). It is also highly celebrated for its literary culture, earning the designation of a UNESCO City of Literature in 2011. 

The weather has been cold, windy and misting rain on and off all day. We took the shuttle into town and walked around so I could snap a few photos and then headed back to the ship. We are not cold weather people! I'll post some of the photos I took to give an idea of what we saw.

 

modern buildings, downtown Reykjavik

downtown Reykjavik

Hallgrímskirkja, largest church in Iceland

             

plenty of cafes and souvenir shops for locals and visitors

     

     

stainless steel sculpture "Sea Voyager"

rent a scooter

This afternoon the sun came out so here is the scene from our balcony before we sailed.