From 21-foot hurricane swells to celebratory fireworks, spontaneous ports of call...
...and a surprising Northern Lights sighting, it's safe to say that this trip didn't go quite according to plan.
This autumn, I embarked on a 10-day New England and Canada cruise on the Norwegian Joy.
The itinerary kicked off in New York City and included stops at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Sydney, Nova Scotia...
...Halifax, Nova Scotia, Saint John, New Brunswick, Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts...
...before arriving back in Manhattan.
At least that was the itinerary before Hurricane Fiona came along, bumping Charlottetown and Sydney off the list of ports.
This was definitely a just-go-with-the-flow-type of trip and I'm excited to share with you a bit of my experience at each port.
Let's kick it off in New York City.
[Announcement] Ladies and gentlemen, the mandatory safety briefing has now been completed...
...we thank you for your attention and cooperation and wish you an excellent and unforgettable vacation onboard Norwegian Joy.
The Manhattan Cruise terminal is located on the west side of Midtown Manhattan...
...right next to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
For those of you out-of-towners, here's the Times Square area for reference and here are our three major airports.
If you're flying in early to get on a cruise, I'll give you a locals tip: don't book your hotel in Times Square unless you're willing to pay top prices.
Instead, consider a hotel on the Jersey side just across the Hudson River from the cruise terminal.
You'll have phenomenal skyline views, save a few bucks on accommodations, and it's only an 8-min ferry ride to the port.
Once you set sail, those skyline views of the city and surrounding sights only get better.
After a rocky two days at sea, following the hurricane up the eastern seaboard...
...somewhere off the coast of Nova Scotia, we learned that we were no longer going to Prince Edward Island due...
...to storm damage and would, instead, spend a serene evening sailing toward Newfoundland.
With no excursions planned for the new port, and very little information shared by the ship about the destination in general...
I hopped onto the Wi-Fi to snag a rental car in the hopes that I could make the best of my time in a place I knew nothing about.
Judging by the views I awoke to the next morning, I made the right call.
Corner Brook, known as the "Garden City," is located on the western coast of Newfoundland and serves as a gateway to...
...some of the island's best outdoor activities.
With only five hours on the ground -- which was really just the biggest tease ever -- I knew today would be a bit of a hustle.
A quick Google search told me that one of the best things to see in the area was Gros Morne National Park...
...which was about an hour away from the port.
And so, that became my little mission for the day -- to not only enjoy the drive over there and a few snacks for the road -- but...
...to soak up the limited time I would have in the park itself.
Gros Morne National Park is roughly 1800 kilometers of rugged Canadian wilderness.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, because it provides a rare example of continental drift...
...which is the theory that continents, as we know them today, have shifted across the Earth's surface over time.
You'll find all sorts of terrain here from fjords and glacial valleys to alpine plateaus and lakes.
Even though I was taking it all in on a rainy day, the scenery was beautiful and the dewiness -- if that's a word -- made it all the more magical.
And just as soon as I'd arrived, I'd be turning back around to port.
It was a short visit, but long enough to convince me that I'll need to book a return trip in the near future.
As if bidding us farewell, the clouds parted early that evening completely...
...surprising everyone with the most stunning display of Northern Lights.
These are the unedited photos I took from the ship as we sailed away from Newfoundland.
Following another port cancellation --this time being Sydney, Nova Scotia -- we spent a day at sea slowly making our way...
...in the dense fog toward Halifax and were jostled awake the next morning by a greeting fit for a king.
For my time in Halifax, I opted to book a ticket for the hop-on / hop-off bus tour.
Since it's a small, but bustling urban area, I figured this was the best way to cover some of the main attractions...
..while enjoying a little more flexibility than a structured tour.
I first jumped off near Government House -- the oldest official residence in Canada and the working residence of...
...the sovereign's representative in Nova Scotia for nearly two centuries.
Past visitors to the home include the late Queen Elizabeth, the then-Prince Charles, and Princess Diana among other notable Royals.
Just across the way was the Old Burying Ground -- a mid-18th century cemetery holding some 1300 headstones.
It's a spot that really preserves a moment in time and reading each grave gives you a small glimpse into the culture of Halifax in the 1700s.
Next up was a stroll through the beautifully maintained Halifax Public Gardens, known to be one of the finest...
...surviving examples of a Victorian Garden in North America.
The nearby Citadel, founded in 1749, towered over Halifax, offering sweeping views of the city streets below.
Once a principal overseas naval station in the British Empire, this National Historic Site acted as a command post to ward...
...off land-based attacks.
Today, you can wander the fortress exploring all the nooks and crannies while taking in more of its robust history.
Just a short drive away was the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, widely known as the final resting place for many victims on board the Titanic.
One of the interesting things I learned while visiting was that when the Titanic sent out distress signals in April of 1912...
...Newfoundland was the closest and only land mass to receive those calls, but because their ports were locked with ice and...
...there weren't enough undertakers available to handle the influx of bodies, cable ships from Halifax, Nova Scotia were sent out...
...on the rescue mission instead.
The victims buried in Halifax were recovered at sea near the area of the sinking and visitors today can browse gravestones...
...labeled with numbers assigned to the victims as each body was found.
And before you get ahead of yourself, this was, in fact, a Mr. Joseph Dawson, not the fictional Jack Dawson from the 1997 film.
As the hop-on hop-off bus made its way back to our cruise port, I jumped out of the vibrant Halifax Waterfront where I paid a...
...visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
Here I took in the exhibits depicting Nova Scotia's rich maritime heritage and continued learning about the Titanic disaster...
...as well as the 1917 Halifax Harbor explosion dubbed -- the most devastating man-made explosion in the...
...pre-atomic age -- killing over 1800 people and blinding some 200.
Of course, the museum wasn't all doom and gloom.
There were plenty examples of ship innovations over the years to browse as well.
I couldn't possibly leave Halifax without indulging in a few tasty treats.
Fortunately, if you ever search "what to eat in Canada," you'll find all the top players within walking distance...
...from the cruise port along the waterfront.
I happily ate up a fresh lobster roll, tried the soul-warming poutine, and closed it out with an original beaver tail.
Canadians sure know how to do it.
The sun was out in full force as we departed Halifax later that afternoon.
The next day, we arrived at the Bay of Fundy around 1pm and were scheduled to be in port until just after midnight --
A first for me on a cruise.
I couldn't imagine what there was to do that late in town, but I hit the ground running nevertheless.
If you're looking for a bit of shopping, there's a few cute stores right outside the cruise port in a fun array of old shipping...
...containers, but there's much more to explore just beyond that.
Today's adventure for me featured an excursion to a local maple farm and sugar shack.
I know! I know! A cliche Canadian thing to do, but as an outsider I really love learning what goes into making maple...
...syrup and getting to converse with the folks who were bottling up their own brand of products.
[Owner] So, most of the trees in this stand are maple trees. However, there are some other species here.
Balsam fur, white spruce, white ash around the corner, some trembling aspen out back...
...and that little bit of a mixture within a sugar bush, a little bit of diversity, it's usually a good thing and we try and encourage that..
...unless the trees are interfering directly with the maple trees and then we will thin them out.
The group enjoyed walking the forest, learning about past and present tree tapping methods, and...
...were treated to a pancake brunch with the freshest of syrups.
As the sun set on Saint John, I wandered the city streets to simply take in the vibe and soon noticed many others doing the same.
It turns out, the locals were gathering to celebrate us cruisers.
Our arrival on the Norwegian Joy marked the 3 millionth visitor via cruise ship to visit Saint John and the moment was...
...to be commemorated with a firework display later that evening.
Despite what it looked like, the ship itself did in fact survive the celebration and it felt pretty special being there for the occasion.
Of course, I couldn't help but add to the festivities by capping the night off with a delicious tater tot poutine.
Canada has stolen my heart.
The very next morning, we arrived in Portland -- a trendy coastal city in Maine that I, admittedly, did not explore much of.
The excursion I'd planned for today took us out of the central Portland area and into the quaint New England town of Kennebunkport.
Kennebunkport is known for being a long time shipbuilding mecca, but would be better described in modern times as...
...a charming town filled with beautiful mansions, local shops and quintessential inns.
Our tour took us through picturesque neighborhoods and into the local harbor where we would board a boat and learn about lobstering.
Along the way we'd even catch a glimpse of an iconic residence in the area -- the vacation home of...
...former President George H.W. Bush (when he was alive) and his family today.
Before leaving Kennebunkport, I made it a point to check out the town and grab a fresh clam chowder.
The town was adorable, but did feel a bit touristy.
I'm still grateful to have visited, though, and would recommend it to others coming to the Portland area.
As rain threatened to spoil nearly the entire day in our last port of Boston, I made the decision to...
...stay on the ship to enjoy the spa instead.
I've been to Boston countless times, so it wasn't a big deal for me, but I did want to share some thoughts from my last visit...
...here in case you're visiting for the first time.
If you enjoy a walk, I highly recommend strolling along the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail.
I did this from start to finish in 2017 and found that I was able to see most of the significant sites in the area just by following the brick path.
Next, if you're into sports, you can't visit Boston without a stop at Fenway Park -- home to the Red Sox baseball team.
Whether you step inside for a game or not, it's cool to just be in the presence of this iconic stadium.
For lovers of architecture. I'd recommend a visit to the Beacon Hill area -- a residential neighborhood complete with...
...cobblestone streets and idyllic row houses.
Lastly, if you're visiting by cruise ship and also happen to be an aviation enthusiast, I have to mention that the cruise port...
...is right next to Boston Logan International Airport -- so much so that takeoffs and landings are sometimes impacted...
...by whether or not a large cruise ship is moving into or out of the harbor.
I spent nearly an hour watching planes fly right over the ship before we departed for the day.
With one more day at sea, this 10-day adventure was nearing its end.
It's safe to say that I had a great time and I think the itinerary changes made it all the more interesting.
What did you guys think? Would you do a cruise to Canada?
I'm hoping to release a few more videos in the coming weeks detailing a bit more about the ship itself and also...
...how I got those Northern Light shots, so stay tuned...
...and, as always, thanks so much for watching.