Jamie's Black Watch Cruise to Canada & New England

Jamie has been with Cumbria Cruises for 12 years and has visited or cruised on over 10 cruise ships during his time here, including Queen Elizabeth 2, Oriana, Oceana, Brilliance of the Seas, Arcadia, Island Star, Voyager of the Seas & many more. This was his first Fred. Olsen cruise, shared with work colleague David. Jamie is the Training Co-Ordinator for Cumbria Cruises, and in his spare time enjoys golf and many other sports.

Day 1 - Thursday 11th October
Day 2 - Friday 12th October
Day 3 - Saturday 13th October
Day 4 - Sunday 14th October
Day 5 - Monday 15th October
Day 6 - Tuesday 16th October
Day 7 - Wednesday 17th October
Overall Experience

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Thursday 11th October

The waiting was over and it was finally time for our Fred. Olsen adventure to begin. Having to fly from Heathrow meant that we needed to incorporate an overnight stay so off we headed on the 9.10am train from Barrow to London Euston. Arriving into Euston in the early afternoon gave us the opportunity to sample the delights of London before retiring to our hotel, The Kings Cross Travelodge for the night.

Friday 12th October

After a leisurely and much needed breakfast, we faced the somewhat daunting prospect of the London underground at rush hour!

An hour and a half later we arrived at Heathrow and checked in for our flight with Air Canada. (With security as it is these days, I would definitely recommend you arrive 3 hours prior to departure if you are taking a long haul flight).

We made our way to the gate and boarded the plane and prepared for our journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 6 hour flight seemed to fly be (if you’ll forgive the pun) with a host of entertainment options, a regular supply of complimentary drinks and outstanding service throughout. Based on this experience, I would have no hesitation in recommending Air Canada.
 
On arrival in Halifax, we were met by a local guide who assisted us with the transfer to the Marriott Hotel where we were to spend our first night on Canadian soil. Along the way, we caught glimpses of the fantastic autumn foliage and gained an insight into the town’s proud maritime history.

After an exemplary meal at the hotel, we were treated to some live music in the hotel bar before retiring for the evening.

Saturday 13th October

Following an extremely hearty Canadian breakfast, it was time to transfer to the pier, where we got our first glance at the Black Watch which would be our home for the next 3 nights. Although somewhat dwarfed by the neighbouring Grand Princess, Black Watch looked elegant and welcoming.

Having checked into our rather spacious ‘Junior Suite’, we returned ashore and headed for the town centre to see what delights Halifax had to offer. After a short stop for lunch, we decided to take a tour of the ‘famous’ Keith Alexander’s brewery.  The tour was extremely authentic and gave visitors a real insight into the history of the brewery and the skills involved in brewing their famous ‘India Pale Ale’.

The guides were all dressed in traditional costumes and their enthusiasm and attention to detail certainly enhanced the whole experience. At approximately £9 per person (including 2 glasses of their ‘Pale Ale’, I would definitely recommend this tour).

Conscious of time, we hot footed it back to the ship and headed up on deck in anticipation of us leaving port. We received a terrific send off from Halifax as a local piper played a host of heart warming tunes, in keeping with the town’s strong Scottish roots.

After an extremely smooth first hour or two’s sailing, the seemingly benign sea became rather choppy, forcing a number of passengers, myself included back to our cabins to sleep off a bout of sea sickness! Whilst my own experience on day one of the cruise had ended somewhat abruptly, the rest of the passengers onboard continued with their plans, enjoying an evening meal in the Glentanar Restaurant before heading to the Lido Bar for a spot of socialising and I dare say one or two drinks! 

Sunday 14th October

Fully rejuvenated and raring to go, I rejoined the ships complement of passengers for a buffet style breakfast in the Glentanar Restaurant. With an excellent choice of both hot and cold food, there really was something for everyone.

By now we’d arrived at our next port of call – St. John’s, New Brunswick. A tour had been arranged to take in the sights of the city, including:

- Marigold Mile, a project managed by students from a local school.
- Maritime Museum – artefacts included an amazing complete whale skeleton.
- The Famous Reversing Falls (see below)

Following lunch en route at an excellent seafood restaurant, we were taken to the New Brunswick Reversing Falls, about which we’d heard so much during our morning tour. A jet boat trip across the falls had been arranged, and although we’d been warned that we might get slightly wet, I don’t think any of us really new what to expect.

Kitted out from head to toe in rather fetching yellow waterproofs, we made our way down to the edge of a small and somewhat rickety pier before boarding the small jet boat (think I drew the short straw as I ended up right at the front). On meeting our pilot, an extremely eccentric French Canadian, it soon became evident that this wasn’t going to be a leisurely, scenic ride across the falls but more of a rollercoaster!

For the next 20 minutes or so, we were ‘jetted’ back and forth across the extraordinary Reversing Falls at break neck speed, riding wave after wave and as I’m sure you can imagine, getting completely soaked in the process. The expression ‘drowned rats’ sprung to mind but nevertheless, this was a truly exhilarating experience and one that I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting St. Johns.

After drying off and a much needed hot drink, we headed back to the ship to prepare for dinner.

An interesting and varied menu, including Reindeer greeted us in the Glentanar Restaurant. After an enjoyable meal, we headed to the Lido Lounge for yet more socialising!

The crowds had really been drawn to the Lido that evening with an Elvis impersonator on show. The entertainment was excellent although slightly bizarre as this was the first Elvis act I’d ever known to sing just about everything other than ‘Elvis’ tracks. Nevertheless, there was an excellent atmosphere and to see people of all ages dancing the night away was really nice. A quick glance at the watch and the latest bar bill told us it was time for bed, just short of 3pm!

Monday 15th October

Inevitably, there were a few sore heads and blurry eyes when we met for breakfast the following morning but nothing a hearty English breakfast couldn’t cure. Following a relaxed morning onboard, it was time for a spot of lunch and for a change we decided to try the buffet style Garden Café. There were both hot and cold options to choose from and the deserts were definitely worth sampling!

With full stomachs, we headed up on deck in time to see the ship arriving into Boston, a city I had heard so much about and wanted to see more of.

US immigration officials boarded the ship shortly after docking at 1pm and began the process of checking all passengers’ passports and Visa Waiver forms. Unfortunately, due to slightly pedantic ways of the US authorities, no-one was allowed to leave the ship until everyone had cleared immigration. As you can imagine, with a ship full of passengers this was a slow process and it wasn’t until around 5pm that the first passengers were finally able to disembark.

With little or no time left to explore the city that day, we decided to stay onboard and sample the afternoon tea and cakes.
( Top tip – try to arrive early when afternoon tea is served to avoid the rush!)

After a slightly frustrating and disappointing day, we were taken to the nearby ‘Anthony’s’, a pier-side restaurant, popular with some of America’s top celebrities. On the evidence of our meal, it wasn’t hard to see to why the rich and famous descend upon this restaurant. I can happily report that ‘American Size’ portions do exist! ....the steak I had was enormous but the lobster dish really was in a world of its own! I would recommend Anthony’s to anyone providing you have a fairly sizeable wallet and more importantly a healthy appetite as the starter or mid course Caesar salad would have been enough for most people!

With our stomachs at bursting point and our wallets lighter, we headed back to the Black Watch and you guessed it, the ‘Lido Lounge’. By now however, we were tiring fast so after a couple of drinks it was off to our cabin for a much needed rest.

Tuesday 16th October

After yet another fabulous breakfast onboard, we headed into Boston for a spot of retail therapy.

It was a relief to find a ‘Macy’s’ retail store as I becoming increasingly worried that I would be heading back home empty handed and facing the wrath of rather disappointed girlfriend on my return to the UK. So, newly bought perfume in hand (much cheaper than in the UK I might add), there was just time for a quick coffee in Quincy Market before heading back to the ship.

Despite having only a few hours in Boston, I was extremely impressed with the city which was both clean and interesting. The quaint atmosphere in Quincy Market was wonderful and on the evidence of our short stay here, I would definitely recommend a couple of nights in Boston pre or post cruise if at all possible.

Our Boston experience was to continue in the afternoon as we were taken to Prudential Tower for an amazing lunch in every respect. On the 52nd floor and in a private dining room, the views of the city and neighbouring state of New Hampshire were simply breathtaking. The food was equally good and all in all, this truly was an unforgettable experience.

For the final part of our fleeting Boston adventure, we were given a city tour which was both interesting and informative, including a visit to the world famous Harvard University.

Unfortunately, as the afternoon drew to a close, it was time to head off to Logan Airport for our flight back to the UK.

With US immigration and security as it these days, the whole check in procedure did seem to take a long time so be prepared for a bit of a wait if you’re flying home from the States. Our flight home with American Airlines was okay but it didn’t quite live up to the high standards set by Air Canada on our outward journey.

Then again, I think we were rather weary by this stage so our judgement may have been somewhat clouded.

Wednesday 17th October

Having landed back into Heathrow at 6am the following morning; David and I then faced the long train journey back up North to Barrow-in-Furness.

To save time and the hassle of the London Underground we paid £16 to travel on the Heathrow express train which took over an hour off our journey and meant we were able to catch a much earlier train home from Euston to Barrow. This is definitely worth the extra cash for anyone facing a similar journey.

So, almost 24 hours after checking in at Boston, we’d finally arrived home and it was time to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Overall Experience

An excellent trip on the whole with outstanding service onboard Black Watch. The food was very good and the atmosphere onboard both welcoming and extremely friendly. If you choose a similar itinerary I would highly recommend you try the jet boat in St. John’s and would definitely suggest you head to Quincy Market in Boston, or for the more serious shoppers, a trip to Macy’s should be high on the agenda.

Trip Highlights:
- Lunch Jet Boat ride in St.John’s, New Brunswick
- Lunch in Prudential Tower, Boston
- Dinner at Anthony’s seafood restaurant, Boston
- Food onboard Black Watch, particularly in Glentanar Restaurant

Costs:
- Onboard drinks: (very reasonable)  * Pint of Lager = £2.30 * Spirits = £2.20
- Jet boat ride = £35 pp (approximately)
- Taxi from port to Boston city centre (approximately $10)
- Heathrow Express (from Heathrow to Euston £16pp)

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