Monday, October 24, 2022

Aboard the Viking Star

 

Aboard the Viking Star

Finally all unpacked and laundry finished and time to reflect on a great journey on the Viking Star.  We enjoyed a wonderful "repositioning" cruise that took us from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale - with many wonderful stops along the way!  

We were happy to arrive in Montreal on time with no flight delays...hoped to interview for Global Entry at the airport but the office was closed and had been since Covid began.

Beautiful view from our stateroom.

Toured the amazing cathedral in Montreal...

Learned that the main aisle slopes downward to mimic the flow of the St. Lawrence river.

This was a first for me...I did see battery operated candles in churches before, but I never saw a way to pay for your candle with a credit card !
Quebec the next day....lovely old town.



Wonderful day exploring the historic city.
Next stop was Saguenay... a small town with great scenery.



Beautiful churches and this pyramid memorial to people lost in the terrible flooding in 1997.

Found a lot of Little Free Libraries along the way, but this one was "the coolest"!

We got to spend an extra morning there as our stop at Prince Edward Island was cancelled due to damage from Hurricane Fiona.  The island did not have power and was not accepting any cruise ships.  I was sorry to miss that stop and the Anne of Green Gables tour...but enjoyed the extra time to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Loved the spa pool with the warm water and great loungers.

Waffles !

Seemed like there was always a reason for the crew to pass our champagne...

and Afternoon Tea.  What bliss...with beautiful music and delicious treats.



The food on this cruise was AMAZING!
Next stop was St. John, New Brunswick 

I always seem to find the libraries and the bookstores...

Interesting area with "reversing falls" when the tide changes.
Next stop was Bar Harbor, Maine...and Acadia National Park.



Chowder and toasted cheese for lunch...

This shop sold lobster ice cream !!!


Back on the ship for a wonderful lobster dinner!
Then next day arrived in Portland, Maine - 
What a beautiful city.
Our tour out to the light house was not until the afternoon so we explored on our own -

The last existing watch tower in the U.S.

Another little free library where I found a book I wanted to read...will add a book to a little library in my neighborhood to keep the idea going.

Lovely walk along the bay and enjoying all the sea captain's homes.


We found the restored area near the docks with lots of shops and places to eat...

By the time we made it back to the ship my Fitbit said we walked over 15,000 steps....so I indulged in gelato and dessert...and wine at lunch!

We were lucky with weather the entire trip....rained a little as we visited the beautiful lighthouse.
The rocky coast of Maine was really gorgeous...then it was on to Newport, Rhode Island.

Trinity Church

Loved the stained glass


The pew where George Washington worshipped...

The kneelers are from when Queen Elizabeth visited in 1976 and worshipped there with President Ford.

We walked around the harbor and looked at some of the huge yachts.


Like stars on the water....a wonderful day!

Back to the ship for another Afternoon Tea time.

Cannot say enough about how great the crew was - they all wore masks to keep us safe. (We wore masks in the airport, on the plane, on any tour bus, and in the theater.)  Viking crew treated us royally...remembering what we liked to drink, our names, and our cabin steward took care of our every need.  

And once again...the food !  This was surf and turf...and both the lobster and filet were done to perfection.  The portions were huge...so much so that several times we asked for half portions.  We are usually very careful with our diets and try to eat healthy.  On this trip....forget about it!   We have vowed to be more moderate on the next cruise....we shall see.

The closer we got to Fort Lauderdale the warmer the weather became...we enjoyed the infinity pool and hot tub at the back of the ship.  


It was a fabulous trip - we saw so much nature and history, enjoyed fabulous food and wine, met a lot of interesting people from all over the world, and spent time just relaxing and watching the water!
Can't wait for the next trip...coming in March!

Do you like to cruise?  River?  Ocean?  What cruise lines do you enjoy?  Please leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!
Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista - have a great week!

4 comments:

  1. Ann, that looks like a fabulous cruise you both got to enjoy. How nice to visit all of those places and the food looked so good. I went on a cruise many years ago with friends to the Bahamas on the NCL. I enjoyed hearing all about your trip and I loved looking at the photos.

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  2. What an amazing trip Ann! Thank you for sharing. It all looked incredible and fun. The food, the sights, the ship...loved it all. I've been to Montreal and my daughters lit candles in the cathedral but I don't think they had the credit card machine back then. You visited so many cool places. Did you try the lobster ice cream?

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  3. Hi Ann! We've done a couple of the Viking River Cruises but not ocean ships. They certainly know how to make it a great time for their passengers & the food! Well fuhgetaboutit! We took a drive to Maine last year to see the leaves changing-it was beautiful then, so I know you & your hubby enjoyed yourselves. I look forward to your blogs AND hearing about your trip in March. Stay well!!

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