On July 17,
17 adventuresome OSC members boarded a bus in Camillus and headed for NYC for a
five-day adventure on the Carnival Cruise Ship Victory, which was destined for
St John's, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 5PM departure
was delayed until 10PM, which enabled us to see the amazing New York skyline at
night. Cruising past Miss Liberty all lit up was definitely a high point
for us all.
Approximately
3400 people joined us in the port of New York and just getting on the ship was
an experience. Once on the ship we of course headed for the restaurant
and experienced our first of many meals. Saturday evening we navigated
our way to the Atlantic dining room and found our tables where our faithful
waiter Maros took care of all our culinary needs.
After a day
at sea, we docked in St John's where the weather was less than
cooperative. However we all went on our various tours and adventures and
enjoyed it all. In Halifax, the next day, the sun finally broke through
and we able to go on tours and wander through the streets with some beautiful
weather.
Here are
some reports from our individual cruisers...
Dick and
Joanne Butler loved the private taxi tour they took in St John's (with the
Clarks and Fosters). The taxi driver regaled them with local
folklore and took them to out of the way places (including his childhood
home). They dined at a local lobster restaurant and got to tour a
magnificent B&B.
Christa and
Scott Foster particularly enjoyed touring the public gardens in Halifax, which
just reopened in July after being devastated by a hurricane last fall.
They also loved visiting picturesque fishing village of Peggy's Cove near
Halifax. Fifty people live in Peggy's cove and seem to take the steady
stream of tour buses in their stride.
Diane and
Dave Clark also found the taxi tour of St Johns intriguing. Back at the
ship though Diane was mesmerized with a Mexican dancer named Javier and found
his bouncing.... ponytail fascinating. Dave on the other hand couldn't
take his eyes off the "Las Vegas" style Victory Dancers who provided
entertainment in thong style costumes. .
MaryJo
Dinuzzo began her trip with one the ship's famous daily specials, which
contained a large amount of alcohol. She was one happy traveler.
MaryJo spent a fair amount of time in the Spa Carnival getting various parts of
her body messaged. She particularly loved the workouts in the gym with
her roommate Anne.
Gerri
Nelson was our golden girl winning $1000 in playing bingo and $200 in the
Casino. When she was not gambling, touring Peggy's Cove took high marks.
Maureen
Williams loved the kayak trip she took in St John's in spite of the pouring
rain.
Sunny
Murray, John Tuttle and Sunny's daughter Chantal also were intrigued by the
gardens in Halifax. Chantal was interested in the Happy Harbor
Hopper (a little tug) in Halifax. Sunny was happy with the $180 she
won in Bingo. But John more than took care of spending the winnings by
buying 18 paintings at the on ship auction.
Marv
Patnode loved the quaintness of St John's. He also studied the female
Victory dancers closely (research you know).
A high
point for Norm P. was visiting a hockey rink in St John's. They happened
to come across it while walking and got a private tour with a rink
employee. Norm also loved strolling along the beautiful harbor front
boardwalk in Halifax, which stretched out for 2 miles and was filled with
shops, restaurants and museums.
Jack
Kincella paid close attention too to the Victory Dancers while Marcia focused
on gambling. Gerri won all the money but Marcia just liked trying.
Marcia took advantage of the "free" room service and had breakfast in
bed most days. Jack promised to continue the tradition.
Anne Sonne
still counted points and took all the ships exercise classes. She got a
detox treatment and a body composition testing. A high point for Anne was
driving past the "refugee" camp where she stayed for a few golden
days following the 9/11 disaster. She was fascinated by Peggy's Cove
(site of another disaster- the Swissair crash in 1998). Seeing the
"real" Halifax and getting to walk along their beautiful waterfront
provided closure for a very devastating time.
All in all
the food was fabulous and plentiful, the ship was unbelievable, the company was
exceptional, the gambling was addicting and the tours were for the most part
very worthwhile. We are all ready to go once again...........But this
time are going to head south to the Caribbean for sun and fun....And to have
another shot seeing those great dancers...
Check out
our slide show @ 2004CruiseSlideShow.htm
