Beyond The Maple Tree

Before our sabbatical ended, Jen’s mom found a last-minute deal on an affordable Artic cruise. So, before going back to work full-time, we decided to squeeze in one last adventure. We boarded the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas in Amsterdam and set off on a 17-night journey that ended in New Jersey.

Along the way, we visited the following ports:

• Akureyri, Iceland
• Isafjordur, Iceland
• Prins Christian Sund Cruise, Greenland
• Qaqortoq, Greenland
• St. John's, Halifax, and Sidney, Canada

The Jewel of the Seas is smaller than what we’re accustomed to. It belongs to the Radiance class and is approximately 55% of the size of the Quantum class ships we’ve sailed on before. Because of its size, it lacks some of the facilities we’ve enjoyed on past cruises: no indoor sports court, FlowRider, or iFly, to name a few.

But that didn’t stop us from making the most of it. We played basketball, tried our hand at mini golf, and kept active in the gym. To be fair, most of our time was spent relaxing between ports, participating in trivia, and eating. Jen even managed to squeeze in some work.

One of the things we realized on this cruise is that the ships are so high that you always have a great view of any port you arrive at; It's like the ship is a floating observation deck. Here are a few views we enjoyed along the way: a sunset as we exited Amsterdam, some of the villages we visited, and the port of Newark.

After leaving Greenland, we made our way to our last three ports in Eastern Canada. Surprisingly, we had never visited this part of our country before, so it was a pleasant addition to our trip.

St-Johns, Newfoundland

Our first stop was St. John’s, Newfoundland, where we were greeted by a beautiful view of the city. We took a quick stroll and visited the colorful houses on Gower Street. While there are colorful houses throughout the city, we found that Gower Street offers the best continuous view of them.

We then decided to walk ~2.5 kilometers to Signal Hill, a viewpoint overlooking the city. On Signal Hill, we visited the historical site and learned that it was here, in 1901, that the first successful transatlantic wireless communication was conducted.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Our second maritime port was Halifax, Nova Scotia's capital. We arrived here on a sunny Sunday where we set out to explore their boardwalk, which was filled with shops, activities, and people. We then visited the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where we learned about the Titanic tragedy and the Halifax Explosion. We did not know that in 1917, a French cargo ship loaded with wartime explosives collided with a Norwegian vessel in Halifax Harbor. The collision triggered a massive explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, leveling a significant part of Halifax. We finished our day by walking around the Citadel and watching a live band perform at Halifax's Public Gardens.

Sidney, Nova Scotia

Finally, we visited Sydney, Nova Scotia's second-largest town (but much smaller than Halifax). The primary attraction in this area is the Cabot Trail. Unfortunately, during our visit, the weather was overcast and drizzly. As a result, we just took a brief stroll around the town before returning to the ship.

We decided to join Jen’s parents on a 29 day cruise on Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia.  

Here are the stops that we did along the way:
First Leg (8 nights)
- Vancouver, Canada
- Seattle, USA
- 5 sea days
- Maui, USA (2 days)
- Honolulu, USA

Second Leg (20 nights)
- Honolulu, USA
- 5 sea days  - crossed the equator
- Moorea, French Polynesia (2 days)
- Papeete, French Polynesia
- 5 sea days - crossed the international dateline
- Napier, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Picton, New Zealand
- 2 sea days
- Sydney, Australia

Equatorial Crossing
If you have never sailed over the Equator before, you are known as a Pollywog.  Between Hawaii and French Polynesia, we crossed the equator and the cruise director performed an Equatorial baptism ceremony.    They poured some of Neptune's cold water from the Northern Hemisphere, and then hot water from the Southern Hemisphere, onto each Pollywog's head.  I guess we are now considered Shellbacks and even have some nice certificates to prove it 😂

"Equatorial baptism is an initiation ritual sometimes performed as a ship crosses the Equator, involving water baptism of passengers or crew who have never crossed the Equator before. The ceremony is sometimes explained as being an initiation into the court of King Neptune. Sailors who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed Shellbacks. Those who have not crossed are nicknamed Pollywogs."

Dateline Crossing
Between French Polynesia and New Zealand, we crossed the international dateline.  For us, Saturday Oct. 22, 2022 was completely lost - it is an entire day in our lives that just never existed.  We went to bed on Friday Oct. 21st, and when we woke up the next morning, it was Sunday Oct 23rd 😃!

Activities

We enjoy sailing with Royal Caribbean because they have so many activities available to keep us occupied, particularly on the big Quantum or Oasis class boats.  Here are some of our highlights: