CURRENTS

This morning, we were originally supposed to leave at 9:00am, but once again the Captain came over the PA system with a change of plans. Our departure wasn’t going to be at 6:00pm after all, and the new all-aboard time was brought forward to 2:30pm. That rather threw a spanner in the works. We’d been hoping for another full day to explore Halifax, but realistically we’d need to be back on board by around 2:00pm, so there wasn’t much point venturing too far. To make matters even more challenging, it was Canada Day, meaning quite a few of the shops were closed.

We’d been keeping in touch with Rick and Diane, who were now safely back home, and Rick suggested meeting up for lunch. That sounded like a much better plan, so we agreed and let Stacey and Jeff know, hoping they could join us too.

The only snag was that we’d already accepted an invitation to a hosted lunch in the Grand Dining Room with Alan and Randy at midday. Staying on the ship would have made getting back ashore rather pointless, so we sent them a message explaining that we’d love to catch up another day instead. They were completely understanding and wished us a great day ashore.

Rick had booked us a table at The Bicycle Thief for midday, one of the restaurants recommended to us yesterday. Since he and Diane had to drive about 30 minutes into Halifax from home, booking ahead was definitely the sensible option.

Once ashore, we wandered along the waterfront, and what a sight it was. Canada Day had turned the city into a sea of red, with almost everyone proudly wearing something to match the national colours. Street vendors were setting up their stalls, music filled the air, and there was a fantastic atmosphere everywhere we looked. It also gave us the perfect excuse to take a few more photos of the harbour before meeting up with Rick, Diane, Stacey and Jeff at the restaurant.

It was great to see Rick and Diane again, even though we’d only said our goodbyes yesterday. Apparently, one farewell simply wasn’t enough.

It turned out Rick’s advance booking was a very smart move. As you can imagine, Canada Day had created a city full of hungry people looking for somewhere to celebrate. We were given a lovely table outside in the shade and settled in for a thoroughly enjoyable lunch. The food was excellent, even if it took a little while to arrive, but that simply gave us more time to chat, catch up and enjoy each other’s company.

When it came time to leave, I asked for the bill, only to discover that Rick’s earlier trip to the toilet had actually been part of a sneaky master plan to pay for everyone’s lunch. We were all genuinely surprised because there was absolutely no need for him to do that. It just goes to show what a thoughtful and generous person he is. Thanks, Rick, you’re an absolute star, a true gentleman… and just a little bit devious!

It was now time to slowly make our way back towards the ship as we were getting dangerously close to our deadline. Rick and Diane’s car was parked near the port entrance, so we said what was now our third goodbye. Just before we reached the ship, Lorna messaged Peter to check whether the sail-away times had changed again. He confirmed they hadn’t and that all aboard was still 2:30pm, so we gave Rick and Diane one final wave before heading back on board.

Once back on the ship, we made the most of the remaining time by doing some last-minute laundry while I took advantage of the last bit of decent 5G signal to update the website. It’s amazing how quickly you become excited by something as simple as fast internet after spending months at sea.

Before long it was time to get ready and head up to Craig and Joyce’s suite, where they had organised a small get-together. Thanks to the ever-changing schedule, it had unintentionally become our official sail-away party.

While we were getting ready, the Captain made another announcement over the PA system. Our revised itinerary would now see us arriving in Boston at 4:00pm tomorrow before sailing directly to Miami for our scheduled arrival, meaning we would unfortunately miss both Charleston and New York.

There were understandably quite a few disappointed passengers on board, but for us it wasn’t all bad news. We’d never visited Boston, or even Massachusetts for that matter, so it meant another U.S. state to tick off our list. With an all-aboard time of midnight, we’d have plenty of opportunity to explore the city and perhaps even enjoy an evening meal ashore.

For now, though, it was time for the sail-away party.

Craig, Joyce, Karl, Virginia, Chuck and Lori were already there, and before long the mission became very clear: finish off as many open bottles of liquor as possible before we all disembarked on the 6th. Armed with a rather generous rum and Coke, we watched Halifax slowly disappear into the distance.

The sail-away wasn’t without a little entertainment, however. A complete lunatic in a small inflatable boat, accompanied by a woman who looked like she’d seriously begun questioning her life choices, decided it would be a great idea to race across our wake at full speed. Shirtless and seemingly fuelled by equal parts confidence and questionable decision-making, he launched the boat into the air several times while she clung on for dear life, somehow managing to wave at all of us watching from Deck 11.

Miraculously, he kept the inflatable the right way up before eventually peeling away with one final wave. I have a feeling that once they got back to shore, he was probably in for a rather stern debriefing. She didn’t look even remotely impressed.

As the afternoon drifted into evening, and we all made good progress reducing the ship’s remaining drinks inventory, it was finally time for dinner.

Karl and Virginia had reservations at one of the speciality restaurants, while Chuck and Lori headed up to The Terrace. We stayed behind for a while longer chatting with Craig and Joyce, when one piece of fantastic news was confirmed.

Craig had been the successful bidder for an engine room tour during the charity auction a few days earlier, and as Joyce wasn’t particularly interested in descending into the mechanical heart of the ship, he’d invited me to be his guest. Tomorrow at 11:00am we’d be heading deep into the bowels of the ship to see how everything works. It’s a seriously privileged opportunity, and a huge thank you to Craig for letting me tag along. As someone who loves seeing how things work behind the scenes, I couldn’t wait.

Eventually, we all made our way up to The Terrace. We spotted Chuck and Lori, but they were already settled at a table for four, so we found one nearby and continued chatting between mouthfuls.

After another excellent meal, we decided to call it a night. We had an exciting morning ahead, and it seemed wise to arrive at the engine room tour with a clear head. Touring the inner workings of a cruise ship is probably best done without a rum-induced fog still lingering from the night before!