After a busy day in Boston, Rockland was a quiet port to spend the day. We enjoyed relaxing walks and some excellent food.
Our cruise to Canada and New England took us across the Atlantic to St John’s, Newfoundland; Sydney, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; two days in New York City; Newport, Rhode Island, Boston, Massachusetts; Rockland, Maine; Saint John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and back across the Atlantic to Southampton.
Day 16 Sunday 29th September 2019: Rockland, Maine
Just before 8 am we heard the anchor dropping and the ships thrusters positioning the ship. Outside the weather looked perfect with blue sky and only small patches of cloud. We had no trips planned so we decided not to rush to leave the ship.
We went to the International Restaurant where we were sat on a table for eight and there we listened to the ‘happenings’ on trips in New York and in Boston. One couple had booked online and when they took the tour it was a different itinerary to that which they had booked. Back on board they asked the excursion desk to go online and give them a copy of what they had booked space-space this was refused. Later another member of the team did print the itinerary off for that excursion from the Princess website. They argued some more and were eventually given a refund.
Boston was another place where an excursion went wrong. This was a four hour bus tour taking in the sights and they going onto Harvard. There were no comfort breaks for drinks off the toilet stops. The guide was it seems oblivious to the coach full of passengers and their needs.
My concerns at breakfast were rather more urgent, the minute steak I ordered off the speciality breakfast menu came raw! I left it having already had had a bowl of granola.
On a tender to Rockland
When we were ready we headed down to the Savoy restaurant to wait for a ship’s tender. We only had a few minutes wait before we were asked to go down to this tender dock. The upper deck of the tender was free and I had my first ride on the tender outside.
Initially it was rather cold.
I did enjoy being able to see the views from the tender.
We passed the lighthouse that Rockland is famous for – the Breakwater Lighthouse. The lighthouse sits at the end of 4,346 granite breakwater. The breakwater stretches right into the harbour and the lighthouse is still active.
We could then see the Rockland landing.
