Walking back to the ship
The walk back along the road and then along the tourist path in the public park did seem to take a long time.
When we reach the roads under flyovers, after the park, we turned right following the river and walked back towards the docked ship.
This path lead towards a row of apartment blocks and to the left the back of the market. We went into the market for a quick look around and to have a coffee.
When we left the Market Square we turned left and past a row of cafés and bars. On the opposite side of the path there was a row of stages. On one of them a lone guitarist was performing. We both agreed that this would have been a good place to pass our time rather than getting lost for over an hour.
When we were back at the terminal I decided to go onboard and pick up my laptop to try and get the Microsoft Office software to decide that it was indeed registered. Security at the gate asked to see my passport as well as my cruise card. This was a first!
Back in the terminal I had to wait a while for the Wi-Fi to connect. When it had, my laptop software worked for the first time on the whole cruise. We made WhatsApp calls to check in on family before we both went through security and went back on board.
The Atrium had free chairs and tables and we took advantage of the spaces and picked up sandwiches from the International Café for a late lunch.
Leaving Saint John
Sapphire Princess left Saint John at around 4 pm. Out on deck it was windy as the ship spun to leave the harbour.
Sabatini‘s
We had booked eat at Sabatini‘s for a special meal. This may have been the Italian themed restaurant on the ship but I still wanted to have a proper steak.
Just one of the tables was occupied when we entered. Our table was strategically placed in the middle near the windows but not at the windows. The table was set and there was a bottle of house red also strategically placed on the table. I asked for a wine (the Malbec) that wasn’t on the wine list in this restaurant. However, this did delay the start of a meal while we waited. After the wine came we ordered. By then there was a table behind us occupied but the table by the windows was now free. It was very strange being in a restaurant on board with only two other tables occupied.
The starters.
Our main courses.
And finally our desserts.
I had ordered porcini mushrooms for my starter, a steak and then Keylime pie we did our best to make the meal last but towards the end of the meal we definitely felt that our servers wanted us to get out of the restaurant.
When we left there was just one of the table occupied as well as the one just behind us. The mushrooms were fine, the steak was cooked perfectly and was an excellent cut. Honestly we were not sure if eating there was worth the extra mainly because of the weird vibes from an empty restaurant and the hassle from the servers.
Back in the cabin we watched a film and chilled out after all our walking throughout the day.
From the Cruise Log
Saint John, New Brunswick,Canada — Monday 30th September 2019
Overnight Sapphire Princess proceeded along various easterly and northeasterly courses as she entered the Bay of Fundy at an average speed of 17 kts. At 02:00, the ship’s clocks were set forward by one hour to return to UTC-3. She made her final approach to Saint John from the south, embarking the local pilot at 04:24 using her starboard side pilot ladder. After proceeding through the pilotage waters, she berthed starboard side alongside the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal, running her first lines ashore at 05:42.
All lines had been made fast by 06:11 and the £irst gangway rigged and ready at 06:18. Saint John is known as having one of the largest tidal ranges in the world, with 8.7m of tidal range experienced today during Sapphire Princess’ call. This extreme tidal range range required frequent gangway changes between the different decks and regular adjustments to the mooring lines as the tide flooded in and raised Sapphire Princess higher in relation to the berth.
All persons were confirmed back on board by 15:43, so Sapphire Princess commenced unmooring operations at 15:57. Twelve minutes later all lines had been recovered and she departed the berth, swinging the bow to starboard and exiting the harbour. The local pilot was disembarked at 16:50. Once clear of the pilot boarding station, Sapphire Princess increased speed to maximum RPM achievable on 3 of her diesel generator s plus the Gas Turbine, before exiting the Bay of Fundy in the late evening on a southwesterly heading. Noon Position: Alongside in Saint John .
Wind: Gentle NNE’ly breeze. Force 3
Sky: Clear skies
Seas: Calm Glassy (alongside); Slight Seas + Short Low WSW’ly swell
Pressure: 1024 hPa
Air Temperature: 16°C / 61°F
Our next port was Halifax, Nova Scotia