Our Carnival Cruise to Canada- 3rd Anniversary Celebration

Our actual anniversary isn't till September 26th, but I'm planning my Mom & Dad's 50th wedding anniversary party and their anniversary is September 29th. So with 260 some people invited we have a lot of work and not enough time. We just figured we could celebrate a little early and give ourselves a little vacation before the chaos of September ensues! =)

Honestly, this was a very last minute decision...I had originally wanted to do a staycation, which is basically just day trips around your area, like: historical sites, museums, national parks, factory tours, etc. and then you come back home & stay in your own home, so you don't have to pay for a hotel. They are supposed to be cheaper. I love doing that kind of stuff. I thought it would be fun, but my husband wasn't too keen on driving long distances and then having to drive back...so out of the blue (a few days before our scheduled week off) he suggested to go on a cruise!! So, I scrambled to get us packed....bought a few REALLY cute outfits...and some nice shirts for my man. =) haahaa! (can't go on vacation without a few new articles of clothing!!)

We had to leave out of New York, New York. So, we looked up how much parking would be and it was like $35 a night!!!! ouch! Branson found another parking garage that was about $28 a night, but it was still ridiculously expensive. =( My Mom & Dad offered to drive us up so we could save on the parking money...that was a HUGE blessing!!! I DEFINITELY recommend someone else driving you to port if you have that option. When we arrived, checked-in, they took our pictures, and everything went very smoothly...a lot better then flying, let me tell you!

We're leaving New York!!

The view from the Carnival Glory! Good bye New York!

Aw! My sweetie & me!

 Branson got this hilarious shot with the seagull!

 Love this old fashioned ship in front of the Lady Liberty!

There was an old 1920's or 30's plane flying around the Statue of Liberty with a police helicopter escort. I think they were videoing for a film or something. It was really interesting to watch.

 Wow...so many people!

 And all the workers were so nice!!

 Aww- after we got back from dinner a little towel 

elephant was waiting for us on the bed! =)

Also awaiting us were day-trip tickets!!! I was so excited!!!

 Our bedroom was surprisingly big...way bigger then what I imagined.

 Our bathroom was really big too! Our room was at the very front of the ship, we were on a corner so we had no noisy neighbors, & we were right down the hall from an outside deck door, so we could go outside very easily to see the view & to check the weather. =) It was a perfect location!

 This is our first night on the boat...tomorrow we will be at sea all day.

 We went mini golfing on the roof! It was really cool!

 Hi! There's me! =) I look so tiny!

They had a very nice little mini golf course.

 They had a jumbo-tron on the main deck...

we were watching the Olympics. Go USA!!!!

They had theater-like seating so you could sun bath while watching the jumbo-tron.

 They had a dessert bar like this at the buffet every meal! Yum! Yum!!

 I took a picture of where we were in the ocean. =)

 They had all kinds of activities on the boat during the day-at-sea. We went to a really cool ice sculpture demonstration of a seahorse. We went to a murder mystery challenge (that was ongoing during the time we were on the ship)

...and later that evening in the Amber Palace (pictured above) they had a Las Vegas style Broadway production, which was fantastic! I loved it!

 This the view from the glass elevator.

We were going down to see the Captain of the ship. =)

 The Captain is welcoming us on board and wishing us a happy cruise.

 I hunted the Captain down so we could get a picture with him. =)

 We went to a comedy show...it was pretty good. 

Had a couple good laughs. =)

 That night we had a little doggie waiting for us on the bed.

 That night (Thursday) was elegant night so Branson said I could get my hair done at the salon on the ship. They were actually pretty reasonable. I think I paid $47 for an up-do. I really liked how she did my hair.

 So at midnight that night Branson decided that he wanted room service. He ordered himself a grilled cheese, a plate of assorted cookies, & a piece of chocolate cake. I ordered a chicken fajita and 4 chocolate milks. haahaa!! I shared the chocolate milks...and I could only eat 1/2 of my fajita.

 He is in is glory right now. haahaa!!

 I did eat some of the cookies. 

 The fajita was really good! I don't know how I slept with all the food in my belly! Glad we slept well because the next day we're at St. John, New Brunswick all day! Full day ahead!

 It's now Friday. We ordered room service because we didn't think we would have time to go to breakfast & get ready in time. We had our tickets, passports, & ship key in hand and ready for our day excursion. Our first stop is Reversing Falls Rapids. I won't retype the picture above...I think it's clear enough to read. It was super interesting. Bonnie (our tour guide) also told us that the city spent 1 million dollars on the gangplank we came walked in on because of the high tides that they get in St. John! Crazy! She said that the water is 50 degrees year round and because the Fundy Bay meets St. John's Bay there are seals in the bay year round.

 We were at Reversing Falls Rapids during Slack Tide.

 It's tough to get some decent pictures together when you're traveling by yourselves....especially when your husband is tickling you while you're arm is outstretched snapping photos. =) He's such a stinker!

 It was really pretty there, though it was hard to see because of the fog. Bonnie said the locals are always thankful for the fog because it keeps their temperatures cooler. 

Across the way thru the fog is a paper mill...they spent millions of dollars to make their plant 'green' so they wouldn't smell & they wouldn't pollute the water.

 We went to the New Brunswick Museum it had three floors: 1-History, 2-Natural Sciences, 3-Fine & Decorative Arts. We went thru the History floor and some of the Natural Sciences, but never made it up to the third floor...we ran out of time and didn't want to be left behind (like two other people on our bus).

 Once we got on the bus, we waited for two people...and after 10 minutes the tour guide called her superiors and they told her to leave without them. She said it wasn't fair to the rest of us who paid for a tour not to get the full tour...I completely agreed. From then on, everyone on the bus showed up 10 minutes earlier than when we had to each time she gave us a time to be back on the bus, because we didn't want to be left behind. haahaa!!! =) 

Anyway, the bag that my husband is holding and wincing about is Dulce. Dulce is an edible seaweed that they harvest up in St. John. It takes two days for it to dry and once it's dry Bonnie says the locals love them and eat them like potato chips....so, we decided to try it!

  He's taking the plunge....

 haahaaahahaa!!!! It was super salty...I guess you can tell by his facial expressions it wasn't his favorite past-time snack.

 My favorite is when he said, "That does NOT taste like potato chips!" haahaa! I tried some too, but it's way funner to look at his pictures than mine! =) I even bought a little baggy of it to bring home for my nephews to try. It was only $1 for a little bag.

  Our next stop is probably one of my favorites...maybe only because you could do a little shopping, but it's really cool because Saint John City Market is Canada's oldest farmers' market. It's been in operation since 1876. It takes up an entire city block. Every morning & every evening a bell is rung to signify opening & closing each day. It also survived a horrible fire in 1877 that destroyed 2/3s of the city's core. 

Ps. the people that we left behind...knew that our next stop was the city market & they found their way back to the bus...they were never late again. =)

 The roof of the market is built like a inverted ship's hull...reflecting the city's shipbuilding past. It's a very very neat place! I found a really cool broken china necklace for $20! The lady didn't have an Etsy account, but her jewelry looked similar to this shop: Mystic Glass 

 This is the Market Square...a very happening place.

 We took a little drive thru St. Martin's Fishing Village to the Stonehammer Geopark.

 The sea caves were really cool. Our tour guide said that she often kayaks in the bay and you can actually go into the caves.

   The entire beach was made up of pebbles!

 It was very beautiful and peaceful here.

 There was a restaurant on location, The Caves Restaurant. They had very good food. I got a chicken ceasar salad wrap with fries...it was SOOO good and you definitely got your moneys worth.

 Branson got a lobster roll & onion rings and he said it was fantastic! We both really enjoyed lunch and the view was so beautiful!

 On our way back to town we stopped at a covered bridge to take a few pictures. Visit: St. Martins to see a really neat aerial view of the bridges. Why are they covered? To protect them from the weather...in essence the bridge would last longer due to being protected from the elements of weather.

 We had a little smooth...after all they are nicknamed 'kissing bridges'.

 Some kind fellow cruiser took our picture for us. =)

 My handsome hub...this is the only place you can get a picture of two covered bridges in one picture. Cool, huh?

 I love covered bridges...I think I may have gone a little snap happy with this particular location. =) haahaa!

 Yeah! Another picture of us!

 Last picture of the covered bridge...I promise. =)

This is when we first arrived...

This is when we were leaving...about 45 minutes later. Look at the difference! It's already receded a lot!

 The tide is starting to go out again! These boats are about to be stranded! 

 Cute little gift shop nearby.

 Totem poll right outside of an vintage ice cream shop.

 Bonnie, the tour guide, said this is what they call a ketchup, mustard, & relish house. These are the colors the houses back in those times would be painted.

 We didn't get to see any moose, but Bonnie did show us how to make our own home-made moose call out of tin can and a wet string. It was pretty neat! 

My moose call.

Branson's moose call.

We had a fantastic time in Saint John. Tons to see and we didn't even skim the surface. If you're planning a trip to Saint John I would definitely check out their Visitor's Guide website: Discover Saint John This will give you great tips, events, maps, shopping locations, etc.

 Each time we got off the boat and got on a boat we were given a welcome & farewell by someone playing the bagpipes. It was really neat.

Waiting for us when we got back was this little crab! =)

Stay tuned for more of our cruise to Canada!