Traveling with the Jones — Sharing Travel Discoveries

A Walk Around Halifax, Nova Scotia During Our Visit By Cruise Ship

by Janis on July 23, 2015

We visited Halifax, Nova Scotia during a 7-day cruise to Canada and New England.

We’ve been to Halifax multiple times before, so we’d previously visited the Citadel Fort, toured the Alexander Keith’s brewery, listened to live music at the Lower Deck, and enjoyed the beautiful drive to Peggy’s Cove.

For this day in port we thought we’d walk the waterfront, heading out to the right from the cruise terminal building.

Samuel Cunard statue, Halifax, Nova Scotia

We passed by the Cunard statue, a tribute to Sir Samuel Cunard, a native of Halifax who founded the Cunard Line. In 1840 the company’s first steamship, the Britannia, sailed from Liverpool to Halifax, Nova Scotia and on to Boston, Massachusetts, with Cunard and 63 other passengers on board, marking the beginning of regular passenger and cargo service.

Our first stop was the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where we were interested in checking out the exhibits on the Halifax Explosion and the role Halifax played in the Titanic disaster.

pirate at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

One of the more unique exhibits was the recreation of how the Royal Navy dealt with pirates — not just hanging them, but coating their bodies in tar and hanging them out at the beach as a smelly warning to other pirates.

The Royal Nova Scotia Tattoo was happening while we were in Halifax, so we witnessed several “public” events, like this one by the King’s Guard Band and Drill Team from Norway. There is a memorial along the waterfront commemorating the fallen members of the Norwegian trade fleet, Navy and Army that were buried in Nova Scotia during World War II.

In the same area, we admired the “Sailor” statue that honors the thousands of sailors who passed through the port of Halifax. Mr. Jones’ beloved Uncle Norm was one of them. This 2.5 ton bronze statue is modeled after the uniform worn by Canadian sailors from the Second World War until the 1960’s Canadian Forces unification. “Sailor” is located near the corner of Lower Water and Sackville Streets.

Since we were on a mission In Search of the Best Lobster Roll During Our Canada and New England Cruise, we stopped at Dave’s Lobster along the waterfront. Made while we watched, we sat at a nearby picnic table and enjoyed every bite.

Refueled, we were ready to head away from the waterfront make our way to some of Mr. Jones’ haunts while he attended Dalhousie University in Halifax. Our first stop was at the Halifax Public Gardens, where Mr. Jones admitted he frequented in college mainly because “the chicks liked it.”

Apparently, 2015 is the International Year of Soils. Who knew? We do now that we’ve been to the Halifax Public Gardens, which were formally established in 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation.

Halifax was quite warm and humid the day of our visit, so we cooled off with a beer at The Fickle Frog Pub. Besides having a great name and wine-guzzling frog icon, the bar obviously appeals to hungry college students with its daily specials.

Finally, we made it to the main campus of Mr. Jones’ alma mater, Dalhousie University.

In addition to Mr. Jones recalling memories of Howe Hall, his first-year dorm, we also learned a little bit about the original funding of Dalhousie from the sign pictured above.

My Fitbit showed this was a 16,297 step, and 7.77 mile walking day, which helped us feel less guilty about eating lobster rolls in every port during our cruise.

Have you visited Halifax via a cruise ship? What was your favorite sight?

Check out these other posts related to our Canada and New England cruise:

Are you planning a similar cruise? Check out our Canada and New England Cruise Board on Pinterest.

Here are some resources for more information on planning a visit to Canada’s Maritimes:

Fodor’s Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada: With New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland

Moon Atlantic Canada: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador

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Staying at the Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Hotel Before An Early Flight

by Janis on July 22, 2015

When we visited Belgium in late May, we traveled by train into the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in to catch a flight back to the U.S. Since our flight left very early in the morning, we wanted to stay at the airport the night before.

Schiphol (AMS) is one of our favorite airports to travel to and from Europe. With the Schiphol Railway Station right in the terminal, you can connect easily by train to destinations throughout Netherlands and other European countries.

This map shows the Schiphol Plaza, where you head downstairs to catch trains and upstairs to reach the Sheraton and Hilton airport hotels. There are also a large number of shops and restaurants in this area of the airport, outside of security.

After arriving on our train, we carried our bags upstairs to the plaza, and located this sign to the hotels, World Trade Center (WTC) and P1 Parking. Here you head up an elevated moving ramp, which connects you to other moving walkways.

Despite the moving walkways, it is a 10-15 minute walk. The Sheraton hotel is first on the route.

A brand new Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol hotel is being built (the black and white structure in the photo above) and is scheduled to open on November 2, 2015. Meanwhile, you have to take an elevator downstairs, walk through a parking lot, and eventually make your way to the current hotel entrance.

When you arrive into the lobby around the construction, all is good. The large lobby has a spacious restaurant, a separate bar, and a large check-in area.

We stayed in room 722. It is a basic hotel room but perfect for catching up on a little business work before an early flight the next day.

The bathroom is small and dated as you might expect in a hotel that is being replaced with a new building next door.

Still, this hotel is very popular with business travelers and tourists who are arriving late or departing early. We were glad to get up, enjoy the terrific buffet breakfast in the lobby, and walk on the moving walkways to check-in for our flight home.

This hotel is also a good choice for cruise travelers who arrive in Amsterdam late the evening before their Amsterdam or Rotterdam cruise departures.

Have you stayed overnight at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in one of the on-site hotels? How was your experience? Please share in comments below.

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11 Hospitality Superstars Who Made Our Holland America Cruise Special

by Janis on July 21, 2015

We recently returned from a 7-day Canada and New England cruise on Holland America’s ms Maasdam.

It was a fantastic cruise, with mostly pleasant sunny, moderate temperatures and beautiful ports as we sailed between Montreal and Boston.

Reflecting back, however, we realized that the reason we had such a great cruise was because of some hospitality superstars among the staffers working on the Maasdam.

Arnold was the wine steward in the Pinnacle Grill. Since we had the Signature Beverage Package, we didn’t order bottles of wine like we normally do, but Arnold cheerfully served us sparkling water, cocktails and wines by the glass that were within our package, all with terrific service and a great smile.

Yenni and Robertus, waiters in the Pinnacle Grill, offered perfect service. The Pinnacle Grill was quite busy on the Maasdam, yet the service these two delivered was top-notch.

In general, we are not fans of open dining in the main dining room, but since we booked at the last minute, we didn’t have much choice. With Ryan and Eka minding the check-in and reservations for open seating dinner, however, we never experienced a wait. We made reservations with them up to two days in advance for dining times at 8 pm or later. (Fixed late-seating was at 7:45 pm, so reserving at 8 pm or later helped avoid the crowd.) This dining room duo also managed the check-in for breakfast in the dining room, and it flowed smoothly every day.

While it is tougher to get to know your waiters with open seating, we appreciated the service of Dewa and Ketut.

Before dinner, whether at the Pinnacle, we’d stop for a pre-dinner drink in the MIX. Bartender Arnel was the best, and we loved that this Mumm Napa sparkling wine, priced at $7 per glass, was included on our beverage package.

After dinner, our entertainment of choice was in the Crow’s Nest. It is space with a beautiful, unique bar staffed usually by Dindo and Leo. They run an excellent bar that was a popular spot for many like-minded travelers.

Cherry, one of the bar staffers in the Crow’s Nest, is not only a hospitality star in her job, she is also a sensational singer in the Filipino Crew show.

Another star of the Filipino crew show (who we nicknamed Charles Barkley), is also on the bar staff in the Crow’s Nest.

We don’t have their pictures (we rarely saw them) but we knew they were cleaning our cabin and at least 23 others with extraordinary care. Dede and Teddy were super room stewards.

Last but not least, we found Cruise Director Jude Day to be exceptional. From her soothing, pleasant and professional voice, to her friendly and approachable nature to her superior public speaking skills when introducing entertainment acts such as the Filipino crew show, Jude was one of the best cruise directors we have ever experienced. We were quite surprised to learn she was on her first cruise contract; hopefully she will have many more so that we will have the opportunity to sail with her again.

All of these superstars (along with many others likely that we didn’t encounter) were led very impressively by Captain Ane Jan Smit and Hotel Director Francois Birarda.

Have you sailed on Holland America’s ms Massdam? Who do you remember that made your cruise something special? Please share in comments below.

Check out these other posts related to our Canada and New England cruise:

We made a special Canada and New England board on Pinterest.

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In Search of the Best Lobster Roll During Our Canada and New England Cruise

by Janis on July 20, 2015

We had a major mission during our recent 7-Day Canada and New England cruise between Montreal and Boston: find the best lobster roll while in port.

The Lobster Shack, Souris, Prince Edward Island

We searched the internet, read blogs, pinned on Pinterest, and found places of interest on Yelp. Then we set out on a mission in each of these ports:

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Bar Harbor, Maine
Boston, Mass.

We quickly learned the best lobster rolls are often served from small shack-like buildings, close to the water, without seating other than a few nearby picnic tables.

Our favorite lobster roll required a rental car and a drive through the east side of Prince Edward Island, which is a glorious event in itself. After climbing the island’s oldest lighthouse at Point Prim, and finding the Point Prim Chowder House still closed for a few hours, we drove through the back roads admiring the red-soil potato fields until we came to the village of Souris.

We located The Lobster Shack, which only sells lobster dinners, lobster rolls and fresh oysters. The place doesn’t have a website, but does have a Facebook page, which we are linking here, because there are many, many Facebook pages named “The Lobster Shack.”

Here is the ranking of the 7 different lobster rolls that we tried during our Canada and New England cruise.

#1 The Lobster Shack, Souris, Prince Edward Island. Fresh chunks of lobster meat, lighted dressed in mayo, are piled into a toasted bun, dusted with seasoning, and served with bread-and-butter pickles and a big handful of potato chips. We sat on a bench by the waterfront and enjoyed the view as we munched on this roll, and thanked our lucky stars that we found this place. It was the best we’ve ever had, and the least expensive at $11 Canadian. This lobster roll is worth the drive.

lobster roll, Lobster Shanty, Port of Sydney, Nova Scotia

#2 Lobster Shanty, Port of Sydney, Nova Scotia. The Lobster Shanty is part of the Flavor restaurant in the Sydney cruise terminal. During lobster season, the Lobster Shanty (a shack-like building outside of the port building) makes and serves lobster rolls. Mr. Jones watched the server expertly remove the lobster from its shell, chop it into bits, toss with mayo and a little green onion. It was superb. You barely have to leave the ship to have this delight. Be aware, it is pricey (about $18 Canadian) and there is nowhere outside to sit. We were visiting on Canada Day and the upstairs restaurant was closed, so we used those tables to check email, and split this delight while enjoying a cold beer.

#3 Dave’s Lobster, Halifax, Nova Scotia. From the cruise terminal in Halifax, we turned right and followed the waterfront for about a 15 minute walk to the shack at Queen’s Landing, 1707 Lower Water Street. Dave’s menu focuses on only two things: lobster rolls and grilled cheese sandwiches. We had The Local, made of big chunks of cold lobster, mayo, diced celery and herbs in a grilled, split-top roll. We wish they would leave the celery out of this lobster roll; otherwise it is the cat’s meow.

Later we learned that there is also a Dave’s Lobster near the port in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (if you aren’t up for the drive to Souris.)

lobster roll, Side Street Cafe, Bar Harbor, Maine

#4 Side Street Cafe, Bar Harbor, Maine. This cafe offered terrific fresh lobster with mayo and seasoning, on a toasted bun, served with lemon, an awesome pickle spear and crispy potato chips. We walked miles on the shore path and all over the town before we came back, just so we could be really hungry for this lobster roll. This cafe offers all kinds of lobster delicacies, and also specializes in Mac & Cheese. The cafe’s menu says it is not the most expensive lobster roll in town, nor the least expensive, but is made from the freshest lobster that was swimming this morning.

The roll was great, but not quite as great as those shacks right by the water where you see the lobster cut up and tossed with mayo while you bun in toasting.

obster roll and fries, Governors Pub, Sydney, Nova Scotia

#5 Governors Pub & Eatery, Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. During a very warm Canada Day visit, we walked through the downtown area of Sydney. Ready to cool off, we headed to the Governors Pub which is near the port. It is one part nice seafood restaurant, and one part lively Celtic-style pub upstairs. We headed upstairs, grabbed two seats at the small bar, and cooled off with pints of Alexander Keith’s beer. We had read that Governors had a great lobster roll, but it wasn’t on the menu. When we asked our friendly bartender, he said, “Sure, we’ve got lobster rolls.” We split one, which came with an order of fries, and enjoyed the live music.

This wasn’t the best lobster roll but it was a great pub, with friendly service, killer fries, and a terrific Celtic vibe, and we enjoyed every bite.

Lobster Roll, Dave's Fish 'N' Chips, PEI

#6 Rick’s Fish ‘N’ Chips, St. Peter’s Bay, Prince Edward Island. The lobster roll is good but is not the star of the show at this dining establishment. The curried seafood chowder, brimming with fresh mussels, shrimp and other seafood takes the prize here. We also enjoyed the coleslaw, and the appetizer portion of clam strips. And while we didn’t try it, the plate-filling slabs of fish surrounded by crispy fries appeared to be very popular, as did the mussels. This part of Prince Edward Island- on the east end – is surrounded by mussel farms.

lobster roll, Harpoon Tap Room Post-security by gates 18-22, Boston airport

#7 Harpoon Tap Room, Boston Logan Airport. It was the Fourth of July holiday, and most of the restaurants we passed in the Boston airport seemed barely open as we waited for our post-cruise flight home. But the Harpoon Tap Room, located by Southwest Airlines gates 18-22 was not only open, they served a lobster roll. While it looked good, it was tasteless, perhaps too removed from the ocean-front. The lettuce served no purpose except to add color to the photo. If it was the only lobster roll we had eaten during our trip, we would have considered it good. But in this competition, it just didn’t rate very high. Service was incredibly slow, but we had lots of time before our flight departure.

Are you a fan of lobster rolls? Where did you enjoy your favorite one?

If you are craving a lobster roll, and do not live near the New England Coast, here’s how you can still make lobster rolls:

4 Lobster Rolls

Lobster Rolls of New England:: Seeking Sweet Summer Delight

Get Maine Lobster – Maine Lobster Roll Kit for 6

Check out these other posts related to our Canada and New England cruise:

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Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.

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