Season 7 October 2026

We left Raquette Lake on October 2nd,sooner than we normally would. Our grandson, Rain got baptized on October 4th so we decided to stay on Long Island for a couple of weeks and do all those yearly things we normally do ina few days like doctor appointments, new glasses, van waxing etc. plus it was great to spend some time with the baby while Kenny and Kaitlin had to go back to work. 

We decided to do a New England cruise out of Brooklyn on the Majestic Princess. So we spent a couple of days in Manhattan beforehand. We got tickets to LUMINISCENCE at St Patrick’s Cathedral. It was really great. They had an orchestra and a choir with a narration as they illuminated the walls of the inside of the church. 

The next day we decided to go down to Ground Zero. We had never been there before. It was very well thought out, giving respect to all those that lost their lives in that tragic event. So much to see and do in that area and very well spaced out so that you never felt crowded like you do in a lot of other parts of the city. We also visited the Rockefeller Center area and the ice skating rink. It’s a lot calmer there when it isn’t Christmas time.

Next day we headed on the subway downtown and then on the South Brooklyn Ferry to the Cruise Port. It took almost an hour and a half to get on the ship. A lot of people and a lot of lines. Lines longer than Disney ride lines. But we did finally get on and went straight to our room on Deck 12, unpacked and made sure the Life Jackets were in working order and ready for an emergency. Then we headed to the buffet for a nice lunch. After lunch we went exploring the ship. We have been on a ship very similar to this one so we just need a refresher as to where everything is located. The ship went right past the Statue of Liberty and right under the Verrazano Bridge.

We had a lazy night. Did a little gambling. Won some and lost some, as usual and headed to bed. I woke up at my normal 5:30 am and headed up for some coffee. We are three decks below the buffet which is so nice. We were just pulling into Newport Rhode Island and it was pitch black and freezing cold so I sat inside to watch the sun rise. Newport is a tendering port so the ship anchors and we have to take the lifeboat over to shore. Today is Sunday so once we get to shore, it’s a short walk to St Mary’s church. I’m excited to visit this church because it is the church where John F Kennedy married Jackie O. Plus it’s a beautiful brick cathedral and I love that. 

We walked all over Newport. They had a seafood festival right by the cruise port. We got a few Oysters and then headed back to the ship for a big lunch.

Next day we did not arrive to Boston until 11:00. Even though on land Newport and Boston are pretty close, but on sea, the cruise has to go very far out because of shallow waters and many islands. We stayed on board for some lunch to avoid the main rush of people getting off the ship. We did get off in time for Happy Hour Oysters which were amazing. We have been to Boston before but this area by the port was really nice and recently built up. 

Next day we arrived in Portland Maine. We wandered around the city for like 3 hours. Greg bought some seaweed tea that we will try when we get home. It’s very nice having these three American ports. Our cell signal works great and there’s no harassment like we normally get when getting off the ship.

We got back on the ship just in time for the Piano player to entertain us while we had a couple of drinks. Then we went to the Bavarian themed buffet for dinner. I can eat soft pretzels everyday of my life. I just love them!! 

This morning we arrived in St John’s in Canada and once again it is freezing!  Yesterday actually warmed up a little and they had a Sting concert on the big screen by the pool. The sun was out and there was no wind so it was very enjoyable sitting by the pool. The captain announced that the last few weeks for him on this route has been nothing but cold, rain and wind so we were very lucky to not have any rain yet. Hopefully I am not jinxing myself.

The shows on this Princess Ship have been amazing. We go every night at 7:30. Last nights show had a circus/carnival theme. The dancers and singers are excellent. Before the show, we usually go to the casino. The casino on this ship is too small for a ship this large. It’s almost impossible to get a slot machine. Thankfully they have a small casino area for the smokers and most people steer clear of it cause it’s extremely Smokey in there. I love the smell of cigarette smoke so  it’s not a problem for me. I’ve been doing pretty well and my money has been lasting a while which is the key to winning more free cruises. Greg, on the other hand has been losing miserable. It is not fun when that happens. Maybe tonight will be his lucky night.

St John’s was another great port and we enjoyed walking around. Our first stop was the post office because this year we decided to send a post card out to Rain at each of our travel stops. It’s been great walking to each of the post offices in the port towns because they take you off the beaten paths and into another part of town.

We heard about Beaver Tails from the cruise director so that was our next stop. A Beaver Tail and some Poutine. 

After we filled our bellies we went exploring. This bay here is called Fundy bay and it had the highest tides in the world. 

Thats Greg standing down there by low tide. The ships can only arrive and depart at high tide otherwise they would hit bottom.  If it were high tide, Greg would be 20 feet under the water.

The photo with the lamps is called three sisters. Reminded me of my mom and Aunt Sally and Aunt Theresa so I had to have a photo by it. One side of the lamp is red for the boaters at sea to get their bearings and the other side is white like a regular street lamp.

After our exploring we came back on the ship and it was sunny enough to sit by the pool again.  They were  playing a Pink concert on the big screen. After dinner we went to a mentalist show. The guy really was amazing. I’m still wondering how he did what he did and he was very funny too. Great shows so far. After the show we went to the casino and it was packed we each found a machine to play on but the machines were not near each other so we were on our own. I was doing ok on the machine I was on but wanted to see if I could find something different so I went over to where Greg was and he was on a Bonus for his game. Very exciting especially since he wasn’t having much luck. He continued on that machine for the rest of the night and wound up winning $350.

Woke up to rain and wind. Heading through tropical storm Josephine. We didn’t arrive in Halifax till 1 pm and it was still raining pretty hard. The captain had to order a tug boat to push us into the harbor because of the strong winds.

Made me grateful for the beautiful days we have had this week cause if every day was like the Halifax day, it would not have been a very pleasant trip. We went off the ship briefly but the rain was too bad to do any significant walking. I felt bad for the people that booked excursions. 

Today is our last day on this New England cruise. Woke up to a pretty rocky morning. The drawers in the cabin were opening and closing with the movement of the boat. I guess Tropical storm Josephine is not done with us yet.

Next day was a Sea Day and it was still pretty rocky sailing. We had a nice relaxing day. Did some gambling and some Trivia activities and the nighttime show was the mentalist again but he did a whole new show. We went to bed pretty early cause departure in the morning is early and they want you out of the rooms by 8 am. We left the room a little before 7 and headed down to the 6th floor. We were going to put our bags down and then head to the pastry bar but as we were heading to put the bags down, they called the first group of walk offs to leave so we just got in the line and headed off the ship. It was the fastest debarkation we have ever experienced. We were off the ship in under 15 minutes and walked right next door to the Brooklyn Ferry to take us to Wall Street.

From there we head to Wall Street for the subway to Penn Station to take the Long Island Railroad back to our van in Commack. Spent a little time with my brother and sisterinlaw and then headed to Patchogue to spend a couple of days with our grandson Rain before heading to Jersey to visit my Dad and Rosemarie.

From there we headed on the Cape May Ferry to avoid DC traffic and then spent the night at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Welcome Center. Great peaceful night of sleeping despite the trucks idling their engines all night. Next day, a little further south to North Carolina where we found 72 degrees. Spending the night at Site 19 at the Jones Lake State Park. The sites are huge here and spaced out very nicely. We had some steak and salad for dinner and are enjoying every minute of our first Campground for Season 7 of traveling with the van. I can’t believe it’s our 7th year doing this. 

From there we drove about 3 hours south to another great campground called Buckhall which is part of the Francis Marion National Forest which means “cheaper” camping so for 28 bucks we were able to get a huge site with water and electric plus hot showers.

From there we headed to Beaufort, SC. We had been here before but found out that there is a Harvest Host location here where you can spend the night at a Drive-In Movie theater and the Drive-In theater is located on a paved bike trail which we love. So we headed first to the waterfront to walk around the Main Street area and to find and send a postcard to Rain and then we headed to the Drive-In, parked the van and headed out on the bike trail. We found a nice restaurant where we had an early dinner and then ride back for the Double Feature movies. They have three screens here and we chose  the biggest screen. We watched Clayface and then I went to sleep while Greg watched Other Mommy. 

Woke up on Halloween in an Empty Drive-In. Actually three other Camper Vans spent the night as well. I’m going to upload the blog now and then we will head further south to Florida for another cruise on Monday. 

I just wanted to say Thank you for all of those who encourage me to continue with the blog. Just telling me that you are looking forward to reading the blog again makes me smile and want to continue to share our van journeys with you.