Carleton Martello Tower, Saint John

Built for the War of 1812, this circular stone fort played a crucial role in the defence of Saint John and its harbour until 1944. The tower’s unique architecture spans 130 years of coastal defence technology.

Carleton Martello Tower is just one of 16 such structures originally erected across Canada. It features a restored powder magazine (ca. 1845), soldiers’ barracks (ca. 1866) and other exhibits. A superstructure dating from WWII portrays the tower’s final function as a fire command post.

A national historical site managed by Parks Canada, the Carleton Martello Tower is about three miles from the port and can be reached by bus or cab.

To read more, click here.

Saint John City Market

The Saint John City Market is the oldest continuing market in Canada.  First opened in 1876, it has grown and evolved into a mixed use space with retailers of local produce, fresh seafood, butchers, bakeries and interesting souvenirs and crafts.

The entrance nearest the port is on Germaind Street, between Union and King Streets (only a few blocks from the port).

Read more about the City Market on their web site here.

Walking Tours of Saint John

Tourism Saint John publishes a wonderful brochure with three self-guided walks around the city.  You can download the brochure and maps here:  Tourism Saint John walking tours

The first tour covers the Loyalist Trail and includes Trinity Church:

The second tour is called Victorian Stroll, and includes Kings Square:

The third tour, Prince William's Walk, includes the New Brunswick museum:

Facts about Saint John, New Brunswick

These might come in handy for an on-board trivia game:

• Established in 1785, Saint John was Canada's first incorporated city
• The population of the City of Saint John is approximately 70,000 (for perspective, the population of Ridgewood is just under 25,000)
• The first public museum in Canada was opened in Saint John in 1842; originally known as the Gesner Institute, today it is the New Brunswick Museum
• Kerosene oil was discovered by Saint John native Dr. Abraham Gesner, founder of the New Brunswick museum
• Although it had already been populated by aboriginal tribes, and later by immigrants from Europe, Saint John was largely built by American Loyalists who fled there in 1873 (you can visit Loyalist House on Union Street to learn more about them)
• The Great Fire of 1877 took place on June 20th, also known as "Black Wednesday"
• The oldest standing structure in Saint John, Sewell House, was built in 1791
• One hundred billion tons of water pour into the Bay of Fundy from the Atlantic Ocean every 12.4 hours, an amount equal in volume to all the water that flows in every river on earth in a 24 hour period

Links for more information:

Official Visitor Guide - Saint John

Tourism Saint John

Firsts of Saint John

Loyalist House

I Can't Sail Without ...

If you've ever spent some time on the message boards of a travel web site, you know about the packing wars.  That's where the folks who can travel for three weeks with only a small carry-on bag slug it out with the folks who need a few more things to be comfortable.

I did some research on the message boards at Cruise Critic and found the following items mentioned as "must haves" by cruisers:

§  Small amounts of OTC medications you might need/want

§  Small power strip if you’ll be charging lots of electronics (laptop, camera, MP3 player, Kindle, etc.)

§  Small first aid kit (you never know when you’ll need a band-aid)

§  Flashlight (especially if you are in an interior cabin, to find the bathroom at night without turning on the light, or to use if the power goes out)

§  Large (16 – 32 oz) plastic water bottle, to use near the pool (no glass to break and minimizes trips to the beverage fountains)

§  Clothes pins to hang bathing suits to dry

§  Post-it notes to leave messages for cabin steward

§  Small magnets to attach notes or other paper to cabin door

§  Highlighter, to use on daily program so you don’t miss something

§  Binoculars

§  Zip-lock bags (for a multitude of uses)

§  Over-the-door hanging shoe organizer (to keep miscellaneous things neat and tidy)

§  Cheap rain ponchos

§  Playing cards and/or other travel size games

§  Spare pair of glasses

§  Binder clips to hold drapes closed in the morning (for those who like to sleep in)

§  Duct tape (for emergency repairs to just about anything)

§  A couple of safety pins

§  Travel mug (for those who drink lots of coffee)

§  A lanyard for room card (after having the desk punch a hole in the card)

§  Stain stick

What else can you think of?

7 weeks from today!

Wrong ship, but you get the idea. 

Departing from Manhattan

Our cruise will leave from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, located at 55th Street and 12th Avenue in New York, just 22 miles from Christ Church.  What an easy way to begin a vacation - no airport to deal with!

Your boarding documents will provide specific information on check-in time; you'll find that most passengers will arrive around noon, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy the stunning view of the city while sipping a bon voyage drink on the deck.

For more information on the cruise port, including directions and parking, see here:  Manhattan Cruise Port

What to Wear?

According to the folks at Carnival, casual attire is the order of the day.  They suggest comfy shorts, tee shirts, sun dresses and the like for daytime, and what they call "cruise casual" wear for the evenings. 

On the Carnival web site they define cruise casual wear as:

• Ladies - Casual dresses, casual skirts or pants and blouses, summer dresses, Capri pants, dress shorts, jeans (no cut-offs)
• Gentlemen - Sport slacks, khakis, jeans (no cut-offs), dress shorts (long), collared sport shirts

There is also one "cruise elegant" night, which will be Sunday evening, July 3rd (the first full day at sea).  Carnival's guidelines for dining room dress on this evening are:

•  Ladies - Cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; if you‘d like to show off your evening gowns, that's great too! 
• Gentlemen - Dress slacks, dress shirts. We also suggest a sport coat. If you wish to wear suits and ties or tuxedos, by all means we invite you to do so

Carnival also recommends sweaters, lightweight jackets and raincoats for this cruise and suggests taking clothes that can be layered easily.

You can read all about attire on Carnival here:  Carnival Dress Guidelines

Carnival Glory

Three pools, a 214' water slide, thirteen decks, formal restaurants, casual restaurants, a steakhouse, nightclubs, a piano bar, live music, comedy, karaoke and much more ... there's no way to do it all in just five days, but you can sure have fun trying!

Welcome and Bon Voyage!

In just over two months our group of Christ Church families and friends will sail out of New York harbor and head north toward Canada.

Here's how our trip will flow:

Sat.	July 2	Board the Carnival Glory at the Manhattan Passenger Ship Terminal in the early afternoon for a  5 PM sail-away.  Cruise past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge on the way out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Sun.	July 3	Enjoy a full day at sea as you sail north toward Canada.  Tonight is a "cruise elegant" night.
Mon.	July 4	Spend Independence Day (8 AM – 4 PM) at New Brunswick’s largest city, Saint John (not to be confused with St. John’s, Newfoundland).
Tue.	July 5	Explore Halifax (9 AM – 6 PM), a university town with a rich heritage.
Wed.	July 6	Enjoy a second full day at sea as you sail south toward home.
Thu.	July 7	Disembark back where you started, in Manhattan.