Day 5 - Saint John, New Brunswick

Our day started with our usual room service coffee and croissants.  We met my parents to try out the buffet for breakfast today.  It is a very good option for a quick breakfast with lots of variety.  We did not have any plans for Saint John as we had visited here on our last cruise and saw most of the sights.  Our agenda was to walk to the marketplace and get some lunch.  To kill some time, we played trivia in the atrium but did not win.  

The port area looked much different than in 2008 as they have created a shopping area made from shipping containers.  It is very cute with shops and some food trucks selling poutine and beaver tails.  We explored the area before starting our walk to the market.  

The Saint John City Market was built in 1876 and is the oldest continuously operated farmer’s market in Canada.  It is a very unique building and has lots of food stalls and craft stands.  We did a little shopping while my dad waited outside.  It was still a bit early for lunch so we walked up the hill to visit the old church we could see in the distance.   We learned it is called Stone Church and we went inside and thought the stained glass was beautiful.  

For lunch we chose Billy’s Seafood Company.  It was a very cozy restaurant with a great menu.  Chris started with a cup of seafood chowder he really enjoyed.  My dad ordered Billy’s Burger, a five ounce patty with house made whiskey bbq sauce, crispy onion frites, Billy’s crab cake, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun.  It looked incredible and my dad thought it was delicious.  Chris ordered the whole bellt fried clams which of course he let me sample, and they were great.  My mom and I both ordered the lobster roll which was the most mayonnaise heavy so far but we both thought it was excellent.  It is pretty hard to mess up lobster in this part of the world!  

A nice leisurely stroll back to the ship was perfect after this meal and we stopped for a bit at the stores near port.  We bought some goodies in the maple syrup store.  My parents went back to the ship while Chris and I had a cup of coffee from Epoch Chemistry.  I was craving a good coffee and this hit the spot.  We shopped a little more while we drank our coffees.  

Back on the ship, Chris and I went for a walk around the Waterfront area on deck eight.  Saint John is located on the Bay of Fundy which is famous for its tides.  The difference between high and low is approximately 26 feet.  You can even tell this by the gangway ashore as it must adjust throughout the day.  We also watched the swirling current that was so mesmerizing to look at.  As we walked, we also saw a spot that was set up for a vow renewal.  The flowers and remnants of cake had yet to be cleaned up.  After the walk, we found a relaxing spot in the sun to enjoy the weather while I wrote and Chris finished his NYT crossword.  We chatted with the admin of the Facebook group when she walked by to see how her day was in Saint John.  Before too long though, it was back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.  

We met my parents at our usual spot, Shaker’s, for Negronis and a martini for my mom.  Tonight, my parents would be going to Ocean Blue since they had one extra meal included with their cruise fare.  Chris and I decided to try the Raw Bar located just in front of Ocean Blue.  We figured it would be a good choice for a lighter meal.  After ordering, Chris ran down to the internet desk because he could not log off the internet and they just reopened.  They credited him back the time but he missed the most amazing sunset.  I went over to my parent’s table to snap a quick photo because it was just that perfect.  I learned to that you can order from the full menu of the restaurant at the bar as well which is a nice option if you cannot get a reservation.  For dinner, we had the crab toast, tuna crudo, yellowtail crudo, and oysters.   The crab toast was one of the best things I had on board all week.  The bread was nice and toasty and topped generously with sweet crab.  Both crudo were excellent as well.  The oysters were from Canada and super fresh.  It was the perfect light meal we wanted.  I think the raw bar will be a new tradition for us.

The show in the theater was a vocalist and we decided to skip it tonight.  We started the night in the Atrium to dance with the Manhattan Band.  They didn’t have much room for dancing but we managed to do some rumbas before they took a break.  I suggested we head to Malting’s so Chris could try some Macallan Quest.  He could see why I enjoyed this scotch.  As we sat sipping our drinks, I had the hopeful idea to see if we could find seats in Syd Norman’s since it was about thirty minutes before the show.  The place was pretty packed but luck was on our side as a woman sitting on the corner of a booth got up to go to another seat.  We sat right down and scored some great last minute seats with great view of the stage.  I also had the fun of watching all the people go up to the stool next to me that read “do not even think of sitting here” and slinking away.  So many came up to it thinking they scored a seat.  We learned very quickly why Syd Norman’s is such a popular venue.  The singers and musicians are very talented and the show is so much fun.  It is disappointing how hard it is to get a seat though and I think they should do a night in the main theater so more could enjoy.  Unfortunately, it seems NCL has made the venue even smaller on the new ship, the Prima.  The music made us want to do some more dancing so we headed to Bliss to try the ABBA and 70s party.

The party in Bliss had a decent crowd when we hit the dance floor.  Chris quickly noticed that the Eagles game was on so we knew my mother would be very happy.  We had so much fun dancing while watching the game.  The music started to change to more 50s and 60s though and we started to do some jitterbug and swing.  A woman approached us and asked if she could take our picture.  She said she really enjoyed watching us and we gladly obliged.  It was such a fun night!  We headed back to the cabin, sweaty from dancing and celebrating the Eagles win.  Tomorrow, we have another port day in Halifax, Nova Scotia.