Oh I did not sleep well. We never sleep well on the last night. It isn't like we need to be up early (clocks went back an hour to put us on Eastern Time). We are tired. And we are just getting off and into our car.
We have been assigned the second walk off with checked bags. It is soon apparent that there are issues on the pier. We are told that there are not enough custom agents and that is slowing down the process. Also bags are delayed as well.
We were scheduled for 810 but only got off at 845 and bags from colours later than ours were not out and guest had to wait to the side for them to be put out. Ours were quickly found and we got in the queue for customs. There were only 3 agents! Crazy considering how many people are on the ship.
Our car was right there where we parked it at the terminal. And we are off! Traffic is heavy around the port but once we got going we were on our way and quickly on the highway and it was really smooth sailing (or driving).
We spent the night just outside Portland Maine and had a lovely dinner and I think my eyes were closed at 7:30 pm! I was concerned I would be wide away at 3, but nope I slept right thru to 7 am.
We wanted to stop at a few shops and buy some things but when we got to Target in New Hampshire and to Walmart in Maine, it was quickly apparent that prices here are expensive. We are looking at some food items - butter is just a bit cheaper than at home (but with exchange more than home), olive oil, kitchen items, and pharmacy items. Needless to say we bought hardly nothing.
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| Necessary Lobster Roll |
Our ferry from Bar Harbor is at 3 pm and we have to be there by 2 pm. Once again we had to do the ArriveCan App before getting on (which we had done). We are given another declaration form (3rd one of the trip - first for Halifax, one for St. John's and now our final one).
We are on board around 210 and get a seat at the back and settle in. I guess everyone got on in time as we left about 15 minutes early. The ride was a bit bumpier today with swells. Many people were buying motion sickness pills from the store (one tablet for $5 US). We had not issue.
We live only two hours from Yarmouth NS and we are home by 9:45 pm.
Overall it has been an amazing trip. So utterly stunning. But my reflections are:
- Bring appropriate clothes. Layers are key. If you are not use to cooler climates bring more! So many people complained it was cold. Yup that is how it is in Greenland.
- The ports are not huge in Greenland. Don't expect Diamonds International, Del Sol, tons of souvenir shops. The ship's population is double what is in the port. Their infrastructure isn't designed for tourists galore. Enjoy the scenery!
- Shore excursions sell out quickly and there are not many of them. Sign up for them as soon as you can to guarantee a spot.
- It got very crowded indoors and difficult to find a quite space. This was due to the weather conditions forcing everyone in. It is good to be aware that this could happen.
- Also food products will age - for example bananas by the end of the cruise were harder to find and if you did they were getting old. Because of the cruise length and the itinerary it was not possible to bring on provisions in Greenland.
- This itinerary naturally draws an older crowd. First they have the time to do a longer cruise and they can afford it. There were a handful of people under 18 but not many. Average age I would guess was 70. Nothing wrong with that but don't expect the dining room busy after 8, or the disco for that matter. By 10 pm the ship was a ghost town.
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