We pulled into Halifax with me having to tell everyone on board that I didn't know if Bob Brown and finance Betsy would be coming back on the ship for the rest of the cruise. Bob wanted it to be a surprise. They did get on board but, not without more problems getting past Port Security, Canadian Immigration and the Ship's security.
Monday, Bob's doctor gave him the okay to return. He and Betsy caught a flight from New York and friends that live here in Halifax drove them over to the cruise terminal. That would normally be all there was to it but, Insignia had to dock at the industrial pier because the Queen Mary and another mega-cruise ship had the normal pier spots held for passenger ships.
This led to a shuttle through the working container port back to the cruise terminal. I had Bob and Betsy's ship's security key-cards. They couldn't get past the security gate without the ID and I couldn't get the half-mile to the gate from the ship because passengers weren't allowed in the work area. I'm talking to port security and ship's security, which insisted that Bob and Betsy were on the wrong list, like I should have known their internal bureaucracy.
Finally, we talked an incoming shuttle to let them on to get to the ship without a ship's ID. Then the Canadians, although helpful and sympathetic, pulled them aside, requiring, unlike all other passengers, their passports and personal ID in addition to the ship's ID, which I'd just handed them. They didn't look at it but, gave it to ship's security on board, who only scanned their key-cards.
Dag nab it! (Not what I actually said at the time.)
I went on a boat tour of Halifax's light houses and pulled up some lobster traps. We ended up at Murphy's Restaurant and had fresh lobster. Very nice, It is always a good day when you are out on the water.
We all had dinner at the Grand Dining Room that evening to the applause of passengers on seeing the couple back on board after over two weeks off ship. I used some of my on board credit to buy a bottle of champagne for our group to toast the couple and their return.
Betsy had met Bob's family in Queens. One of his cousins even offered him a house for the couple in Washington, near Seattle. They are looking hard at moving. There may even be a wedding on the ship before we get to Miami.
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| First order of business was to put rubber bands on the lobster pinchers. |
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| Canadian National Railroad donated car for museum. |
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| Murphy's as our boat approaches. |
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| Shuttle bus. |
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| Glass blower shaping glass. |
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| Glass blowing. |
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| Canadian corvette from WWII. |
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| Our tour boat. |
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| Female lobster. |
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| Three cruise ships in port. |
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| Art ship's figureheads. |
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| Queen Mary. We had to wait to port while she had a difficult porting maneuvering. |
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