Shipping News

Peter and I spent the last 2 weeks on a vacation which included a cruise. We didn’t stop to think that a 10-day cruise in the fall would be limited to one particular group: old retired people like us.

We haven’t been on a trip of any kind in a couple of years so preparing for this trip was a little stressful. The weather in the Maritimes and New England is supposed to be mild and sunny but there can be occasional hurricanes along the coast. So we had to pack a lot of layers to accommodate all possibilities. Our pill consumption has increased, so (I have to admit) I bought one of those pill box organizers. Then the airline tickets we had booked to go to our departure city were threatened by a potential airline strike! But finally we were ready.

Pill box organizer saved the day..

Peter wanted to take public transit to the airport but we had packed a lot of stuff. Two suitcases plus 3 carry-ons seemed daunting for a subway and 2 bus rides plus walking, so we agreed on taking an Uber. But Ubers arrive quickly and, in our haste to leave, an important item was left behind and we had to coax the Uber guy to turn around.

The flight was short and the attendants served wine so by the time we got to Quebec City we were calmed down and ready to have fun. We had booked a hotel for one night before our cruise left. But when we arrived at our lovely boutique hotel, we found out it had no elevators and no bell hops. We had to lug our suitcases and carry-ons to the second floor.

Boutique hotel with no elevators

We were almost ready to give up and go home, but our hotel was just across from the Chateau Frontenac and a lovely boardwalk, so we soldiered on.

After a walk and a delicious French dinner, we slept well and were all set to hike to the ship the next morning. The hotel had advertised a 10-minute walk to the port but we were still trudging after half an hour. We could see the ship but it was located behind acres of shipyards. Eventually a disability shuttle took pity and picked us up. We tried to ignore the wheelchair sign in the windows as we took our seats.

Peter walking the port

We boarded the ship and looked around. We have never before seen so many canes, walkers and wheelchairs gathered together on a floating vessel. There were a lot of wrinkled faces, grey hair and bald heads too. But there were also a few heads with blue streaks and even a moustache dyed green. And those wrinkled faces were smiling. Would this be a nursing home experience or not?

The Norwegian Sky

The ship made accommodations for our collective age. The mealtimes were adjusted to include lunch starting at 11:30 and dinner beginning at 5:00. We chose “sharing tables’ in the dining room and met a lot of interesting older people. They were from all over the world; not just Quebec but also Georgia, Arizona, California, the UK, India, Germany, and Australia. We learned a lot about healthcare, housing, education, weather and grandchildren in other countries. And we all acknowledged that we might forget each other’s names if we met again the next day.

There were shows after dinner. A violinist wore sparkly dresses she had designed herself as she played a variety of music types that we recognized. A group of performers presented an evening of show tunes from the 60’s and up. A comedian, who was also in his 70’s like most of us, told our kind of jokes. The shows ended at 10 pm and the guests, including us, walked directly to our staterooms and put on our pajamas; the casino sat empty.

Next Tuesday I’ll give you an overview of the many interesting ports we visited. But all in all, Peter and I decided that cruising is a definite travel possibility for older people.

Sue

Chateau Frontenac hotel in Quebec City