Archive for year: 2011

The Clam Shack

Portland Head Lighthouse

My husband and I along with another couple, Mic and Missy Johnson, sailed the northeast at the beginning of October.  Nine nights at sea, sailing out of Bayonne, New Jersey was sometimes a little rough because of the wet weather.  This cruise was vastly different in so many ways for us.  The weather was the most obvious difference, most days were rainy and cold.  This is what I had expected considering the region that we were sailing.    In fact, for me anyway, this added to the ambiance of the scenery.  Rocky coasts, lighthouses, fog and mist were a common theme.  I loved it!  Although after six straight days of this, we all were in need of a little sunshine.   Nine nights was also something new to us, usually we do the seven night sailings, the two extra days were a bonus.

This particular cruise had a culinary theme as well.  The northeast is, of course, famous for seafood.  I had my very first lobster in Kennebunkport, Maine, yum!!  Lobster rolls at the Clam Shack, highly recommend!  Maine is also famous for their blueberries.  We had a couple of desserts that were absolutely fantastic,  Blueberry Apple Crisp, amazing!!  The northeast is also known for their Whoopie Pies.  We managed to eat them in every port :)  So a lot of fun with the food and the lighthouses, this cruise has left us wanting to go back.  Our last port was Boston.  I loved that city so much that we agreed to go back and spend a few days.  We plan to do that along with a drive up the coast to Maine for more scenery and culinary delights.  We were a couple of weeks early for peak colors this year.  They said the very wet summer lead to a late color change.   We know to go around Columbus Day to get a little closer to seeing the vibrant fall foliage.  Acadia National Park was gorgeous, even though we were there just as the leaves were starting to change.  We missed going to the top of Cadillac Mountain, it was completely covered in fog.  Next time 🙂

This was an incredible cruise vacation, one I highly recommend if you have already experienced Caribbean cruising and are looking for something different.

Happy Sailing 🙂

I’m not one to toot my own horn, but this, I have to share :)  After much determination, I achieved my personal and professional goal of becoming an Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC).   I enrolled in CLIA’s (Cruise Lines International Association) Cruise Counsellor Program and set out to earn my ACC.  By completing the official CLIA Cruise Academy training programs, as well as other professional selling programs within the cruise industry, visiting numerous ships, experiencing short and long cruises and attending professional and product development courses as well as demonstrating sales achievement levels, I was able to reach my goal.  Yay!!   It was a challenging experience and I have enjoyed the ride.  A special thanks to my husband Jason for his support (both technical and emotional) along the way.  I have been able to combine my love of cruising with the small business world to help family, friends and new clients experience a great way to vacation – on board a cruise ship!  Thank you to all who have trusted me with your cruise vacations.  I look forward to planning many more!

Next goal……. Master Cruise Counsellor!!

Happy Sailing 🙂