Short-cut to NYC

(It's taken me a while to get this post posted and I know some folks have been waiting curiously! Sorry for the delay; I've been insanely busy.)

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Via the Yarmouth–Portland Ferry, of course.

Airy Ferry Selfie

Earlier this summer, I took the Yarmouth–Portland Ferry (NovaStar Cruises, ooh-là-là) to go down to New York City for a couple of days.

A number of friends asked me to post my ferry impressions and here they are:

Great things about the ferry:

1. Remember being able to travel with a full tube of toothpaste? Don't you long for that freedom again? There is no restriction on gels or liquids when you travel on a boat. Go ahead and bring a big container of well water from your home to consume during the trip. Enjoy.
2. It's big – you can walk around and even go outside for as long as you want. I can't think of any other mode of transport that let's you do that and it's a definite bonus.
3.  You can get a cabin & escape into your own little world. Bring a lover. Knock yourselves out.
4. If you walk on, it's pretty cheap. And there is lots of train service on the other side, so you don't need your car down there. Leave your car in Yarmouth (just a few bucks a day at the Yarmouth Aiport and a $10 shuttle ride to and from the ferry).
5. It's slow. I love the feeling of actually being in the process of going somewhere for a long time. I used to take the Via train between Toronto and Halifax (back when it used to be cheap to get a couchette during the winter). Taking a long time to get somewhere gives me time to get ready  for my destination and gives me time to absorb the experience on the way home.
6. It's unplugged. There is no cell phone service on the on the ocean and I didn't even bother to ask how much they charge to log in to the satellite wi-fi. Also, there is nowhere to charge your phone, so conserving the battery is a plan. If you're like me and have a hard time getting the Internet out of your life, this is a great way to unplug and spend time writing (a blog post, perhaps), connecting with a friend or lover (see #3 above) or just staring off into space and chilling out. 
7. The staff are (mostly) friendly, and when they are not friendly they are definitely polite and professional. Also, if you live in Nova Scotia (outside HRM) and the homogeneity gets you down sometimes, you'll enjoy being back in the normality (at least to a former Torontonian) of the multi-cultural staff.
8. It's pretty quiet and empty. Hopefully, that will change, but in July of it's maiden year, the boat was far from congested. 

Not so great things about the ferry:

1. There will be children. Of course, this is a family-friendly means of conveyance. They were pretty well behaved, but there were a lot of them. Seek refuge in the casino bar. (For those of my friends who have children, I bet you and your kids will love this aspect of the trip. Friendships will be formed, I'm sure. There is a little play area and kiddie movies playing in one corner of the ship).
2. The ship runs on Eastern Time.This means that supper will start an hour later than you might like & same thing goes for breakfast. If you're like me, you might get hangry. Bring snacks (I did, but not enough).
3. There is nowhere to charge your phone/tablet/laptop. Even though you probably won't want to pay for internet access, you might want to play games, type off-line, etc. Or even have enough charge to make a phone call when you get to the other side. Why is there nowhere to charge your phone? Because the ship was built in another jurisdiction and they haven't converted the outlets to the North American standard. I was sure I took a photo of the outlets to show you but I can't find it now – if you're worried, call the booking office and I'm sure they can tell you what adaptor you need. Or, bring a solar charger.
4. The food is tasty, but pretty indigestible. I had lunch on the way down and breakfast on the way back at the boat's buffet restaurant. The food was edible, even tasty (mmmm, cauliflower gratin) but didn't sit so easily in my tummy. You might want to bring your own meals, especially if you have food sensitivities. 
5.  If you're an early riser like me, the ship will be closed when you wake up. I slept until about 4 am on the way back to NS. Nothing was open when I got up – not the casino, the duty-free or the café place. Nowhere to get a drink, a snack or entertainment. 

A few tips:

•  Although it says the ferry departs Portland, ME at 9pm, they want you to be there by 7pm (and we boarded around 8pm) (If you're leaving your car in Yarmouth, like I did, the shuttle will get you there on time).
• Not that I think anyone reading this would ever dream of trying to transport illicit substances across the border, but be forewarned that the sniffer dogs were very much in evidence in Maine. So don't try to bring drugs or dynamite home as souvenirs. 
• Bring earplugs, especially if you don't like the sound of droning engines.
• Dress in layers – the climate control on the ship is a bit erratic – although maybe those were hot flashes. Anyway, layers never hurt. 
• If you want to sleep well, splurge on a cabin.
• If you walk on, have patience. There is a long walk on and off the boat and they load and unload the cars first.
• Watch your step – I wiped out on the wet deck leaving the boat and bruised a knee. 

My funniest experience on the boat happened on the way back. As it's an overnight trip, I reserved a recliner seat – similar to an airplane seat with extra leg room, these are not particularly comfortable for sleeping but are a good place to read or to drop your stuff and use as a "home base" on the boat. On the way back to Yarmouth, I sat in my recliner seat for the first part of the trip, reading a book. During the first hour of the journey, every family taking the trip came up to the recliner lounge as part of their exploration of the ship. Almost every single group commented on the sign saying that the lounge was off-limits for people without reserved recliner seats – and they all came through anyway, parents explaining to their kids that this was where the people sat whose parents hadn't thoughfully provided cabins for their comfort. Then they would see me (I was the only passenger in that section of the recliner cabin) and make some comment about how it was quite nice really. It happened over and over again, at least a dozen times. Hilarious!

And by the way, I had an awesome time in New York. I LOVE it there!