We are cruising on the Viking Octantis, had a stop in Sydney, then Woody Point, and on to Havre-St. Pierre on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where begins the St. Lawrence Seaway. Along the way to the southwest are Quebec, Montreal, Toronto and into the Great Lakes.
In August, we will board the Azamara Journey from Reykjavik, Iceand, to watch the total eclipse of the sun. The ship will have three stops in Greenland, then St. John's, Newfoundland, and Quebec, arriving in Montreal. So we will again be on the St. Lawrence River in four months.
This is also called the St. Lawrence Waterway because there are 15 locks between Montreal and Lake Erie to overcome a 551 feet elevation change.
- We were on the Oceania Riviera last year. Many consider this cruise line to have the best food. Here is a video confirming so, For comparison purposes, say we give it a 50 rating. How would the Octantis fare?
- First, our very personal rating would have the American Melody at 40, Viking Tir (Christmas cruise from Amsterdam) 45, Norwegian Encore 55, Norwegian Pride of America at 60, Regent Seven Seas Explorer 70, Seabourn Quest 75, Diamond Princess 80 (only because we like Japanese food), Crystal Symphony 80, Ritz-Carlton Luminara 85 and .....tada.....Viking Octantis 90. Of course, we have one more week to go.
- For me, the longer I'm are on a ship, the more tired I get of the food. The Norwegian Encore was a 39-day cruise from Seattle to Southampton. I could never today enjoy an around the world cruise on the Islander Princess, as we had planned a few years ago, which was cancelled by the COVID Pandemic.
- Also, cruise cuisine depends on the location. The Diamond Princess food from Singapore to Hong changed somewhat. That was perhaps a 65 because they got away from Japanese food.
- Because we grew up in Hawaii, we have a predilection for "local" food, which is a fusion of American with Asian..
The buffet area is called World Cafe. Excellent cuisine for this type of venue
Bottle of Kirschwasser.
Salad and roast bars,
Sunset.
We've now had had two sushi dinners.
In addition to sushi and sashi, we also had soft shell and Alaskan crab servings.
With sashimi, miso soup, scotch, hot sake and cold sake, Added a noodle bowl.
There is a steak and lobster bar at night. When we were there, they were grilling Tomahawk Steaks.
This station also serves an excellent wedge salad with blue cheese. Just carrying the plate of our shared Tomahawk Steak was a challenge. Must have weighed ten pounds, although the bone alone was two-thirds the weight.
Dessert-making.
I can go on and on, but after week on the Viking Octantis, this is, indeed, the finest cuisine we've had at sea.
Here are traditional sea shanties in an hour. Why called shanties? The word is derived from the French verb chanter, meaning to sing, But most of these sailor songs tend to be British dominated. Here is a small list, and the two I best know from college are:
#3, Blow the Man Down, which has nothing to with SpongeBob Square Pants, nor Popeye. Could have some connection to savage weather conditions or fighting on ships. Sung when hoisting sails, and well used from 1840 to 1870.
- #5 Sloop John B, a Bahamian song of the 19thcentury. The ones I'm familiar with were first, The Kingston Trio, then The Beach Boys.
However, What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor, also on the above list, is considered to be the most iconic and recognizable.
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