Caribbean Princess, 7 days, NY roundtrip to New England/Canada
DAY ONE: We cruised out of port of Brooklyn. Will write my cruise notes on the ship later.
DAY TWO: NEWPORT, RI
Our tour group left from the Princess Theatre en masse at 8:00am. We took a tender into town, then boarded a bus. We drove through town and hilly terrain hugging the rocky coast, seeing the numerous sailboats and fishing vessels on the water and learning the history from our guide. This area hosts a naval war college and training for the Special Olympics sailing competition. It looks like sailing, fishing, and tourism are the main activities. Then we turned inland to view the wealthy mansions ranging from stone castle-like exteriors with turrets to white columned palatial structures. Newport is known for its upper crust crowd. Lush vegetation guarded the driveways to provide privacy. The leaves hadn’t turned yet, staying mostly green, with an occasional touch of maple or red. Back toward town, we passed Touro Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in North America. People settled here in the 1600’s for religious freedom. Narrow streets and three-story Colonial brick houses with chimneys lend a quaint atmosphere.
The tour ended at 10:30, so we had plenty of time to stroll through the shops by the historic waterfront and debate which restaurant to dine at for lunch. An outdoor vendor sold hot dogs and clam chowder from the same stand. The Black Pearl looked intriguing with a dark interior like a historic English tavern and a lively outdoor crowd but we opted instead for the stand-alone The Mooring with seating overlooking the harbor. I ordered a cup of clam chowder ($5) which was creamy with an overabundance of potatoes. The lobster salad croissant sandwich ($19) had generous chunks of lobster with dill mayonnaise and came served with seasoned fries. I would have liked to taste the delicious lobster mac and cheese but had enough to eat. Good meal in very pleasant surroundings.
Newport street
After lunch, we strolled by the shops at the waterfront and along Thames Street. We were able to resist the Scrimshaw knives, jewelry, wine stoppers and letter openers. Nor did we succumb to temptation to buy fudge, novelty gifts, tee shirts, hoodies, or shot glass souvenirs. It was cool and breezy, and I wore three layers of tops. Wimpy Floridians that we are, we got too cold and went back to the ship by 2:00 pm. Overall impression: A wealthy playground. Not much to see or do here on your own as a cruise visitor except around the waterfront; quaint town with historical flavor.