Ultimate World Cruise: St. John’s, Canada, Chops Grille and Giovanni’s Table

Intro

We were halfway on the last mini segment of the Ultimate World Cruise, starting in Amsterdam and ending in Miami. It was also almost the end of the Round the World Trip 2024, so I wanted to add here the links of the previous post since the beginning in The Netherlands:

I spent 22 Days on the Ultimate World Cruise: A Travel Experience

Ultimate World Cruise: Reykjavík, Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle Tour

Ultimate World Cruise: Prince Christian Sound in Greenland and Izumi

Ultimate World Cruise: Qaqortoq, Greenland, Sip. Tour. Brunch. and Pirate Night

Day 11/22 – Arriving to St. John’s, Canada

Day 11 started with the approximation to the first port of the Americas, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The captain had decided to skip Nuuk in Greenland due to the terrible weather around (basically a mini hurricane), and added Halifax in Canada after St. John’s to compensate. To be honest, I was sad about this but Halifax definitely had more to offer than Nuuk.

For now, we were entering this beautiful city in Canada, and we were thrilled to explore it, not before getting our breakfast and coffee fix.

St. John’s is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is known for its natural beauty, arts and culture, and location as the easternmost city in North America: 

• Location: St. John’s is located on the Avalon Peninsula in southeast Newfoundland, on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the largest city in the province and the second largest in the Atlantic Provinces. 
• Terrain: The city is built on high hills around a landlocked harbor, and the surrounding coastal area is hilly and rugged with many bays, fjords, and offshore islands. 
• Climate: St. John’s receives about 51 inches of precipitation annually, with late autumn and early winter being the wettest seasons. Snowfalls can be heavy, but rain is also common in winter. 
• Things to do: Some things to do in St. John’s include exploring the narrow streets, visiting the jellybean row houses, hiking Signal Hill, and visiting The Rooms. 

And we were about to do those 2 last things. For now, we were docking in the port, right in the downtown. The colorful houses were welcoming us.

But also a few people were showing up welcoming the guests from the Ultimate World Cruise. I mean this cruise was famous in the internet. They gave us some Canada flags.

First thing I did after getting out of the cruise, was to run to the Tim Hortons to get a Mocha. And I found this cute Pride fence ride upfront.

Day 11/22 – The Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

First destination was The Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, located up in a hill, so I walked up there with coffee in hand. It was very early in the morning, so the church was still closed.

The second largest church in Canada, this cathedral is a National Historic District of Canada and a symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland. It was the largest church building in North America during its time

Day 11/22 – The Rooms

Next up, we went to this museum called The Rooms, located almost next to the church. This is Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest public cultural space and home to its most extensive collection of artifacts, art and archival records.

We walked around the exhibitions, and got to the terraces where we had this beautiful view of the narrow entrance of the port, and the Serenade of the Seas.

And further away was the Signal Hill National Historic Site, one of the icons of this town.

This museum reminded me a little about that one in Iceland, with all the animals like Polar Bears and this fox.

Day 11/22 – Signal Hill National Historic Site

We took an Uber to Signal Hill National Historic Site, since we could not have imagined hiking up here. It was pretty chili for a Summer day. From up here we were able to see the church and museum we had just visited, and the Serenade of the Seas. It looks huge from here.

We went up the tower which was free, although a bit tight. Explored the store downstairs and enjoyed the views all over.

Day 11/22 – Johnson Geo Centre

Not too far from there was the Johnson Geo Centre. We walked down there and got the tickets to explore the museum. I always prefer museums about nature and geology than art and history.

The expositions were cool, more school oriented than I expected. The fact that the main room was underground was nice, and there was a show with some effects I recommend to assist.

Day 11/22 – St John’s City Center

It was way past lunch time, and now we were taking an Uber to end our exploration on the city center, where we walked around to check some stores, bought some groceries, mostly sodas and toiletries to get into the cruise, and then to find a place to eat.

I got the Crispy cod burger and fries from YellowBelly Brewery, a traditional place in the heart of St. John’s and it was ok. I think that small towns can be hit or miss regarding the food.

Day 11/22 – An evening of entertaining

We went back into the cruise as the time to board was almost getting here, and had a relaxing couple of hours in the stateroom, until it was time for the show. This time, it was Voices of Royal: Whitney Drake: I just wanna sing! She is so good, probably the best of the Voices of Royal.

We did not know, but the captain had announced earlier that we were staying over tonight due to a storm coming down to Halifax, so better to avoid it by staying in St. John’s. We were kinda glad, so we went back outside to explore a little bit of the nightlife of the town. It was chili, it was a Thursday, and it was a small town, so yes, the bars and other places were kind of empty. Also, we noticed a few suspicious people around. The vibe was not there, so after walking a lot trying to give a chance, we went back into the cruise, and got to the Vortex Nightclub.

Day 12/22 – A relaxing morning

It was already Day 12 of 22 on this Ultimate World Cruise, and by the time we woke up, the Serenade of the Seas was already going southwest towards Halifax. After getting coffee at the Starbucks, and hitting the gym, we got breakfast in the Windjammer #washywashy.

At 11:30 am we went to see the Enrichment Today: Seven Wonders of the Ancient/Modern Eras at Tropical Theatre. I had just finished the New Seven Wonders of Nature, so this was about right.

Day 12/22 – Chops Grille

Chops Grille was the last specialty restaurant that we were missing, and it was time to try it out. Making reservations was super easy, and we always found a spot at any time due to this being the Ultimate World Cruise. Many guests had already explored these restaurants in the last few months, and now they were almost empty.

This was the only restaurant I had tried in the past, in Ovation of the Seas, during my Alaska cruise, so I had very good expectations. Of course, every starter was seafood, because why not?

Like, the tuna tartare was so good…

But obviously, at a steakhouse I gotta get the Prime NY strip. Medium rate it was juicy, and melted in my mouth.

We were so full, but still got dessert, and the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream definitely hit the spot. 10/10 would come to Chops Grille on a future cruise.

Day 12/22 – An evening of entertainment

After watching the movie IF at the cinema, we went to the Tropical Theatre, but before and while getting ready, the beautiful sunset was seen from our stateroom.

Entertainment was in charge of Headline Showtime: Lance Ringnald at Tropical Theatre. With 54 years, this gymnast was able to put on a show and it was really good actually. By this time, a lot of people would skip the jugglers and acrobatics, but I enjoyed this one.

He also was very inventive.

Day 13/22 – A Day at Sea

Day 13 was another day at sea, and this morning we would learn a bit more about New York City at the Enrichment Today: Architectural Marvels of New York City at Tropical Theatre.

And right after that, we also saw the Enrichment Today: Highlights of Halifax, our next, improvised port coming up tomorrow.

Day 13/22 – Giovanni’s Table (Encore)

So far, we had visited the 3 Specialty Dining restaurants of the Serenade of the Seas, and we had 2 more dinners left. Izumi was a disaster even though we LOVE seafood, and Giovanni and Chops Grille had been successes, so I guess we knew which ones we were going to repeat. So for today, the fourth dinner was Giovanni’s Table.

We got the cheese and cured meat board, and then had the Secondi or Main Dish, for which I tried 2: the seared filet mignon, which had been one of the best foods so far on this cruise…

… and the seafood linguine, because of course I had to get something seafood with my meal. They did not charge extra for the additional plate, you just have to ask nicely, and they can see if they can accommodate the request.

Dessert was Chocolate-hazelnut cake. And this consolidated Giovanni’s Table as the best restaurant on average for both of us. I think for me, Chops Grille is a notch over this one, but it is just my preference.

Day 13/22 – Singers Showcase

The day at sea flew by, and it was already nighttime. The show was Singers Showcase: Starring the Voices of Royal at Tropical Theatre. The five singers were amazing, and after this we could not wait to wake up and be in Halifax, Canada, just one step before the stop at New York, our hometown.