Achi news desk-
ST. JOHN’S, NL –
Apex’s famous Caribbean cruise this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada’s easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
By a strange stroke of luck, 250 couples from the province, as well as children and grandparents and even Newfoundlanders who live in other parts of the world, were all on the same cruise, says Mark Hiscock , who sings and plays banjo and accordion in the popular Newfoundland-trad band, Shanneyganock.
There were so many Newfoundlanders on board, the company ran off the main pool deck one night and held a party just for passengers from the province, Hiscock said.
“You had to show your ID, that you were part of a Newfoundland group,” the musician said in an interview. “I ran up and sang ‘The Islander’ and ‘I’se the B’y’ and everyone was going crazy.”
Around 3,000 people were on board when the ship set sail for the Caribbean on April 6. Pamela Pardy bought her ticket in November and soon started seeing social media posts from friends and friends of friends saying they too would be on the cruise .
Her travel agent then confirmed that 250 couples from the province, excluding children and grandparents, would also be on board.
“Also, when we go on the ship, there were all these people who don’t live in Newfoundland but come from Newfoundland,” he said in an interview. “So Newfoundlanders from all over the world, literally, who, by fluke, were on this same voyage.”
Pardy said she and her fiancé have been on many great cruises — they often take two a year — but sailing the seas with all those Newfoundlanders was very special. There was a connection between the passengers, and people felt free to strike up conversations with friends and strangers, said Pardy. She and her fiance would drape a Newfoundland and Labrador flag over the deck chairs as an invitation to anyone looking for a chat.
“Being in an elevator on a cruise ship is not usually a social event,” says Pardy. “But when you come from Newfoundland, and you hear, ‘Come in, my duck,’ or ‘Where are you going, my trout?’ He was so adorable.”
Non-Newfoundland passengers were also included; the open, talkative atmosphere extended to them, and they were welcomed to witness what Pardy called “Newfoundland hospitality.” She said she spoke to several people with no connection to the province who were now interested in visiting.
On the last night of the cruise, many of the Newfoundlanders gathered on deck again to take a group photo and sing the Ode to Newfoundland, the province’s official anthem.
“You felt part of something bigger,” said Pardy. “That’s the only way I can explain it.”
She said she hopes Expedia Cruises will offer another cruise full of Newfoundlanders – this time on purpose.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 16, 2024.
