What's better than a boat full of Newfoundlanders? When it's a cruise in the Caribbean
A gaggle of Newfoundlanders found themselves at home — far, far away from home — after boarding a Caribbean cruise with hundreds of other passengers from the party-loving east coast province.
Pam Pardy noticed a smattering of local sayings upon entering the ship's deck earlier this month, hearing the distinct Newfoundland accent around her as soon as she boarded.
"First when you get on, you go and get your lounge chair. And the girl next to us … dropped her sunglasses, and she goes, 'Oh me glasses, I can't leave they,'" Pardy told CBC News on Tuesday.
"Everybody understood what everybody else was saying. 'Get in the elevator, my ducky!' Usually everybody's avoiding eye contact, waiting for you to get the next one."
About 500 Newfoundlanders ended up together on the Celebrity Apex, which left Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 6.
"From what I understand, it was just a total fluke," Pardy said.
Pam Pardy, in yellow, stands with friends in front of the Celebrity Apex in early April. (Submitted by Pam Pardy)
Pardy booked the trip over a year ago with her family and friends, but noticed around Christmas that she knew an unusual number of people also, by chance, on the same boat.
Posts about the cruise circulated online, until finally Pardy got a call from her travel agent, who told her so many Newfoundlanders had ended up booking the cruise, the company was throwing them their very own party.
Pardy was confident the massive coincidence would lead to a "rollicking good time," she said, laughing.
Mark Hiscock's travel agent also told him they'd be shacking up for the week with a few hundred neighbours (and perhaps some distant relatives).
He didn't bring his accordion — "I was there to relax," he explained — but ended up singing during the onboard kitchen party, as others walked around the deck playing spoons.
"There was a lady down in the back, she was givin' 'er," Hiscock recalled.
The Newfoundlanders took over the cruise ship deck for their own party. (Submitted by Pam Pardy)
Besides music and a wild gathering, what happens when you gather 500 Newfoundlanders on the deck of a tropical cruise ship?
"You get a lot of conversations, a lot of connections," said Darrin Feehan. "Running into old friends. It was almost like a high school reunion."
Pardy said meeting people from the rest of the world was also a blast — but she's already asking her travel agent if a Newfoundlander-packed cruise might be on the books next year.
"Let's see if we can spread the word and this can happen, because this was a lot of fun," she said.
"When you're on the islands and you're expecting island music, and you hear, 'Any Newfoundlanders here tonight?' That's incredible."
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