We loved Maine and Canada, what little we saw. We are planning on a road trip to this area in the future. The cruise is itself, excursion heavy, which left us over-tired and wanting to see more, yet in a leisurely way.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We purchased the key package the first time on this sailing. We breezed into ship within 10 minutes and off to lunch where they even transported our carry-on items to the cabin.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We had lovely meals in the MDR and in Chops and Giovanni, eating two meals in each of the specialty restaurants. We skipped Izumi this trip as they do not use the hot stone or the teppanyaki grill.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Love the spa as usual. I enjoyed a shampoo and blow-dry for formal night, and on the last sea day I treated myself to a "perfect-day" massage and facial.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Unfortunately, we had a my-time dining slot at 7:30. We missed all the performances. We did catch Peter James in the Schooner Bar, where he needed a larger venue as it was packed.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Typical service from RCL. We expect warm, courteous and professional waiters & stewards. All the staff does a wonderful job.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Adventure is due for rehab. I felt the layout was a little awkward, and I have two big peeves. 1) the diamond lounge is too small and overcrowded, and 2) why can't RCL sideline the casino to one side or the other of the ship. I hate walking through the smoke-filled casino.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Aft Junior Suite. I was originally excited to see our GTY suite landed us in an Aft suite on 6. I was dismayed to find that the aft view had a 15-foot deck behind our balcony and an obstructed view by the tail superstructure and flag pole. The closet in this particular configuration was awkward. The shelving was accessible only by shoving past the hanging storage. The cabin was comfortable, spacious and clean, I would not book it again.
Ship tip
If you want to see Fall Foliage, check with the locals before booking a cruise to see color.
Loved the locals and the area. Saw the Bay of Fundy at both low and high tide. The excursion was several hours and felt a little rushed, although it covered a multitude of sites. The excursion (Top 10) finished up with a Moosehead brew at the local Irish Pub. Wish more excursions finished with a local pub :)
Another long (7hour) excursion to capture All Things Canadian. We had a lovely tour guide. We didn't love the crowds and traffic at Peggy's Cove. I would think the cruise lines would work together limit (or time) the traffic to a site that clearly cannot take large crowds.
After two long excursions at NB and Halifax, we completely skipped this excursion. We opted to walk out onto the dockside for a local lunch and some shopping.
A glutton for punishment, I booked two excursions in PEI. In the AM we saw the family house used as the inspiration of Green Gables in the Anne books. The house was well-kept, had a large visitor area, a coffee shop, and a souvenir shop. Enjoyed this excursion.
In the afternoon, we booked the Watchtowers and Wine. We visited two lighthouses and were able to climb to the top. Both were clean and one was an easy climb for older knees. After we toured the Rossignol winery. The PEI wine industry is fairly new and as far as I know, the wineries are small family operations. Rossignol has been awarded medals for their fruit wines. Although they do produce traditional wines as well. Just don't expect a sit-down service wine flight as you would find in Napa or Sonoma. Picture 40 people queuing for a small taste of 2-3 pours of fruit wines. The winery was very generous to pour any of their available wines, again small portions about 1 oz.
Opted for the "mild" activity level of the excursion titled "The Beaupre Coast & St. Anne Canyon & Winery". The excursion described as a bus tour of the Beaupre Coast, an open-air tram through the St. Anne Canyon, and a relaxing sit-down patio tasting at a local winery. The reality was the bus tour of the Beaupre Coast was looking out the bus windows as traveled to the canyon and the winery. The Scenery included Montmorency Falls and great views of the St. Lawrence waterway properties.
The Canyon does not have an open-air tram. If you want to see the canyon and the waterfalls, be prepared to walk up and down and across suspension bridges. Although the total step count was about 5K, it isn't an easy walk for the aged. There is a golf cart that will take you back from a half-way spot. If you go past the half-way you are committed to the entire trip. We walked with an octogenarian who made it 90% of the way and couldn't go longer. Our tour guide commandeered the golf cart and driver to drive him back to the bus. We also found at our slow pace left no time for souvenir shopping or washroom breaks.
The drive to the winery was beautiful. The winery was located in I'le de Orleans. The patio existed, but instead of sitting, we stood for 2 oz pourings of fruit wines and cider. The traditional grape and/or dry wines were not available for tasting. Overall we liked this excursion even though we had to hike unexpectedly. The scenery was outstanding. If I book an excursion for wine tasting again, I will book it independently.
We were told by RCL that Quebec City always has a huge pool of taxis to expedite the post-cruise travel. When we disembarked, we joined the taxi line which stretched almost 1/4 mile. It turned out, there was a taxi strike in Quebec City. We had heard it was scheduled for the next week, but it started on our disembarkation day. My best recommendation for this port, is to use Uber or RCL transfers if you're going to the Airport. We only had a mile to go to the rail station, we still paid premium Uber rates for the small distance.
I'm on the September 16th sailing and they have over 700 people that are Diamond and above. They took over the Viking Lounge so, they could accommodate everyone.
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