7 Night Canada & New England Discovery (Montreal To Boston)
Sail date: September 29, 2018
Ship:
Rotterdam Retired
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 6228
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
Since our last cruise was in the Caribbean and 40 years ago, my wife and I find it hard to compare. We both agree that it exceeded our expectations. There were a couple minor annoyances but were so minor they are not worth mentioning. It would take many paragraphs to detail the superlatives. Suffice it to say that the ship, the staff, the food, the ports of call, the cabin, the service, the entertainment, the activities - the entire experience left only the desire to have had more energy and time to experience more.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It went smoothly. Even though there was a long switchback line, enough staff was available for check in that the line never stopped moving. Check in once at the couter took only a couple of minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Selection and quality were way above average. The Lido buffet was usually crowded but the wait staff circulated constantly. Cooked to order omelets and pasta were exceptional.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
This cruise keeps you so active that there is little time to take part in the onboard activities. There was a daily briefing on the next port that was very helpful, team trivia, movies, other talks that were informative. They have a lounge where you can play games of all kinds, work on giant jigsaw puzzles, and the have rooms dedicated to bridge and even Mah Jong. Fall cruise weather in New England prohibited pool use (others did though)
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The stage shows were terrific. Post Modern Jukebox (2 different shows) is an interesting treatment of modern rock songs (5-15 yr old mega hits) done in various older styles. The BBC National Geographic World set to music was a gripping experience. Was too tired to view either of the comdian's 2 shows. Sort of wished they had been a bit longer (only 50-55minutes)
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I doubt you could find service any better at a 5* hotel. Every staff person always greeted you with a smile and "hello, how are you?" Nice almost to a fault. Shout outs to our waiters Dian & Dom and our steward, Joni. Could not have asked for better.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Maybe 1 point deduct (out of 1000) for the faded carpet in the dining doom and the cabin area (but when you host 1,300 - 1,500 people per week and never stop, you can expect a little wear. Once you learned where everything was, it was easy to navigate and mad sense. This as a smaller ship than seems to be the norm now for most lines (2 would fit inside the Queen Mary 2) but just right for new seniors like us.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The bedding was super and the mattress equal to any. Enough room to move around. Bath was functional without being cramped.
Ship tip
Research the ports of call and possible tours. Booked 2 (1 walking, 1 motor coach), self guded the rest.
Flew in a day early to see Montreal. Took bus to Metro station but round trip took over 2 hours so time downtown was limited. Would have been better if we had had a map to know how to get around. Took UBER from airport hotel ($35 for 2 people) Lots of neat things to see and tours available but we had no time to take one as we decided to board around 11:30.
Took a walking tour that was fascinating. Lots of history that I did not know. Funicular was neat & saved a steep walk. Lots of neat things to see and tours available.
Took a Gray line 2 hour motor coach tour that had a few stops including Anne of Green Gables house & museum. Stop was too short to enjoy everything. Coul easily spend 2-3 hours but onjly had 30 mins.
We just explored on our own using the map and had a good time. Went to the Pier 21 Museum, saw a film, took a free guided tour by an elderly immigrant from Holland that had his original documents and gave some personalization. Could have spent 3-4 hours easily but decided to visit some of the areas shown then took the walk along to shore back to the ship.
We followed the advice of Eve, the EXC tour guide and took the waterfront trail to the Village Green then the free bus to the seaside trail (2 miles) then busses back and walked around town. Could have done more but were tired after 6 hours on shore.
We decided to stay a couple of days to visit. Took the silver line bus to Logan rental center ($2 vs $58 for transfers) drove to and walked around Hahvahd then to hotel in Stoughton. Took train in for Sunday but it was packed probably due to Columbus Day and annual reenactment of the British landing and Tea party (250th). Hop-On-hop Off Tour was sold out before noon so walked most of the Freedom trail and a lot of Boston common. Rain started around 3 so left. Drove around Woods Hole & Falmouth Monday and took a late flight home.
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