Crown Princess/Canada New Engld. Cruise?

[bruceh]

We are going on the Oct 14/11 Crown Princess 12 day cruise to Canada New England+ on to Ft. Lauderdale.Any comments/tips,good or bad from those that have experienced this cruise? What was your embarkation experience like? Would you reccomend port or starboard balcony cabins on this cruise?

Thanks

Bruce H.

[Astro Flyer]

We are going on the Oct 14/11 Crown Princess 12 day cruise to Canada New England+ on to Ft. Lauderdale.Any comments/tips,good or bad from those that have experienced this cruise? What was your embarkation experience like? Would you reccomend port or starboard balcony cabins on this cruise?

Thanks

Bruce H.

We're also on this cruise & you can find some good info on our roll call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1201892

[Stevesan]

I sailed N/E Canada in September 2008.

Here are notes about some of your ports:

 

Newport - Vanderbilt’s Breakers and Marble House was my favorite tour. Breakers is a magnificent mansion, and the resident tour guide is among the best in the business. Well worth the money.

http://tickets.newportmansions.org/mansion.aspx?id=1000

http://tickets.newportmansions.org/mansion.aspx?id=1004

Bar Harbor – I booked two tours, the Acadia National Park for morning which included a narrated drive thru the park with a stop atop Cadillac Mountain.

The Bar Harbor Walking tour was absolutely great. Our tour guide is a good ol’ gal from N. Carolina. She summers here and provides marvelous stories about Bar Harbor’s history and people. A wonderful guide.

Halifax – A day of semi rest. Just took a morning walking tour, and then wandered the town.

Most passengers, at least ten buses full, opted for the Peggy’s Cove tour. You drive to the cove, look at a lighthouse, and then drive back.

Sydney – The Grand Tour Bras D’or Region was my second favorite. An excellent guide with gorgeous scenery. The Highland Village stop was a highlight. This is a reconstructed village simulating living conditions in the lake region from its earliest inception. Some cabins and equipment are original. It’s an easy walk and each stop includes a local docent guide/ demonstrator.

Quebec – Since we had an overnight stay, I took the countryside tour. An excellent guide conducted the countryside tour. His skill as a guide is remarkable considering tour guiding is a part time job for him. Like most locals, he works at multiple jobs to pay the local taxes. On day two I toured Quebec City on my own. With a bit of research, the latter is very doable. The Info Center in has good highlighted maps. Audio tours are available, too.

I should mention that we were two or three weeks early for the Fall color riot. We did see some changes. As we headed north, more red coloring graced the Maple trees. As compensation, our weather was nearly perfect. Newport was drizzly to rainy, so a good day for mansion tours. All the others were sunny and cool, except Boston. Lefover tropical air from Hurricane Ike ushered in an unseasonably warm 82 degrees.

[crusingnut]

I sailed N/E Canada in September 2008.

Here are notes about some of your ports:

 

Newport - Vanderbilt’s Breakers and Marble House was my favorite tour. Breakers is a magnificent mansion, and the resident tour guide is among the best in the business. Well worth the money.

http://tickets.newportmansions.org/mansion.aspx?id=1000

http://tickets.newportmansions.org/mansion.aspx?id=1004

 

Bar Harbor – I booked two tours, the Acadia National Park for morning which included a narrated drive thru the park with a stop atop Cadillac Mountain.

The Bar Harbor Walking tour was absolutely great. Our tour guide is a good ol’ gal from N. Carolina. She summers here and provides marvelous stories about Bar Harbor’s history and people. A wonderful guide.

 

Halifax – A day of semi rest. Just took a morning walking tour, and then wandered the town.

Most passengers, at least ten buses full, opted for the Peggy’s Cove tour. You drive to the cove, look at a lighthouse, and then drive back.

 

Sydney – The Grand Tour Bras D’or Region was my second favorite. An excellent guide with gorgeous scenery. The Highland Village stop was a highlight. This is a reconstructed village simulating living conditions in the lake region from its earliest inception. Some cabins and equipment are original. It’s an easy walk and each stop includes a local docent guide/ demonstrator.

 

Quebec – Since we had an overnight stay, I took the countryside tour. An excellent guide conducted the countryside tour. His skill as a guide is remarkable considering tour guiding is a part time job for him. Like most locals, he works at multiple jobs to pay the local taxes. On day two I toured Quebec City on my own. With a bit of research, the latter is very doable. The Info Center in has good highlighted maps. Audio tours are available, too.

 

I should mention that we were two or three weeks early for the Fall color riot. We did see some changes. As we headed north, more red coloring graced the Maple trees. As compensation, our weather was nearly perfect. Newport was drizzly to rainy, so a good day for mansion tours. All the others were sunny and cool, except Boston. Lefover tropical air from Hurricane Ike ushered in an unseasonably warm 82 degrees.

Thanks for sharing. Did you use a private tour guides in Quebec (Countryside) and Sydney (Bras D’or Region)?