lupaglupa

We've used Uber in Portland with good success. That would likely be easier than a cab. I agree with chengkp75 that you may get a better view of Portland head from the ship as you enter the harbor. Unless you are a huge fan of lighthouses there's not much to see at the head light and it's a trip to get out there. I also second staying away from DiMillo's. Our favorite place to eat in Old Port is Flatbread. The pizza is terrific and if you score a seat on the patio you can watch the ferries come and go.

We vacation every years on Peaks. It's easy to poke around on your own - there's a self guided walking tour of the WW2 sites that is fun. A walk around the perimeter is about 4 miles. There are golf carts and bikes to rent if you want to get around on your own. The museum at the Fifth Maine is quite interesting, in addition to seeing what's left from WW2 (especially Battery Steele) and the beautiful scenery.

Portland Maine is very walkable. The Old Port area has good restaurants and shops. If you feel more energetic you can walk up to the Portland Museum of Art, which has a nice, small collection. There is a museum at the Miane Historical Society (also up the hill from the waterfront). One really fun thing to do in Portland is to take the ferry from the Maine State Pier to one of the islands. Peaks Island is closest - you can walk around it or rent bikes.

We did this cruise on the Maasdam two years ago with our then ten-year-old. He had plenty to do on the ship and preferred being at Club HAL to spending time with us. He and my husband did the bus to Fortress Louisbourg and enjoyed it very much. His favorite stop was Quebec City - just walking around the old parts of the city was fascinating, as was eating at a local restaurant and watching Mama order and chat in French. There was a good mix of kids on board and he made several friends. I expect your children would also enjoy this cruise.

We sailed this trip the same week last year in reverse (Boston to Montreal) and did see whales. But it was just a quick glimpse of spouting in the distance. We never actually saw the whales themselves :)

The dining room stewards were surprised and told us they rarely see whales on that route.

We took our ten 10 year old son on this cruise last year. In addition to loving the time at Club HAL, he enjoyed:

The Titanic exhibits in Halifax and exploring the Citadel;

Seeing Fortress Louisbourg on the Sydney stop;

Walking around Charlottestown and eating chocolate covered potato chips; and,

Seeing the old streets and trying French pastries in Quebec City.

We had planned a whale watch in Bar Harbor but skipped that stop due to a mechanical issue.

There were quite a few kids on the ship - enough for him to find compatible friends and beg to get back to Club HAL whenever it was open. We had three generations on the cruise and all found it an excellent time.

What did they like about the kids club on HAL?

I can't comment on Alaska (first cruise there yet to happen) but I will say my DS who is 11 loves Club HAL. They have great staff and a nice mix of activities. He loves it so much he ditches us whenever it is open! I am actually worried he will not see any scenery in Alaska when we are not in port because he will be so busy playing ;)

DH and I like HAL a lot - staff is excellent, food excellent, and we prefer the more grown up feel of the ship to more party oriented cruise lines.

Consider Holland America! HAL along with Princess has a long time reputation of providing wonderful Alaskan cruises.

HAL has wonderful covered/heated pools and does way much better with their programs for children than you might expect.

Certainly, Princess would be one to consider as well.

 

LuLu

I second this - my son (11 years old) loves Club HAL and the retractable roof over Holland America ships means you can swim in almost all weathers. We loved our HAL cruise for other reasons too - much more than NCL

Because of this most of my drinks are non-alcoholic and HAL has never had an issue with him having a sip or two or even ordering one drink and two glasses. We did this on suggestion of the Lido bartender when ordering a smoothie at lunch and DS wanted one. I get the non alcoholic drink card while both children get the soda card.

 

Never had an issue.

Thank you - that's very helpful. You almost erase the taste of having the forum flame me. But I'm not coming back to Cruise Critic. Other, nicer, places likely have information.

Hmm. I just had an idea.

If you want to keep using the card on the up and up, how about if one of the people in the cabin that has the cards gifts one to the cabin that does not have a card? You could go to front office and ask it be transferred to the other name and then you would have HAL sanction for 'sharing' the card. :) If the Front Office says know, you will know their view of anyone else using it.

 

Thank you for not assuming I was looking to cheat HAL. I have a child travelling with me who will definitely want to try anything I get that is fruity or fancy. HAL puts in VERY strict language about sharing and I wondered, if I got a drink that interested him, could I share it with him? I don't want to lose my card for letting him have part of my drink.

Indeed ... but that was not at all the intent of your first post.

Thank you so much for the clarification and the astute re-framing of my question - I am aghast at my own ignorance of my intentions! I will be careful to keep my child and any others away from my drinks.

So you are asking if it is OK to scam them out of a "little" profit? The cards are to be used by the person they are issued to. There are many words that can be used to describe any other use, none of them good :rolleyes:

So, for instance, allowing my child to share a soda with me would be scamming the cruise line out of this "little" profit?

I have a question about the signature beverage cards. We have two cabins - in one both people got the signature beverage card as a promo with the cabin, in the other cabin they did not (one outside, one inside). No way can either of us with the cards drink the allotted 15 drinks a day. I know HAL says not to share - how strict are they? I'm not looking to scam them out of a huge profit here but I did wonder if they policed this carefully.

Thanks for the info. We are heading home by train so we'll do it as we cross the border there. I've been back and forth between the US and Canada many times. It's always been an easy process.

We are US citizens cruising from Boston to Montreal this summer. I know we will go through US Customs when we return to the US. What I don't know is whether we will have to go through customs (Canadian or US) when we leave the ship in Montreal. I'm trying to plan our travel home and wanting to know if I need to allot time for this. Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you both for replying! I m fine with some noise - obviously nothing is noiseless. I had just gotten spooked by a few reviews that described significant interrupted sleep etc. I want my Mother to have a wonderful trip and I'll feel terrible if I put us in a bad cabin.

My family has two cabins booked on the Maasdam (Boston to Montreal) this summer. My mother, who is treating us, very much wanted adjacent cabins and I wanted to be aft because her walking is very poor and it seemed she would have easiest access to the dining room etc using the aft elevators. Booking through HAL (over the phone) we got 2 cabins (830 and 832 - across from each other) on the A deck. I carefully asked the woman helping me about the noise as I understood these cabins are above the engine. She assured me that the cabins are several decks above the engine and there would be no noise. Now I have found some reviews stating the noise in this area of the A deck is awful - early morning thrusters that jolt everyone awake. Has anyone had experience with these rooms? Is it as awful as the reviewers have said? Any input would be appreciated.