Live (at the time) Review 12 night Canada/New England on Brilliance 10/22/12-11/3/12

[FloatYourBoatSince2003]

Thanks for your comments! I'm definitely OCD in planning... I just reserved an apartment for 2 nights in Rome for 18 months from now!

 

 

I don't think that is OCD at all ;)

 

We loved our Mediterranian cruise - and it most assuredly deserves a thick "binder" be it hardcopy or IPad. Thanks again and all the best.

[ace1zoe2]

I saw your review and have read the whole thing this morning! I booked the 7 night for September 2014 for my 50th birthday, when the bookings were released and I have the corner aft that you had.

 

I am so excited after reading your reviews. Do you have anymore pictures of your aft balcony? We have had 1700 and 1400 on the Liberty and Freedom and know how fabulous they are.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do your review.

 

irishgal432,

 

I will try to look thru my pictures to see if i have anymore photos and if so I will be happy to post them for you. We have loved our corner afts! Leaving in 2 weeks for Alaska and all the corners were gone so we had to settle for an aft in the middle but think it will still be awesome!

[themerle]

Really enjoyed your review and I'm looking forward to your review for Alaska. I've been on 4 Alaskan cruises and so for it's my favorite cruise. We usually stay a few extra days in Alaska since we enjoy the North/South cruises best. We've been wanting to do the Canada/New England cruise for several years and your review makes us want to go even more. We're looking at the July 6 cruise on HAL Maasdam leaving from Boston. We enjoy being in Boston on the 4th of July so this year is a perfect time for this cruise. We could spend a few days in Boston and then board the ship.

 

Thanks for sharing all the photos. I sure hope this is the year I get to go!

[ace1zoe2]

Really enjoyed your review and I'm looking forward to your review for Alaska. I've been on 4 Alaskan cruises and so for it's my favorite cruise. We usually stay a few extra days in Alaska since we enjoy the North/South cruises best. We've been wanting to do the Canada/New England cruise for several years and your review makes us want to go even more. We're looking at the July 6 cruise on HAL Maasdam leaving from Boston. We enjoy being in Boston on the 4th of July so this year is a perfect time for this cruise. We could spend a few days in Boston and then board the ship.

 

Thanks for sharing all the photos. I sure hope this is the year I get to go!

 

Thank you for taking time to comment. We loved the Canada cruise. This will be our second cruise to Alaska but only two repeated ports. I'm hoping I can get it posted fairly quickly after we get back. I'm looking forward to taking some scenic photos.

 

 

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[shadst]

Not only is your trip report extremely helpful, but I also LOVE you photography!

[ace1zoe2]

Not only is your trip report extremely helpful, but I also LOVE you photography!

 

Thank you so much for your compliment of my photographs! I am purely an amateur photographer but i love taking photos. Next up is my trip to Alaska in 2 weeks. i am hoping to do a photo review of it also. Thanks again for taking time to read and comment.

 

 

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[lindastravels]

Our travel plans are as follows:

 

Pre-Cruise:

10/19FridayFlight from Dallas to Montreal

10/20SaturdaySite-seeing in Montreal

10/21SundayMorning/Afternoon Site-seeing in Montreal, afternoon bus to QC

10/21SundayEvening in Quebec City

10/22MondaySite-seeing in Quebec City

 

Cruise Itinerary:

10/22MondayBoard ship, disembark & spend the day site-seeing in Quebec City

10/23TuesdayShip over-nighted in QC so disembark & enjoy 2nd day in QC

10/24WednesSea Day

10/25ThursdayGaspe, Canada

10/26FridayChalottetown, Prince Edward Island

10/27SaturdaySydney, Nova Scotia

10/28SundayHalifax, Nova Scotia

10/29MondaySaint John, New Brunswick

10/30TuesdayBar Harbor, Maine

10/31WednesPortland, Maine

11/01ThursdaySea Day

11/02FridayPort Liberty, Bayonne, NJ - disembark

 

Post Cruise:

11/02FridayNew York City, NY

11/03SaturdayNew York City, Ny then fly home to Dallas

 

About three weeks out I emailed the dining room requesting a table foe two and ask for a confirmation email. BR_RestaurantOperationsCoordinator@rccl.com was the direct email to the onboard dining room of Brilliance of the Seas. The next day I received an email advising that our request had been approved along with the exact table number and a map of the dining room pointing out the table next to the window. Normally we sit with family or friends that we are traveling with. The first cruise we sailed alone was in 2010 on our 30th anniversary cruise to Hawaii and we also asked for and received a table for two.

 

So all of my pre-cruise planning will hopefully payoff in lots of fun & adventure. It's the weekend before we leave, the bags are out, the camera & Kindle batteries are charged, the toiletry bag is packed and I am getting SICK, no not sick of packing, actually physically sick! WAIT! That's not part of my plan AND I don't have time to be sick. I still have 4 more days to work, a house to clean, clothes to wash, bags to pack...

 

 

Monday, Oct 15... 4 days before we are scheduled to begin our trip...

 

I go to work and as soon as the doctor's office opens I call & get an appointment... Normally I just tough it out, but I do not want to risk feeling like crap when we leave on our trip. A few short hours and about $100 in office and RX co-pays later I have a diagnosis... Upper respiratory infection... A shot, a Z-Pack and RX cough syrup and I'm on my way. Twelve hours later I have to say I'm starting to feel like I might live long enough to actually enjoy the cruise that I have spent so much time in planning.

 

Now I just have to get thru three more days of work, finish packing & then clean the house and change the sheets on the bed before we leave. I LOVE coming home to a clean house & clean sheets!

 

 

Continued... More tonight including pictures of Montreal

 

 

I see you were in sydney nova scotia on oct 27th, did you do a private tour there and if so who did you use??? going in july would like some help please

[ace1zoe2]

I see you were in sydney nova scotia on oct 27th, did you do a private tour there and if so who did you use??? going in july would like some help please

 

If you will go to page 5, post 97 that is where I start with what we did in Sydney. Hope this help you plan your day :)

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Just bringing this post back up for those of you who may be planning Canada/New England cruises this fall.

[craftymarie]

thank you so much for all your info and fab photos. hubby and I are doing the 7 nt N/E cruise from boston on 20th Oct. cant wait to see some of the sights you have described. hope there will still be plenty of foliage left on the trees then :)

Marie

[ace1zoe2]

thank you so much for all your info and fab photos. hubby and I are doing the 7 nt N/E cruise from boston on 20th Oct. cant wait to see some of the sights you have described. hope there will still be plenty of foliage left on the trees then :)

Marie

 

Thanks so much for reading my report & taking time to post. We loved this cruise! We were afraid that we'd be too late for the fall leaves but it worked out for us, hopefully you will have the same luck.

 

Happy Sails!

[Debitoo]

Just bringing this post back up for those of you who may be planning Canada/New England cruises this fall.

I'm not going till Sept 2014 but it's never too early to start planning! :D Thank you for the wonderful report (I took notes!) and beautiful pictures. I can't wait!

[ace1zoe2]

I'm not going till Sept 2014 but it's never too early to start planning! :D Thank you for the wonderful report (I took notes!) and beautiful pictures. I can't wait!

 

Debi,

 

Thanks for taking time to read my report & for commenting. I loved taking all the pictures. You will have a fabulous cruise to these ports!

Edited August 2, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ShibaInuMom]

Cindy,

 

I have read thru your whole thread. My DH and I are doing the 14 day round-trip on the Celebrity Summit this year departing from New Jersey. I needed some ideas for PEI and possible Gaspe. One thread you mentioned your daughter did the TA on the Mariner last year - we were on that cruise. We love TAs and have done 4 so far, just not one this year however we are thinking about an east-bound in the spring to London. I didn't catch where in TX do you live? We are in Grand Prairie (in the DFW metroplex). It would be great to cruise on the same ship as you sometime. Please keep up the excellent trip reports, I really love your narrative and photos. God bless. Anita:)

[ace1zoe2]

Cindy,

 

I have read thru your whole thread. My DH and I are doing the 14 day round-trip on the Celebrity Summit this year departing from New Jersey. I needed some ideas for PEI and possible Gaspe. One thread you mentioned your daughter did the TA on the Mariner last year - we were on that cruise. We love TAs and have done 4 so far, just not one this year however we are thinking about an east-bound in the spring to London. I didn't catch where in TX do you live? We are in Grand Prairie (in the DFW metroplex). It would be great to cruise on the same ship as you sometime. Please keep up the excellent trip reports, I really love your narrative and photos. God bless. Anita:)

 

Thanks Anita for commenting on the review.

 

We have yet to do a TA since we can't take that much time off work at once. Maybe after retirement we'll get to do one.

 

We actually live in Cleburne which is just about 40 minutes from Grand Prairie, south of Ft Worth!

 

Have a great time on your Canada cruise, it's beautiful up in the Northeast!

 

Happy Sails!

[chocolatelabs]

Thank you for posting your details and photos. It is helping us plan for our fall trip!

[ace1zoe2]

Thank you for posting your details and photos. It is helping us plan for our fall trip!

 

Thank you for taking time to read & post. I'm glad that my trip report is giving you some ideas. I had a hard time finding a lot of detailed reports for Canada & New England. You will have a fantastic trip!

[ace1zoe2]

From my Canada/New England trip report:

 

Portland continued...

 

Downtown area

 

 

 

There was a lobster place right where we were dropped off that a lot of folks went to. The 1 1/4 pound lobsters served on paper plates with plastic ware and you set in an enclosed room out back on picnic tables. I had planned for us to eat at the Old Port Tavern and we could see the sign just half a block up the street so we walked there instead.

 

 

It was a nice sit down restaurant with real forks and china. I had a 1 1/4 pound lobster, salad & French fries for $15, hubby had a fried haddock sandwich with onion rings and I had a glass of wine all for $31! Plus a $6 tip. It was awesome and I was so glad that we stuck to our original plans. You could also have a double lobster plate for $21! These were whole lobsters, not just the tail.

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

From my Canada/New England review:

 

Portland continued...

 

Downtown area

 

 

 

There was a lobster place right where we were dropped off that a lot of folks went to. The 1 1/4 pound lobsters served on paper plates with plastic ware and you set in an enclosed room out back on picnic tables. I had planned for us to eat at the Old Port Tavern and we could see the sign just half a block up the street so we walked there instead.

 

 

It was a nice sit down restaurant with real forks and china. I had a 1 1/4 pound lobster, salad & French fries for $15, hubby had a fried haddock sandwich with onion rings and I had a glass of wine all for $31! Plus a $6 tip. It was awesome and I was so glad that we stuck to our original plans. You could also have a double lobster plate for $21! These were whole lobsters, not just the tail.

 

 

[trouble1964]

Enjoyed your review so much that I booked a NE cruise for next fall before I ever finished reading!

 

Now I am off to read the Alaska one. We are going there again next month.

[ace1zoe2]

Portland continued...

 

Downtown area

 

 

 

There was a lobster place right where we were dropped off that a lot of folks went to. The 1 1/4 pound lobsters served on paper plates with plastic ware and you set in an enclosed room out back on picnic tables. I had planned for us to eat at the Old Port Tavern and we could see the sign just half a block up the street so we walked there instead.

 

 

It was a nice sit down restaurant with real forks and china. I had a 1 1/4 pound lobster, salad & French fries for $15, hubby had a fried haddock sandwich with onion rings and I had a glass of wine all for $31! Plus a $6 tip. It was awesome and I was so glad that we stuck to our original plans. You could also have a double lobster plate for $21! These were whole lobsters, not just the tail.

 

 

[Desert Kitty]

I have just spent the last several hours reading this review. It was terrific. I do have a question about the Budget rental car in Sydney, NS. When I go into Budget's site and choose the Chevy Impala for 7.5 hours, I get a rate of $75! What are you doing to get the $28 rate? TIA

[ace1zoe2]

I have just spent the last several hours reading this review. It was terrific. I do have a question about the Budget rental car in Sydney, NS. When I go into Budget's site and choose the Chevy Impala for 7.5 hours, I get a rate of $75! What are you doing to get the $28 rate? TIA

 

Kitty,

 

I went back and looked at my email confirmation. I'm not sure why it was so cheap other than that it was a Pre-paid rate which had a cancelation fee.

 

It was for a 7 hr rental from the Welty St location. It was a Hyundai Accent sedan or similar. The cost of the car was $22.10, car tax $1.85, energy recovery fee $0.98, and local tax if $3.74 for a total of $28.67.

 

Guess I just got lucky. And I always book in advance as far as possible which seems to help.

 

Wishing you luck in finding a great deal for your trip!

[cruisinsoooon]

Are there any tours that go to Lunenburg and Mahone Bay from Halifax?

[ace1zoe2]

Are there any tours that go to Lunenburg and Mahone Bay from Halifax?

 

I'm not sure. We rented a car and did Peggy's Cove, Lunenberg & Mahone Bay on our own. The ship may have one if you check on line.