COLORS OF CANADA & the ZUIDERDAM QUESTIONS????

[OlsSalt]

BOSTON: We liked the Lexington/Concord tour  from Boston - pretty much a "sacred site" in our own US history and well worth seeing where the shot heard 'round the world actually took place. Just a group of scrappy farmers on a bucolic hillside who could not have had any inklings what their actions would trigger several centuries later. Also this is where early US intellectual luminaries also called home - Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, etc. Lovely countryside and truly the birthplace of this two and half century  American governance experiment.

Edited October 22, 2018 by OlsSalt

[knittinggirl]

Boston's Lexington & Concord had about a mile of walking in Harvard and uneven ground in some of the other stops.  This is when my hip really went bad, and I couldn't do their walking.  They've since changed the Activity level to Moderate.

 

Salem Witch Museum had some stairs inside the museum.  We also had to cross uneven ground to get back to the bus.   We did it about a week ago, and it was VERY CROWDED.  I was glad to learn that our guide had reservations for the noon showing at the museum, and got us in ahead of a long line.  We also missed the most beautiful street in the country, as well as not  being able to see the clipper ships now the House of Seven Gables.  Our bus driver had picked out a bus w/ a weird wrap around it that blocked us being able to see out.  They had a last minute driver switch.    Since we couldn't see out the windows, we couldn't see the aforementioned.  We were rushing to make it back to the ship before the deadline, so didn't have time to stop.  We reported all this to HAL via the Feedback subroutine on the Navigator app, but didn't get a refund. 

 

I think we had an unexperienced guide.  I noticed several pages of notes, and DH mentioned she got the at least one part of the history wrong.  But I couldn't tell the difference.  We took our look around time to grab some food at some of the booths across the street in the park.

 

They really need a better batch of tours in Boston.  They also offered a Hop on Hop Off, but DH said no.   The first time we went on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, they offered a Ghosts and Gravestones tour.  But haven't seen that much lately.

[Chuck]

37 minutes ago, knittinggirl said:

Boston's Lexington & Concord had about a mile of walking in Harvard and uneven ground in some of the other stops.  This is when my hip really went bad, and I couldn't do their walking.  They've since changed the Activity level to Moderate.

 

Salem Witch Museum had some stairs inside the museum.  We also had to cross uneven ground to get back to the bus.   We did it about a week ago, and it was VERY CROWDED.  I was glad to learn that our guide had reservations for the noon showing at the museum, and got us in ahead of a long line.  We also missed the most beautiful street in the country, as well as not  being able to see the clipper ships now the House of Seven Gables.  Our bus driver had picked out a bus w/ a weird wrap around it that blocked us being able to see out.  They had a last minute driver switch.    Since we couldn't see out the windows, we couldn't see the aforementioned.  We were rushing to make it back to the ship before the deadline, so didn't have time to stop.  We reported all this to HAL via the Feedback subroutine on the Navigator app, but didn't get a refund. 

 

I think we had an unexperienced guide.  I noticed several pages of notes, and DH mentioned she got the at least one part of the history wrong.  But I couldn't tell the difference.  We took our look around time to grab some food at some of the booths across the street in the park.

 

They really need a better batch of tours in Boston.  They also offered a Hop on Hop Off, but DH said no.   The first time we went on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, they offered a Ghosts and Gravestones tour.  But haven't seen that much lately.

Hi me again.  The Salem Witch Museum is NOT offered by Holland America under their excursions icon so you must have done this on your own.  We want to do it so what would you suggest as far as getting tickets and avoiding a super long line in late Sept. of 2019????

[JeffElizabeth]

Maybe a seasonal thing? Because we did the Salem Witch Museum through the ship tours in October on the Zuiderdam. And glad we did, the line for the museum was long but we were escorted right in! We also got to see the home bus tour. Luckily no wrap on our bus. 

[JeffElizabeth]

On ‎10‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 8:01 AM, Chuck said:

Jeff & Elizabeth;  What in particular did you guys do in Quebec City as we are going to fly in a couple days early before we leave port on the Zuiderdam. 

The ship had a nice tour through town and looking at the falls. And I liked the ghost tour. We had a really good guide called Nadia who really got into her roles. Especially interesting was the smallpox gravesite that became homes, but beware it is a workout. Quebec City is steep. We also did the horsedrawn carriage through town on our own and our guide was quite amusing.

We also just walked around. We didn't book enough time there because there is so much to see. We will be back.  

[Chuck]

19 minutes ago, JeffElizabeth said:

The ship had a nice tour through town and looking at the falls. And I liked the ghost tour. We had a really good guide called Nadia who really got into her roles. Especially interesting was the smallpox gravesite that became homes, but beware it is a workout. Quebec City is steep. We also did the horsedrawn carriage through town on our own and our guide was quite amusing.

We also just walked around. We didn't book enough time there because there is so much to see. We will be back.  

THANK YOU for the great info!!!!!

[Turtles06]

On 10/22/2018 at 10:18 AM, knittinggirl said:

We've done a lot of those ports spread over different cruises.    The last time to the Canada stops was just last week.  ALL ship tours!

 

 They were taking US dollars on a one to one basis.  . . .

 

 

 

 Well, of course they were, the US dollar is worth about $1.31 CDN right now.  

 

We had a port call in Halifax last month, and hired a taxi for several hours to go out to Peggy's Cove, etc. The driver said the price was "100 dollars per person."  I said, "that's 100 Canadian, right?"  And he said, "American, Canadian, it doesn't matter."    

 

Fortunately, we had plenty of Canadian cash. 

[*Miss G*]

Interesting news about Halifax and the American dollar as I hadn’t heard that before.  Shops are to list the exchange rate they are paying for American dollars but they will give you your change in Canadian.  I have no knowledge of what taxis are doing though.  If they wanted one-to-one exchange I would negotiate with them.

Edited October 24, 2018 by *Miss G*

[kevingastreich]

On 10/21/2018 at 8:26 AM, Chuck said:

A Great Hello to ALL;  We are doing the Zuiderdam in SEPT. of 2019 which does the "COLORS OF CANADA & NEW ENGLAND.  Has anyone out there done this particular cruise???  It starts out in Quebec City, the goes to the following ports: Saguenay, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Saint John, Portland, Maine, Boston, and finally New York City.  Its a 13 day cruise.  Iam particularly interested in the Canadian Ports of Call and was wondering what was your "Favorite" things to do and maybe even your "Least" favorite things that you did.  Any words of wisdom and advice will be TRULY APPRECIATED.  I know on the Holland America website it says to bring a warm jacket and even gloves so that I have duly noted.  Oh I forgot to mention it also stops in Newport, Rhode Island too.  THANK YOU TO ALL and I will acknowledge all who help me out.   Chuck     PS   We have opted for the SIGNATURE SUITE which I do consider way over priced but you are only on this old earth for a very short period of time so I splurged.   Navigation Deck 8  Starboard Side.

We did this cruise a few years ago.  It was very nice.  We too had a Signature Suite and we do love them.  I don't know how you are getting to Quebec City but we flew into Montreal and took a bus that left from the airport and went to Quebec. It was a very nice trip and beautiful scenery along the way.

[*Miss G*]

Via Rail is also a great way to go from Montreal.  Porter Airlines is also a good experience.  You need to sign up for their emails to get the best sales though.

Edited October 24, 2018 by *Miss G*

[Chuck]

12 hours ago, kevingastreich said:

We did this cruise a few years ago.  It was very nice.  We too had a Signature Suite and we do love them.  I don't know how you are getting to Quebec City but we flew into Montreal and took a bus that left from the airport and went to Quebec. It was a very nice trip and beautiful scenery along the way.

Hi; You bring up a great question.  We are flying from Omaha (our hometown) to Chicago then getting on a Air Canada flight to Quebec City.   Coming home we can get a Non-Stop flight out of LaGuardia on Delta straight to Omaha, 3hours and 24 minutes.  We will be exhausted by then and will just be anxious to get home. 

[Chuck]

12 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Interesting news about Halifax and the American dollar as I hadn’t heard that before.  Shops are to list the exchange rate they are paying for American dollars but they will give you your change in Canadian.  I have no knowledge of what taxis are doing though.  If they wanted one-to-one exchange I would negotiate with them.

When I saw your quote the first thing I thought of was something I learned decades ago.  Bring plenty of "small bills".  They may take american dollars but the fact remains I don't want to come home with hundreds and hundreds of Canadian dollars that I have to go and cash in and pay a high fee to get rid of them.  If you have lots of small bills then maybe you could have some control over all the "extra change" that you get. I hope Iam making sense to you ) no pun intended.  I learned this little trick while in Russia a thousand years ago.  You buy something for say $1.75 and you give the guy a 5 spot or a 20 spot.  Now you have either $3.25 in Canadian or you have $18.25 in Canadian.  Now after doing this a dozen or so times you quickly realize you have way more Canadian dollars than what you need or want.

[knittinggirl]

32 minutes ago, Chuck said:

When I saw your quote the first thing I thought of was something I learned decades ago.  Bring plenty of "small bills".  They may take american dollars but the fact remains I don't want to come home with hundreds and hundreds of Canadian dollars that I have to go and cash in and pay a high fee to get rid of them.  If you have lots of small bills then maybe you could have some control over all the "extra change" that you get. I hope Iam making sense to you ) no pun intended.  I learned this little trick while in Russia a thousand years ago.  You buy something for say $1.75 and you give the guy a 5 spot or a 20 spot.  Now you have either $3.25 in Canadian or you have $18.25 in Canadian.  Now after doing this a dozen or so times you quickly realize you have way more Canadian dollars than what you need or want.

We save our CAD for our next cruise.  The last several cruises, we always seem to have another cruise scheduled w/ a stop in Canada.  Either Victoria or the Eastern Canadian cities.  When we arrived in Montreal, I had some New Zealand currency from last fall, and  converted them directly to CAD.    We also tip our EXC guides in CAD when in Canada.

 

 Unfortunately, CAD and USD have been an one for one thing as long as I can remember.  Nowadays, CAD and USD exchange differently, not like when I was a child.

• Edit

 

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by knittinggirl

[sail7seas]

Salem is about 35 minutes by bus north of Boston, There is so much  to do and see in Boston, I would not waste that time going to the  cHose   Go see Uss Constitution, oldest commissioned war shi p in  the world.  She is nicknamed old ironsides  because during the U.S. RFevolutionary War, Britain's cannonballs b ounced off her sides.  She just had a  complete renovation this summer and looks great.Still manned by U.S. Navy.  To see her sail undre her own sails is an amazing sight

 

 

 

[sail7seas]

So much history here.

 

 

[knittinggirl]

2 hours ago, sail7seas said:

Salem is about 35 minutes by bus north of Boston, There is so much  to do and see in Boston, I would not waste that time going to the  cHose   Go see Uss Constitution, oldest commissioned war shi p in  the world.  She is nicknamed old ironsides  because during the U.S. RFevolutionary War, Britain's cannonballs b ounced off her sides.  She just had a  complete renovation this summer and looks great.Still manned by U.S. Navy.  To see her sail undre her own sails is an amazing sight

 

 

 

We took the City tour and Cruise, and the cruise we took happened to include a view of Old Ironsides.  The other tour descriptions said we'd get a glimpse.  Even so, we had a pretty good view from the boat, but it was still a distance away.   DH didn't want to visit Old Ironsides in person, because we'd visited the Constitution in Baltimore, and they had ladders as well as low ceilings.  All old ships we'd visited tended to be head knockers. 

 

But the captain's quarters looked smaller than an inside stateroom.  Crew shared one of the lower decks with hammocks.

 

I went to Salem for the most beautiful street in America, and we never saw it.  I specifically asked the guide about it more than once.

Edited October 24, 2018 by knittinggirl

[BarbinMich]

On 10/21/2018 at 7:14 PM, ellieanne said:

This is one of my favorite cruise itineraries.

. . .

Boston is my least favorite port on this itinerary. I rarely go ashore in Boston. I know many people really like and enjoy Boston, I am just not one of them. It's lovely to stay on board and have the ship to yourself. There is plenty of activity in the port to watch, and because of it's proximity to Logan Airport, it's fun to watch the planes.  

. . .

 

Ellieanne, you've certainly given a wonderful overview of the NE/Canada itinerary!  We did it on Celebrity's Summit a few years ago and enjoyed it very much even though we'd been to most of the ports by car at least once.  The sail up (in our case) the St. Lawrence was worth getting up early for even tho it was a gray, wet morning.  And I, too, enjoyed being docked in Boston with a clear view of Logan and the planes landing/taking off (back in my childhood my family would go out on a nice Sunday to the Ft Wayne IN airport to see the few planes lane/take-off).  I spent the late afternoon on an upper, outside deck enjoying the "show" and snapped one photo where it looks like a plane is headed right at the ship's funnel. 😉 

[BarbinMich]

On 10/21/2018 at 11:26 AM, Chuck said:

A Great Hello to ALL;  We are doing the Zuiderdam . . .

Chuck, we sailed on the Zuiderdam on a EB TA from FLL to Copenhagen and really liked the ship.  We've sailed a lot more on Princess ships, but it was nice to return to HAL and a smaller ship.  Because we had a lot of sea days there were 3 lecturers, usually 2/day on sea days.  Don't know if your cruise will have that since it's more port intensive.  Also, we had a great experience in the Lido buffet with one of the young crew-woman looking out for us, finding us seats, etc.   Have a great cruise!

Edited October 24, 2018 by BarbinMich

[Chuck]

7 minutes ago, BarbinMich said:

Chuck, we sailed on the Zuiderdam on a EB TA from FLL to Copenhagen and really liked the ship.  We've sailed a lot more on Princess ships, but it was nice to return to HAL and a smaller ship.  Because we had a lot of sea days there were 3 lecturers, usually 2/day on sea days.  Don't know if your cruise will have that since it's more port intensive.  Also, we had a great experience in the Lido buffet with one of the young crew-woman looking out for us, finding us seats, etc.   Have a great cruise!

Barb;  THANK YOU for the very kind words.  I think we will have a great time.  My theory is keep an open mind, be courteous to everyone, hope to NOT  get sick and things should work out.  And last but not least hope and pray the flights are all on time.

[JeffElizabeth]

We have started flying in a day early. Our city seems to be getting more weather issues which has made us miss 2 days of a 14 day cruise and another two days of a seven day cruise. We liked the size of the Zuiderdam. I thought it would be too big for us, but it was nice having the extra crew and passengers to keep dining rooms, bars and entertaining going longer. A couple times on the Prinsendam it was like a ghost ship after 10pm. This cruise is tour packed and I missed having sea days with lecturers. We had some great ones on our Hawaii cruise and our Atlantic crossing.