Just back from the Aurora Cruise to USA and Canada.

[KeriG]

Hello! Just wanted to say I loved this cruise to the USA and Canada and thanks to everyone I met onboard who were all a fab bunch of people! Apart from the first day in New York in torrential rain, I really enjoyed every one of the excursions. Especially enjoyed our night out to Birdland Jazz Club in Manhattan with Jeannie, Lynda, Margaret, Rachel, Keith, Tina and Richard. Nice to know we have a cool place to go next time we're in New York! Thanks all. 

😁😍

[Junction2]

I’m so pleased you enjoyed this cruise. We are doing the transatlantic to Canada and USA next year on Arcadia. Have you any tips on the best excursions in the various ports? Thank you. 

[KeriG]

I guess it depends what kind of thing you like doing. I'm usually happy with a bit of a tour of the port and the surrounding area just to get to know the place. 

 

I particularly enjoyed the hop on hop off in Boston. Very informative guides driving the trolley buses. By contrast the Big Red Bus hop on hop off in New York is awful. I really don't think P&O should associate themselves with them. The drivers aren't helpful, many don't speak English, the guys at the stops selling tickets are recently arrived from Ghana and are working on commission only and don't know New York well at all. I would say they're being exploited. My one bus was smelly and not clean.The day time tour of New York is good, it goes to the World Trade Centre memorial. The evening one is good too, it goes over to Brooklyn to see the NY skyline lit up at night and then free time in Times Square. Have a Manhattan cocktail in Manhattan!

 

I really enjoyed the trip to Kennebunkport. Have a beer and a lobster roll on the boat moored in their little harbour which has been converted into a bar. Lovely people too. 

 

There's nothing in Illes de la Madeleine. I wouldn't spend any money on an excursion there. To be honest if I went again, I probably wouldn't bother to get off the ship. Many of the Canadian stops on this cruise are very low key, but I enjoyed the tour of Acadia National Park and Cape Breton. 

 

I've hopped around a bit there! So any other questions just ask. 

🙂

 

[Son of Anarchy]

Whilst in Boston we did the Walk the Freedom Trail tour and the day trip to Salem.

 

We found both tours very good and informative.

[Sonyar]

I'm interested in this cruise next year. Can I ask how US immigration was as I've read there can sometimes be huge queues? Forgive my ignorance, but you only have to do this once, yes?

 Was the entertainment like on other P&O ships and not for an older cruiser? My husband can't stand what he calls 'crooning'.

 

[Son of Anarchy]

US Immigration was, imho a farcical, authored mostly by shipboard poor organisation/prep.

 

In the run up to Boston everyone was advised via Horizon to attend Carmens lounge within a specified time frame based around excursion timings.  The earliest tours were required to attend from 06:30. Those not on ship's excursions were to attend after (I think) 10:00 am, with an expectation that some of those pax may not complete landing formalities till midday.  Seemed like a plan.

 

On the day, Homeland Security were late arriving on board by about 45 minutes.

 

By this time the queue from Carmens went as far back, or should I say forward? the the front of the ship.  We'd gone downstairs for about 06:15 and were stood queueing in the art gallery.  By the time Homeland Security had set up and were able to start processing pax, people had been stood waiting for over an hour.  We eventually completed landing about 10:00 am, in plenty of time for our tour at 11:00.

 

Clearly not P&O's fault that Homeland Sec didn't turn up on time.  P&O's decision to have people stood in corridors was.  The whole process could have been managed so much better.  No assistance from staff, other than as time got closer to the earliest tours staff invited them to the front of the queue.

 

As much as Homeland Sec can and should be held to blame for not arriving on time, in fairness to them, by about 10:30 it was announced that it they were ahead of schedule, and it was last call for pax not on tour.

 

In summary, Homeland Sec turned up late, but progressed pax quickly.  People were standing queueing unnecessarily of over an hour.

 

Once were in the USA, we were in and didn't have to do that again.

[Cruisemeister2002]

1 hour ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Whilst in Boston we did the Walk the Freedom Trail tour and the day trip to Salem.

 

We found both tours very good and informative.

Also have done the trip to Salem, a lovely place and the Witch museum was great also. Bought a very nice witch in the shop. Told the wife to wriggle about a bit so I knew which was witch.

[Son of Bare]

1 hour ago, Sonyar said:

I'm interested in this cruise next year. Can I ask how US immigration was as I've read there can sometimes be huge queues? Forgive my ignorance, but you only have to do this once, yes?

 Was the entertainment like on other P&O ships and not for an older cruiser? My husband can't stand what he calls 'crooning'.

 

Immigration was, for us, a doddle. The queue we joined didn't stretch beyond the ladies immediately outside of Carmen's. Ten minutes max until we hit US soil.

One thing I've learned over the years, never be the 1st in a PO queue.

The entertainment is, by and large, aimed at the retired generation. So yes, plenty of crooning, songs from musicals, 60's and 70's. There's a busker, at least there has been on our last three PO cruises, this one was imo, awful. Insipid. (I'm sure he's a very nice guy). Ditto the lady who tinkled the ivories in the Crows nest and other venues throughout the cruise.

We have noticed that when we go to a major US port, PO put a local turn on in the theatre and they are usually way better than the in house offerings. On this occasion 'call me Paul' had the New York Collective entertaining us together with a fantastic tap dancer who goes by the name AC Lincoln. He was on strings. Together with our trip to Birdland a real highlight of the cruise. 

Regards PO excursions, I would add Cape Spear from St John's as a recommendation. Furthest point east in the North Americas. A kind of Dunmore Head in reverse. When in NY we ventured as far as Harlem, I wouldn't recommend that if you are of a nervous disposition, but we didn't have a problem with central NY. Every town and city has their colourful characters, the most entertaining we stumbled across was a guy in St Johns.

Oh, and yellow taxis are cheaper than Uber 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gsmt47471015]

3 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Whilst in Boston we did the Walk the Freedom Trail tour and the day trip to Salem.

 

We found both tours very good and informative.

The walking tour in Boston was one of the best trips we've done ,ours lasted nearly five hours but was really informative , we are both able bodied and reasonably fit , but suspect some might struggle with the amount of time spent on your feet. Loved Boston full stop👍

[KeriG]

2 hours ago, Son of Bare said:

Immigration was, for us, a doddle. The queue we joined didn't stretch beyond the ladies immediately outside of Carmen's. Ten minutes max until we hit US soil.

One thing I've learned over the years, never be the 1st in a PO queue.

The entertainment is, by and large, aimed at the retired generation. So yes, plenty of crooning, songs from musicals, 60's and 70's. There's a busker, at least there has been on our last three PO cruises, this one was imo, awful. Insipid. (I'm sure he's a very nice guy). Ditto the lady who tinkled the ivories in the Crows nest and other venues throughout the cruise.

We have noticed that when we go to a major US port, PO put a local turn on in the theatre and they are usually way better than the in house offerings. On this occasion 'call me Paul' had the New York Collective entertaining us together with a fantastic tap dancer who goes by the name AC Lincoln. He was on strings. Together with our trip to Birdland a real highlight of the cruise. 

Regards PO excursions, I would add Cape Spear from St John's as a recommendation. Furthest point east in the North Americas. A kind of Dunmore Head in reverse. When in NY we ventured as far as Harlem, I wouldn't recommend that if you are of a nervous disposition, but we didn't have a problem with central NY. Every town and city has their colourful characters, the most entertaining we stumbled across was a guy in St Johns.

Oh, and yellow taxis are cheaper than Uber 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree. I didn't understand why people started queuing from 6am! It was a doddle for me too. I waited less than 10 minutes and it was all very straightforward. 

 

Yes, yellow taxis are cheaper than Uber! I still owe you that drink!

🤭

[Son of Anarchy]

1 minute ago, KeriG said:

I agree. I didn't understand why people started queuing from 6am! It was a doddle for me too. I waited less than 10 minutes and it was all very straightforward. 

 

Yes, yellow taxis are cheaper than Uber! I still owe you that drink!

🤭

Those of us that were on the earlier excursions were advised via the bumf in the landing card/customs declaration pack that our processing was scheduled to start at 06:30.  We blindly did what we were advised.

 

Although the Homeland Sec people didn't do themselves any favours by turning up very late, at least they processed people so quickly that they caught up to where they should have been, and actually finished ahead of schedule.

 

With the wonderful benefit of hindsight, the procedure could have been managed much better.  Something similar to how tender boarding was managed would have likely meant no need for anyone to go to Carmens until called for.  At the end of the day, circa 1600 pax on board, so circa 1600 ways the immigration process could have been managed.

 

As it was, we were cleared about an hour before our tour was scheduled to start.  We've had to wait of over an hour queuing for Homeland Sec at the airport before, so didn't expect to be dealt quickly anyway.  Had Homeland Sec turned up on time, we probably would have enough time for an MDR breakfast prior to going ashore.

 

Hopefully, someone on board will review the system used on the day and ensure that something better is put in place next time they go to the USA.

[KeriG]

P&Os transatlantic crossings are normally 5 or 6 days each way. 

 

The Canada/USA itinerary is 3 days in New York (Manhattan) and 2 days in Boston. 

[Son of Bare]

I think the key to this is when px are told that a process starts at 6.30 am, it's not compulsory that you get there at 6 30am. Far too many people want/need to be at the head of a queue and when it then doesn't start moving they get fidgety.

If you were on an excursion organised by PO that left at say 8.30 o'clock, that was in fact was your free ticket for a lie in. They would not have gone without you providing you were present somewhere in the queue 30 mins beforehand

 

[True Devonian]

9 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I believe that particular cruise was hit badly by a sudden change in the US covid restrictions, which was why it missed all the US ports, and Bermuda was due to high winds expected, which would have made it too risky to attempt to dock.

We were also on this cruise and the only port we missed was Bermuda which meant one sea day to La Coruna followed by 9 sea days to Grand Bahama. As we were originally going to leave Bermuda in the morning after an overnight stop this meant only one extra sea day to what was planned. No other ports, including the USA ports, were cancelled and went ahead as per the itinerary.