From beginning to end, this cruise lived up to our expectations. Embarkation consisted of showing our passports and being escorted to our cabin. That simple. No lines or forms to fill out. The ship is brand new and the crew kept all the common rooms neat and sparkling clean the whole trip. Shore excursions were well planned and included interesting destinations. They did not take us to the middle of town and leave us to shop. For instance, in Boston, we were taken to Lexington and Concord with an extremely well informed guide.

Being an inaugural cruise, there were glitches here and there, but all were addressed promptly. The heating and air conditioning systems seemed to be the most affected, but no one seemed to be uncomfortable for very long.

In ports where there was a tender needed, the crew was most efficient in getting everyone on and off the tender with little or no trouble. The passengers were on the "mature" side and encountered no problems. Service was excellent on all counts. The entire crew was available to help with any request and I never saw one without a smile on their face. A very nice touch. Entertainment was provided each night after dinner and consisted mostly of musical entertainment. There was a guest lecturer on board and he provided some interesting insights to each of the ports we visited. During the cruise, Hurricane Arthur appeared but the Captain made the wise choice to leave our last port early and we were snugly tied up in Halifax to ride out the storm. No major damage. In summary, we were pleased with the entire cruise and have signed up for another sailing next year.