Embarkation began in Boston promptly at 11:30. Despite being there a bit early due to on-time flights from Cleveland, there was still a very long line which moved steadily. All incoming passengers were given plastic cards with group numbers on them and mine happened to be 17. All were directed to take seats until their group number was called. Some of the Maasdam food service people were on hand to serve coffee, tea and cookies to those waiting to check-in. Even though I had checked in on-line and received a priority Boarding Pass, I was still waiting with everyone else. Within 20 minutes my group number was called and we were directed upstairs to the final check-in area. This line moved along pretty quickly and I was soon walking up the gangway to board. The cabins weren't quite ready and all were invited to visit the Lido for the embarkation lunch. A letter in my boarding folder apologized that my own cabin (an inside) wouldn't be ready until 3 p.m. As compensation I was credited $20 to the shipboard account and comped a lunch in the Pinnacle Grill (which I enjoyed later in the week). My cabin was clean, comfortable and spacious. There was plenty of room to store clothing and closet space. A minor glitch in the bathroom which I discovered later was that the shower didn't completely drain and the cabin steward had to mop up each morning. I took advantage of the open seating policy and for two evenings, I was seated with several other guests--very interesting people and we enjoyed some great conversation. For the remainder of my cruise, I preferred to dine each evening in the Lido where I was able to sit near the windows and enjoy the scenery. I found all the food to be excellent and always served hot. This included the morning room service when the breakfast tray was brought to my cabin at the time I specified. Excellent seafood and very tender beef dishes--Beef Wellington and Prime Rib meals were top-notch. The general age range on the Maasdam is 60+ but there is a good cross-section of other age groups and the staff is always available to help those passengers who need assistance in walking. The staff and crew of the Maasdam deserve some special recognition. Most staff members had a smile on their faces and I was pleasantly greeted each time I entered a restaurant or in the hallway. They work very hard and it's amazing to see some friendships forming between passengers and crew. We were fortunate in our sailing that most of the ports of call enjoyed bright sunshine but it was windy and cold in Nova Scotia and PEI. The people of those areas are wonderfully friendly and appear to enjoy chatting with visitors. Their pride is evident! In Halifax I made the Titanic tour which was interesting and poignant when visiting the cemetery where many of those who died in the disaster were buried. In Sydney it was fun to visit the local Anglican church hall as there was a craft show going on. Prince Edward Island is, of course, the inspiration for the Anne of Green Gables novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Our guide, Pierre, was fantastic and even entertained at Green Gables Farm on his button-box accordion! PEI is attractive and somewhat commercialized regarding the Anne Shirley fame. Pierre gave a demonstration on lobster trapping and volunteered his services as photographer for those of us who wanted our pictures taken by the reddish colored cliffs.Quebec was wonderful and I'd like to visit there again. I had an excellent tour of the Basilica of Notre Dame by Eve, a young lady on her second day on the job. The shops and Gaelic flavor of the region are highly visible and the folks are most friendly and willing to switch to English quickly for non-French speaking tourists! Shipboard entertainment by the ship's company was quite good especially their final show which boasted excellent costumes. Other solo entertainers were enjoyed by the passengers as well. The only constructive criticism I can make are the early morning port announcements. Travis, our cruise director, made these announcements usually between 7:45 and 8:00 a.m. I humorously suggested in my evaluation that not every retired person get up at 6 a.m.! But it was a very minor thing on an otherwise excellent cruise vacation. Disembarkation was handled very smoothly and I was one of the first groups off the ship and taken immediately to Montreal airport for the flight home. This is my second cruise with Holland America line and the goal is to enjoy one cruise a year. SINGLE CRUISERS: there are a number of things to enjoy on the ship and in ports. Even a short afternoon nap in the cabin is a luxury you might not enjoy at home. I passed on the Single's Party as from previous experience, singles tend to be a little younger than me. Don't let cruising solo stop you from enjoying a great experience!