We had always wanted to do this itinerary, so we found a good price and booked it. This is a smaller ship with a big heart! The staff was wonderful, very caring, and professional. We especially want to thank Mennie, our cabin attendant, Virgilio, our waiter, Wayan, our assistant water, and Pilar, the Head Waitress. They all helped to make this cruise very special for us. We booked an inside "horizontal" or "sideways" cabin on Deck 8 (cabin 8577), and absolutely loved it! We have cruised in every kind of cabin from an outside, balcony, to junior suite, and this cozy little cabin perfectly suited our needs on this cruise. There was absolutely no outside noise, the bed was comfortable, and we slept very well. The cabin is next to an electrical room (not a pantry), and close to the "secret staircase" to the spa which then leads to the Park Café where we enjoyed many lovely breakfasts.

We found the food to be good and plentiful. We did not go to any specialty restaurants, and ate all of our meals either in the Main Dining Room, the Windjammer, or the Park Café.

The ports were all spectacular. We particularly liked Baltimore, the departure port, and Bar Harbor, but every port was interesting and colorful. We did not take any ship excursions, but chose to walk around every port city. In Portland, ME, we took the ferry to Peaks Island which was a great experience, and in Halifax, we took the ferry to Dartmouth. Both of these ferries provided a very inexpensive way to get out on the water. Read more