About Us: Sailing were me (52), DH (51), and two of our three sons, 16 and 12. This was our seventeenth cruise and our seventh Canada cruise. It's our "go to" cruise -- we live a little over two hours north of NYC, so it's an easy getaway for us. And we love Saint John and Halifax -- two of the friendliest ports you'll ever visit. This was our fourth cruise on Glory, with one Eastern Caribbean cruise and three Canada cruises.

Monday -- Embarkation

We drive to the port in NYC. Parking is expensive - $35 per day. We paid twice as much to park in NYC for a five-day cruise than we did for a seven-day cruise last month out of Baltimore. However, with four of us in the car it's still cheaper than public transportation. Knowing that there is a lane closure on the Cross Bronx and the possibility of jams on the George Washington Bridge, we took a new route to the port: Taconic State Parkway to the Saw Mill Parkway to the Henry Hudson Parkway, then down the West Side Highway to the port. The Taconic through Putnam County is an adventure -- it's narrow with lots of curves and hills. However, it worked for us. We left the house a little after 9, dropped the dog off at the kennel, and were parked at the pier by 11:40. Boarding was fairly easy; we had VIP check-in and were on the ship a little after 12. Up to Lido for lunch; it was already crowded. Read more