For anyone that loves historic buildings, this is the place for you. Beautiful architecture everywhere. We took a taxi to and from the Witch Museum in Salem, which was interesting. Not what I expected, but interesting to say the least.

We organised our own excursion when we got off the ship. If you are wanting to do this be careful as there are independents and cruise organised trips. Even though you go on the safe vehicle, you get charged double the price. We were quoted a price of $US20 each to catch Hop On Hop Off Trolley, but on lining up for the tickets we were guided to a ticket seller who put the charge on our cruise card and charged us $US40 each. We didn't find out about this until we got back on the ship so be wary. Having said that, the tour operator was very knowledgeable and took us on a tour around Portland. This tour is ideal for finding the places that you want to visit most. You can stay on the bus for the full trip and then when the next circuit begins, you can get off where you wish to. The trolley comes through every 20-30 minutes and is very convenient.

There is plenty of shops for those who like shopping and restaurants galore for the foodies. We stopped at Becky's Diner for lunch. Our aim was to eat lobster in every port and this we did with great gusto. It can be very busy when the cruise ships are in. We waited for a very long time to get our meals. The service staff neglect to activate our buzzer to let us know our food was ready. Having said that, the lobster rolls were amazing.

We also stopped at the Ship Yard Brewery. It is a boutique brewery that provided an excellent atmosphere. Cost was $US14 per flight (4 6oz glasses of beer that you select to taste). There are tours available, but unfortunately these were held when the ship was leaving.

Bar Harbor was my favourite place after Quebec on this cruise. A very small town but friendly and beautiful. This was the only port that we had to use tenders. We jumped on the Wild Iris Farm Carriage tour. The cost for this was $US25 each for a 45 minute tour. This beautiful carriage is drawn by to beautiful Shire Horses. The driver and his wife were excellent tour guides and were very knowledgeable about their area. The tour takes you through the town and around historical sites. This tour also gives you the advantage of checking out where you would like to see in more detail. Everything is in walking distance. Lots of shopping and restaurants. We stopped at the Downeast Deli for our Lobster Roll and Clam Chowder Lunch. This was to die for. The best lobster we had eaten on our whole trip. It is only a small, hole in the wall cafe, but serving the most delicious rolls and chowder. When we there it was really busy. There looked to be a lot of local workers there, so we took that for it being an awesome place to get food. We took our lunch and sat in the park over looking the harbour. Can be a bit chaotic. There were 3 cruise ships in when we were there, but I think that it added to the overall atmosphere of the town.

On arriving In Charlottetown we did our own walking tour. We listened to information that was given on the ship and planned our own. While it is a fairly big city, the main attractions are within 3 blocks of the cruise terminal (as advised by a previous visitor). We were not into Anne of Green Gables, but that is a tour that could be done while you are here. There are also many light houses that can be visited if you are so inclined. We were quite happy to walk around at our own pace to see beautifully looked homes, churches and museums. The weather can be a bit chilly here so be prepared with a light weight jacket just in case.

When debarked the ship, we came across a fellow giving a steamed mussels for sampling. They were mouthwateringly gorgeous and on finding out which restaurant he came from, we decided that we would have our lobster lunch there. The restaurant was Steamers Boat House. A hot lobster roll with fries will set you back $US 15.99. You can have your lunch on a floating pontoon in the marina. Great atmosphere. Very casual.

Our cruise ship docked overnight in Quebec, just as well as you need this amount of time to look at everything that is on offer here. The port is over-shadowed by the beautiful Chateaux Frontenac, a beautiful castle that is now a 600 room hotel. We jumped on Quebec Tours red bus, which you can buy tickets from vendors on the street. Can take a bit of time to organise, so you can buy tickets online. We took the All loops 2 days pass and cruise for $CAN59.95. To pay separately for these tours would cost $CAN 82.95. It was well worth it. On the first day we did the Red line which gives you a double-decker bus with outside seating topside. This really gave you an excellent view of the city. It can be a bit chilly though, so ensure you have a warm jacket. This tour takes you past 12 of Quebec's top tourist sites and is fully narrated in 6 different languages with free ear buds to listen to the commentary. You can hop off at which ever site takes your fancy and rejoin the bus later. The tour takes approximately an hour and buses run every 30-45 minutes. When we completed this tour we then jumped on the Blue line which takes you to Montmorancy Falls. This is just a standard bus with no commentary. Here your can take a cable car to the top of the falls. From here you can walk the suspension bridge and walk down to the base of the falls or onto several different viewing platforms. The cable car cost was $CAN13 per person, quite an experience and great photo opportunities. We there for about an hour, but you can take as long as you like with buses returning approximately every 90 minutes. On our return to Quebec City, we walked around the streets and lane ways to discover a myriad of art stalls, coffee shops and fashion stores. The shop fronts were starting to be decorated for Fall and Halloween which gave the streets a very festive air like Christmas. There were many street performers to keep you entertained on your journey. On our way back to the cruise ship we top the Funicular. This is like an elevator that goes down the side of a cliff. Very interesting ride if you are not afraid of heights. The cost of this was about $CAN2.50 each way. The Funicular takes you down to the Old Port. WE were to catch the Black line ferry, but unfortunately they did not do the final cruise of the day at 4pm. So we waited until the next day. The Old Port is again a myriad of art galleries, souvenir shops, clothing shops and also the home of the most fantastic tasting maple syrup toffee. This is the first time I have tried it and I wish we could have it here in Australia. It is a very interesting place with lots of street art and religious grottoes. Many an hour and lots of cash could be spent here.

On the second day in port, we headed up top via The Funicular to discover more of the City and to buy up those last minute mementos of this beautiful place. In the afternoon to top off our stay in Quebec we took the Black line, which is a ferry cruise on the St Lawrence River up to Mountmorancy Falls to take on view from another perspective. The cruise is narrated through out in both English and French by a tour guide dressed in period costume. The cruise was a great way to see the port and river as it was raining that day. The cruise does have food and beverages on board for purchase. We did miss out on the green line as this bus was not running to the stated timetables. This is something that you need to be wary of if you are undertaking this tour. Overall Quebec is a magical place.

Sydney is not your usual touristy place. It is very small and we found not much to do, other than a self guided walking tour through town which pretty much consisted of a 4 streets back from the terminal to 11 streets from one end to the other. You can pick up a map and do you own self guide walk or you can pick up a tour from the cruise ship looking at lighthouses. As it was a cold wet day, we choose to stay in town and check it out for ourselves. There are markets in the terminal building and Sydney's claim to fame is a big Fiddle. The locals are friendly and welcoming.

Our last port of call, Halifax was another place full of historic buildings and architecture. If you are planning to do the Big Pink Bus Hop on Hop off bus tour, you need to book this on the cruise ship which makes it very expensive. It was very disappointing that the company does not plan for a massive influx of tourists. There were 6 cruise ships in port when we were there so we decided again to do our own thing and thank god we did. We had a great time. We booked on the Harbour Hopper Tour (Green Frog) for $CAN35 each. The tour goes for about an hour and takes around the city on a fabulous site seeing and historical sites tour. The tour is well narrated with knowledgeable locals. Once the tour of the city is completed the amphibious vehicle heads for the harbour for a harbour view tour of the city. A very unique form of transportation. These tours leave from Murphy's The Cable Wharf on approximately an hourly basis.

As we have an interest in the Titanic, we really would have like to get to the Titanic cemetery where 129 victims of the Titanic are laid top rest, but time restraints and lack of local knowledge prevented us from getting there. It is only about 15 minutes driving to the cemetery, but we were led to believe that it was further out than that.

Halifax offers many breweries and distilleries for tastings. We stopped at the Halifax Distilling Company and took a personal, guided tour through the Distillery. It was an interesting tour, although the distillery is only fairly recent. After the tour we sat to a rum tasting. This consisted of a flight of 5 rums, which was awesome, if you like it. Cost of tour and tasting was $CAN19.95 per person. After the rum distillery we headed to the Garrison Brewery which is located portside to cruise terminal. Excellent place to unwind before heading back on board. For $CAN16 you can get up to 6 beers to taste.