We arrived in New York 2 days before embarkation, so there was no problem getting to the port. We arrived around 1pm, joined the long line which moved quite quickly and were on board by 2.
The ship is very nice, the piazza area is very attractive, the only downside is that whenever there is live music, then nearly all of the bars are also noisy. The public areas were spotless and never too busy, even though the ship was full.
The cabins are very nice, lots of storage, but we did miss a sofa or easy chair. The balconies are very small, but big enough to sit on, which is what matters. The TV is very good, and we did use the on demand entertainment.
We just got a taxi from the port, there were plenty available and the cost about the same as the ship's transfer
We took a private tour organised by a fellow critic, which was really nice and much less busy than a coach tour. Bar Harbor itself got very busy, but was very quaint.
Saint John is a nice town, but very small and simple. We took a private tour, which was mainly driving. The reversing falls are not much, and st Martins is tiny! But the fall colours were spectacular
We took a private excursion and went to several tiny places with amazing scenery, before going to Peggy's Cove, then stopping off for the best lobster ever at Ryer's. Would happily come back to Nova Scotia for a week or 2.
We used the public bus, very easy.
We had 2 days in Manhattan and did most things, including a Broadway show.