This was the third time that I've taken the Canada/New England cruise (once on Constellation, twice on Summit). Thoroughly enjoyed this cruise: Captain Alex was superb with his informational/inspirational banter each day and his accessibility; all staff were excellent (guest relations, cabin steward, main dining room, Elite hostess/lounge servers, cruise director and activities manager. Food in the main dining room ranged from good to very good. For several cruises (Celebrity and Royal), I've been disappointed with 'enrichment' activities during sea days. This cruise offered four interesting options: water color painting at 9 a.m., Kennedy space center director at 10:15 a.m., former parks service ranger and naturalist both at differing times. My only complaint was that sometimes other interesting events were held at lunch time. Evening entertainment was very good.The guest entertainers were a cut above and two offered matinee shows that were very well attended. Did not enjoy the ship's production shows. Perhaps it's time to eliminate them on all but the ships that have true Broadway productions. Celebrity orchestra was very talented.

Quebec City is a favorite port with so much to offer, particularly with an over-night stay. We docked at the cargo pier about two miles from the lower city but the shuttles provided were well organized. I had not been to Boson for thirty years and was glad to have taken the ship's excursion at the last minute. For a different experience in Portland, if you have a later departure, take the Casco Bay mail-packet boat ($14 for seniors for 3.5 hours on the water). The boat transports islanders between downtown Portland and their homes on the Casco Bay islands. We stopped at seven +/- islands and delivered lumber, flats of shingles, boxes of bananas, etc. We had school kids coming home at the end of class, people with their dogs and groceries and folks like us. It was very interesting to have a peek at island life for this city dweller.

The passengers came from afar such as Australia, Vancouver, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, etc. Of course, quite a few of us were from the East Coast. Thoroughly enjoyed socializing with everyone. Read more