I had looked at the Canada/New England cruises for years. I finally decided to do it by myself. I did a back to back starting and ending in Boston, so I went to every port except Montreal twice. On the first leg of the journey I booked a Holland/America excursion at each port. On the way back, I just wandered around in each town. It was a great experience since the ship was right near the town and I was able to get the lay of the land on the first week.

The Veendam was very nice, older and small, but the crew was great. The ship was clean and the food was great. I wouldn't hesitate to sail on it again. The entertainment was very good. They have greatly improved it over the past few years.

I enjoyed all of the excursions except for the tour of Quebec. The guide was boring and really didn't give much information. You could read more in a tour book. I did book tea at Chateau Frontenac. It was everything I had hoped it would be. It is definitely worth booking on your own and not through HAL. Lovely setting and great food/tea as well as service. Read more