We were looking forward to seeing the fall colours down the coast of New England and indulge ourselves in some luxury.

We could not fault the cabin or the service onboard - both were excellent. But much of the food was not really to our taste - a very burnt-tasting lobster bisque and some odd flavour combinations (not sure what they did to make the avocado toast taste nothing like a fresh avocado) though Toscana served some of the best pasta I have ever tasted. The entertainment was ho-hum - good dancers but poor voices and the Smile String Quartet did not raise a smile at any time (very serious young ladies). The saving grace was the Riviera Show Band who were great.

However what really shocked us were the prices of the excursions. You can always expect that they will be pricey from the ship - but up to 3 times the price of the same excursion booked independently is price gouging. My suggestion is to book some excursions independently before you leave - Quebec, Portland and and Bar Harbour are too beautiful to miss because of budget and there are very good independent companies that offer great value. Read more