Sydney, NS.

I was on my quest to see whales. Having onle seen two from my state room the day before. I was convinced that someone in Sydney can get me out on the water and next to some whales. Well it did not work out.

Sydney was a quaint little town. Not much to do in the Tourist just walking around department. We got off the boat real early. At the terminal they had a CVB, tourist info center. And they told us about something interesting. Taxi Tours. Seems like a lot of the taxi drivers in town come to the port and do 1 - 4 hour tours on their own. You pay a per car fee (any where from $135 - $200 canadian) and they will tke you on a tour of the surounding areas. My advice to anyone reading this ... either take one of these tours, or take a tour with the cruise ship. Because there is nothing to see in Sydney. This was probably the worst port we were in on the entire trip. Not that it was bad or anything, there is just ot much to do, unless you willing to drive 20 miles out of town.

So we ended up walking around town for a bit, then going back to the ship for lunch, then back out for another walk. We did find a little park and watched the ducks swim by, and a local play ground, where my daughter got to do a little playing with a local boy. I can see life in this town to be amazing, but not to visit it unless you have an agenda.

So take the time, again to do a little homework. Maybe get off the ship early and do some walking, then back on for the resto f the day. Or this might be that "sleep in" day we needed.

Well on ward.

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Halifax, NS

Now we are getting to the weather I wanted. A cool 65, with a slight breeze. A real nice change from the 90's I am used to in Ft. Lauderdale.

Halifax is a rather large town, with a myriad of things to do. Even though the cruise terminal is a hike from the main touristy area.

One of Halifax's claims to fame is that it was the port that they launched the Titanic rescue ships from. So if has a large calling to the Titanic disaster. See the maritime museum and take a tour that goes past the cemetary, where most of the victims are buried.

Halifax also has a large British citadel at the top of a hill overlooking the city. It was a very steep climb, but it was worth it to see the city. We also visited the local museum of science, and did some shopping.

Overall we had a full, fun day in Halifax. Plus this was the day that they lifted the health ban on the ship. So we had sugar, salt and pepper on our tables again. The only thing that I missed was the staff serving you your food in the buffet line. I know they did it as a health precaution, but it was nice. And it also helped control portions.

See you next time.


www.BonBonTravel.com

Bar Harbor Maine.


What an amazing little town.

We dropped anchor in the Bay because The Dock is small and cannot handle a ship like the Maasdam. But no worries, we all had to take tenders into town. I like the tenders, especially when you have a great driver and good crew to help you along. And we did. The only hick-up is that you had to go to a lounge and get a tender ticket and sit there and wait for your number to be called. So if your ever in a situation where you have to take a tender, go early.

Well Bar Harbor is a great little town, with a bunch of shops and small eateries. The Lobster is amazing. My wife told me because I do not eat it.

You can also take a few tours while in town. We took an open air trolley tour of the town. Our guide was real good. One of those tours guides who loves to get up in the morning and do his job. He took us all the way up to the top of a mountain and the views from up there were amazing.

You also have to see the tides. In the morning the tide is low, but at high tide, the water level raises 10-12 feet. There is this small island out in the bay that you can walk to, but do not stay to long or else you swimming back.

So if your going to be cruising to Bar Harbor, do your homework. You might be able to save quite a bit of money doing the excursions on shore rather than with the cruise ship. But watch that clock or you might miss the last tender at 4:30 :)

Overall, Bar Harbor Maine was a highlight on our trip.

Happy Travels.

www.BonBonTravel.com

So, we kind of got off to a rocky start, no problem that is all behind us right? Well not exactly.

Today we were to go and board the Maadam a Holland America Cruise ship that was going to take us on our journey.

At noon our hotel shuttle dropped us off at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. Now the Black Falcon is no Port Everglades or Port of Miami. It is one berth surrounded y the normal maritime commerce you would see. So it is not the best thing to look at. But no worries.

Our bags were taken on board the ship and we were ushered to the check in line.

My wife, daughter and I opted not to do full the online check in (I just filled out the passport and personal information). I choose this route because Holland America wanted to charge $420 per cabin as a deposit.

We were told at check in that the ship was being cleaned and that we were unable to get on until 3 p.m. The previous weeks cruise had 15 people come down with the Rota virus and they wanted to disinfect everything. But to our surprise Holland America, did us right. They gave each person a $15 credit on their on board account and had tour buses to take us to town for lunch. Since we were not able to see much of town last night, this was a great thing as we had an extra 4 hours there today.

Finial Hall is three old buildings that house shows and restaurants. One of the neat things is the Food Court. A city block long food court. And they have everything, from BBQ to Indian Curry, to Sushi. So after some great food and some shopping we boarded a tour bus and got on the ship. We were finally on our way.

The Maasdam. I knew going in that all of the Holland America ships were geared towards the older crowd.And this is what I found when I got on board in Boston. Kids are welcome but most of the people on board are not happy they are there. And most everything closes early. The shore excursion desk is open maybe 3 hours a day, the coffee bar closes at 8:30, and the library closes at 9. Seriously, walk around the ship at 10 p.m. and it is a ghost town. The late night buffetts (yes not midnight like other ships) ends a midnight and is usually dominated by the staff grabbing something to eat. You want to rub elbows with the dancers or tht comedian you saw at the show, well show up for the late night buffett and they will be there.

They have a kids program called Club HAL. But it is only open 1-1/2 hours a night during port days. And IMHO, that sucks. The kids on board are people to and they payed as much as other passengers did, so why not give them some extra play time. Really, we had plently of dirty looks from people becuase we were having fun, cracking jokes and goofing around. This is a serious, laid back relax ship. And I do not know why they would not keep the kids program open longer. Think about it, the longer the kids program is open the less kids they ae running around the ship.

Oh well, the ship is beautiful and there is plenty of space even for a smaller ship. They do not slack on anything.

Tune in next for day Three (Bar Harbor, Maine)

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Friday June 6.

The Players. Myself, my Beautiful wife and my special little daughter. Also coming along for the ride are my mother-in-law and my wife's aunt.

Our flight is supposed to leave Miami International Airport at 7:15 a.m. The key word here being "supposed." We arrive at the terminal and as my wife is parking our van I am pulling most of the luggage into the sliding glass doors. I look up and see that on the LCD screens, the only flight on the board with a red "canceled" in the status bar is our 7:15 flight to Boston. So now things get interesting.

All of us had booked our flights at the same time, but we all booked them different ways, some with mileage points some just straight flight bookings. Well all of the transactions did not get put into one record, so we all got automatically booked onto different flights. Big hassle. But if it were not for an amazing counter staff person at American Airlines we would all be flying alone (except for my daughter who was flying with my wife.) Trust me, in situations like this it pays to be nice and calm. People will be willing to go that extra mile for you if you do not make their day a living hell.

So at 4:30 p.m. we arrive in Boston. A shuttle for the Double Tree I booked comes to get us.

Lesson #2 of the trip. Weigh your hotel options carefully. Yes we got a free ride from the Airport and a free ride to the Port the next day, but the hotel I choose was in the middle of the University of Mass. A very nice campus, but nothing for us tourist to do. We had to take a cab to the middle of town just to get dinner and do a bit of walking around. But on the other hand, if I had stayed in the DoubleTree downtown, right in the middle of all of the action. We would have hd to pay for the cab ride from the airport and to the port. Overall we like to stay at DoubleTree's because they consistantly have good rooms and comfy beds.

We planned on getting into Boston at noon and taking a Trolley hop on, hop off tour, but now it was to late. Oh well we would have to see Boston on some other trip. But for the little we saw, Boston is a real nice town. Old world inner city charm.

Stay tuned for Day two.........

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Well the annual big, fun filled family vacation ended today with the 5 of us flying back to Miami from Montreal. I will over the next week or so be posting all about my trip and the places we saw. Today's first installment will be a grand overview of the entire trip. So here we go.

Canada/New England Cruise
We sailed from Boston to Montreal on the beautiful Holland America Maasdam for a 7 night cruise of Canada and New England.

OUR ITINERARY:
Friday - Fly from Miami to Boston. Spend he day sightseeing Beantown.
Saturday - The Maasdam boards at 12:00. Then we are off.
Sunday - Dropping Anchor in Bar Harbor, Maine
Monday - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Tuesday - Sydney, Nova Scotia
Wednesday - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Thursday - At Sea
Friday - Quebec City, Quebec
Saturday - Arrive in Montreal
Sunday - Fly home.

We had a great time. The food was amazing.

So check back for more. I will do my first post for Boston sometime in the next few days.

Thanks,
Angelo LoPresti
www.bonbontravel.com