Aug 06, 2025
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

New England’s largest city, Boston, Massachusetts, is home to historic sights and modern neighborhoods; stores and restaurants with old-time character; and gracious green spaces as well as a beautiful waterfront. Legendary figures of the American Revolution come alive at buildings and attractions along Boston’s Freedom Trail, including the Paul Revere House and Old South Meeting House, and in Lexington and Concord just outside Boston. Pay homage to great U.S. presidents at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and in the town of Quincy, birthplace of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Each of Boston’s neighborhoods has its own personality and things to do, whether you’re enjoying the food of the North End’s Little Italy, admiring the beautiful 19th-century architecture of Beacon Hill or watching the street performers in Cambridge’s Harvard Square. The waterfront offers harbor views, while boat tours allow you to take in the city skyline while sightseeing. In every neighborhood, shopping and dining reveal Boston’s true eclectic self, from casual to high-end, but always interesting.

Finally, Boston is a city of green spaces where you can relax and enjoy the outdoors. The Emerald Necklace, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, is a 445-hectare (1,100-acre) chain of nine linked parks, including the lovely Boston Common and Public Garden.

Aug 07, 2025
Portland, Maine, USA

Squint your eyes and admit it: Doesn’t that skinny, bearded hipster walking down the cobbled street look a lot like a 19th-century sea captain heading to the wharf to check his ship? Modern Portland, first settled in 1633, carries the marks of both subsets of Mainers. The restored brick buildings and warehouses of the Old Port and the fine upright houses of prosperous captains, merchants and shipbuilders make the city’s past a living part of its present. And the waterfront is a going concern, not a museum: Fishing boats chug into and out of their berths, buoys clang, harbor seals bark. Those shop windows aren’t displaying hardtack, rope or hand salve, though. Juice joints, art galleries, bookstores (and comic-book stores!), worshipful temples to coffee, locavore bistros with national press, bespoke menswear designers and gelato shops all jostle for attention. Don’t limit your visit to the Old Port, though. Wander through the terrific art museum or take a tour of one of the city’s historic homes. Jump on a ferry or whale-watching boat and get out into the busy harbor. Head to the coast—craggy, windswept, dramatic—a glorious and undeniably New England panorama. Get out and take it all in. Welcome to Vacationland.

Aug 08, 2025
Eastport, ME, USA

We take you to unique ports of call and seldom-seen gems on board perfectly sized ships that get closer to it all. Explore like a local across iconic cities and enchanting villages. Deepen your understanding of the people and places you visit with exclusive Exploration Central® programs. Stories from locals, insider travel tips, cooking demonstrations and more give more insight into every amazing cruise port. Savor cuisine inspired by the flavors of the region on culinary shore excursions in partnership with FOOD & WINE®. As you watch the scenery roll by, feel like you have the ship all to yourself with our spacious decks and public areas. Go into the heart of every cruise port of call for an enriching experience you’ll never forget.

Aug 09, 2025
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Located on a rocky inlet on the Atlantic Ocean, Halifax—Nova Scotia’s provincial capital—is defined by its maritime geography. It's a spirited mix of world-class history and nautical-themed museums alongside bunkers and fortresses that guarded the harbor, plus striking public art and sights, funky shops and excellent pubs serving up folk music (and good pints).

Explore the Halifax waterfront where steamships once anchored to drop off arriving immigrants at Pier 21. Savor the low-key but classy culinary scene for fresh seafood and Nova Scotia specialties—the city has both street vendors and casual joints catering to university students and upscale eateries with elegant settings. Along Nova Scotia's southern shores, the city is surrounded by lush greenery and charming villages that are worth the trip from downtown proper. Snap photos of attractions in the charming fishing village, Peggy's Cove, with its picturesque lighthouse on a rocky outcropping. Or wander the streets of Lunenburg, whose colorful Old Town is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can also soak in the charms and sights of Mahone Bay, home to artists' studios and a trio of steepled churches.

Aug 10, 2025
Day at Sea 

This day is yours to enjoy how you choose! Start your day sleeping in and enjoying a leisurely room service breakfast.  Indulge in a spa visit, take your chances at the casino or read a book by the pool.  After a leisurely day, enjoy a delicious meal and an evening of onboard entertainment.  

Aug 11, 2025
Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada

Corner Brook, a small but bustling city, is on Newfoundland’s west coast. Captain Cook initially mapped this area, known as the Bay of Islands, in 1767, and like many other Newfoundland settlements, Corner Brook started out as a fishing village. Later, one of the largest pulp and paper mills in the world was built here.

In the city’s downtown core, West Street and Broadway are the center of action, thanks to numerous pubs, shops and restaurants. The local university has renowned fine-arts and drama programs, so you’re never too far from entertainment. Corner Brook also has an impressive amount of green space—you’re always within walking distance of a park or trail. Nearby Humber Valley and the Marble Mountain offer some of the best skiing in Atlantic Canada, a big enticement for outdoor-adventure junkies. Even if you’d prefer to just take in the scenery, the rolling green mountains and the views overlooking the bay are worth the trip.

Aug 12, 2025
Cap-aux-Meules, Iles de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

A cruise to the Magdalen Islands delivers passengers to a wind-swept archipelago in the St. Lawrence Gulf. Out of all of the Magdalen Islands, Cap aux Meules is the most developed. But to call Cap aux Meules “developed” is a stretch. Incredible nature is everywhere you turn. Stroll the Coastal Trail (Sentier Du Littoral), an easy paved walking trail along the water. A huff and puff up the 185 steps at Chemin Du Quai pays off in extraordinary views. Bring binoculars—over 300 species of birds frequent the archipelago, including Atlantic puffins. Drive 15-minutes to Dune du Sud, a beach with burnt-orange cliffs over the roiling sea. Though a pb&j picnic is tempting, save your appetite for the pride of this tight-knit community—the food. Do a tasting tour of microbreweries, smokehouses and fromageries. Lobster is the specialty, but the herring, clam chowder, meat pies and stew are also musts. If you don’t get to it all, don’t worry. Visitors tend to return again and again.

Aug 13, 2025
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Charlottetown is the capital of Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island, as well as its largest city, though it has fewer than 35,000 residents. Despite its modest size, the city has an impressive number of Victorian houses and buildings and great parks waiting to be explored. For Canadians, it is perhaps most famous as the Birthplace of Confederation. It was here, mostly at Province House, that an 1864 conference led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada. 

Prince Edward Island is linked to New Brunswick on the mainland of Canada by the 13-kilometer (eight-mile) Confederation Bridge that soars over the Northumberland Strait. A remarkable feat of engineering, the bridge opened in 1997 and is the longest in the world over icy waters.

Sites within downtown Charlottetown include the lovely Victoria Row, which becomes a pedestrian mall each summer, and other historic buildings, some of which are now museums. Nearby Prince Edward Island National Park is home to white-sand beaches and hiking and biking trails—plus fans can see the house and farm that inspired the beloved book Anne of Green Gables. During your visit, you can also learn about the daily lives, past and present, of residents on lighthouse and boat tours.

Aug 14, 2025
Cruising Gulf of St. Lawrence

A lighthouse on little St. Paul’s Island is a stark reminder of days gone by as you sail past this infamous old shipwreck site, known as the graveyard of the gulf, on your way through the Cabot Strait and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. So huge is the gulf that half of Canada’s 10 provinces have a coastal connection to it. Perhaps that’s not surprising, considering that it’s the world’s largest estuary and fed all the way from the Great Lakes 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) away.

A mere 19,000 years ago, it was covered under a mile-thick sheet of ice. Every Canadian schoolkid knows that in 1534, Jacques Cartier was the first European known to enter the gulf waters and encounter Maritime Algonquian peoples. In short order, the French kept arriving, as did Portuguese and Basque, who established whaling operations and shipped unimaginable amounts of cod to the Old World. Today, visitors come to explore massive islands, colorful towns and national parks that straddle the surrounding mainland, as well as thousands of tiny islets around which whales now thrive.

Aug 15, 2025
Saint Lawrence River Cruising

The nearly 1,200-kilometer (750-mile) stretch of the St. Lawrence River is a lighthouse lover’s paradise, with more than 40 of them lining the Québec portion alone. Quixotic weather and sudden choppy waters account for the building of these historic monuments, such as the one built in 1830 at Pointe-des-Monts and the Phare de Matane, both of which are now small museums.

Centuries-old fishing villages line the mighty waterway that alternates between imposing cliffs and plateaus and broad estuaries filled with fertile islets. Humans have fished the rich river and hunted its tributary lands for some 10,000 years. Much is still not known about the two dozen St. Lawrence Iroquoian tribes that had vanished by the time Québec City founder Samuel de Champlain arrived in the early 17th century. The river was a major entry point for exploring North America, and during the Seven Years' War the British navigated to Québec City to defeat the French at the Plains of Abraham. Today, some 200 miles of the river are called the whale route, along which some 13 resident species thrive, including blue, beluga and right whales.

Aug 15, 2025
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Few places in North America are as steeped in history as Québec City, Canada. Older than Jamestown and founded before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, it is the only city north of Mexico whose original fortifications remain intact. The Québec City historic district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is still home to religious orders and hospitals that date back to the 17th century. Its Place-Royale would look familiar to the explorer Samuel de Champlain, even with its modern attractions of gift shops and cafés. On the Plains of Abraham, you can walk the battlefield where, in 1759, the French forces under General Montcalm were decisively trounced by the British, led by General Wolfe.

The British took control of all of New France within a year of that 1759 battle, but even so French culture still lives on here in Québec City. More than 95 percent of Québec City's population speaks French as its first language, though it's easy to sightsee and navigate the city in English. As you tour the museums and historic sights of Québec City that celebrate Québecois history and dine at restaurants that serve its distinctive cuisine, you'll discover a remarkable culture that has survived and thrived into the 21st century.

Aug 16, 2025
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Montréal, Canada is a city of contrasts, one that defies a simple description or a catchy tagline. It sits on the New World’s St. Lawrence River, yet it has an undeniable Old-World French flair. It is a historic city, founded in 1642, and the streets of Old Montréal are lined with sights that range from a 17th-century seminary to grand commercial buildings erected in the 19th century. But Montréal is also home to contemporary architectural masterpieces—most notably those erected for Expo 67, including Buckminster Fuller’s Biosphere.

Montréal is at once the cultural capital of the Québecois and a decidedly global and cosmopolitan city, attracting migrants from around the world. The walls of its galleries and museums showcase leading artists from the province and the rest of Canada, while the city hosts festivals that feature the best international films, musicians and performers. Many of its restaurants serve traditional specialties—poutine, bagels and smoked meats; others are helmed by some of the continent’s most innovative chefs.

Montréal is a vibrant urban center, with buzzing streets and attractions, yet crowned by peaceful, leafy Mount Royal Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (also responsible for New York’s Central Park). Whichever of the city's many aspects appeals to you most, you are sure to be charmed by this unique city and find many things to do in Montréal.

With a verandah, floor-to-ceiling windows and comfortable sitting area, these comfortable suites are filled with light. They include two lower beds convertible to one queen-size bed—Holland America Line's signature Mariner's Dream™ bed with plush Euro-Top mattresses, plus a whirlpool bath and shower, mini-bar and refrigerator.

Amenities

• Daily housekeeping
• Complimentary 24-hour room service
• Elemis Aromapure soap, lotion, shampoo
• Luxurious bathrobes
• Hair dryers, makeup mirrors
• Generous storage
• Fresh fruit upon request
• Safe
• Ice service
• Shoeshine
• TV with On Demand movies, programming
• Binoculars
• Whirlpool bath