Regarding embarkation in NY - I think a lot of it has to do with the time your arrive. We got there right in the middle of the rush. That week also had "orange" terrorist alerts and the annual "Fleet Week" was going on in NY. Security was tight along the area where the buses off-load the passengers and luggage. Traffic was messy. Once we got into the building there were lines, but they moved along. The only thing that really bothered me was trying to fill out SARS forms with nothing to write with or on. We dug out a pen from my wife's purse and held places in line while we went to a nearby counter to fill these things out. I would have liked it if there had been more security gates (metal detector and x-ray machine). Finally, we got to the counter and went to the shorter line for those who fill out the immigration forms on-line. Left there and went to the large area with folding chairs and waited for our boarding number to be called. I think it took about an hour, maybe 2 hours (I can't really recall) from the street to the ship. The area you wait in is kind of like a huge warehouse area. It was cold in there (it was cold outside). They seemed to have their act together and it went smoothly - you just have to do some waiting.
Shore excursions - we did bunches of them. Most of the time, 2 a day. We about wore ourselves out. In the future, it's just 1 a day. I'm having a hard time remembering all of the trips we took right now. One excursion that turned out bad was the walking tour of downtown Boston, all of the historical sites. The lady who runs the tour walks really fast. She must do this twice a day and is in really good shape. If you like to walk fast, and I mean fast, this one might work for you. It was raining, and they don't cancel for rain. At times, she had the group strung out for 1 1/2 to 2 blocks, sometimes she was out of sight. I can walk fast, but my wife doesn't walk as fast and we were watching our footing in the rain. It was a hassle. If the weather is clear, and you can walk fast, this could be a rather interesting tour. It goes through Boston Common, a large, beautiful city park.
Some tours that we enjoyed: Newport - Tours to the mansions are very interesting. We went to The Elms. The Vanderbilt mansion, I think it's called The Breakers, is a good one, according to our table mates. Martha's Vinyard - We took the bus tour around the island, not bad. Make sure to walk around the village and see the little cottages painted in many different colors. Please note that the sea conditions at this port can be very rough at times. It was awful when we went back to the ship in the afternoon and was dangerous trying to get from the tender to the ship. Boston - Walking tour (see above). I think the tour to see Old Ironsides would be interesting, but it was cancelled when we were there. Portland - The Portland Head Light tour is a must, don't miss it. It's beautiful out there. We also took the tour down to Kennebunkport and enjoyed it a lot. Bar Harbor - We took a walking tour downtown and enjoyed it. In the afternoon, we took the bus tour up into Acadia Natl. Park. It's beautiful up there (we got into fog - but when clear, it has to be rather scenic). Make sure to sample the local seafood when in town - we went to the West St. Cafe, a little blue colored restaurant just up the st (to the N., I think) from the tender docks. The ship recommended it and we loved it. Reasonable prices too. Halifax, NS - We liked the tour out to Peggy's Cove, nice scenery, scenic lighthouse, etc. Excellent tour guide too. In the afternoon we took the tour that went around Halifax, to the graveyard where Titanic victims are buried, and to the Maritime Museum. It was OK, not great, just OK. PLEASE NOTE: Be sure to be up and watching as you arrive at the dock in the morning. We thought it was interesting seeing the bag pipe band come to meet us at the end of the pier. They marched along playing as the ship moved to the dock, then after playing some more, an old gentleman in colonial costume read some kind of proclamation to the ship. Rather ceremonial, but I thought it to be a nice gesture. Sydney, NS - We didn't like this area very much. We took the Cabot Trail tour. It lasted a long time, bad restaurant for lunch, not enough photo stops. It took all day. The area would have been nicer had it been a greener time of year. Things were still brown when we were there due to a late winter. Prince Edward Island - This is a beautiful nice place. I love it there. Clean. Green. Scenic. We took the tour out to the Ann of Green Gables House. The scenery is really nice there, some of the greenest greens I've ever seen. The coast line is scenic and interesting. The blood red rocks along the N. shore are a sight to see. The town is easily accessible to the pier too. Quebec City - This was one of the highlights of the cruise. Very beautiful place. If you didn't know better, you would think you were in Europe. We took bus tours out into the countryside, waterfalls, etc. We didn't do anything in Montreal but get off of the ship and head to the airport.
If you have any specific questions, write back on the board or e-mail me and I'll try to answer. We were on a 12 day N. bound from NY to Montreal. Our cruise didn't go out to Newfoundland. We had rainy weather for at least 3/4 of our cruise. With nice weather this area would be even better. We enjoyed it, despite the weather. The Rotterdam is a great ship. Try it, you will like it.
