Holland America Maasdam to Canada/ New England

We just loved our most recent cruise on the Maasdam! The weather was wonderful for the week we were there. As for the staff, that was the best experience we’ve had. My favorite things about the ship were the Crows Nest, the Explorations Cafe, and the food! I love how the buffet at dinner offered the same menu as the dining room. I also loved how they had ice cream all the time at no charge. I am embarrassed to say that I ate a waffle cone almost every day! haha

My only complaints were the odor in the room. Holland America explained that it was caused by an Eco-friendly machine they used that caused a mild occasional odor when the balance was off . Our AC was also broken and only had one temperature, but they did fix that for us as soon as I mentioned it. These are just some of the things you might have come up with when you are on an older ship. I have to say though, that I love how this class are smaller in size than their newer ships. They have less guests and are very easy to get around. They also had all new hardware...new beds (oh so comfy), new flat screen t.v.s, and DVD players.

We decided to stay an extra night in Boston and in Montreal. I feel that on a trip that requires air everyone should come in early if they can. 1. It makes embarkation day more relaxing 2. Allows time to spend time in the embarkation port city 3. In case of flight problems you are there early and won't miss the ship. I just loved my time in Boston and wish I had a few more days there. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency which was in the perfect location of downtown Boston. There were plenty of things to do in walking distance from the hotel. We walked some of the Freedom trail and had lunch at Fanuel Hall. I must tell you Fanuel Hall is like the biggest food court I have ever seen. There must have been over a hundred food vendors with food from all over the world. Our choice was the New England Clam Chowder in a bread bowl :) (YUM)

Our favorite port was Bar Harbor. We did a Lobster Bake and an Acadia National Park Tour. The tour guide kept us entertained and was highly knowledgeable. They took us to several scenic points one of which was Cadillac Mountain. Than we had lunch at a great restaurant and had whole lobsters and mussels. That was the best meal of the week by far.

Another port we just loved was Quebec City. This was like being in Europe walking down the old cobblestone streets. Getting off the ship there are all kinds of boutique shops with local artists. Then we walked up the hill (not too bad of a hike) and toured the fort and walked down some more streets of shopping. There is enough shopping to keep you busy if that is your mission! Than we enjoyed High Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac. It was a beautiful castle with a view of the city! The tea was so well done and enjoyed by all.

In Charlottetown, PEI we did a city tour with a stop at Ann of Green Gables. This was very nostalgic especially for my mother in law who read all of Green Gables books. We did this tour with the cruise line and was a bit full, the trip was on a coach with over 40 people. For this one I would recommend trying a private tour.

Halifax, Nova Scotia was one of the places I did not book a tour. That day we went to the Citadel and they took us on a free tour of the fort. Then we walked to the Maritime Heritage Museum which had a great exhibit of the Titanic.

Sydney was very windy and overcast that day so I decided to spend the day on the ship. I went to the fitness center which had all new equipment, and spent time in the Explorations Cafe. It was like going to a Borders, which is something I just love to do. I had a yummy cafe latte while I sat on a wonderfully comfortable chair and read a book.

Overall I was very pleased with this cruise and highly recommend it. Although fall is the most popular time to go on this trip I think the spring was a great time of year to visit as well. The weather was nice and cool, and the colors of green ranged from light to dark shades of green which created a fantastic view where ever we went. I also love Holland and would rate them very high amongst the other lines I have been on so far.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Jen's Top Five Cruise Tips of the Month

1. On Disney Cruise line they have free sodas at the buffet so get your refills there.

2. Make sure to look at your newsletter for activities and shows that day. Some cruises have a portion you can tear off to carry around with you.

3.If you are a big coffee drinker you might want to bring a travel mug with you to fill up at the buffet to carry around with you. They also sell them with a coffee package on most cruise lines if you like specialty coffee drinks like lattes. The cup can also make a good souvenir.

4.Talk to your cruise counselor about what you want to experience on your cruise. There may be a cruise out there you have not even hear of before, and better suited for you. There are more cruise lines offering cruises than you may think.

5. Try the dinning room for lunch. I am usually pleasantly surprised, plus they aren't crowded and you get great service.

**If you have cruise tips of your own, add them as comments to share with other cruisers. They may even end up as one of next months top five cruise tips!

Disney Land and Sea 2008

This year for my personal vacation time Will and I went on a Disney Land Sea vacation. This was if not our best vacation, the closest to it! We spent 4 nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and 3 nights on the Disney Wonder. Disney transported us from the hotel to the ship and back and made the whole process seamless.

The hotel we stayed at was fabulous and loved everything about it. The rooms even had a fridge and we bought breakfast and lunch foods at Albertsons to save some money to splurge on wonderful Disney themed restaurants for dinner. Our favorite dinner was the Luau dinner show at the Polynesian hotel. The food and entertainment were amazing. We packed our sandwiches and apples and put those in a cooler and brought a backpack in to the parks. The fridge was a lifesaver. We also thought that the lobby and the pool areas were especially nice. The resort even has Savannah view rooms where you can sit out on your balcony and animals such as Giraffes are right there in front of you.

We got a 2 day Park Hopper Pass and spent the first day at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The next day we went to Animal Kingdom for the whole day. We had such a great time at all the parks. We especially loved the Roller coaster and went on thunder mountain railroad 6 times and Everest 7 times! I know we are crazy like that. We mostly did that with fast passes so that we did not have to wait long. I am a huge fan of the fast pass! We also did the safari in Animal Kingdom and saw tons of animals. I was actually very surprised at how much we saw. We also spent a whole day at the Blizzard Beach water park. That was a ton of fun and wished we had more time there.

Thursday they had a motor coach waiting outside our hotel that took us over to the cruise ship. It was about an hour ride and than, there we were on our 3 day cruise to relax after running around the parks. Nassau we just got off for lunch and went to the Seafood Haven in the Fish Fry area. I love their conk fritters! Than we spent the rest of the day on the ship to relax in the adult only pool area and lounges.

Castaway Cay was my very favorite day. We docked right at the island so no need to tender it. That saved valuable time for relaxing. We went right over to Serenity Bay which is their adult only area of the Island. They even had a tramway to take us over there. They had their own buffet and equipment rental booth. We rented floats and laid out all day and the weather was perfect. We than had lunch at the buffet which was great! They had ribs, chicken, steak, burgers and fries. They even had fresh tropical fruit like mango and papaya. I was bad and had the cookie dough ice cream :)

The Disney shows were great and was so impressive. They did a Toy Story the Musical show on the second night. I usually skip the shows but on here I went to all three. The rotated dinning was fun as each night we were in a different themed restaurant. My favorite was Triton's for the food and Animators Palate for the theme.

Really there was so much I could say about this trip but the video below says it all!

Regent Navigator Ship Inspection

Today I went to Port Canaveral to go onboard the Regent Seven Seas Navigator for the day. I was invited to go and see the ship, starting with a presentation on Regent, followed by a tour of the ship. Than we had lunch in the Compass Rose dining room. For me it was more of a subtle difference from the premium cruise lines out there. It was the smaller details that made it stand out from the others.

The fitness center had all the state of the art equipment including flat panel monitors on the cardio machines. They even had a fridge full of complimentary water bottles. How convenient!

The cabins were very nice. The starting cabin was 300 sq. ft. with a large picture window and a nice size sitting area. For me my favorite was the split bath and walk in closet in all the cabins. Check out the balconies!

They had a cafe with a professional barista! I had myself a latte and it was very good. This coming from quite the coffee critic.

The dining was definitely worth talking about. The tables were set with fine china and silver, with a beautiful presentation. Daniel and I ordered the halibut which was tender and flaked right off with my fork. Chynell had the filet mignon which she said was like butter. She could have cut it with her fork it was so tender. Yum I know! And the servers were wonderful; it was certainly a fine dining experience.

Over all the day was well spent and I am full on my way to completing my LCS (Luxury Cruise Specialist) certification. This kind of firsthand experience is great for us as cruise consultants so that we know the products we are recommending to you our clients.

Jens Top Five Cruise Tips of the Month

1. Take (or you can buy on the ship gift shop) a lanyard with a clear card holder on it to carry your room key around your neck. It is much more accessible than having it in your wallet or having to hand-carry it.

2. If you are a big Coke drinker, many cruise lines have a coke card you can purchase, which is cheaper than buying drinks individually. Unless you are on a luxury cruise line, drinks are not free; with the exception of coffee, tea, and water.

3. You don't have to book your shore excursions with the Cruise line, but be careful where you book. A company I recommend and use for my personal vacations is Shore Trips. To browse their trips go to http://www.funseas.com/ and click on SHORE TRIPS . Most times Shore Trips have smaller more personalized trips than the cruise line. You will probably be less likely to be put on a motor coach of 40 people or more. One thing I find comforting is they have the same guarantee the cruise lines have, making sure you dont miss the ship.

4. Ladies, if you have thick hair, it is usually a good idea to take your own hair drier. I have found that many of the ones on cruises are not very powerful, plus the location of some of them makes it hard for two people to get ready at the same time.

5. Most important tip of all, when on the ship, forget all your worries back home and just relax and be pampered! Most of us don't have that option in our every day lives!"

**If you have cruise tips of your own, add them as comments to share with other cruisers. They may even end up as one of next months top five cruise tips!

FINAL Passport Rule Issued for Land and Sea Borders

Departments of Homeland Security and of State issued the final rule making concerning the requirements of passports for land and sea border crossings under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. After years of development following 9/11, this ruling is the end of the process and can be considered FINAL ensuring you will have the proper identification when traveling.

Effective June 1, 2009, the following rules take effect for cruise passengers:

U.S. citizens on cruise voyages that begin and end at the same U.S. port (closed-loop itineraries) must show proof of citizenship* and government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license). A passport will not be required for passengers that fall into this category.

*Documents include: Original or certified copy of birth certificate; Naturalization papers; Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by Department of State

All other passengers and/or itineraries (such as cruises which begin in one U.S. port and return to a different U.S. port or any cruise that begins or ends in a foreign port) will require a passport or other recognized document. For a list of accepted documents, see http://www.travel.state.gov/The good news for a majority of cruise passengers – American citizens that leave and return on their cruise from the same U.S. port – is that the travel document requirements will remain largely unchanged from how the industry is operating today.

I continue to encourage travelers to obtain passports to allow the broadest travel opportunities. You can visit http://www.travel.state.gov/ to obtain information on how to apply at more than 9,000 passport acceptance facilities in the United States.

*Please call Jen Mitchell to set up an apointment for specific passport requirements regarding your cruise reservation. I will be glad to help you!

Jen's Top Five Cruise Tips of the Month

1. Specialty restaurants cover charge includes the gratuity. Even though there is a line item to add an extra tip, its just that: "extra".

2. Leave valuables, excess cash and unneeded credit cards aboard while on shore excursions.

3. On debarkation day try to RELAX. Do not wait in the stairwells with all your bags as it will only only lead to frustration. Get yourself some breakfast or sit in one of the lounges as you wait for your color to be called.

4. As for Embarkation, try not to get to the port too early. For Caribbean cruises they usually let you start checking in at 12:00pm. If you arrive earlier than that you will end up waiting in a boring sitting area with no entertainment.

5. The elevators are going to be crowded around dinner and show times. A bunch of crabby people waiting for the elevators will only stir each other up even more; why not walk off that crème brûlée and take the stairs — or maybe do a lap on the Promenade Deck.

**If you have cruise tips of your own, add them as comments to share with other cruisers. They may even end up as one of next months top five cruise tips!