Weil Family Trip to Canada & New England
After years of cruising, we finally convinced the Weil parents to join us on a cruise! The rest of the Weil family decided it was a great idea as well and it turned out to be a big Weil family trip with parents, brother and sister-in-law, aunt and uncle, and sister-in-law’s parents.
The group decided on a Norwegian cruise from Quebec City, Quebec, Canada down the New England area finishing in Boston, Massachusetts. We hoped to see lots of fall color changing, sadly that didn’t happen but the trip still turned out great!
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Please note that some pictures have been edited on this trip to remove individuals who did not provide consent to be posted online.
Table of Contents
- Day 1,2,3 – Travel Days
- Day 4 – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- Day 5 – Sydney, Nova Scotia
- Day 6 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Day 7 – Portland, Maine
- Day 8 – Bar Harbor, Maine
- Day 9,10 – Boston, Massachusetts
Travel Days
Since this was MIL/FIL’s first cruise and a major trip, we wanted to make sure they loved it. So we took on planning, scheduling, and all-around managing their trip which turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. Not only did it bring us closer as we were preparing and packing for the trip but I really did enjoy planning everything and it turns out I am more than happy to travel with assisted services and get to skip lines 😉 !
To best coordinate things, they drove down to our house earlier in the week and we made sure everything was packed, printed, and ready to go on Wednesday.
Bright and early (5 AM) on Thursday we were on our way to PHX. I am still impressed we fit 4 big suitcases, 2 carryons, a walker, and various other personal items all in one mid-sized SUV! Granted the walker did end up on the roof, but still.
This was our first time flying Air Canada, so after figuring out where to go, checking our bags, and the wheelchair porter arrived we were on our way through security. Thankfully everyone had TSA Pre-check and with the priority service with the wheelchair, it was a breeze. However, we did just barely make it before they started boarding the plane so we will plan for more time in the future.
The flights were good. Air Canada was average, though they did not provide a complimentary snack and only one drink per flight which was disappointing. Our layover in Montreal was quick but easy to navigate through an international connection which was nice.
We made it to Quebec City at about 7-8 pm, and because no trip goes without drama, that is when ours began!
5 bags and a walker were gathered up… but the 6th bag never came. It just so happened to be my bag, and basically everything I need to get ready minus clothes.
Turns out this happens frequently and the airlines partner with the cruise ship to have it delivered on embarkation day or at the next available port. This sounded super sketch to me but we didn’t have much of an option.
We made it to our hotel right about 9 pm and I figured out I would grab the necessities at the hotel or run to a store really quick. Nope! The whole city closes at 9 PM and the stores didn’t re-open until 8 AM the next day. Though Mcdonald’s did come through as late-night dinner! (Classy, I know 😉)
Funny enough, I made a big deal this trip to ensure our medications were packed in carry-on bags as a precaution. However, not once did I consider my contacts a medication, but that will change now!
I had solutions for toothbrush, comb, soap, etc. but I am blind (roughly 20/500) without my contacts, and sleeping in them doesn’t usually end well. So for having glasses/contacts my entire life, this was the first time I had to consider living without functional sight and it was quite unnerving.
Thankfully I woke up and my contacts were not terrible so we made our way to Walmart. With the risk that my bag might not show up for days, we opted to replace everything since I would use it eventually, but that is not exactly how I wanted to start our trip.
Since Uber is not as prevalent in Canada we used taxis during our trip. This turned out great as we could order a vehicle big enough for our group, luggage, and the walker. Prices didn’t seem all that different from an Uber anyway, so that was nice!
Check-in at the port was easy. Not only were there no lines at 11:30 am, but they directed us to the Accessible Services desk due to the walker which made it even easier.
It was officially time! After months and months of planning, we were finally on the gangway boarding our cruise!
I still remember the feeling of getting onto our very first cruise, and while there are not nearly as many nervous feelings it does feel like we are coming home every time. There is just something right about getting onto a ship!
Rooms were still being cleaned, so we made our way to the buffet for lunch. We had plenty to keep us busy all morning so we didn’t really have an opportunity to connect and coordinate meeting up with family yet. Luck was on our side as we had our plates looking for our seats and we found them all.
After catching up and enjoying lunch onboard, our rooms were ready and it was time to get MIL/FIL settled and recoup for a bit before sail-away.
Showing a newbie the quirks of a cruise ship room and an inside one at that is always entertaining! We made sure to have them flush so they wouldn’t be terrified when they were actually using the restroom. Plus explaining the shower head and the amazing endless hot water!
We got settled in our room, and I don’t know if it was good or bad luck but my missing bag was the first thing to be delivered! Good news I had all my stuff again, bad news I had WAY more of it than I originally packed.
Sailaway was a pretty quiet affair. With this cruise having such an older crowd and in general a more low-key vibe, there wasn’t a giant pool party celebrating departure. I don’t think we saw the pools in use at all on this trip, which made sense with the temperature in the 50-60s.
It was quickly apparent that we needed a better way to communicate with everyone so we sucked it up and bought the $10 messaging service from NCL. We are still bitter that it costs now, but it was a necessity.
We enjoyed the evening entertainment with a family-friendly comedian. Not a surprise that we missed the adults-only show later in the trip because it started at 9 pm! That is my bedtime, and I am not giving up my sleep on a vacation!
The next day was a Sea Day so after sleeping in, and getting a workout, we decided to go to the dining room for lunch which was an unusual choice for us. Normally we avoid the dining room but the buffet on this ship while fine was physically small. Plus they had Monte Cristo sandwiches which were pretty good!
MIL/FIL decided to join us for lunch, so we did a little turnaround and had a second helping of the Carbonara which was incredible! I was even happy finishing off MIL Lava Cake, which I haven’t had a good version of since I was gluten-free on a Carnival cruise.
Figuring MIL would enjoy the shops we hit there next. As expected the giveaways and excitement over the jewelry was a big draw for her. She even got a beautiful new ring, which I know will be the perfect reminder of this trip for her.
We decided to splurge as well and finally got some perfume and cologne. I have wanted something for years but the last time we got too overwhelmed with options. So as soon we found something we liked we got it. I went with Burberry Her Eau de Toilette (Green) and Nathan got Burberry Hero Eau de Parfum.
Fun educational tip, we learned that Parfum is a more direct concentration than Toilette. Same scent just different strengths!
After shopping it was time to eat again so we made our way to the buffet and met up with family for a bit. Sadly this trip didn’t have late-night snacks in the buffet so no cookies, crepes, nachos, and other general good stuff.
Since we wanted snacks and dessert, our best option was O’Sheehan’s which was open 24 hours.
This turned out to be great and was our go-to spot each evening for a little treat. Nathan enjoyed the Apple Pie while I had the Carrot Cake and we would occasionally grab some food as well if we were still hungry.
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Our first official stop on this trip was to the city of Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. We opted to do a self-guided tour of the city and MIL/FIL joined us for the day. It turned out to be a wonderful city to explore and you can read all about our adventures in Charlottetown by clicking here!
Sydney, Nova Scotia
The next stop was Sydney, Nova Scotia which turned out to be one of the smaller stops of our trip.
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We ended up getting a later start to the day, but we wanted to make sure we still kept our routine and got a workout in.
Speaking of which, I am so proud of us and this trip! We didn’t overeat like normal and we made it to the gym multiple times, whenever our schedule would allow. I credit Nathan heavily with keeping this routine but it helped make sure we didn’t fall behind on our fitness goals which we are both happy about!
Though we did learn some new lessons about gym clothes and a small inside room! We will try to adjust for future trips because things don’t dry like they do in Arizona.
Anyways, back to Sydney. We got off the ship around lunch time and unfortunately, we weren’t able to connect with the rest of our group from lunch. So we walked the boardwalk for a bit and then made our way to Governors Pub (website here), a popular restaurant I found while researching Sydney.
They had delicious drinks and food!
Nathan chose the Seafood Sampler to get a little bit of everything, and he said it was great!
I picked the Mac and Cheese, with the addition of Donair as something new to try.
Donair was a little overpowering for Mac&Cheese so after a few bites I opted for just the noodles but it was still all delicious!
After lunch, it was time to head back to the ship before departure and we were off to our next destination. While our trip to Sydney was short, we honestly couldn’t find a whole lot to do nearby so we have probably seen all there is to see and it was another beautiful quaint city in this area!
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Our last stop in Canada was in Halifax, Nova Scotia where we booked an excursion to take us to all the many sights around the city. You can read all about our adventures in Halifax here!
Once we were back onboard, we decided to use one of our new NCL Platinum benefits and head to the Brazilian steakhouse on board, Moderno. It turned out to be one of the best meals we had all week and we are so excited to go back on future cruises that have this restaurant.
They had sushi at the buffet, my favorite Brazilian cheese rolls (shout out to Brazi Bites!), the meats were amazing, and plenty of sides for you to enjoy. It was all you can eat but we quickly reached our limit! The best part though, which I forgot to get a picture of was the AMAZING grilled pineapple with a cinnamon sugar glaze… mmm so good!!
Portland, Maine
Transitioning to a US port mid-cruise presented some new and interesting things we hadn’t done before.
First, we went through Immigration mid-cruise and while still onboard. We received an instruction sheet that required everyone to go through Immigration, which traditionally you would do when you returned to the US after your cruise. Since this cruise was technically arriving in the US at this port we had to go through it before we could leave the ship for our excursions.
It was pretty quick and painless, we just had to show a customs agent our passports which they validated and then we were cleared with a blue sticker added to our sea pass as proof.
The second oddity of cruising ‘in’ the US is the language, currency, and general instructions are all back to normal. However, my brain wanted to say cruise equals foreign country and I had to keep reminding myself that we were back in the States, just in a new city. It was cool and strange!
Click here to read all about our adventures in Portland!
Bar Harbor, Maine
Our last official stop on this cruise was at Bar Harbor, Maine. The entire family ended up booking the same excursion to explore Acadia National Park, though being a bus tour meant our socialization was limited. We also did some self-guided touring afterward and you can read all about our adventures here!
This also happened to be FIL’s birthday! So we celebrated as a family by going to one of the specialty dining restaurants, Cagneys Steak House. They had MASSIVE wine glasses, and while we don’t normally visit the steak house the food was good and FIL was happy so that is all that matters!
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Please note that some pictures have been edited on this trip to remove individuals who did not provide consent to be posted online.
Boston, Massachusetts
We disembarked in Boston, but the great news is we didn’t fly out until the next day! So we had all day to explore as much as we could. However, we knew there was no way we could see everything we wanted to and we were planning to return for a few days to truly experience everything.
This helped take the pressure off and we were able to wander through the city at an easy pace with MIL/FIL. Click here to read all about our adventures in Boston!
Our flights home the next day were quiet and easy and everyone made it home safely!
We had a wonderful time on this trip, and while traveling with such a big group can be a challenge I feel like we made the most of it! We would absolutely come back to explore more of Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor and the history in Boston. As always, we can’t wait to plan our next trip no matter where it goes!
If you would like to read more about this trip, here are some quick links for you!
31 Days of Holiday Cheer!
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