Itinerary

DAY 1     Boston, MA, USA
Independent arrivals to the program. Check into the hotel.

Welcome orientation and reception. Dinner Included
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Boston

DAY 2     Boston, MA, USA
Breakfast is at the hotel

Enjoy a field trip through Boston's famous neighborhoods. These neighborhoods include the Back Bay, known for its beautiful architecture and homes; Beacon Hill known for the antique shops of Charles Street and the State House; and Copley Square, the home of the Trinity Church and the historic Boston Public Library. This field trip is led by Lynda Morgenroth, author of "Boston Firsts: 40 Feats of Innovation and Invention that Happened First in Boston and Helped Make America Great."

Lunch at Exploritas Headquarters. Get the chance to meet Exploritas employees and see where programs are actually born and bred!

Lynda Morgenroth gives an informative lecture about the geography and history of Boston followed by an entertaining lecture on "Boston Firsts."

Dinner on Own
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Boston

DAY 3     Boston, MA, USA
Breakfast is at the hotel

Participate in an excursion to Cambridge visiting Harvard Yard, the Harvard campus buildings, Tory Row on Brattle Street to look at the historic houses, Longfellow mansion, and end by enjoying a view of the beautiful Charles River.

Lunch at Novel Restaurant at the Boston Public Library

Group visit to the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. The old building, or Research Library, was designed by Charles McKim in 1895 and is very much like a Renaissance Italian palace. It has just been restored and includes three mural cycles done by well known artists and contains other sculpture and paintings as well.

Seafood dinner at renowned chef, Jasper White's "Summer Shack"
Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Boston

DAY 4     Atlantic and St. Lawrence Seaway
Breakfast is at the hotel

Guided visit of the Museum of Fine Arts. The original MFA opened its doors to the public on July 4, 1876, the nation's centennial. Built in Copley Square, the MFA was then home to 5,600 works of art. Over the next several years, the collection and number of visitors grew exponentially, and in 1909 the Museum moved to its current home on Huntington Avenue. Today the MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world; the collection encompasses nearly 450,000 works of art.

Lunch is at the cafe of the Museum of Fine Arts

Early afternoon embarkation on the Maasdam - Black Falcon Terminal

Dinner is on board ship in the elegant two-story Rotterdam Dining Room featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and two grand staircases.

This evening enjoy a private cocktail party on board to welcome you onto the ship.
Accommodations: MS Maasdam

DAY 5     Bar Harbour, Maine, USA
Breakfast will be served on board. You may have breakfast in the dinning room or the Lido Buffet; both are open seating.

This morning the ship will arrive in Bar Harbor, Maine. Travel by tender to the shores of the largest community on Desert Island; what was once the premier summer resort in New England in the 19th century. Enjoy a walking field trip of the historic sites of Bar Harbor including the beautiful historic properties and Saint Saviour's Episcopal Church with its 10 original Tiffany stained glass windows. Learn about the development of Acadia National Park spearheaded by wealthy summer residents such as Joseph Kennedy and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. You will also hear about the devastating fire of 1947 and its effects on the island. Visit the Bar Harbor Whale Museum dedicated to the study and understanding of whales and seals found in the Gulf of Maine. Explore the museum and discover the difference between toothed and baleen whales and how they find food under water. Marvel at the life-size model of a 50 million year old whale and learn about the majestic creatures common to the Bar Harbor area.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

This afternoon is yours to explore the ship and enjoy the many activities available to you. Try your luck at the casino, enjoy an afternoon of on board shopping, relax by the pool, or treat yourself with a trip to the spa. The ship offers all this plus much more.

Dinner is on board ship

This first lecture aboard ship will give you a good introduction to the upcoming maritime regions of Atlantic North America to be visited on the program. It preambles your visit to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island where you will witness the maritime way of life and learn of the history and culture of this region.
Accommodations: MS Maasdam

DAY 6     Halifax, NS
Breakfast on board open seating

A bus excursion will take you on a journey to the past and to present time. See Government House official resident of the province’s lieutenant governor. It is North America’s oldest consecutively occupied government residence, since the US’s White House was evacuated and burned during the War of 1812. Halifax Citadel allows you a wonderful view of the Harbor and the city. Take a stroll in the Public Garden’s next to the Needham Memorial Bell Tower. This historic tower overlooks the north end of Halifax, the section most devastated by the Halifax Explosion, which took place when the Belgian relief ship Imo collided with the French munitions vessel Mont Blanc on Dec. 6, 1917. The tower pays tribute to the 2,000 who died in the largest man-made explosion ever to be recorded before the A-bomb. Visit Fairview Cemetery final resting place of 121 of the victims of the Titanic, many of them never identified. One particularly popular grave that pulls in many visitors is that of J. Dawson, the person who Leonardo Di Caprio's character in the hit film, Titanic, is based on.

Lunch at a local restaurant

A guided visit of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic offers a great look into the maritime history of Atlantic Canada. The museum is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada and was first created by a group of Royal Canadian Navy officers who envisioned a place where Canada's naval past could be preserved. You will be introduced to the age of steamships, local small craft, the Royal Canadian and Merchant Navies, and WWII convoys. The museum also tells the story of famous historical events such as "The Battle of the Atlantic", the Halifax explosion of 1917, Nova Scotia's role in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster, various shipwrecks and more.

Dinner is on board the ship

Enjoy the large variety of evening entertainment the ship has to offer.
Accommodations: MS Maasdam

DAY 7     Louisbourg, NS
Breakfast on board open seating

Transfer by coach to the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada for a guided visit. The fortress is the largest historical reconstruction in North America and represents an 18th century French fortified town. The French came to Louisbourg in 1713 after ceding Acadia and Newfoundland to the British as per the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht. The only remaining possessions France had in Atlantic Canada were Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island, known then as Isle Royale and Isle Saint-Jean. They built the fortress to protect France's interest in the New World and to serve as the center of France's lucrative cod fishing industry off the Grand Banks. The location of the fortress on the eastern tip of Cape Breton Island enabled it to act both as the capital of the new colony at Isle Royale and as the first line of defense in France's struggle against Britain for colonial supremacy in North America. Louisbourg was for many years France's crown jewel of military strength and commerce in the New World. Entering the Fortress of Louisbourg you leave the modern world behind and step back to 1744. The fortress is alive with animators in full costume and character from housewives to soldiers who will be happy to tell you all about their lives at the fortress. Visit the lively town tavern, see Chapelle St. Louis, the garrison chapel, or explore the King's Bastion Barracks which is the largest building on site and was one of the largest buildings in North America in its day. Stroll through the fortress streets amongst the impressive walls, majestic gates, quaint homes and formal gardens.

Enjoy a meal as the inhabitants would in 1744 with a lunch at Fortress Louisbourg consisting of 18th century cuisine.

Visit the Louisbourg Lighthouse, Canada’s oldest light station. Constructed in 1923/24, the lighthouse is still operational. At its base are the stabilized foundation ruins of the 18th-century and 19th-century lighthouses. From the lighthouse, enjoy excellent vistas along the coastline, out into the Atlantic ocean and across the harbor to the Fortress.

Dinner is on board ship in the Rotterdam Dining Room

Enjoy the large variety of evening entertainment the ship has to offer. Visit the Louisbourg Lighthouse, Canada’s oldest light station. Constructed in 1923/24, the lighthouse is still operational. At its base are the stabilized foundation ruins of the 18th-century and 19th-century lighthouses. From the lighthouse, enjoy excellent vistas along the coastline, out into the Atlantic ocean and across the harbor to the Fortress.
Accommodations: MS Maasdam

DAY 8     Charlottetown, PEI
Breakfast on board open seating

A local historian will guide you on a walking exploration Charlottetown, the birthplace of Confederation. Visit Beaconsfield Historic House with its mansard roof, elaborate gingerbread trim, and crowning belvedere stands. Learn about historic architecture with this enduring symbol of Victorian elegance. Hear about the restoration of Charlottetown's historic properties as you continue along Great George Street and visit St. Dunstan Cathedral as well as location for the last public hanging in the city. Continue your journey through beautiful Victoria Park, the historic downtown area of Charlottetown, and other historical and culturally important sites along the waterfront. Learn about the high-profile people of the city, the prosperity and bust of its merchants, and of course the Fathers of Confederation.

Lunch at a local restaurant

This afternoon's lecture "Early Exploration and Settlement of the St. Lawrence River" will lead you into a world of adventure and exploration. Learn about the European explorers that set out to discover what the vast wilderness of Canada had to offer. Hear of how early exploration by men like Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain led to the settlement of the St. Lawrence region by Europeans traveling to the New World. The lecture will prepare you for the next phase of your voyage as you leave the Maritime region of Canada and journey to the province of Québec.

Dinner is on board ship

Enjoy the large variety of evening entertainment the ship has to offer.
Accommodations: MS Maasdam

DAY 9     Atlantic and St. Lawrence Seaway
Breakfast on board open seating

As we make our way through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, learn about the history of the fur trade industry in Quebec and the alliance created between the French settlers and the native population of the region. Historically important to the area’s First Nations people for both transportation and as a fishery, the gulf was also the site of the first known exchange between the native population of the Quebec region and Europeans. The first documented voyage through the gulf’s waters by Europeans was in 1534 with the arrival of Jacques Cartier. In 1603, Samuel de Champlain negotiated the first economic and military alliance between North American Indians and Europeans at Tadoussac. This treaty determined New France’s economic direction as well as its strategic and military policy for the next 156 years. Under the terms of the agreement, the First Nations would transport and deliver beaver pelts to the French at their various trading posts along the St. Lawrence River in exchange for European goods and a pledge to aid the Huron and Algonquin in their longstanding war with the Iroquois of New York.

Lunch is on board. You may decide to eat in the dinning room, at the Lido buffet, the poolside grill or other locations the ship offer. Open seating is available at all locations.

Relax on deck as the ship glides through the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The world’s largest estuary, the gulf is the outlet of North America’s Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River. Known as the “great highway into the continent” this inland waterway of the northeast lead to the bounty of forests, furs and raw materials. Carved between the Laurentians to the north and the Appalachians to the south, it forms a natural pathway to the lakes of Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior.

Dinner is on board ship in the Rotterdam Dining Room

Enjoy the large variety of evening entertainment the ship has to offer.
Accommodations: MS Maasdam

DAY 10     Québec City, QC
Breakfast on board open seating

Join a local expert on a walking field trip through charming and historic Old Québec City. Start at the Lower Town and Place Royale, known as the cradle of French civilization in North America with its fine stone merchant houses and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church. Walk through the charming commercial district of rue du Petit-Champlain. Continue on to Upper Town and visit the Cathedral-Basilica Notre-Dame-de-Québec, site of the first diocese in Canada and founded in 1663 by Bishop Laval. You will also see the Ursulines' Convent, founded in 1639 for the education of native and French girls. The convent stands as the oldest still active school in Canada. Arriving at Place d'Armes, you will see the monument of Samuel de Champlain, Father of New France and founder of Québec City. The UNESCO monument recognizes the city as a World Heritage City. Dufferin Terrace is an enchanting area offering magnificent views of the mountains, St. Lawrence River, Lower Town and the Citadel known as the Gibraltar of North America which was built by the British between 1820 and 1832. Your morning walk will end at the famous Château Frontenac which dates back to 1892 and is a testimony to the important role played by the railroads in building Canada. The American architect Bruce Price, father of Emily Post, was hired to design the hotel. It was this picturesque site that moved him and led him to be inspired by the châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. This was the beginning of the château style that would be the trademark for grand hotels and train stations across Canada. Countless personalities have stayed within the walls of this most prestigious hotel; kings, queens, American and French presidents, Hollywood movie stars and other celebrities. More important perhaps were the Québec Conferences held in 1943 and again in 1944. Present were Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and the Allied High Command to discuss war strategy and plan D Day.

Enjoy a buffet lunch at the Café de la Terrasse in the Château Frontenac.

Continue exploring North America's most European city on your own before returning to the ship.

Dinner is on board ship

This will be your last evening aboard ship to take advantage of all there is to see and do.
Accommodations: MS Maasdam

DAY 11     Montreal, QC
Breakfast on board open seating

Say goodbye to the ship and board a coach for a look at the city of Montréal. Founded in 1642 by a group of French missionaries, Montréal is one of Canada's most diverse and fascinating metropolises. Gain insight into the city's rich architectural heritage by embarking on a journey of its historical and architectural landmarks. Highlights include a photo stop at Mount Royal Park, inaugurated in 1876, planned by Frederick Law Olmstead, landscape designer of Central Park in New York. Enjoy a superb lookout view of the city and photo opportunity. See St Joseph's Oratory atop Mount Royal, one of the world's most visited shrines. Get your cameras ready to photograph its huge dome, second only in height to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Learn about Brother Andre, the humble doorkeeper who initiated its construction in 1904. View the Olympic Park from the Mount Royal lookout and admire the sweeping curves of the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1976 Olympic Games and the Olympic Tower, the tallest inclined tower in the world. Enjoy two island retreats, minutes from the city center in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Drive through Notre Dame Island, and visit St Helens Island with a wealth of discoveries including the impressive dome of the former U.S. pavilion designed by Buckminster Fuller.

Lunch at a local restaurant

Explore historic Old Montréal by foot on a guided walking excursion highlighting the major sites of the city. See Place d'Armes, with its fascinating historical remains and the two lines of stone running across the surface, representing evidence of the fortified town of yesteryear. Walk along the cobblestone streets of Old Montréal and into the Bonsecours Market, inaugurated in 1847, a wonderful example of the neo-classical style of the time. Visit the Notre Dame Basilica whose neo-Gothic twin towers have been an Old Montréal landmark since 1829. The interior of the basilica features finely sculpted polychrome wood decorated in gold leaf, sculptures by Louis-Philippe Hébert and Henri Bouriché, and a star-speckled vault. Continue on to the Old Sulpician Seminary, the oldest standing building in Montréal and one of the finest examples of institutional architecture dating from the French Regime. After your walk, check into the hotel and enjoy a little free time to relax.

Dinner at a local restaurant

The evening is yours to relax, take a lovely stroll about the city, or further explore Old Montréal.

Accommodations for June departure will be the Marriott Spring Hill Suites, Montreal Quebec.

Accommodations: Marriott SpringHill Suites Old Montreal

DAY 12     Montreal, QC
Breakfast at the hotel.

This morning you will continue your guided exploration of Old Montréal. Walk along the rue St. Jacques, the Wall Street of Canada in the 18th century. View the Molson Bank and the Royal Bank building, which was built in 1926 and was the tallest building in the British Empire. See the Montréal World Trade Centre, known for its architecture including a large glassed-in atrium. The complex also houses historical elements including a fragment of the Berlin Wall. Stroll through Victoria Square and enter Le Quartier International. Tucked in between the bustle of the downtown core and historic Old Montréal, Le Quartier International is a public area dotted with many works of art from around the world. The area's grand monuments, statues and historic remains all combine to create a sense of movement. Revealing a colorful facade of glass with a pink forest inside, walk through the new building of the Palais des Congres (Montréal Convention Centre). The new structure attached to the existing building, faces west to Place Jean Paul Riopelle and is integrated into its immediate environment. Each facade was designed as an extension of its surrounding area. Marvel at the artist Jean Paul Riopelle's works La Joute, a bold study in contrasts, in which fire confronts water.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Enjoy a guided visit of Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and History. Built atop actual remains of the original 17th century city, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum offers its visitors a genuine archaeological view where they can see the first public square, the vaulted canalization of the St. Pierre River, the first Catholic cemetery, and much more. The museum was founded as part of the celebrations marking Montréal's 350th birthday and owes its existence largely to the significant archaeological discoveries made on the site during the 1980s. Pointe-à-Callière houses hundreds of artifacts from the archaeological site below, a site that shows evidence of more than 1000 years of human activity in the area. Being the only sizeable archaeology museum in Canada, Pointe-à-Callière is truly a unique and spectacular place.

Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodations for June departure will be the Marriott Spring Hill Suites, Montreal Quebec.

Accommodations: Marriott SpringHill Suites Old Montreal

DAY 13     
Breakfast is at the hotel.

Independent departures

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