We docked and left the ship after the crowd had left the ship. We opted to try to walk into downtown from here. This would have been a good decision if the "big dig" were not well under way. Boston is under major reconstruction from the port all the way into downtown. It was difficult trying to maneuver our way around. We ended up getting a Red Trolley Tour for the day. This was an excellent way to see the city and historical sites of Boston. We really enjoyed this a great deal. It took us to all the points of interest and shopping areas. We saw Beacon Hill and Quincy Market. We were given great historical tidbits along the way about areas of the city. I loved Boston and could have easily spent another day or two here.

Day 6, Martha's Vineyard

What a lovely quiet little island. When you get to Martha's Vineyard from the tender, you get off in Oakbluffs. This town has scooters, bicycles, and jeeps for rent. Be careful here as pricing is geared toward what they think you will pay. It is not posted and it is advisable to try to make a deal. We rented an automatic jeep for 79.00 for the day. This was a great way for us to see most of the island in enough time to get back for the last tender. We enjoyed this peaceful place very much except that there are NO STREET SIGNS. No matter that you have a map. They are not very detailed and finding streets are impossible without proper identification posted. Directions from locals are equally convoluted, as you would regularly hear, “up around this corner and to the left.” Only to be befuddled when we got around the corner. We realized that this was a place for the rich and famous to find privacy and peace. It is part of the charm of the island for them that no one can find their house easily or even the street they live on. This is not a tourist friendly town for driving around, so if you just want to see the island and do not care where you end up, you will have a lot of fun. If you have a fixed destination, and you are not familiar with the island then good luck, and just remember it is not that big so eventually you will end up back where you started.

Day 7, Newport, Rhode Island

This was a lovely port and we enjoyed the Grand Mansions tour very much. We were under the impression that we would be seeing at least two mansions, but we only had time for Marblehead. It is an incredible place for seeing the opulence of the time. The art was amazing and the story of Mrs. Vanderbilt was very interesting. We enjoyed this bus tour very much. This port was really difficult for tendering. We were paged for our tender and when we got there they kept telling us it would be 10 more minutes. We ended up waiting for 30-35 minutes for this tender. When we got off our tour bus and back to port, there was a very long line to tender back to the ship. We waited for 2 ½ hours for a place on a tender. There was a problem getting those of the crew back as well. It seems that all the tours got back at the same time. It was unseasonably warm in Newport, which was fine, except when you are standing in the direct sun waiting for so long.

Disembarkation: We arrived into New York very early. My friend and I were ready to leave the ship as soon as we had finished breakfast. We were novices at cruising and had cleared out of our room right after we had eaten. This was not a good idea, because it was another 2 ½ hours before our colored tags were called. We waited in Oscar's and there was nothing to drink while we were waiting. When we got off the ship, finding our bags was a chore. They were not together and scattered over a wide part of the terminal. We managed to find our bags and got up to get a taxi. Unfortunately there were two ships disembarking at the same time. The queue for taxis was very long. We waited another 3 hours for a cab. When we got our cab, we were taken the longest route to JFK. I will be a braver woman next time and say something, because they have maps in the cab to see routes and distances. We ended up paying $60 to the airport. Then we had to wait another 9 ½ hours to board our plane.

This was a great cruise. It was relaxing and fun. It was a joy to meet so many interesting and nice people. I think it would be wonderful to have an assigned dining time and tablemates, just for the service level to be so personalized. However, I really enjoyed the various people we met. It gave us a sense of camaraderie with more people along the way.