RogerAllnutt

My recent Royal Caribbean Cruise started at Quebec City and ended at magical New York. Quebec City is superb, quintessentially French and worth two or three days to explore if you can manage the extra time. I was cruising on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas and the ship was berthed on the St Lawrence River just below the promontory on which the iconic Chateau Frontenac is located, one of the classic hotels of North America. The old town (since 1985 a UNESCO World Heritage site) is divided into the Upper and Lower Towns connected by stairs or a funicular; both are best explored on foot. Narrow streets are lined with boutiques, small hotels, theatres, cafes and restaurants, churches and cemeteries. The Houses of Parliament and the walled Citadelle are imposing structures, there are many picturesque gardens and great views over the St Lawrence River Many sights date back to the 17th and especially the 18th century where in 1759 General Wolfe defeated General Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham leading to the Treaty of Paris which gave Canada to Britain. The French might have lost the battle but Quebec City and the whole region of Quebec is truly French in character and in language.

Cruise ships offer many options for shore excursions during their cruises and they can often be a highlight of your cruise. However I have found that the prices when booking on the ship are often excessive. At many ports of call local entrepreneurs line up on the dock to provide alternative tours. One consideration you need to be aware of is that if something goes wrong with a locally organised tour and you are late back the ship will not wait for you and it could lead, as it did on a recent cruise I was on, to an expensive 'catch up' trip. The ship has to wait if a ship organised shore excursion is delayed. In many ports it is often not really necessary to join a ship organised shore excursion. In cities I have been to on recent cruises such as Melbourne in Australia, Wellington in New Zealand and Bar Harbor in Maine, USA walking or a local bus will quickly take you to the main sights after disembarkation. I have found that some shore excursions really try to do too much. For example, on a visit to Melbourne a tour was available to the famous Twelve Apostles south west of the city but this involved a four hour drive each way with only a short stop at the attraction; many elderly passengers claimed they were exhausted by the journey.

The shopping arcade on any cruise ship is a mecca for many passengers. Most ships have a range of shops selling goods ranging from clothing, watches, jewellery, souvenirs to cameras and duty free alcohol. In generak I have found the quality of merchandise is good with brand names a feature. Often there is a gallery selling ( or auctioning) art works although in my view much of it is pretty ordinary. It is fascinating to watch the passengers searching for that special item to take home. There is a pattern to the selling of goods with strategically arranged discounts and sales with prices gradually declining during the cruise. Towards the end of the cruise special sales are held with prices on items such as watches and jewellery heavily marked down so it is worthwhile waiting until the final days - but beware the sales become a 'feeding frenzy' for many passengers. I bought a nice watch for $10 on the last day which was nearly $100 at the start of the cruise. Duty free alcohol is a great bargain and your purchases are delivered to your cabin the night before disembarkation. My wife likes gin and she was able to buy top brands like Tanqueray and Bombay at low duty free prices on all the ships we sailed on in the past year.

Most cruise ships offer a choice for evening meals between fixed seating or the ‘freer’ MyTime dining arrangement. I don’t really like dining at 6pm (too early) or 8.30pm (too late) so the flexibility of choosing my dinner time is welcome by me. Fixed seating times usually also mean being with the same table companions the whole cruise. I like to have the option of dining with my wife or joining other couples or individuals we meet along the way. MyTime dining also provides a more flexible option for planning your dinner time around other possibilities on board eg attending a show, listening to some relaxing music before dinner or just meeting up for a quiet drink. Most cruises ships offer a small number of specialty dining options (usually with a small additional fee) or your can repair to the more casual buffet style restaurant.