AN ACTIVE CRUISE TO QUEBEC

I am not a cruiser.   I like to be active.

Hiking vacations, or horseback riding trips are more my style.   When I won a cruise for 7 nights on one of the major cruise lines, I tried to give it away to someone who might appreciate it more than me.  After all, I am a budding vegatarian, trying to lose weight and do all kinds of things to make me more healthy.  

That said, I was told that my "gift" from a local arts group that I support, was non-transferable. 

Where would I go that I have not been before?  Cruising? Who me?

Decisions, decisions.  These huge cruise lines go everywhere in the world.  Alaska?  No, done that!  South America?  No am there a couple times each year. Europe?  Also there at least once per year. The Caribbean...Eastern or Western?....no I don't think so.  

I have always been fascinated by the beautiful scenery off the coast of Canada and New England, and in June, the Eastern Right Whales are moving south from their northern seas to the south.  So, decision made, I opt for a cruise up the St. Lawrence Seaway from Quebec to Boston.

I check out the shore excursions on this trip, and find that the cruise lines version of extremely active tours are bus trips to Arcadia National Park and then a 1 mile hike. I can even rent bikes in Nova Scotia or ride around St. Johns in Newfoundland.  Most of the acitivities are  bus tours with hundreds of your shipboard friends to places like........

and.....where you can see Canadian historic forts and pretty lighthouses.

I am excited about these ports as they are places I have actually never been. But rather than take the bus route, I will just go it alone to poke around places like..........Prince Edward Island and Bar Harbor on my own.  

The highlight of the trip will be Quebec City, with time to practice some Canadian French and enjoy some typical Quebquian food...like Poutrain (french fried topped with cheese and brown gravy).  

Back on board, there are several restaurants to enjoy, and I have paid extra to eat in each one of them.  I also have upgraded my free cabin to a cabin with a verandah so I can just sit and read while the scenery goes by.   

There is also a gym on board and excercise classes which i will undoubtely take part in as You can only jog around the deck so many times.

These modern ships are like floating cities.  Not only do they provide activities, they also have shops and fun places to sip a drink and people watch.  The more I think about it...the more I know it will be fun. No unpacking, no thinking of what to cook for dinner each night. Walking around new places and seeing new scenery and every day in a new place that i have never been.  Active cruising....and Canada....here I come!

Pam Walker is a Virtuoso Travel Advisor and can be reached at pliwalker@earthlink.net.  www.walkeradventures.com or www.walkeradventuresltd.com.