8 Night Boston/Gloucester to Saint John NB Cruise and Land Tour from Boston

Enjoy your complimentary stay at the pre-cruise hotel. The evening is yours to become acquainted with the city. For your convenience, American Queen Voyages Hospitality Desk will be located in the hotel, and the friendly staff can assist with everything from general questions about your upcoming voyage to reserving premium experiences. Representatives from AQV and a local port/city partner will be available to provide you with dining, entertainment, and sightseeing options to maximize your time here.

Boston is ubiquitous, featuring the pleasures of a world-class city - theater, museums, dining, and shopping - plus superb urban parks: Boston Commons and Public Garden. Laced in legacy and a world of cultures, to experience Boston is groundbreaking. As one of the country's oldest cities, Boston has played a central role in U.S. history, from its settlement by the Puritans, to its revolutionary battles to its wealth of colleges and universities. Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Wellesley, and Wheelock, among them. Boston is home to the Freedom Trail, a walking circuit that passes many iconic settings of the American Revolution. Follow the red-brick road to admire the cobblestone walkways, civic landmarks, and classic architecture. Boston, the largest city in New England, is located on a hilly peninsula in Massachusetts Bay. The region had been inhabited by Native Americans, who called the peninsula Shawmut. Captain John Smith in 1614 explored the coastline of what he christened "New England" to make it sound more attractive to settlers. Within a few years, more than half the Native Americans had died of smallpox introduced by European explorers. A fleet of ships helmed by Puritans left England in 1630, settling in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Led by John Winthrop, the group soon merged with the Pilgrims' Plymouth Colony, located about 40 miles to the south in Cape Cod Bay. Originally called Tremontaine for the three hills in the area, the Puritans later changed the settlement's name to Boston, after the town in Lincolnshire, England, from which many Puritans originated.

This tiny island - dubbed "Best Island in the World" by National Geographic - is situated 30 miles off Cape Cod's southern coast. A Native American word, Nantucket translates into "faraway island" or "land far out to sea". The 50-square-mile island has been home to indigenous peoples, Quakers, whalers, counterculture free spirits, and the upper echelons of industry and commerce. At its heart, Nantucket is an unassuming island of disarming natural beauty. As such, it's the summer playground to 12 of the world's richest billionaires. The island, designated a National Historic Landmark, offers myriad sights and a rich, living history. Well-preserved historical sites include the African Meeting House, Brant Point Light, the First Congregational Church, the Hadwen House, the Maria Mitchell Association, the Nantucket Atheneum (local library), the Oldest House, the Pacific National Bank, the "Three Bricks" (which has a very interesting construction history), and the Whaling Museum. Most sites are within walking distance of each other. Save some time to appreciate the charms of Main Street. Named "One of America's Greatest Main Streets" by editors at Travel + Leisure magazine, it features shady, cobblestone streets and byways, with au courant shops, quirky museums, grand galleries, and quaint cafes housed in weathered 18th- and 19th-century buildings. Nearly half of Nantucket's 30,000 acres are protected under the stewardship of the Land Bank and Conservation Foundation. Within these pastoral tracts, guests can appreciate 100 botanical and 300 bird species. A 32-mile network of gently meandering bicycle paths invites exhilarating exploration of town and its hinterlands.

Dotted with grassy hills and winding roads, this cherished island features three towns - Edgartown, Vineyard Haven, and Oak Bluffs - and a few smaller villages. Colonial homes and Greek Revival mansions blend with weathered cottages in the architectural style named for the surrounding waters - Cape Cod. Shopping and sightseeing, lighthouses and lobsters, beaches and bike trails... these are the things that visits to Martha's Vineyard are made of. There's a lot of history packed into the little island, going all the way back to before it was even an island. Martha's Vineyard - and its sister island, Nantucket - were formed from the rubble left behind by a melting glacier, according to geologists. In 1602, a fellow named Bartholomew Gosnold landed on the island. Legend says he found wild grapes growing here, and back in England he had a baby daughter and/or a mother named Martha. Hence the name. He claimed the island for England and went back home. For much of the 20th century, the year-round residents of the Vineyard were content to fish, farm, and poke fun at the summer vacationers. Then Jaws hit movie theaters. Within a decade of the Jaws debut, the rest of the world took notice of Martha's Vineyard, and the price of real estate skyrocketed. Painters and writers had taken a fancy to the Vineyard's scenic quiet decades earlier and it was already a well-established mecca for creative types, so it was unsurprising when wealthy people began to buy summer houses all over the island.

The Pilgrims landed first in Provincetown in 1620, where they signed the "Mayflower Compact" before settling across the bay in Plymouth. Maybe it's because it sits at the edge of the continent, 60 miles out to sea, in a place that swirls together people and experiences, but the area became a favorite of seafarers and fishermen, and the carousing, drinking, gambling, and smuggling caused the Puritanical to nickname the port "Helltown". As more settlers arrived, the wilder sort were tamed and Provincetown was incorporated as a town in 1727. Decline set in until the late 1700s, when deep-water whaling became an industry and Provincetown became one of the great whaling ports of the country. In the late 1890s, the town saw the beginnings of its current economic backbone, tourism. The arrival of the railroad made visiting easier, and the sea, the dunes, and the unusual natural light attracted artists and painters. By the time World War I began, Provincetown had a well-established reputation and was attracting well-known artists like Hans Hofmann and writers like Norman Mailer and Eugene O'Neill. Art, theater, and fishing still exist in Provincetown. The dense array of shops and restaurants on Commercial Street host a constant stream of visitors drawn to the beautiful beaches, galleries, shops, whale watching, and, of course, people watching. And - from the 1950s onward - this coastal community became a haven for "alternative lifestyles" with gay men and lesbians opening guesthouses and businesses. Today, Provincetown is proudly recognized as one of the "gay friendliest" towns in America.

Picture Angela Lansbury riding her bike in the former hit TV show "Murder She Wrote". Her hometown could have been Boothbay Harbor, the quintessential New England seaside village. When Pilgrims were low on food, a few sailed from Plymouth to resupply at Damariscove Island. The Scotch-Irish families who resettled the area in 1729 engaged in subsistence farming; exporting lumber, firewood, and fish for cash to buy what they could not grow. Eventually, shipbuilding and fishing were the area's principal industries. Aside from the usual commercial and recreational boat building, naval vessels were built for World War I, World War II, and Korean War service. Boothbay shipbuilders were in demand at seaports all over New England when those contracts were awarded. That tradition of excellence continues today with the building of luxury yachts, tugs, and day-sailers, as well as classic lobster boats. Beginning in the 1860s, regular steamer service brought reliable transport to Bath, Portland, and Boston. With the first tourist boom in the 1880s, steamers brought vacationers and summer colonists to the region. Hotels and cottages sprang up throughout Boothbay. Also in the late 1880s, industrial-sized businesses were set up for the first time, bringing year-round work for many. Ice works were set up on many local ponds to turn frozen surfaces into large saleable blocks of ice for shipment to southern ports. Sardine and lobster canneries provided new jobs. The region experienced true prosperity. Today, the main sources of income are shipyards, fishing, tourism, and providing services for summer residents and retirees.

Did you know Rockland is the lobster capital of the world? The eclectic mixture here makes it New England in a snapshot. Seafood, tall ships, lighthouses, and puffins - the adorable, orange-tinged birds, for which Maine ocean islands provide their only American nesting grounds. Rockland was originally part of Thomaston, owned by the proprietor Samuel Waldo. The Waldo patent covered the lands between the English colonies to the southwest and French territory in the northeast. Following the French and Indian Wars, settlers to this area called it Shore Village. They came to harvest lumber and to farm and fish. The virgin forest covering the shore and the mountains provided tall, straight masts for the ships; shipbuilding flourished all along the coast. After the Revolution, the lime industry boomed. Local limestone helped build Boston, New York, and beyond. East Thomaston was annexed from Thomaston and changed its name to Rockland in 1850. As the lime and fishing industries faded, tourism flourished. Make the most of your visit. Sail the scenic coast by schooner; Rockland is home to the most windjammers in the United States. Admire the historic architecture of its homes, shops, and restaurants. Visit one of the city's cultural institutions, which include the public library, which opened in 1904 with a gift from Andrew Carnegie. Other attractions include Rockland Historical Society, Island Institute, Sail Power & Steam Museum, and Maine Lighthouse Museum. Discover the expansive collections at the Farnsworth Art Museum, Winding Way Art Gallery, Wyeth Center, and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art.

They say at certain times of year sunrise greets this world-famous port on Mount Desert Island before any other place in America. A visit to this island and the Acadia National Park region is often the highlight of a Downeast adventure. Spread over 46,000 acres and several towns and villages, the park features many miles of shoreline to explore, 125 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads. No matter the season, Acadia is a recreational treasure-trove. From eagles and puffins to black bear and muskrats, the inland region of Acadia is bursting with diverse and amazing wildlife. Just offshore, the coastal waters surrounding the island include a variety of whales, seals, dolphins, and porpoises. While Bar Harbor is the premier destination of Mount Desert Island, the smaller villages of Otter Creek, Seal Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Somesville, Hall Quarry, and Pretty Marsh are worth a visit. Pause to admire a spectacular fjord carved by glaciers or stroll the various botanical gardens that feature endless varieties of plants and flowers. Around every corner in these small Northeast Harbor towns, visitors will be charmed by streets lined with quaint shops, fine eateries, and pristine art galleries. Not far from the Mount Desert area, visitors can experience the picturesque coastal towns that comprise East Penobscot Bay. Discover the Deer Isle Lighthouse Trail where you can see eight area lighthouses, including the Bear Island Lighthouse. Also explore the world's tallest bridge observatory with a visit to the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory.

As your American Queen Voyages journey concludes, there are other opportunities for you to take in the town - whether it's an optional premier post-cruise experience or a quick transfer to the airport for your final trip home - your AQV team can pre-arrange everything for you.