Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. If you arrive early, you may leave your luggage with the hotel concierge and go out to explore the surrounding area; maps will be available.

Afternoon: Program Registration. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, other important information, and to confirm when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Aboard the ship, enjoy a variety of dining options in the main dining room or one of the smaller dining venues. For each meal, the dining hall offers plated, 3-course meals featuring locally inspired cuisine. The grille offers a buffet for breakfast and lunch with rotating daily specials. Beverages available at all meals include juices, soft drinks, coffee, tea, water, beer, wine. Unless specified otherwise, all transportation on land will be provided by motorcoach, which will require going up/down a few steps when getting on/off. In addition to lectures and field trips exclusively for our Road Scholar group, you are invited to take advantage of activities and events aboard ship that are separate from the Road Scholar program. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful, rewarding, and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer to the ship tomorrow.

Activity note: All routes, field trips, and excursions are subject to change as weather and sea conditions may affect the itinerary. Sea conditions could affect the progress of the ship, making it run late and sometimes miss ports because it is not safe to dock. Because of this, the cruise itinerary should always be regarded as provisional. The operators reserve the right to change the content of field trips and excursions without prior notice.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After checking out of the hotel, we’ll set out on a field trip with a local expert in Halifax.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: We’ll then transfer to the ship and board to check in, complete embarkation procedures, and participate in the safety drill.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Full day aboard ship.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: We’ll gather to attend an expert-led lecture on the ship.

Lunch: Aboard ship.

Afternoon: Free Time. Continue to enjoy the ship’s amenities.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Tenders will be used to get to and from the ship.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: Acadia National Park, the smallest designated park of its type in the United States, will be our first destination. We’ll be led by an expert all morning and our first stop will be at lovely Sand Beach, which is flanked by pink granite walls and open to the Atlantic on one side. Next, we’ll motor up Cadillac Mountain to see the extraordinary glacially sculpted Porcupine Islands in the distance. Notably, this summit is the highest elevation on the eastern seaboard, with stunning views across Frenchman’s Bay to the Atlantic Ocean below. On our way back to the ship, we’ll make a visit to the Compact Abbe Museum to learn from a local expert about the Wabanaki Indian Nation that had lived in this coastal region.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: This afternoon is free to enjoy the pretty, coastal outpost of Bar Harbor. Tender service is available from the ship to downtown.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: Setting out from the ship, our motorcoach will bring us around the architectural district of Portland to Portland Head Lighthouse and Casco Bay. While aboard, a local expert will provide historical commentary to further illustrate the context of the city and its sites. We’ll then return to the ship for lunch.

Lunch: Aboard ship.

Afternoon: We’ll then regroup and transfer with our expert to Kennebunkport where the town’s Lower Village and Dock Square are located along the ocean and the Kennebunkport River. Beginning in the early 1600s, this community was a shipbuilding mecca where locally constructed five-masted schooners slid into the Atlantic to eventually work in every corner of the globe. This New England community has also long been the summer residence of former President G.W. Bush and many others seeking to relax in this New England maritime atmosphere. We’ll then return to the ship.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure. Relax as we sail through the Cape Code Canal. This seven mile long canal is an artificial waterway connecting Cape Cod Bay in the North to Buzzards Bay in the South. It is part of the intra-coastal waterway system that bisects the peninsula and is spanned by the Cape Cod Railroad bridge and two highway bridges. Although an active waterway, the Canal is often visited by schools of whales and dolphins.

Activity note: Tenders will be used to get to and from the ship.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: We’ll begin our visit by transferring via tender to shore of Vineyard Haven, with many boutiques and restaurants, a beautiful harbor, and one of the island’s five lighthouses. First, we’ll set out with a local expert to explore the community of Oak Bluffs as we navigate our way through the Victorian summer resort where time may seem to be standing still as we drive past hundreds of colorful gingerbread cottages and residences. Next, we will embark on a narrated 20 mile scenic ride up-island through the historic farming towns of Chilmark and West Tisbury with their beautiful barns, stone walls and scenic views. Carrying onward, we’ll drive to the working fishing village of Menemsha, the Cliffs of Aquinnah and the 1799 Gay Head Lighthouse. Afterwards, we’ll return down-island to Edgartown to view the unique and elegant homes of former whaling captains that display turn-of-the-century charm before seeing the famous Edgartown Lighthouse. We’ll then return to the ship.

Lunch: Aboard ship.

Afternoon: Free Time. A tender service will operate between the ship and the Oaks Bluffs Marina and a shuttle service will be provided into nearby Edgartown so you may explore this pretty community on your own if you wish.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Tenders will be used to get to and from the ship.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: We’ll take tenders to get to shore and then, arriving via motorcoach, visit The Breakers, debatably the grandest of all Newport’s summer cottages and symbolic of the Vanderbilt family wealth where they showcased their social and mercantile power. A local expert will lead us around the site. We will also visit is The Elms, a mansion built in 1898 by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Burwind of Philadelphia and designed with the French Chateau d’Asnieres in mind. Led by a local expert, we’ll see the grounds, the impressive architecture of the two "cottages. " Newport living is dominated by its closeness the sea and the Ten Mile Drive showcases the relationship between its residents and the magnificent seascape. Ten Mile Drive has four legs that make up this famous path: Brenton Cove Shore and Brenton Shore State Park (now famous for Kite flying), Narragansett Bay, Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue. We’ll drive along this iconic roadway as our local expert points out and explains highlights along the way. We’ll then return to the ship for lunch.

Lunch: Aboard ship.

Afternoon: Free Time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Tender service will be available from the ship to downtown Newport.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: Once off the ship, we’ll begin our field trip in Provincetown with an expert-led Cape Cod with an experienced naturalist who will discuss the different marine life and navigational tools that we will encounter.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Our trolley tour beings with a visit to the Pilgrim Monument and the Provincetown Museum. The Pilgrim Monument, a 252 foot tall all-granite tower perched on a hill overlooking the town and water, was dedicated in 1910 to the Mayflower Pilgrims on the anniversary of the day they set sail for America – April 5th. In addition to showcasing the history of the monument is the Provincetown Museum, which highlights early American maritime history, the growth of theater in the area, and other subjects in its permanent exhibits. We’ll then head out of town to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore. We return to Commercial Street in downtown Provincetown to end our trolley tour and have a chance for independent exploration.

Dinner: Aboard ship.

Evening: At leisure.

Breakfast: Aboard ship.

Morning: After completing disembarkation procedures in Gloucester, we will enjoy a tour of this small Massachusetts city, and the surrounding towns. We will learn about the "North Shore" of Massachusetts and its rich maritime history as an important fishing port, and shipbuilding center.

Lunch: To celebrate the end of your voyage, we'll be joined for lunch by JoAnn Bell, Road Scholar's Senior Vice President of Programs and a Gloucester Native. In true New England style, join JoAnn for a feast of lobsters, steamers and more during a clam bake at the historic and family-owned Gloucester House Restaurant.

Afternoon: Board a motor coach and transfer to Boston.

Dinner: Dinner tonight will be on your own. For a quiet night in, the hotel restaurant features a number of American favorites at the Porter Bar and Grill. Room service is also available. Feeling more adventurous? The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle linking you to public transportation. From there, you can easily venture to Faneuil Hall, and other nearby attractions, giving you access to numerous dining options in the city.

Evening: At leisure.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Transfers to the Boston Logan International Airport for departure flights. This concludes our program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!