September 29, 2023
Every good thing must come to an end. Today we departed from our fantastic cruise and checked into our hotel in Boston. We could have flown straight home but this is the kids first time in Boston so we wanted to take them around the town.
Our hotel is the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Boston-Cambridge. This was an excellent choice. Plenty of room for all 4 of us.
The room type was called 1 King Bed Suite With Separate Living Room. It was $330 after tax and fees. We typically book hotels directly from the hotel website, but we actually booked this one through Tripadvisor Plus, because it was significantly cheaper.
There are a lot of things to do and see in Boston. Since we have the girls with us, we decided to focus on the famous universities. We started with a self-lead tour of MIT.
For MIT, we toured the museum and the bookstore. The kids loved the MIT museum.
The food scene in Boston is really amazing. After so much walking, we were ready for lunch/dinner. We went to the Happy Lamb Hot Pot and it was AMAZING. Unlike most restaurants, the kids prices are depended on how tall they are, not their age.
We were so full. As we walked off our huge tummies, we saw the Graffiti Alley, a famous alley for artists to spray paint legally.
September 30, 2023
Today we have a walking tour of Harvard (led by Harvard students). The Harvard tour was quite informative and gave us a lot of history on Harvard. Harvard is the oldest university in the United States so there were many stories.
After the Harvard tour, it’s time to go to the airport and head home. We had lunch in The Lounge which was pretty good!
Conclusion
What an amazing trip. We thought the food was very good on the ship, service was top notch, and the shows were great. I made some money from winning Deal or No Deal and Wheel of Fortune, although I wish they would bring back broadway style shows instead of more ways to make more money from guests. I liked all of the ports and it was a nice way to visit New England, but like most cruises, you only have enough time to get your feet wet. I was really surprised how few kids there were on the ship – especially since this is our kids’ fall break week. It actually made our trip better because usually during kids holidays, there are way too many kids and the kids club would be crazy. Our kids were like celebrities on the ship – most guests were very happy to see some young faces. They also loved the individualized attention they got in the kids clubs. All in all, couldn’t have asked for a better trip. Although I think I’m done with Jewel class ships at this point just because they are smaller with less dining options and entertainment options.