New York City (pronounced /nʲuːˈjɔɹk/) (officially The City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world. It has been the largest city in the United States since 1790. For more than a century, it has been one of the world’s major centers of commerce and finance. New York City is rated as an alpha world city for its global influences in media, politics, education, entertainment, arts and fashion. The city is also a major center for foreign affairs, hosting the headquarters of the United Nations.

New York City comprises five boroughs, each of which is coextensive with a county: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. With over 8.2 million residents within an area of 322 square miles (830 km²), New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States.[3][4][5]

Many of the city’s neighborhoods and landmarks are known around the world. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at Ellis Island, a small part of which lies within the city. Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, has been a dominant global financial center since World War II and is home to the New York Stock Exchange. The city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building and the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

New York is the birthplace of many American cultural movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art, abstract expressionism (also known as the New York School) in painting, and hip hop,[6] punk,[7]salsa, and Tin Pan Alley in music. In 2005, nearly 170 languages were spoken in the city and 36% of its population was born outside the United States.[8][9] With its 24-hour subway and constant bustling of traffic and people, New York is known as “The City That Never Sleeps;” it was first linked with “Gotham” by Washington Irving in 1807.[

Boston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural centre of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial “Capital of New England”. In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded the city on the Shawmut Peninsula. During the late 18th century, Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Several early battles of the American Revolution, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred within the city and surrounding areas. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the peninsula. After American independence was attained, Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing centre, and its rich history now attracts 16.3 million visitors annually.

Overlooking stunning Casco Bay in the state of Maine, Portland is a maritime city with an important commercial port that is historically famous but also culturally attractive. With a full nightlife including numerous clubs spread over the harbor front and downtown, Portland is the next stop on your MSC cruise.

The immense Victorian mansions on the Western Promenade are a delight to the eye, along with all the other historic buildings in a city made up of Gothic, Colonial Revival, Mission Revival and Romanesque styles. Not to be missed is the old harbor district and the recently renovated downtown area, with five blocks filled with 19th-century shops and restaurants.

Downtown Portland is also home to some of Maine’s most important museums: the Portland Head Light Museum located in the oldest lighthouse in use in the United States (it’s truly spectacular!), and the Portland Museum of Art with collections by Picasso, Renoir and Monet. For an afternoon of shopping and relaxation, there is nothing better than a walk through Maine Mall, the largest shopping center in the city
.

South of Portland can be found a holiday resort with a population of 1,200 inhabitants: Kennebunkport is another unforgettable stop on your MSC cruise. This small but quaint neighborhood, once known for its shipyards, has become a vacation spot frequented by the rich and affluent such as the Bush family. Do not forget to visit the Portland Observatory, at 138 Congress Street, the last remaining historical warning tower in the United States boasting an incredible view of the coast.

Wild landscapes, valleys dotted with farms, fishing villages, parks and islands all along the coast: all of this and more awaits you in New Brunswick, a beautiful maritime province in French Canada.

Your MSC cruise will take you on the discovery of a natural land filled with a thousand secrets, surprising you with its magnificent coastline, mountains, forests and rivers, as well as the variety of wild animals that live there including bears, whales, moose and seals.

This region is home to one of the oldest cities in Canada overlooking the beautiful Bay of Fundy: Saint John. There is no other place in the Maritimes with the same urban charm of a historic city balanced with the grandiose, natural charm of a bay famous for its impressive tides.

On your MSC cruise, you will have a chance to discover this port city with its delightful Victorian architecture and steep historical streets, watch the ships dock at the port and admire the restaurants and shops near historic sites such as the New Brunswick Museum, home to the Hall of Great Whales and three floors of fascinating galleries
. Saint John City Market is also not to be missed as it is the oldest agricultural market in North America: its beams are reminiscent of a ship’s inverted hull offering a unique shopping experience.

In Saint John, there is a natural microcosm that awaits you, especially in the Bay of Fundy where you can observe a truly unique phenomenon: the highest and most powerful tides in the world that can reach up to 16 m high. The surrounding landscape has been sculpted by billions of tons of water pouring in and out of the bay twice daily. The Bay of Fundy is also home to Hopewell Rocks Park, a group of rock formations that dot the water like islands during high tide and seem to be towers during low tide.

Charlottetown is a Canadian city and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885. It is also the county seat of Queens County. Charlottetown is a popular destination in eastern Canada for visitors from other Maritime provinces, central Canada and the north-eastern United States, as the city has a central location in the province as well as various services. The city’s streetscape with a centrally-planned downtown core containing many Victorian-era houses and buildings is an attraction, as well as the waterfront redevelopment project in recent decades which has seen walking trails and parks developed on former industrial lands. Popular attractions within the city include the provincial legislature at Province House, which hosted the Charlottetown Conference, as well as Founders Hall, a recently redeveloped railway maintenance building which now houses an interactive trip through history tracing the development of Canada as a nation.The Confederation Centre of the Arts provides live theatre, including the Charlottetown Festival during the summer months, as well as a nationally-ranked art gallery. Several other small theatres and galleries can be found immediately surrounding the Confederation centre including the MacKenzie theatre, the arts guild, Pilar Shepard gallery, and the Kier gallery.

Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities, is best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby. Sydney Tower’s outdoor platform, the Skywalk, offers 360-degree views of the city and suburbs.

The City of Halifax was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County, and was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996. Nature has blessed this area with sandy beaches, rugged shorelines and colourful gardens.The Town of Halifax was founded by the British government under the direction of the Board of Trade and Plantations under the command of Governor Edward Cornwallis in 1749. After a protracted struggle between residents and the Governor, the City of Halifax was incorporated in 1841. The original settlements of Halifax occupied a small stretch of land inside a palisade at the foot of Citadel Hill on the Halifax Peninsula, a sub-peninsula of the much larger Chebucto Peninsula that extends into Halifax Harbour. Halifax subsequently grew to incorporate all of the north, south, and west ends of the peninsula with a central business district concentrated in the south-eastern end along “The Narrows”.

New York City (pronounced /nʲuːˈjɔɹk/) (officially The City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world. It has been the largest city in the United States since 1790. For more than a century, it has been one of the world’s major centers of commerce and finance. New York City is rated as an alpha world city for its global influences in media, politics, education, entertainment, arts and fashion. The city is also a major center for foreign affairs, hosting the headquarters of the United Nations.

New York City comprises five boroughs, each of which is coextensive with a county: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. With over 8.2 million residents within an area of 322 square miles (830 km²), New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States.[3][4][5]

Many of the city’s neighborhoods and landmarks are known around the world. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at Ellis Island, a small part of which lies within the city. Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, has been a dominant global financial center since World War II and is home to the New York Stock Exchange. The city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building and the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

New York is the birthplace of many American cultural movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art, abstract expressionism (also known as the New York School) in painting, and hip hop,[6] punk,[7]salsa, and Tin Pan Alley in music. In 2005, nearly 170 languages were spoken in the city and 36% of its population was born outside the United States.[8][9] With its 24-hour subway and constant bustling of traffic and people, New York is known as “The City That Never Sleeps;” it was first linked with “Gotham” by Washington Irving in 1807.[