Is cruise better than driving for Canada/New England?

I always wanted to drive from Toronto to Quebec, then to Nova Scotia. Seems like the drive would be very scenic.

How is the cruise compared to the drive? Would you sacrifice all the stuff you get to see on the way to the destination by driving?

Thanks for the info and comment.

I have only cruised the area, not driven it, but I think there are pros and cons to each. It is pretty neat to just wake up every morning in a different Province/State and not have to worry about the driving, lodging, or food. You just go on your way, explore and return to the ship at night back to your, nicely made cabin, a hot meal and your transportation to the next beautiful port. Having said that, the cons are, if you find something or somewhere you truly love and want to spend an extra few hours or days you are SOL as you will miss the ship. Also, you will miss many things with the limited time frame. We went on the Eurodam last fall for 2wks, having never been east of Ontario, we thought it would be a wonderful way to get a taste of the East Coast and figure out where we want to go back to again and where we don't. Fortunately (or Unfortunately for the pocket book) we enjoyed it so much we want to go back to everywhere we visited:D It truly was spectacular.

From Montreal to Halifax is a really long drive through areas where there is really nothing. The inland route is 770 miles and the Gaspe route is 1150 miles. We did the Gaspe route many years ago. My recollection is that we drove for miles and miles and miles of the same scenery and almost no towns or services. If I did it again, I'd cruise.

The drive from Montreal into the Laurentians and to Quebec City region is, IMHO, lovely though and if you wanted to add 4-5 day "pre tour" to a cruise would definitely be an option... Very scenic in most parts (take interstate from Montreal to Quebec tho) and areas around both cities have a lot to offer.

Montreal to Quebec is just fine. It's when you go past Quebec that you get into the real boonies. IMO no matter what route you take from Quebec to Nova Scotia, it is going to be a very long trip through some very lowly populated areas.

Trophy 23, who did you do the cruise with? and where did it start and end? Sounds like something I'd like to try....

Thanks!

SailorJM

Trophy 23...excuse me for not doing a better job of reading your post! I see you were on Eurodam. How many passengers does she carry? We prefer small ships, 150 passengers or less.

SailorJM.

ms Eurodam

Ship Facts

Ship's Registry: The Netherlands

Passenger capacity: 2,104

Crew members: 929

Gross tonnage: 86,273grt

Length: 936 feet

Beam: 105.8

Maximum speed: 23.9 knots

Dedicated: July 2008, by H.M. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

Source: http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Eurodam?WT.mc_id=PPC_HQ_Google_US

SailBad thanks for posting the stats. I thought we may not like the Eurodam because of the size, but really found it great. If you like a smaller ship the Maasdam does MTL to BOS. I have never looked at anything near as small as 150ppl as i don't think it would fit my budget but someone else may know of some options. The trip we did was the reposition that included NYC and then onto Fort Lauderdale. It was a great itinerary and a shame they have changed it to not include NYC.