Has anyone cruised Canada,New England?

Has anyone cruised Canada, New England in the fall? Say round trip New York which is cheaper. What is it like? Is it very cold for a Florida girl?

Do you get to see much of the fall leaves? Which port is the most fun to go to?

I have done the cruise and it is a great cruise.

We tried to see the colors - we sailed on Oct 15th but we were too early that year. It is difficult to predict.

Yes, it (can be a) cool weather cruise. Just bring a jacket or sweatshirts.

We cruised from Quebec to New York leaving Oct. 4, 2005. We saw some beautiful fall colors on a ship's tour out of Quebec. These were the only "colors" we saw. To see much color you have to really go inland.

Rainy and cold weather the entire trip. It was so stormy that we could not go to Newport.

We'd been to all the ports before but enjoyed seeing some different things. Think Quebec was the highlight.

.

We also cruised (Bayonne-Quebec and back) in late October and the only 'colors' we saw were in Quebec - they were beautiful! As was the entire town - but there was a lot of anti-Americanism which set DH off. Novia Scotia, Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor - no bad stops at all!

Weather was COLD (we are also from Florida) and we nearly froze to death the further north we went. But all in all, it was a GREAT cruise and I would love to do it again. (PS - take a COAT)

Cindie

We cruised out of New York last early September. The forecast from a Canadian weatherchannel stated low to mid 60's for the entire week.

They are terrible weather forecasters, we had record setting high temperatures, usually in the mid to high 80's. Not much of any color, but beautiful scenery anyway. Would definitely do the cruise again.

We did the New England cruise several years ago in mid September.

We sailed out of Boston on RCL. Had a wonderful time, but it was much too early to see color. More into October would be better. A jacket with a zip out liner would be perfect. My daughter lives in Florida and freezes in Georgia when she visits. She'd be an icicle in New England! LOL ;)

I really enjoyed the New England/Canada cruise. I didn't feel it was cold at all. The weather was crisp, (although I tend to be warm natured), and the colors were absolutely beautiful! I fell in love with Nova Scotia, what a change of pace.

Has anyone cruised Canada, New England in the fall? Say round trip New York which is cheaper. What is it like? Is it very cold for a Florida girl?

Do you get to see much of the fall leaves? Which port is the most fun to go to?

We did a Montreal to NYC cruise on the old Regal Princess. It was not that cold and we particularly enjoyed Montreal and Quebec. All ports were well worth the visit and we would recommend it and do it again ourselves.

I would suggest you do the one way (which now leaves Quebec) for more Canadian ports rather than the RT NYC. The RT is more convenient but you get farther into Canada with the one way trip.

To whet your appetite, you can see my posted photos at:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/561470924GlFliS

We repositioned on the Sea Princess from Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale. Huge waves from Hurricane Wilma in the North Atlantic caused many passengers to get sick and the Sea Princess had to skip the stop in Sydney Nova Scotia due to dangerous seas. The fall colors were disappointing due to the lateness of the season. Fall colors will greatly vary along the East Coast from year to year. Our year happened to be one of the duller years, even if we had sailed earlier in the season. We truly loved coming early to visit picturesque Quebec City. We were surprised that almost no English is spoken there.

All things considered I think that there are much better Princess itinerarys than Canada/New England.

How's the weather for this cruise in July?? Anyone have any experience at that time of year, we would love to hear about it..

We cruised end of July several years ago.

The weather leaving NYC was gorgeous By the time we got to Canadian waters, cold, extreme fog (ship had fog horn going 24/7), rain. Absolutely miserable. Still enjoyed ourselves, but I was shocked it could be that cold/rainy in July (and I'm from NY).

Obviously, the weather can vary tremendously. I think normally July-Aug early Sept should be OK, but can still get quite cold.

I would think mid Sept - Oct odds favor it being very cold - into the 30s at night, possible not above the 50s in the day. But you could get lucky and have an "indian summer". But I wouldn't count on it.

Just plan for cold - and not to be able to enjoy the pools/balcony/open spaced and you won't be disapointed.

We repositioned on the Sea Princess from Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale. Huge waves from Hurricane Wilma in the North Atlantic caused many passengers to get sick and the Sea Princess had to skip the stop in Sydney Nova Scotia due to dangerous seas. The fall colors were disappointing due to the lateness of the season. Fall colors will greatly vary along the East Coast from year to year. Our year happened to be one of the duller years, even if we had sailed earlier in the season. We truly loved coming early to visit picturesque Quebec City. We were surprised that almost no English is spoken there.

 

All things considered I think that there are much better Princess itinerarys than Canada/New England.

wOkie,

we were on the same cruise. For us, Quebec City was the highlight, we found the locals to be charming, eager for us to enjoy their beautiful city, and amazingly bilingual. I had been apprehensive, thinking that English and Americans might not be welcome - we stayed in Quebec for several days before sailing, and found such warmth and charm from the people.

We really enjoyed the cruise, even missing Sydney due to Wilma, was turned into a pleasant memory when the cruise staff did a special piece of entertainment in the afternoon that was hilarious.

Do remember it snowing in NYC - we were on our balcony and the flakes were falling.

DH and I remember that cruise quite fondly.

Ginger

Responding to several of the comments posted...

We did the NYC R/T on the Crown Oct 6 - 13, 2007...we had a wonderful trip and mostly great weather. It was particularly warm that week (vs. typical)...mostly wore short sleeves or light-weight long sleeves...and a light jacket when it was windy. It can be windy even when it's fairly warm. We are more cold-weather people (hubby is from Boston, we live in Philly area), so we can tolerate cooler temps than some.

Coastal New England weather forecasting is pretty hit-or-miss, so you'd need to pack layers vs. just cold-weather clothing. Definitely a few short-sleeves just in case! September/October temps are very unpredictable -- you really won't know what it will be until you are there. Fog is a definite possibility, and *some* have missed ports because of it.

As for the comment about Québec and some anti-American sentiment...well, that is a long-standing complaint of many American visitors. Not throwing stones (please don't flame me), just stating what I've heard, having lived in the northeast for almost 40 yrs. I had a cousin who lived in Canada for 20+ yrs, and every time family went to see them & passed through Québec, they had incidents -- mostly in retail establishments (aunt would make gift purchases there vs. in U.S., so as to avoid border-crossing tariffs). If you experience that, don't let it ruin your trip. Not everyone in Québec treats Americans that way.

Even though hubby is from Boston and we know New England well, we loved this cruise & every port (we stayed on ship in Boston, though). Halifax & Bar Harbor were my favorite, and we also really enjoyed St. John (did a wonderful river cruise & had awesome lunch across the pier at Steamers -- highly recommended!).

Colors -- as many have stated, very unpredictable. A lot has to do with how much (or how little) rain they get in spring/summer. Mid-October is your best bet if color is a priority (as others have stated, inland colors happen earlier than coastal) -- but that shouldn't be a deal-breaker because you really can't count on it...and if there is a storm with strong winds, all the leaves can be blown off anyway.

Done this cruise and doing it again this year! In September unless you to further north than Sydney/halifax you probably won't see "color" but then it won't be that cold either. These ports are so walkable and you really don't need tours to explore them.. Planning to go to LL Bean this time 'round in Portland.. Only problems in Boston are traffic so will probably do ship "Ducks" tour early since DH has not been to Bostonand then make our way back in mid-afternoon since it's a weekday port call..

I saw the best "color" in Acadia Natl Park (by Bar Harbor) and that was my favorite, but all the ports are nice. Quebec and Montreal are both wonderful cities and I encountered no anti-American sentiments and people spoke English.

I grew up in Nova Scotia, Halifax, even tho I have lived for the past 30 years in the south, so I can answer some of your questions there.

The weather....well, it is unpredictable and if you have ever heard the saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes" ...it

originates from there, I am sure. You not only can have a change of weather in five minutes but you can have a change in season in that same time. So in September you can have 40's one day and 80's the next and vise versa. It is IMPOSSIBLE to predict weather there so don't be too hard on the forecasters. The only weather they can get right 100% of the time is yesterday's.

Do not go near there in July, because you won't see it. There is the famous postcard entitled Halifax Harbor in July.....and it's all white.....fog.

That's because the land is FINALLY warming but the seas are not and so you get pea souper fog which burns off at 12 noon, if you are lucky and rolls back in at 2 PM...if you are lucky.

August is the best month for NS as everything is as warm as it is going to get and it is beautiful weather on the whole. However you are not going to see leaves changing. October is the best month for that but to have pretty leaves you must have continuing frost which means it has to be cold.

As for the cruise going on to Quebec, I apologize to Americans on behalf of Canada if you were treated unkindly there. Not all people in Quebec are like that of course. That being said,

English Canadians are treated worse. I've lived there...so been there, done it, don't want the tee-shirt. Quebec always wants to leave Canada and be independent....which is as feasible as Kansas leaving the USA and being independent.

Back to Nova Scotia...when you arrive in Halifax the tradition is to be greeted by a pipe band and each lady is given a red rose. I don't know if they still do that but if they do, I would love to be the florist who has that contract.

You can walk all along the harbor front from the pier and shop and dine to your heart's content, or take tours of the very pretty city. The most fun, if it is offered, is an hour's drive by bus to Peggy's Cove. Huge gigantic boulders that you can walk on jut right out onto the north Atlantic

and if you are lucky there are HUGE waves. Of course any day my aunt ever took visitors there it was always a dead calm because the wind was off the land.

There is a lighthouse on the peak of the rocks which is actually a post office and you can mail a postcard from there. There is also a restaurant called The Sou'wester (which is a bad storm and/or a fisherman's rain hat) where you can have food of the gods.....fresh lobster and blueberry pie for dessert....or warm gingerbread.

There is a giftshop with touristy stuff but still kinda fun. The nicer things are upstairs so go take a look there too.

Anyway, it is a wonderful cruise and one we are thinking of taking sometime as it would be fun to sail into Halifax harbor....our home town.

Hope this has been of some help.

Thanks for asking the question I am doing that cruise this fall. As my parents are in their eighties when I travel with them I like to avoid the third world countries. Just feels safer to be closer to home and I think they will enjoy the trip. Thank you for all the info.

Thanks for asking the question I am doing that cruise this fall. As my parents are in their eighties when I travel with them I like to avoid the third world countries. Just feels safer to be closer to home and I think they will enjoy the trip. Thank you for all the info.

Bless their hearts. I hope I am still cruising when I am in my 80's. If they

have any Scot or Irish blood in them, they will especially love Nova Scotia.

Hi there,

Our weather has been changing a little bit over the years. Sept is probably the best month now. August is second, July can be hit and miss the last couple of years we have had a lot of fog/rain, but it can be absolutely beautiful as well. However the leaves really don't change much until further into Oct. so you will have to brave a bit of cold for a spectacular payoff, especially in Cape Breton.

September definately for the weather if you aren't looking for the fall colors. Come for the Celtic Music Festival in Cape Breton in September, and we still have beach days as well during the first of the month. Although I don't think a Florida girl or anyone else with any sense for that matter would go in our ocean water to swim except for us Canadians. We think it's warm!:D The one thing we do say in Halifax though is "if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes it will change."

Come and enjoy, we love visitors! If you ever need help you can stop someone on the street and I can't imagine anyone not helping out a tourist. That's what we like to do here.

Reading this thread has been so much fun and brought back such good memories! DH and I sailed out of NYC on a Canada & New England cruise in October 2002, and now I want to go back! It was wonderful!

As so many others have said, seeing the Fall Color is hit and miss. Although we sailed the second week of October, we were actually too early to see much color that year. We did see a little bit of color in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. We took a horse-drawn carriage ride through the park... fabulous!

Even if the trees are green, the Canadian and New England scenery is so beautiful that you will not be disappointed in any way!

Weather-wise, I looked back through my photos and here is what I saw:

When we boarded the ship in New York, we were both wearing short-sleeved shirts. Most port days we were either wearing sweatshirts or all-weather jackets (the kind with the zip-out liner). Our day in Newport, it poured rain all day! That day, we were really glad we had good raincoats with hoods so that we didn't have to carry umbrellas as we went sight-seeing.

I have to second what a previous poster said: dress in layers. Bring t-shirts, sweatshirt, all-weather jacket, and good rain gear. Then you'll be prepared for anything! You certainly don't want to miss a really interesting port just because of rain!

I find it quiet bizarre that an American would cruise the east coast of Canada. I love to cruise but I would never think of cruising the coast of California or doing a Gulf of Mexico cruise. If you are in NY, you can drive to Montreal or Quebec City is 8 hours and see great country. If you are from Florida and don't want the drive, fly into Montreal. There are dozens of flights from virtually every airport in Florida to Montreal every day. You may get a sampling of Quebec and Nova Scotia on a cruise ship but you are missing so much that is so easily to get to.

Yes I am Canadian but I travel extensively to all parts of the US. It is really quiet shocking how little most Americans know about Canada. Here is a fast quiz for you:

Who is the biggest trading partner of the US? A) Canada

Where does the majority of oil imported into the US come from? A) Canada

The southern most part of Canada is as far south as northern California. True or False. A)True.

The American dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar. True or False A) False

come on up for a visit. we would love to welcome you. just a couple of hints so that you don't get laughed at. Don't bring your skiis with you in July unless you want to be pointed at. Don't try and bring your guns with you, they aren't allowed. Don't make jokes about Canadians saying "eh", that is a local thing from the Ottawa Valley. Don't be shocked when you find a topless beach in Canada. It's not overly common but it isn't illegal either.:eek:

Took the cruise on the Sea Princess--Quebec City to New York--YES it was cold--we also were too early for much in the way of colors--this was fall a couple of years ago--we took a land trip w/Princess across Canada to Quebec City--I'm not good at the land part at all--just not a get on the bus person !!

I would have loved to have stayed a couple of days in Quebec City--really loved it there--

The cruise was great--mainly because I had won it at a Bingo game on the Coral Princess--they don't seem to have cruises as prizes anymore--really should--worth playing Bingo with a good prize like that

Nancy:D

Back to Nova Scotia...when you arrive in Halifax the tradition is to be greeted by a pipe band and each lady is given a red rose. I don't know if they still do that but if they do, I would love to be the florist who has that contract.

The pipe band still greets you upon arrival. However, no roses in Halifax. St. John DOES give roses (assorted colors) to the women, and a lapel pin to the men.

There is a lighthouse on the peak of the rocks which is actually a post office and you can mail a postcard from there.

If you are into getting your passport stamped, you can get it stamped in the lighthouse post office. It's pretty cool and I wish we had known. We left them locked up in the cabin safe, and you can't go back to the ship for it -- Peggy's Cove is (from what I recall) about an hour's drive from the pier.

which is the 1 way cruise where you see more of Canada? & do you have time to see everything with just 1 day in port? Also, which cruise lines were taken?Thank you everyone

I find it quiet bizarre that an American would cruise the east coast of Canada.

It is a case of "to each his own"...especially if one is tired of Caribbean cruises (but doesn't wish to leave North America for other cruises), desiring something different for a change, or maybe just prefers the cooler weather, etc.