what to pack Canada/New England

[shed]

For your encouragement, we did the Canada/NE cruise last year during the final week Sep and the 1st week Oct. The weather was superb, and exceeded our expectations, although the ship captain did say it was the best he ever encountered in the area at that time of year!

 

From memory temps were approximately:

Boston - mid 20's very sunny

Bar Harbour, Portland, Halifax - low 20's very sunny

PEI - low 20's, cloudy and pleasant

Gaspie - high teens and very sunny, pleasant in sunshine

Quebec - 20ish, very sunny and warm

 

The worst weather we had was Newfoundland, returning from Quebec, where it was mid-teens with showers and Sydney NS where it was cool and dry. The following day it was St John and back to 20ish, very sunny and warm.

 

For our N American cousins, the above temps are Celsius and the 20+ temps were a variation between low and high 70's Fahrenheit!

 

I hope you are as fortunate as we were, one of the best of 30 cruises we have done, it is a majestic part of the world!

 

Thanks hope we are as lucky with the weather ....not to bothered though as we live in Ireland we have all sorts of weather winter or summer time lol

[Kwenz]

A couple of years ago, we did the Oct saling. It actually snowed in Quebec and we missed PEI as the harbor master felt that the sea condition were such that it was unsafe to try to enter. We had sun in Portland and Bar Harbour but it was definitely not warm. We were really glad we had packed quilted vests to wear over our fleece and that we had also brought hats and gloves.

 

Bottom line is there's no telling what the weather may be and lots of layering is your best option.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Glad to help.

 

And for the record... We can & do have EXTRAORDINARY Weather Days in Canada year round.

 

That could mean anything from a freakiest early Fall Snow... To a sunny warm shorts kind of day in Late November or even early December (happened early 1990s remember it well)

 

It just is the nature of the beast and which way the wind blows... literally

 

Down from the arctic (cold), up from the mid west (hot) or tearing up the Atlantic with an Autumn Storm / Hurricane (then wet)

 

Lol, as we say... Give it a couple of days, and it is bound to surprise you.

 

Cheers!

 

Ps... Canada went metric Decades ago... But with our US influences we still tend to understand both systems... And when it comes to weather not that unusual to hear two guys talking one saying it was in the 20s today... And the other to say that the 70s are his Favourite temps. Just another Canadianism :D

Edited August 19, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[Go-Bucks!]

hi I am going on a celebrity cruise shortly and don't know what to pack as I've only ever cruised the Mediterranean so am at a loss as what to pack ..will it be warm will it be cool ?? I'm ok for night time ....it's just for days in port not sure short/light top or long trousers and cardigan/ jacket ??

 

 

We did the Canada/New England cruise in June, thinking that it would be warmer weather than in Sept or Oct. While it was warm and pleasant in the ports of New England (Newport, RI; Boston, MA; and Bar Harbor, ME), it was still cold and overcast in the Canadian ports of Halifax and Charlottetown. We weren't able to dock in Sydney because of high winds but it was cold out on deck. I was quite surprised that Canada was still that cold in June. But since I had taken a jacket and a couple long sleeved shirts, it was all fine.

Edited August 20, 2014 by Go-Bucks!

[EliseL]

The other night the news said this has been the coolest summer in New England since 1982. The leaves are already changing in some places! Maybe Mother Nature will be nice to us and we'll have a warm winter. :)

 

 

 

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[CruisingChick]

Maybe Mother Nature will be nice to us and we'll have a warm winter. :)

 

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From you lips to Mother Nature's ears. I cannot believe how cool and low the humidity has been this summer.

[FRMPEI]

Canadian here.

 

Weather in Canada is very unpredictable...

 

The one thing I can say is the beginning of September will be more like Summer (for us... Again relative) than like Autumn or Winter.

 

Anyone cruising mid September thru mid October will be in for more of our true Autumn (and leaf change prominent)

 

Mid to Late October ... Highly unpredictable. Could still be like Autumn... Or well on its way to winter with snow flurries (just in the air... Or stick n stay) as it really isn't all that uncommon for Quebec City to see a snowfall late October (many a Hallowe'en as a kid & parent trying to figure out a Costume with boots and / or a snowsuit :rolleyes::eek: )

 

November is most definitely cold, damp, grey, dark, wet and winter like. IMO one of the worse months of our whole year.

 

Pack layers. It is how most of us dress here year round.

 

If you are coming October & beyond seriously consider a hat (toque) that will cover your ears, gloves & scarf.

 

Quebec City is gorgeous... But it sits atop a cliff on the Mighty St Lawrence River and the wind can be brutal... A toque (knitted hat), scarf & mitts can be a lifesaver as the weather rolls on from Autumn into Winter.

 

All that said...

 

Don't let the weather put you off.

 

Come prepared for the worse & enjoy the best. The scenery down east in Maine, along with Canada's Maritimes and Quebec is SPECTACULAR. And the people are warm & friendly (lol that is what comes about when our poor ancestors settled here... You have to get along with others to survive the harsh climate and make it thru rough times)

 

You'll meet a lot of great folks from a lot of different European backgrounds... Pockets of which have held onto otherwise long lost traditions & dialects. Fascinating culture & heritage. The true roots of the beginning of North America dating back to the Vikings (1000 AD) and the Early Eropean Explorers (1500s).

 

Enjoy.

Cheers!

 

An other Canadian here eh! Good advice from Sloop-John B. The weather can be gorgeous or blah! Recommend the Toque and hats can always leave them back in stateroom if you don't need them but nice to have just in case. Summit is scheduled to be here in Charlottetown Friday Sep12, Sep26 and Thursday Oct 9 and hopefully your weather will be nice.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[msweebee]

It is easy to forget about cooler possible temps when coming from the south! Layers make dressing for various temps much easier for sure. Many years ago we were off to our first Baltic cruise - in fact our first European adventure that was not for business. Younger and of course trying to make the most of the trip we started with 7 days in London (4 days at Wimbledon dressed appropriately of course)..... then we went to Paris for 3 days, then back to London for 2 more days and boarded Constellation in Dover.

 

When we left the US the weather was normal to cool prediction for all locations we would visit during June/July. It was warmer than expected both in London and Paris but no problem as Hotel in London was most accommodating in having our laundry done frequently as the long sleeves and sweaters stayed in the suitcase. After leaving Dover the port temperatures got warmer and warmer and the highest temps we had were in St. Petersburg!

 

Thank goodness for FF miles for all of our luggage and for those laundry bag specials on the Constellation. We were new to X at that time and were ensconced in a Concierge Class cabin with no perks but plenty of available credit on our AMEX! Needless to say we did not come back with any Baltic fleece or sweatshirts but added several new polos, and short sleeve shirts to our wardrobe.

 

End Result: Much better at packing in layers 10 years later but still easy overlook items not normally used in FL. Also now know the importance of inquiring about A/C in London boutique hotels.....