When to book tours for Sept. Canada/New England cruise?

[Boiler Fan]

We are sailing on the Summit Canada/New England cruise in September and I have begun looking at excursions. I am wondering how soon I need to book and whether to book ship tours or private ones. Where would I find information on private tours? Any information from past cruisers would be greatly appreciated. We are very excited about this cruise and want to make the most of it.

 

Also, our cruise is the first one of Celebrity's 3 this fall beginning September 4. I'm guessing it will be warm to start with, but might cool off significantly as we go north. Any thoughts on this for what to plan clothing wise? We have done many Celebrity Caribbean cruises, but this is our first venture north.

 

Thanks so much! Linda

[az_tchr]

You will find information regarding private tours on your Roll Call. The groups formed there are often as small as 4 people and only by acting quickly can you join these.

 

As to the ship's tours you probably can organize on board if you want to use OBC or simply book something after you arrive in the port from an operator on shore. The problem with booking ahead is some tours simply would not be good if the weather does not cooperate. We had SNOW and 40mph winds when on our cruise in Quebec City. not exactly what would have made for good touring about the countryside.

 

FWIW, we use Trip Advisor mostly to check out things to do and tour operators before booking anything. Trip Advisor does not sell anything but offers suggestions on what to do, where to go and who to do it with. Has always worked out. On our upcoming TA we have 6 ports including the destination port. There are at least 2 and often 3 or 4 private tours organized for every port.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We did the 2nd cruise to Canada/New England in 2015. We booked 2 tours through Celebrity, Acadia and the Salem Witch Museum out of Boston. Acadia was a good tour and we had a great lobster/muscle lunch at a restaurant that only caters to bus tours. Some of the best muscles, all you could eat, that I've had. Don't bother with the Salem Witch Museum tour, a major disappointment and Celebrity ended up refunding some of the cost.

 

We did private tours arranged through our roll call in Quebec (2), PEI, and Halifax. They were small group tours so I would suggest you check out your roll call for your cruise to see what others are planning. Several ports we did not have anything booked and just got off the ship and walked through the town.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Even though we were on the 2nd cruise of the season the weather was quite warm. We looked at forecasts before leaving home and still were over dressed, especially walking through Quebec. Think layers and check the forecasts. The only rain we ran into was on a sea day and the day we were to dock in Sydney. We missed Sydney because of rain and high winds.

[purduemom1]

You can check out the Canada/New England board under Ports of Call. This is where I found a lot of good info for our cruise. I found good suggestions for Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine as well as Canadian ports there. Be sure to search back to last year's posts too. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

We used Halifax Cruiseship Taxi Tours and were quite happy with their service. Our guide had a full size sedan and by the end of the day, it seemed that we had been touring with a friend not a guide. This was in 2013.

 

The suggestion to search the Trip Advisor forums is a good one and I also did that for a lot of good info on Quebec City. Found our hotel, restaurants and tour company on that forum.

 

We loved that cruise.....even though Hurricane Sandy decided to join us:mad:

 

Just wondering, looking at your screen name, Purdue?

[ALANG]

Boiler Fan,

 

Please join us on the Summit 9/4 roll call. There are fellow cruisers on this trip who are scheduling different private excursions. You can get many answers to your questions along with ideas for your upcoming cruises.

[Fouremco]

When considering tours, don't overlook the possibility of renting a car in most ports of call. With the exception of Bar Harbor, re rented and did "do it yourself" excursions at all of the other ports last September.

[allentownahoy]

I am also on this sailing and also suggest joining our roll call. Teaming up with others for a private tour is often cheaper and almost always a much better tour option than through the cruise lines. But in some ports there are limited private tour options and they do fill up so now is the time to begin planning. If interested in popular cruise line tours they can also sell out though not as quickly. Sydney in particular has limited tours available to begin with and they do sell out from what I have read.

 

renting a car on this itinerary is also a good option. We are doing that in one port, private van tours in others and a Celebrity excursion in Sydney. Quebec City is very easy to explore on your own.

[midwestchick]

I booked several private excursions in January last year for our Oct. 2015 cruise. I posted them on our roll call and they booked up rather quickly. Find one in Bar Harbor that will take you to Beal's lobster for lunch. It was the best of all the places for lobster rolls. No mayo or celery...wonderfully warm buttered lobster on a hoagie.

Edited February 22, 2016 by midwestchick

[Boiler Fan]

Thanks everybody for all of the good info. I will check out TripAdvisor - one of my favorite sources for travel info and also join the roll call. Really looking forward to this trip!

 

And, yes, Purduemom1, my screen name is for Purdue. We have many Purdue grads in our family and lived in West Lafayette for years. Boiler Up!

[PROCRUISE]

Thanks everybody for all of the good info. I will check out TripAdvisor - one of my favorite sources for travel info and also join the roll call. Really looking forward to this trip!

 

And, yes, Purduemom1, my screen name is for Purdue. We have many Purdue grads in our family and lived in West Lafayette for years. Boiler Up!

 

ALL the previous information you've been given is excellent.

 

We'll be on the Summit NE/Canada cruise starting Sept 18th. All tours already booked: three (3) through Celebrity and seven (7) private tours. It's just a matter of sitting at the computer, checking your roll call, and/or contacting private tour companies and getting it done. Sooner is better. Enjoy setting up your tours and especially, enjoy your cruise. :) Go Buckeyes too!!

Edited February 22, 2016 by PROCRUISE

[2206]

The weather won't be a whole lot cooler than Michigan! With the Canadian dollar so low - you should consider renting cars and paying in Canadian currency.