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A little overwhelmed - novice planner


IndyEmily
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My husband and I have decided to book a cruise to Canada/New England for this fall (Sept/Oct 2018). We are a little late to the game and we are novice cruisers (unless you count the Carnival cruise I took when I was 5 years old......;);)).

 

I don't even know where to start. We know we want a balcony room. We have looked at all the major lines like Royal Caribbean, HAL, NCL, Princess, Celebrity, etc. We know we are not interested in Carnival.

 

I like the look of the Quebec - Boston routes, but we are open to any, as long as Bar Harbor is included.

 

After that, I am lost. How do we decide which line to go with? Is there one line that is considered "the best" for Canada/New England? Also, is there anything I need to know about balcony categories? I know HAL can sometimes have obstructed balconies in the lower balcony categories (or a solid rail).

 

We would like to book within the next week or so, so I need some help on what direction to go in.

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This is a tough one. Most of the lines do the same round trip route. HAL does the one ways, which appear to be a nicer itinerary, however its on their smaller ships (how they get to some of those ports). I guess the first thing to do is figure out the itinerary you want to do, then figure out which ship makes the most sense.

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Do some research on the ports and then choose the itinerary that includes the ports you really want to visit. You might also want to consider if you want to do a round-trip or one-way and the port(s) you would like to sail from/to. Transportation costs are something you might want to consider, especially this close to your proposed sailing time.

 

As for which line is best, I think it is more important to decide which line fits you best. For example, do you want activities on the ship like a rock-climbing wall? How important is having a night-life? What kind of dining do you like? Freestyle? Traditional? Do you want to dress for dinner or are you more casual? HAL, RC, Celebrity, and NCL all have different amenities and expectations. HTH.

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We are doing the NCL Escape for our Canada/NE cruise on September 23-30. Free unlimited drinks and 3 specialty dinners for OV and above. I love the Escape. Will be my 3rd time on it. Big ship with plenty of things to do. This will also be my first New York port and Canada route.....sooooooo excited.

 

 

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We are doing the NCL Escape for our Canada/NE cruise on September 23-30. Free unlimited drinks and 3 specialty dinners for OV and above. I love the Escape. Will be my 3rd time on it. Big ship with plenty of things to do. This will also be my first New York port and Canada route.....sooooooo excited.

 

 

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We are doing Royal's Anthem of the Seas in October. Have been on Anthem before and love the ship. We sail from Bayonne round trip. Booked early and added drink package when it came on sail for $44 per person per day.

 

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A lot depends on your budget. I would go with Oceania- New York to Montreal Oct 3. or several alternative dates.

Smaller ship, not stuffy, great food, somewhat older clientele,

If you haven’t been to Montreal, its worth a few extra days. Mtl has better air access than Quebec City. Saguenay is always a favorite stop

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Not sure what your particular plans are for Bar Harbor, but just know that in Sept/Oct there can be fog on Cadillac mountain (Acadia NP) so thick you can't hardly see the bus when you get out. (We did a "local" cruise a few years back and experienced this). Weather will be extremely variable at this time. Be flexible in your plans.

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Take at look at the Regal Princess. Beautiful very new ship, does a lovely 7-night round trip to New England/Canada from Brooklyn, NY.

 

We have done this route many times, but, really enjoyed our two cruise on the Regal. The port stops are Newport, RI - Boston, Ma. - Bar Harbor, Me - Saint John, NB - Halifax, NS - Sea Day.

 

We love all of these ports with the exception of Sain John, NB. Highly recommended.

 

Jonathan

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Take at look at the Regal Princess. Beautiful very new ship, does a lovely 7-night round trip to New England/Canada from Brooklyn, NY.

 

We have done this route many times, but, really enjoyed our two cruise on the Regal. The port stops are Newport, RI - Boston, Ma. - Bar Harbor, Me - Saint John, NB - Halifax, NS - Sea Day.

 

We love all of these ports with the exception of Sain John, NB. Highly recommended.

 

Jonathan

 

We've done the Regal 5 day (Saint John and Halifax). Princess has a kayak/lobster lunch excursion that's very nice at Saint John and gives a little time at the end to explore the shopping area.

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