Which route is best?

[whale-watcher]

We are considering 2 possibilities for a Canada/New England cruise this September:

 

#1: Enchantment of the Seas, 7 day RT out of Boston leaving 11 September, with stops at Martha's Vineyard, Portland ME, Bar Harbor, Saint John NB, and Halifax NS. We are leaning towards this one...but have recently read some spectacular reviews of St Lawrence river cruising, so we are also considering:

 

#2: NCL Jewel, 11 day RT out of NYC leaving 18 September, with stops in Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Quebec, Sydney NS, and Saint John, as well as scenic cruising of Cabot Strait, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Saguenay River, and Bay of Fundy.

We will be travelling with 3 children, ages 15, 12, and 6; the longer route includes 4 sea days, and although my dw and I will happily watch the scenery for hours on end, I have some concern about the kids -- although they loved AK, and hardly ever visited the kid's zone -- any experiences with NCL for kids?

 

Thanks!

[wwinfl91]

I originally was going to post because I didn't think NCL had a ship named the Jewel and thought you were talking about the RCCL Jewel of the Seas. Then I realized that NCL evidently has a new ship with this name. Anyway here is my evaluation of the two cruises.

 

As far as the cruises go, Boston, Quebec and Sydney with a visit to the Fortress of Louisburg as well as the scenic cruising in the Saquenay Fjord would put this one ahead of the other cruise in my estimation.

 

We did a cruise last spring on the Maasdam from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal and visited Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Quebec, Sydney and spent an afternoon in Saquenay Fjord as well as seeing the tides in the Bay of Fundy. There are also very scenic views sailing in the St Lawrence river.

 

My vote goes to the Jewel for the better ports and even for the extra days at sea.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[Nitemare]

11 days is ALWAYS better than 7, and there are so many shipboard activities, the kids will be busier on sea days than they are in ports.

[Joanandjoe]

IMHO you should look at all New England cruises, not just NCL and RCCL. For example, it may be worth while for you to look at Celebrity, Princess, and Holland America, as well as the NCL and RCCL megaships. We're doing Montreal to NYC on the Radisson Navigator on September 16 to 24. That's probably a poor choice with kids; but maybe you want something nicer than NCL.

[whale-watcher]

We were also considering a 7 day HAL Montreal to Boston, but availability is poor for this year...I am guessing that a balcony is a great idea for this route.

[wwinfl91]

We had a balcony on our Ft Lauderdale to Montreal cruise and used it numerous times. We really appreciated it when we were in Saquenay Fjord. With the ship moving and it being a cool (temperature in the 40's) and windy day, it was just too cold to stay on an open deck and take pictures. But from our balcony which is partially protected, we were able to take pictures on both sides of the fjord since the ship sails up one side and then comes out the other. The balcony was also useful in other ports but that was the time we were most thankful we had it.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[TheWog]

Enchantment will be stretched by then with many new amenities. If you want to try the ship out I would go with this one.

[whale-watcher]

thanks for the advice -- it is really helpful to hear the different perspectives!

[Mah Jong Lover]

Enchantment will be stretched by then with many new amenities. If you want to try the ship out I would go with this one.

 

 

We are going on this cruise on Sept 18th. Anybody else out there going the same day?

[Acouplewholuv2cruise]

There is a thread under roll call for this cruise with a few of us participating in the roll call. Last posting was 6-4-05. We'll look for you on the roll call.

[musicmansmom]

my next cruise i am going to take the new englanc/canada trip . i have only sailed on the carnival spirit, to alaska . can someone tell me some of the major differences between carnival and ncl. i know the freestyle dinning would be the biggest change for me. i want to try the new jewel, but am afraid to change cruise lines. any help is very much appriciated.

[whale-watcher]

There is a thread under roll call for this cruise with a few of us participating in the roll call. Last posting was 6-4-05. We'll look for you on the roll call.

We won't have enough time this fall for an 11 day cruise, so we decided to take the 7 day Enchantment cruise out of Boston; Hope you have a great trip!

[taylortroop]

Can anyone tell me about the water on the Canada/New England cruise. Just returned from Alaska Inside Passage and the water was very calm - no seasickness. Do I need to worry about seasickness for this itinerary?

[idlewood4]

I'd vote for the stop in Quebec. It's an amazing city, and so beautiful. My kids love it there, has a real European feel, and French is the primary language. My husband loved the Quebecois foods.

 

With kids the ages of your's you might want to stop at the Museum of Science and the Aquarium in Boston. Both are major favorites with my 15 and 12 year old. We've been many, many times over the years, and they love them both. Would be glad to get you more info if you want.