East coast Canadian cruise

[Newbie41]

I haven't seen anything in the message boards about east coast canadian cruises. I'm considering taking one this summer, but would like to hear from someone who has. Is the food as good and are they as much fun as caribbean cruises? My image is that they are filled with senior citizens, is that true or am I way off base?

[susie8862]

We were on the Glory to St. John/Halifax last June. We had a wonderful time and love the Glory, but to us, nothing compares to the Caribbean.

 

We were not impressed with this itinerary...but I know that TONS of people love it. It just was not for us. Mixture of ages just like all other cruises.

[NYcruzzer]

I have sailed this itinerary numerous times. If you sale before Labor Day you can expect lots of kids. When school starts back up the amount of kids onboard will drop dramatically. Weather in eastern Canada that time of year can range from foggy/rainy and chilly to sunny and hot. Pack for both.

[nybumpkin]

We've done the Canada cruise from NYC seven times. Five 5-night, two four-night. All of our Canada cruises have been pre-Labor Day (two on Labor Day weekend), so as NYcruzzer says there will be lots of families with kids. Lots of younger and older people without kids, too. All of the activities you're used to on Caribbean cruises will be scheduled, even the hairy chest contest - although on one cruise it had to be held in the main lounge. And the late-night deck party is likely to be in the lobby instead of on Lido. The food is the same as on any Carnival cruise.

 

As for ports, Saint John and Halifax are nothing like ports in the Caribbean. You will not have beach days. It can be cloudy and cool - but again, it can be sunny and warm. On our first cruise, the day in Saint John was cool, the next day in Halifax was 80 degrees. However, you will have scenic tours around Saint John, and Halifax has a wonderful boardwalk with lots of sailing tours and activities. Both cities have really good restaurants (with really good beer - highly recommend Keith's on tap in Halifax:cool:).

 

And while I can't speak to sailing from Boston, sailing from New York is just a fantastic experience - of all the ports we've sailed from, NYC is my favorite. You sail down the West Side of Manhattan, with great views of the Empire State Building, the new Freedom Tower, and the Battery. On the other side of the river, New Jersey has some good sights as well, like the Goldman Sachs Tower, the Colgate clock, and two old train stations that are still in use as train/ferry stations. After that, you come to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Lots of ship traffic to see, including the Staten Island Ferry (best free boat ride going). About an hour after leaving the pier, you reach the Verazzano Narrows Bridge. Go up to one of the highest decks for a really great perspective.

 

Hope this helps!

[Tapi]

We did the 5 night from NYC.

 

- Crowds: The same as on any Caribbean cruise we've ever taken. A little bit of everything.

- Weather: we thought that early June would mean warm temperatures and sunny days. Instead, we had chilly temperatures (40's), foggy, rainy and VERY choppy seas.

- Ports of call: Wonderful, but for different reasons than Caribbean ports. The landscape, history, attractions, and overall culture of these eastern Canadian provinces are a welcome change to the sometimes repetitive Caribbean destinations. Peggy's Cove in Halifax is a must see.

- Sailing from New York: as others mentioned, very unique. Being able to see lower Manhattan on one side, and The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on the other is enough reason to take this cruise.

[maggie cruises]

Do a 5 or 7 or longer cruise....go in August or early Sept depending on your circumstances and bring clothing for warm or cool.

 

We went late August..we have no issues with kids as we bring ours with us...we packed for all weather types and had 95 plus degrees every day and came back looking like we were on a carib cruise...

 

loved this cruise

[Catrin]

We did this cruise twice.... in late August both times.

 

Two terrific cruises. The people in Halafax and St. John were super nice. My kids loved these cruises, as there were plenty of kids to hang out with.

 

While it was the Caribbean, it was a relaxing vacation!

Catrin

[kingoftheicedragons]

My wife and I would love to do an east coast Canadian cruise, but if/when we do, it likely won't be with Carnival. I see that RCi has an itinerary that goes to all four maritime provinces, and a cruise is the best way to get to all four.

 

I laugh when people are saying that it's not like the Caribbean.....of course it isn't. All you need to do is look at a map to be able to tell that it's not going to be similar to a Caribbean cruise. It's Canada, so yes, spring is likely to be chilly. You need to plan for almost any type of weather for Canada no matter when you go, but most likely it's going to be a little chillier than you're used to.

[MrPete]

Done it three times.

 

Nice for a quick getaway, but they are somehow different from other cruises, and have never been able to put a finger on it as to why. Even have John Heald as a cruise director didn't fix it.

 

But would do it again. The later in the season, the better.

[lulu13]

Have done this cruise twice for seven days each out of New York. We loved the trip, even though as previous posters have said it is quite different from the vibe of a Carribean cruise, both times we went late September and the weather was cool. Had some great private tours in the Canadian stops and we absolutely enjoyed touring Boston. Lots to do, of course not beaches, but fun nevertheless.

[pkrchkr]

I can tell you based On where I live that there is no other place in the world for seafood like ours...

When you arrive in port there is lots of excursions that you can book right on the pier as well as several restaurants in walking distance.. I highly recommend the winery tours..they bring you right out to the vineyards and give you samples as well as at one of the wineries you will get a meal as well not sure of the price but I know there is a dbl decker bus that brings you out to the valley and back..

Lobster here right now goes for about $4.99 lb.. which is crazy cheap..

 

welcome to god's country

[emelvee]

We did one northeast/Canada cruise, on RCI. Passengers were definitely an older group than on all of our other cruises. We enjoyed it, but I prefer beach-type vacations. Bar Harbor and Boston were nice. Saint John was just ok. Halifax was nice - had the best fish and chips I've ever had.

[LargeCornGyro]

That's exactly what we did in port. Ran to the nearest seafood establishments.

[Sailor_Sally]

We took the seven day Canada Cruise last September. The passengers average age was early 50 . It is a totally different vibe than the Caribbean but very enjoyable . The ports were great and the Glory has the nicest staff we have ever met . Most of our tours we purchased privately . They were great . I highly recommend the Fenway Park tour and a visit to the pub that is hooked into Fenway .

[Carnival_Brides]

This cruise is by far my favorite to do. The crowd seems to be a little more toned down and have a less party atmosphere. I've done this out of NYC and Boston and I now prefer Boston. I think guests on this cruise tend to focus more on ship-board activities than things to do in the ports themselves because in Saint John there aren't many excursions that don't involve Reversing Falls.

FWIW, my fiancee and our cruise companions are all mid-20's, not AARP members :-)

 

Oh, and if you can book the 5 or 7 day with Halifax, do it! This is my favorite port because the city is so beautiful.

[nybumpkin]

I laugh when people are saying that it's not like the Caribbean.....of course it isn't. All you need to do is look at a map to be able to tell that it's not going to be similar to a Caribbean cruise. It's Canada, so yes, spring is likely to be chilly.

Crazy thing is, I've seen any number of posters who seem to think they should be able to go to a beach on their Canada cruise.:p

[Paraveina]

There are beaches in Saint John, but they're mostly pebbly/gravelly or rocky. The water can range from very cold to almost warm. The beach I went to a lot growing up is 8 km from the cruise terminal, but there wouldn't be any tours scheduled to go there because it's just an average public beach.

[gertiesmom]

We have done the 5 day on the glory and enjoyed it. Same crowd, less children though. We are doing a 7 day on NCL next fall... Goes from Boston to Quebec City. It's a great itinerary, but we have never sailed NCL, so hopefully it goes well. It's a great price too, Holland America does the same itinerary for about twice the price. I suspect the crowd will be older on this one, but that's okay with me!

[maggie cruises]

We have done the 5 day on the glory and enjoyed it. Same crowd, less children though. We are doing a 7 day on NCL next fall... Goes from Boston to Quebec City. It's a great itinerary, but we have never sailed NCL, so hopefully it goes well. It's a great price too, Holland America does the same itinerary for about twice the price. I suspect the crowd will be older on this one, but that's okay with me!

 

NCL offers a good cruise and at a great price...just my 2 cents.....budget for the specialty MDRs...you will be happy that you did.

 

also..an fyi...NCL has a policy of not wanting to replace towels as frequently as some would/might think that they should...all in an effort to remain green...

 

so...do be watchful that your steward doesn't just pick up a dirty towel and put it back on the rack for you...

 

If you want to use the towel again...which is fine for the most part...do be careful where you place it...

 

What I am saying is....don't expect it to be automatically replaced..as the steward may not deem it to be dirty...

 

I know it sounds bad..but I say it first hand...the steward himself decided that the used towel did not need replacing and put the damp towel back on the rack.....what he didn't know is that the towel was damp..not from drying oof..but from it being on the wet floor.....

but when he saw it..it just happened to be on the sink....because it was being used to wipe up some water we spilled....but as I said...he just rehung it...

 

fortunately I saw it in time to tell him to get it out of the cabin and bring us new ones....

 

personally...I was disgusted with his lack of sense in this matter.....but all I can say is that he is being told by his bosses to reuse..recycle and reduce......still..he made a poor decision in our case. they should reduce the use of nonsense sales flyers left in the cabins on a daily basis.

[alymb03]

My parents did the Labor Day cruise on Carnival Glory out of NYC this past year. It was their third Carnival cruise (second one out of NYC).

 

They said the crowd was a lot older and much more relaxed that the past two cruises. They enjoyed it but I got the feeling they wouldn't do it again.

[JO-TRAVEL ALOT]

We did the 4 day out of Boston at the begining of June last year. We toured Boston the day before and it was warm enough to swim and lay in the sun the day we left. The next day they had the retractable roof closed on the Aft pool and we swam again that day also. The crowd was a wide range of types and ages. We only visited St John, and we rented a van and drove the Fundy Trail and went to the reversing falls. I've been on 11 Carnival Cruises and this was one of my favorites. I love the beach, but this was just a change of pace. If your concerned about being on a ship with older folks, don't go in September. We did an 8 day out of NYC to Bermuda in September and it was the most boring cruise I've ever been on.

[jbhcw]

After 30 some cruises...most being to the Caribbean we are doing our first cruise to Canada!! 7 days on the glory out of Boston!! My plan is to spend all of my shore excursion money on lobster, fish and mussels:D

 

Pretty sure it will be cool but that's okay with us...wondering when school gets out in the northeast..sailing June 9th.

[nybumpkin]

My parents did the Labor Day cruise on Carnival Glory out of NYC this past year. It was their third Carnival cruise (second one out of NYC).

 

They said the crowd was a lot older and much more relaxed that the past two cruises. They enjoyed it but I got the feeling they wouldn't do it again.

Both of our 4-day cruises were Labor Day Canada cruises. The first time (2006) we ran into the remains of Tropical Storm Eduardo; the second time (2010) we were accompanied by Hurricane Earl. There were still lots of kids aboard (in NY most kids go back to school after Labor Day), but fewer than a July or August cruise. I find the 4-day just too darn short, but for a weekend getaway it's okay.

[soapbxking]

I too found this to be my favorite of all of my cruises. I LOVED Halifax!!! Lost to do there I think. In St. Johns we did the kayak/Lobster Bake excursion and loved it!! Both our port days had incredible weather!!

The crowds did tend to be a bit older, but we had a blast!!

 

Brian

[arpie05]

We were on the messed up seven day from Boston in June 2012. It was a horrible experience, part Carnival fault and part weather. The trip started out messed up months before because of reduced speed in Atlantic due to migrating whales (yes, seriously!). Then there was fog and we ended up not leaving Boston until after NOON on Monday! The Glory was nice and it has been refurbished with 2.0 since then. But with the itinerary messed up: the staff was out of sorts. Sydney was very disappointing. The season up there didn't start until mid-June so not much was open. And they were two hours (time zone) ahead of the ship and we arrived late. Most shops closed at 5 pm so not anything to do with more time in port. (7pm ship time) we rented a car and drove to the Bell Museum. Boring. Wanted to visit shops on our return but town was closing. Walmart a great stop for souvenirs. As we have cruised before We had a good time and I just booked a cruise today. But for new cruisers; it was not a good experience. I won't do Boston again. The port seemed unorganized. Our cruise was Carnivals first trip to Sydney so I was disappointed they had not done better research. Also our sailing was the first out of Boston and they had been empty the day before After leaving Norfolk. In 2013 they are not sailing a 7 day for their first trip out of Boston. St. John we went Ziplining. In Hailfax we took a private tour -about six hours which included Lobster and Titanic cemetery. Portland was also kind of boring. We ate clam chowder at a great place just down the street from the port. I'm sure if you go back and search you will find all the grumblings upon our return or read the June 3 thread under Glory. We were originally given $50 credit to cover missing meal on Sunday but they were not offering anything else for Missing a day. It took a lot of letters and complaining after we were home to get compensated for the lost day. It was 3:00 am on Monday when the last person boarded.