Best month for Canada/New England cruise?

[hew2nd]

We're considering a Canada/New England cruise and would like to be there for the best scenery (colors) and any other "best" times. Just wondering if mid/late September is better than October - in your experience.

 

Thanks.

[galavant3]

We went last year mid October (I think it was Oct 14-21) and we hit the peak week for color. I think it will vary year to year based on the weather.

 

Our cruise was Boston to Montreal.

Edited February 23, 2014 by galavant3

[island lady]

We are going the end of August. I think I may be hitting the

scenery a bit green still. But at least the lobster will steam

up red!! ;)

[Robinola]

New England is wonderful no matter when you go. Who knows with the crazy weather, though when you will see peak. Doesn't matter. The amazing food, scenery, shopping, etc etc will make up for it!

[bobinfl]

You may find this link helpful. Just click on the play button or click a date and it will show the average foliage color you can expect.

 

http://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

[island lady]

You may find this link helpful. Just click on the play button or click a date and it will show the average foliage color you can expect.

 

http://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/

 

I will just be happy to escape the heat and humidity down here in the

southern swamp land!! :eek:

 

BTW: Hello neighbor! :)

[lakelorain]

Depends on what you are looking for and what cruise you are taking. The best color is in October but the weather can be cold and rainy. October is very unpredictable in the northeast. If you are going to PEI, keep in mind most of the island closes down Oct. 1. We prefer the warmth of September.

[emilygrace]

We did a Northeast cruise 2 years ago, round trip out of Quebec City. When we started on Oct. 1st the leaves were just starting to turn. By the time we got back to QC on the 11th everything was in full color.

 

And FYI, we did go to PEI and nothing was shut down for the season yet.

Edited February 23, 2014 by emilygrace

[dmdicato]

New England is wonderful no matter when you go. Who knows with the crazy weather, though when you will see peak. Doesn't matter. The amazing food, scenery, shopping, etc etc will make up for it!

 

We did this cruise one year in July and one year in August. You are correct that it's wonderful no matter the time of year!

[lakelorain]

We did a Northeast cruise 2 years ago, round trip out of Quebec City. When we started on Oct. 1st the leaves were just starting to turn. By the time we got back to QC on the 11th everything was in full color.

 

And FYI, we did go to PEI and nothing was shut down for the season yet.

 

We go to PEI often by car. After the first weekend in Sept. many of the restaurants and shops close down especially in the rural areas. I imagine those close to the port are open when there is a ship in. Anne of Green Gables stays open but most other rural attractions are closed by Sept. 3rd or so.

[summersigh]

Spend some time with Google looking for peak times for leaf color in New England. We did and it helped a lot in choosing dates. Every year it's different depending on the predicted amount of rain and temps.

[avgsuperheroine]

I lived there for several years. It's beautiful for a long time, and peak can be as short as a few days--a dramatic difference, and it changes each year. I do think its beautiful even green though.

[mrobstad]

I have a home in Cape Cod, MA. September is shoulder season and beautiful, though, sadly, our hydrangeas are dead by then. Trees will turn in October, but the weather is so lovely in September, I'd vote for that....

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[ValerieJo]

We went the beginning of October and it was a perfect time to go. The weather was great and there was plenty of color. We had rain one afternoon in Halifax but it was still a wonderful trip.

 

Have fun!

[5326jan]

We went Oct 19-26 NYC -NYC and it was perfect for our first port in Newport, but the further north we got it was just past peak. We were still able to enjoy amazingly beautiful color and scenery. It was a great cruise.

 

The peak of color is largely dependent on temperatures and how much rain each area has gotten. It will be hard to predict the exact week it will occur that far out. :)

Edited February 24, 2014 by 5326jan

[maryann ns]

The leaves are almost always at their peak in the second week in October in Nova Scotia.

[navybankerteacher]

Sailing mid to late September is probably best. You might be a bit early for prime color, but by mid October it could be pretty cold and rainy (possibly even some early snow) anywhere north of Boston.

[sail7seas]

I've lived in Boston all my life and you cannot have both the best weather and the best foliage color at the same time.

 

Also, peak foliage color in Montreal and Quebec City is weeks prior to Boston's peak.

 

If best weather to You means warm, sunny skies ands smallest chance for rain, mid to late July is my ideal. August can be too hot for some people and can be humid.

 

Colors do not start to show until late September into October depending on so many variable. A rainy summer, a hot summer, a cool summer all impact how vivid the foliage will be and when it will peak. All it takes is a windy, rainy day and leaves can be stripped off the trees as they are coming into peak. There is no firm date, no firm guarantee when it comes to nature. ;)

 

 

Edited February 24, 2014 by sail7seas

[sail7seas]

I will just be happy to escape the heat and humidity down here in the

southern swamp land!! :eek:

 

BTW: Hello neighbor! :)

 

 

While I understand the heat and the humidity of the south and we have cruised the Caribbean in July, spent 10 days in FLL in August, Boston can also get our share of heat and humidity. Some summers it seems to be as stiffling here as FLL. :D and some summers,,,,,, not.

 

[SailBadtheSinner]

We're considering a Canada/New England cruise and would like to be there for the best scenery (colors) and any other "best" times. Just wondering if mid/late September is better than October - in your experience.

 

Thanks.

 

Whatever week you select, I would suggest very late September or early October, make sure your cruise itinerary includes a stop at Bar Harbor. BH is the only port of call that has a national park (Acadia NP) on its doorstep.

 

 

SBtS

[agabbymama]

We left NYC on September 24th and sailed Northbound. Saw a little color in Boston, but not much. On to Bar Harbor and Acadia had a little more color. On to Halifax and it was pouring rain, so saw absolutely no color at all, everything was gray.

 

We arrived in Quebec City on the 30th (I think) to pouring rain AGAIN. Our walking tour with a guide ended in disaster. We stepped into a coffee shop to use the restroom (telling our guide we were doing so). They left on the carriage ride without us. Another local guide came to the rescue, getting in touch with the company we had booked with, then arranging for a carriage ride for just the two of us. After the carriage ride, she was waiting for us. In talking to her on the drive back to the ship, she was disappointed we hadn't seen more of Quebec, so she insisted on driving us out to Montmorency Falls and Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Even in the pouring rain, the fall foliage was at it's peak. She stopped numerous times for our picture taking. We have photos that look like postcards. Sure changed our outlook on the French in Quebec City. We had been forewarned that they could be unfriendly toward Americans. To top it off, she wouldn't accept one cent, but we did each leave a $20 bill in her car when we exited back at the ship. It was one of our better days of the whole cruise.

 

We overnighted in port at Quebec City and the next day departed back up to the Saguenay River seeing absolutely beautiful fall foliage all along the river banks. At the mouth of the Saguenay River there were even small whales. They gave us a show right under our balcony. If we didn't know better, we would have thought it had been pre-planned just to give us our own personal great show.

 

I would try to cruise from NYC the last week of September and first week of October if you are heading up to Quebec City. Our 12 day cruise was absolutely AWESOME! Even with the rain!

[Hlitner]

We have spent most of our lives in the Northeast, and trying to time a Canada/New England cruise is really rolling the dice. One should also keep in mind that the fall is still hurricane season and can sometimes send pretty nasty storms (with high seas) up the Northeastern Coast. We think the best odds do favor a mid-October cruise as the hurricane risk is minimized and you have a fair chance of seeing some beautiful foliage. But the weather does sometimes play bad tricks. A few years ago we took a mid-October cruise and everything was totally green since we had a warm autumn. We felt bad for the more then 300 Japanese that trekked all the way to the northeast to see the changing foliage... Not only did they miss the colors, but a big storm out in the Atlantic caused our cruise to miss PE Island.

 

Hank

[Krazy Kruizers]

Since we are fortunate to live in the northeast, we do get to see the changing of the colors which does vary from year to year depending on how much or little rain we get.

We prefer to do that cruise in July -- less rain and lovely temperatures.