Fall New England questions

[trouble1964]

This is our first cruise with RCI, and I'm not finding a whole lot of info about it on these boards. I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone who has done this cruise before can answer. We are on the Brilliance of the Seas. The FAQ on the RCI site tend to overwhelm me with info that I don't necessarily need, and CC posters are always so helpful.

 

Weather--what kind of clothing should we take? We've been to Maine before in October, but didn't spend time on the water then.

Jackets or coats?

 

Ship---With the retractable roof closed, is it warm enough to swim? DO people swim this time of the year?

Is there an unlimited laundry package available, where you pay one price for all?

Are robes in the cabins (we have a balcony, if it matters).

How strict is formal night? Are dress pants and a nice blouse suitable? Jackets for men required?

 

Any "can't miss" things to see in ports? We've been to Freeport, so we aren't interested in the outlets, and are spending the day with family in Bar Harbor. We are coming straight to the ship and leaving straight from it, so we don't have any time to spend in Boston.

 

Thanks in advance for all help!

[gerif]

We've done this itinerary a couple of times. You should be able to swim with the roof closed. Dress in layers. I've been to Boston on Halloween in shorts and a tshirt. Other times early October called for long pants and a sweater.

 

No unlimited laundry package but they have a stuff a bag thing for undies, pajamas and the like usually offered mid cruise. Don't know the current price.

 

No robes supplied in a balcony unless you are platinum or above but if you're nice to your room steward he/she might be able to get you one.

 

Lots of interesting excursions but many ports we've just done on our own. Take a look at the ports of call boards for details - be sure to eat lots of lobster!

[Clarea]

Regarding the dress suggestions:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=334&faqSubjectName=Life+Onboard&faqId=255

[cruizers]

Dress in layers and bring an umbrella with you. We did this cruise last year and found the umbrella to be useful as we did have a few sprinkles along the way. Yes, people did swim in the solarium. Beautiful ship! Enjoy.

[theSHAH]

I live in Boston and frequent the New England area. Maine in October on the water should call for jackets, as it should be quite cold, but I couldn't imagine needing bulky winter coats in October. Really comes down to your tolerance to cold weather, I've been known to roam around outside in a t shirt in January so my perception may be skewed.

[ValerieJo]

While my review is from several years back doing this itinerary on The Jewel, it may will give you a rough idea of what it was like as far as excursions go. As far as clothes go, bring layers as others have said. We went the first week in October and the weather was beautiful. It only rained 1 day.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=47701

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We're doing the Brilliance this October. I did a lot of research on the Port of Call boards. I used the advance search feature by selecting the New England or Canada port of call board within the advanced search and found A LOT of information. There are a few people who live in the area that contributed a lot of information to past threads.

 

As a Floridian who has never been "up north" in the fall I was able to get a good idea of what to expect as far as weather. We're excited for something different than palm trees and beaches!

[summersigh]

Dress in layers and bring an umbrella with you. We did this cruise last year and found the umbrella to be useful as we did have a few sprinkles along the way. Yes, people did swim in the solarium. Beautiful ship! Enjoy.

 

We bought good wind/water resistant jackets from Land's End a couple of years ago. We found it to be a good investment as with adding or subtracting layers underneath we're good for any cruising weather. I also found pocket size umbrellas that come in handy if the sky looks "iffy". (yep I was a Girl Scout :) and prepared)

 

When we did the NE/Canada fall cruise we had a lobster roll and local beer at each port of call then compared for a winner at the end. Geddys in Bar Harbor won for us!

[linkerbink]

My sister and I did the New England/Canada cruise in October a few years ago. The weather in Portland and Bar Harbor was wonderful....very warm and sunny, while the two Canadian ports had chilly and rainy weather. By the way, our younger sister lives near Portland and I visit her every Thanksgiving. Even that late I've experienced quite balmy days, but also a snowstorm or two! Bottom line....you just never know so it's best to be prepared for anything.

Edited May 12, 2014 by linkerbink

[steveru621]

If you are planning on Denali, you should know the park road will be closed in October.

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

[M4bushy]

If you are planning on Denali, you should know the park road will be closed in October.

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

 

 

Denali is a long way from New England 4,830 miles, going to have to hurry to make it back to the ship on time....

Edited May 12, 2014 by M4bushy

[looking4info]

If you are planning on Denali, you should know the park road will be closed in October.

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

 

 

Good to know the road will be closed but it would be one heck of a drive to Denali seeing that they are going to New England. :eek:

[AlFrank]

This is our first cruise with RCI, and I'm not finding a whole lot of info about it on these boards. I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone who has done this cruise before can answer. We are on the Brilliance of the Seas. The FAQ on the RCI site tend to overwhelm me with info that I don't necessarily need, and CC posters are always so helpful.

 

Weather--what kind of clothing should we take? We've been to Maine before in October, but didn't spend time on the water then.

Jackets or coats?

 

Ship---With the retractable roof closed, is it warm enough to swim? DO people swim this time of the year?

Is there an unlimited laundry package available, where you pay one price for all?

Are robes in the cabins (we have a balcony, if it matters).

How strict is formal night? Are dress pants and a nice blouse suitable? Jackets for men required?

 

Any "can't miss" things to see in ports? We've been to Freeport, so we aren't interested in the outlets, and are spending the day with family in Bar Harbor. We are coming straight to the ship and leaving straight from it, so we don't have any time to spend in Boston.

 

Thanks in advance for all help!

My sister and I did this cruise last Sept/Oct and my husband and I are doing it this September. The weather was beautiful. We sat outside at the pool and not thinking it would be that warm, didn't bring sunscreen, got burned while watching a movie on the big screen. There is an 'adults only' sanctuary with a pool and hot tub. I swam every day there it was warm and quite a few took a dip at night there, no one in the outside pool. they do force 'adults only', we saw them ask people with little ones leave the area explaining it was as posted 'adults only'. We booked a tour of Acadia National Park. There are 2 that most people use, same price. One is Olly's Tours and the other I believe is operated by the Natl Pk. Olly's you pay when you book the other when you show up for your tour. Murphy's Law happened for our tour, it was the first day of the government shut down. Hope that doesn't happen this year. Rented a car in Halifax, pretty reasonable and drove to Peggy's Cove. Lots of information on the ports of call site.

 

All being said, it is New England - as they say 'if you don't like the weather, wait a minute it will change'

[tiger13]

Been in NE most of my life and rarely do we need winter wear in october...

If you don't count the freak Halloween snowstorm in 2011

 

That said it is clearly cooler when on a ship and the farther north you sail the cooler it can get....rarely do we need more than jeans and a sweater/hoodie/light jacket...but then again 70 is shorts weather for us....

 

So depending on where you are from will determine if you find it warm/cool/chilly...my family who lives in FL thinks once the thermometer

hits 70 or lower and they need to pull out winter jackets LOL

 

Not sure about further north but October is not usually a rainy month

here in Mass but a small umbrella is not a bad idea

 

I will say mid October is prime season for leaf peepers

[trouble1964]

Geddys in Bar Harbor won for us!

 

I love Geddy's!! I don't eat lobster, but clam chowder is what I always get.

 

 

Thanks everyone for your input. We live in the deep South and DH gets cold pretty easy.

 

I sure hate that about the laundry. We usually do the unlimited package so we don't have to pack so much, and come home with almost all clean clothes.

[Teeara]

Weather--what kind of clothing should we take? We've been to Maine before in October, but didn't spend time on the water then.

Jackets or coats?

 

Jeans, tee shirts, some turtlenecks. Pack to layer. Jacket is fine. Bring some gloves! Temps will be colder the further north you go, but again, every year is different. Plan on buying a sweatshirt or two during your cruise. Make great souvenirs. DEFINITELY pack the small umbrella. We had rain and fog for two of our days during our October cruise in 2011 and it was chilly at Acadia.

 

Ship---With the retractable roof closed, is it warm enough to swim? DO people swim this time of the year?!

 

With the roof closed the Solarium is right toasty and humid warm. Pool isn't super big, but you can definitely swim in it. Very popular on those sea days.

 

Is there an unlimited laundry package available, where you pay one price for all?!

 

Only one laundry special during the cruise and you only get the one laundry bag (which is smaller than a pillow case and is really a plastic bag). As much as you can stuff in for about $20 or $25. Pretty much all you'll get in there is undies, socks and some shirts. You can pay for other items during the cruise, but the charges are ridiculous.

 

Are robes in the cabins (we have a balcony, if it matters).!

 

Only if you are Platinum member or above or in a suite.

 

 

How strict is formal night? Are dress pants and a nice blouse suitable? Jackets for men required? !

 

Not super strict. I wear nice slacks and blouse for formal nights and never have a problem. I don't think jackets are required for men.

 

Any "can't miss" things to see in ports? We've been to Freeport, so we aren't interested in the outlets, and are spending the day with family in Bar Harbor. We are coming straight to the ship and leaving straight from it, so we don't have any time to spend in Boston.

 

If you are going to Halifax, try to book an excursion to Peggy's Cove. It's just so pretty there with the houses and the lighthouse. If you're going to New Brunswick, make sure to take a picture of the ship docked at the pier when you first get off the ship and then later when you return to the ship. The tidal difference is amazing. And make sure you are standing at the railing on the pier side of the ship when you leave port. They have a bagpiper come out and play as the ship pulls away from the pier! Too cool.

[CruisinCadie]

Re: Acadia

 

The public busses stop running after Columbus Day (which is also Canadian Thanksgiving), but the public highways around the park never close. We were there during the government shutdown and took the Olly's Trolley tour. They took us all around the perimeter of the park with several extra or longer photo stops. (The ship cancelled all their tours.)

 

In Halifax, there is a public bus which runs three loops to various sites around the city. It's a hop on hop off deal, so you can get off and visit whatever catches your interest. The Citadel was fantastic--plan to get there for the chainging of the guard and firing of the noon cannon. (Adnussuib fee)

 

The only day we had bad weather was Portland, where it was foggy and damp.

 

As others have said, dress in layers and plan to buy some souvenir sweatshirts.

 

Kathy

[edjny]

The public busses stop running after Columbus Day (which is also Canadian Thanksgiving), but the public highways around the park never close. We were there during the government shutdown and took the Olly's Trolley tour. They took us all around the perimeter of the park with several extra or longer photo stops. (The ship cancelled all their tours.)

 

 

I second the recommendation for Oli's Trolley. They have a great tour for a reasonable price. You can buy/reserve online before you get there, but we did not do that. We did not wander over to Oli's until after we had lunch. There were only THREE tickets left that would get us back before the ship left. Be sure to go to the terminal as soon as you get off the ship to get the tickets for the time you want.

[spookwife]

 

Weather--what kind of clothing should we take? We've been to Maine before in October, but didn't spend time on the water then.

Jackets or coats? Layers. it is easier to add and subtract as you go. a good windbreaker can make or break your outside deck experience.

 

Ship---With the retractable roof closed, is it warm enough to swim? DO people swim this time of the year? the covered pool is adult only and MAYBE if the weather is crappy will they allow limited access to families/kids. we went in September and the pools were empty for the most part and we had mostly nice weather( except for Bar Harbor) the hot tubs saw a lot more action.

Is there an unlimited laundry package available, where you pay one price for all?

Are robes in the cabins (we have a balcony, if it matters). nope. at best there may be a special: all you can stuff in a bag for one price. good for undies and tee shirts. Robes are hit and miss.. JS and up are supposed to have them regardless, other cabins only certain C&A levels get them. you can always ask and if there are to spare the steward will bring you one.

 

How strict is formal night? Are dress pants and a nice blouse suitable? Jackets for men required? short answer: yes on the ladies attire. Jackets are not necessary for the guys. Long answer: I actually found that because of the demographic( fewer young families, almost no young kids) that the majority were dressed up better than sunday best.. the guys were in suits and the ladies were in cocktail dresses.

 

Any "can't miss" things to see in ports? We've been to Freeport, so we aren't interested in the outlets, and are spending the day with family in Bar Harbor. We are coming straight to the ship and leaving straight from it, so we don't have any time to spend in Boston. we missed Bar Harbor completely..as a tender port it has a high risk of being skipped altogether.

 

Thanks in advance for all help!

 

October is really hit or miss as far as temperature and weather. it will be a good 20 degrees colder at sea.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I am surprised to hear that the Solarium is still off-limits to children even in cold weather. I completely understand and respect the rules, so don't get the wrong idea. I had figured that in cold weather the only warm-ish pool would be open to anyone. We sailed on Princess in Alaska and the indoor pool was open for anyone to use due to the outside temps and constant rain! Adventure Beach would be too cold for kids as with the main pool. Oh well!

 

I know there probably aren't many young kids on those cruises anyway. My son may be one of the few onboard for our cruise, but we're okay with that!

Edited May 13, 2014 by smileyperry

[Justmekaren918]

Just off Brilliance! She is an amazing ship. I had cabin 7040 and really enjoyed the big balcony and real table. We ran into some decent seas and she handled it like a champ.

 

The solarium roof I believe no longer moves. I believe the kids can be in there since I would think it would be the only pool.

 

I wore colored jeans and a nice polo and no one said anything.

Pretty much same for the gentleman.

 

I live in New England and it was pretty cold before I left for Florida and I had the worst time getting acclimated, and when I got back I spent days freezing. I would say bring stuff to be in layers. It could be warm or it could be cold and snowing. We seem to be all over the map on temps this spring. I would expect the fall to be the same.