Fall New England/Canada Cruise

[cruisinelmo]

Hi everyone, we booked an aft facing Haven Penthouse suite for the second week of October 2023 on the Escape. We have been in the Haven suites on two separate occasions, but they were cruising in the Caribbean. Living in the Midwest we certainly have an idea as to what the weather will be like but we wanted to tap into your experiences of cruising this itinerary on the second week of October. How often did you really use the balcony? Did you use the sun deck at all? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. THANK YOU

[phillygwm]

4 minutes ago, cruisinelmo said:

 How often did you really use the balcony? Did you use the sun deck at all? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. THANK YOU

I've done this cruise twice and will do it again this October on the Joy.  The weather can really go either way.  It won't be frigid but it can range from warm to chilly.  I've always been in a balcony, even if I didn't sit out there much, because I like the daylight in the room.  I've tended to feel too closed in when I had a studio.  On the older ships, I also used to enjoy cracking my slider open at night to hear the ocean and get some fresh air, though that's verboten on the newer ships.

[Sailing12Away]

We had an aft balcony in Alaska and used it every day. As soon as I would wake up I would head out there to take pictures and enjoy the views, and every night before bed we would go look at the stars. If it's chilly, you can always wrap up in a blanket - ask your butler for one of the thick blue ones to take out on the balcony with you.

[classy_cruiser]

I would rather have the balcony just for it to be less claustrophobic feeling in the room, even if I don't go out there that much 

[Oceansaway17]

3 hours ago, classy_cruiser said:

I would rather have the balcony just for it to be less claustrophobic feeling in the room, even if I don't go out there that much 

that is why I sometimes get an oceanview room for the window and pay less than the price of the balcony.   Depends on the weather as well.   

[Treasure Hunter]

You could have beautiful crisp fall days with bright blue skies or foggy chilly damp days. But the trees should be at peak color and you will have a wonderful time either way. Dress appropriately and have layers. It might be cold at breakfast and moderately warm at noon..

[cruisinelmo]

A lot of good input keep them coming. As I said earlier we are from the Midwest and are familiar with the weather conditions and have clothes for all situations. Just don't want to "break out" the leather stuff. Packing would be interesting.

[SplashOfWater]

We did Canada/New England B2B the last week of Sept and first week of Oct 2017. The week before we left, we heard the temps in Montreal had been in the 80s. But for our cruise the weather was much more like fall: 40s and 50s. Anticipate sunny days and rainy days. I wore a fleece jacket for the cool days and found that to be sufficient for this cruise. 

 

There was no colorful foliage on our cruise. The summer had been too warm, so the foliage turned later in the fall. Since you're leaving in mid-Oct, you might have a better chance with the foliage. 🤞

 

We were on the NCL Dawn in an Oceanview cabin. We did not miss having a balcony. Ours was a port-intensive cruise so most of our time was spent exploring the areas that we visited.

[InfrequentPNWCruiser]

The weather can go either way. If its sunny then the balcony is just fine , otherwise if could be a bit chilly if its cloudy but nothing like a light jacket can't fix .

[cruiseny4life]

23 hours ago, cruisinelmo said:

Just don't want to "break out" the leather stuff.

Unless the leather is for some bedroom fun, please don't wear leather. In the humid, foggy North Atlantic you'll just see your leather clothing get wet, stinky, and possibly ruined (probably not on a week-long cruise). If you have crisp, sunny days all will be well with the leather...I've taken a Canada/New England cruise and it was far from ideal - so foggy the ship blew the horn every couple minutes for hours on end.