First time going out of New York, Canada/ New England or Bermud in October -November

[ettaterrell]

Looking for information for both places.  Someone told me Bermuda for beach vibe and Canada for tree/ scenic vibe?  Is this how you would describe the difference?   What are the best things about each cruise?   One way is on NCL Joy amd the other NCL Breakaway.   Which ship is better?   Thanks so much 

[Mira28]

Hi,

 

Last October I sailed on the Joy from Quebec City to New York. I think this was one of my favorite cruises and ships! The Joy is beautiful. The Observation Lounge and Waterfront are highlights. We stopped at Saguenay (stunning fjords, but a tiny town), Corner Brook (small town, beautiful scenery), Sydney (great little city, and friendly people who gave a wonderful historical tour), and Halifax (one of my favorite ports of all). At that time The Joy had Footloose, which has sadly been discontinued. The musical acts on the ship were excellent. I enjoyed the all the food I had in every venue, but I am certainly not a food critic!

 

Quebec City is incredibly beautiful and if the cruise is beginning or ending there I highly recommend spending time in this city if you are able. I'm not sure I'd recommend the 7 day Breakaway NYC-NYC cruise quite as much.  Still, Portland Maine is very nice, and you do go to St. John, New Brunswick (quaint and lively little city) and Halifax. 

 

Several years ago I sailed on the Breakaway to the Bahamas. I enjoyed it too, but not as much as its sister ship the Getaway which I sailed in September 2022 to Bermuda. This ship also had an amazing show but I don't know if they still have it. The Breakaway and Getaway also have the Waterfront. They both have Howl at the Moon piano bar and Syd Norman's Pour House which had wonderful music.

 

Bermuda is lovely and has beautiful beaches. Its easy to get around. Most likely the ship will stay overnight there at least one night. 

Personally, I enjoyed the New England/Canadian cruise more, but the cruises you describe are hard to compare as they are obviously different experiences. You probably cannot go wrong with either one. Enjoy!!

[mcmomny]

Bermuda is lovely but not a beachy party vibe, just a calm beautiful relaxing beaches. 

 

Most Bermuda cruises overnight at least one night in port so you have time to enjoy the island and take your time getting back to the ship. We had three nights in port on our cruise

 

Easy bus system but a very proper atmosphere, think British!

 

Never been on the Joy, we were on the 5th sailing of the Breakaway to Bermuda and really enjoyed her but our sea days were rainy so did not get to enjoy the Waterfront.

 

We are booked for Canada/New England on The Breakaway again this fall and really looking forward to it but we know that this cruise will be more about the ports of call and very little time to enjoy the ship.

 

Get to mark off another National Park! Have been to 5 via cruises for a total of 19 so far! 20 after this cruise and Acadia!

 

Like Mira28 said, both very different cruises but both very good

[AKR2011]

Both places are incredible. I did a B2B last summer on The Pearl and had a great time on both legs. I did miss a bigger ship, but otherwise I had an amazing time. Here is my review if helpful: 

 

[stinkyharriet]

I did the Canada/New England last October on the Escape and will be doing it again this October on the Breakaway.  I have never sailed on the Breakaway but loved the Escape.  I think what I liked best about that cruise was the demographics.  Very few children and lots of old people (70s+).  The majority of cruisers were Gen X and older (I’m Gen X).  The lack of kids was wonderful.  The elderly seemed to stick to the atrium, theater & buffet.  They weren’t crowding the bars or the smaller venues.  We went October 8-15 last year and everything was still pretty much green in all ports.  There was this one tree in Bar Harbor that everyone in the Facebook group took a picture of because that was the most colors we had seen.  The weather was nice, a light jacket when leaving the ship.  It drizzled a couple of days but not for long.

 

Bermuda is wonderful!  I will never get bored going there.  I went on The Joy in May and had a great time.  The Beatles show in the Cavern Club is very popular so be prepared to line up early if you want a seat.  They also did shows in the main theater so don’t waste too much time standing in line for the smaller venue unless you’re a massive Beatles fan.  Elements was fantastic, but loud.

 

if the Bermuda cruise is 7 days you should be docked there for three days, giving you plenty of time to explore.  The Canada cruise will be a different port each day.

[tomk3212]

We've been to both NE & Bermuda a bunch of times (see signature below) and IMHO it depends on whether you're in a relaxing or sight-seeing mood, resp. Sightseeing, go with the NE-Canada cruise; if you want to relax go with Bermuda.  Obviously you can do BOTH on EITHER cruise but that's how I look at it.  Joy is a newer ship so all things being equal I'd go with her.  As others have pointed out the entertainment is pretty much the same on both Joy & Breakaway.

 

Good luck & hope you have a great cruise....whichever one you choose!

[ettaterrell]

15 hours ago, mcmomny said:

Bermuda is lovely but not a beachy party vibe, just a calm beautiful relaxing beaches. 

 

Most Bermuda cruises overnight at least one night in port so you have time to enjoy the island and take your time getting back to the ship. We had three nights in port on our cruise

 

Easy bus system but a very proper atmosphere, think British!

 

Never been on the Joy, we were on the 5th sailing of the Breakaway to Bermuda and really enjoyed her but our sea days were rainy so did not get to enjoy the Waterfront.

 

We are booked for Canada/New England on The Breakaway again this fall and really looking forward to it but we know that this cruise will be more about the ports of call and very little time to enjoy the ship.

 

Get to mark off another National Park! Have been to 5 via cruises for a total of 19 so far! 20 after this cruise and Acadia!

 

Like Mira28 said, both very different cruises but both very good

Thanks!  Good to know it’s not a party beach!!! We are close to NO amd all the cruises out of there go to Cozumel which is a party place IMO and I’m tired of that vibe lol. I don’t know what the water front is, this will be my 2nd NCL trip so still learning about what all they offer. 

Edited July 10 by ettaterrell

[ettaterrell]

13 hours ago, stinkyharriet said:

I did the Canada/New England last October on the Escape and will be doing it again this October on the Breakaway.  I have never sailed on the Breakaway but loved the Escape.  I think what I liked best about that cruise was the demographics.  Very few children and lots of old people (70s+).  The majority of cruisers were Gen X and older (I’m Gen X).  The lack of kids was wonderful.  The elderly seemed to stick to the atrium, theater & buffet.  They weren’t crowding the bars or the smaller venues.  We went October 8-15 last year and everything was still pretty much green in all ports.  There was this one tree in Bar Harbor that everyone in the Facebook group took a picture of because that was the most colors we had seen.  The weather was nice, a light jacket when leaving the ship.  It drizzled a couple of days but not for long.

 

Bermuda is wonderful!  I will never get bored going there.  I went on The Joy in May and had a great time.  The Beatles show in the Cavern Club is very popular so be prepared to line up early if you want a seat.  They also did shows in the main theater so don’t waste too much time standing in line for the smaller venue unless you’re a massive Beatles fan.  Elements was fantastic, but loud.

 

if the Bermuda cruise is 7 days you should be docked there for three days, giving you plenty of time to explore.  The Canada cruise will be a different port each day.

Oh I would love to have been on that less kids trip!  We are Gen x too and all our kids are grown so rather be with an older crowd.     Being new to NCL is there certain ships that have less kids?  Or is more about the destination haveing less kids?    Any tips about NCL you can offer will be great, I’m going to go through these boards and learn all I can before this trip lol. 

[ettaterrell]

11 hours ago, tomk3212 said:

We've been to both NE & Bermuda a bunch of times (see signature below) and IMHO it depends on whether you're in a relaxing or sight-seeing mood, resp. Sightseeing, go with the NE-Canada cruise; if you want to relax go with Bermuda.  Obviously you can do BOTH on EITHER cruise but that's how I look at it.  Joy is a newer ship so all things being equal I'd go with her.  As others have pointed out the entertainment is pretty much the same on both Joy & Breakaway.

 

Good luck & hope you have a great cruise....whichever one you choose!

Thanks for explaining!  Yes relaxing cruise sounds amazing, good point!  Wow you have been on a lot of NCL trips, any tips you can give will be great.  We have cruise a lot but mostly with carnival in our younger years.  Now almost 50 we are looking for a less party vibe and more relaxing one with out kids everywhere.  But any tips pertaining to NCL that might be different will be great,  best floors to get, rooms and so on.  Thanks so much. 

Edited July 10 by ettaterrell

[mcmomny]

12 minutes ago, ettaterrell said:

Thanks!  Good to know it’s not a party beach!!! We are close to NO amd all the cruises out of there go to Cozumel which is a party place IMO and I’m tired of that vibe lol. I don’t know what the water front is, this will be my 2nd NCL trip so still learning about what all they offer. 

 

The Waterfront is a neat concept of outdoor space for dining and bars, also for walking around the ship and some nice seating areas to really enjoy the water!

 

Bermuda was lovely for us, we had three days there and overnights so really got a good feel for the Island.  Used the bus to go where we wanted to and to explore small beaches here and there.  Even did a day pass at a small hotel on the beach which included lunch and shower facilities. Small, quiet and very relaxing!

 

Like you, having spent many years vacationing in Mexico with our kids we now really enjoy peaceful relaxing locations!

[mcmomny]

We have only sailed NCL but are branching out this year to MSC and next year Windstar but we have always enjoyed NCL.

 

Just like anything else in this world there will be good and bad but as long as we have a positive attitude we have always done just fine with NCL.

 

We like the casual atmosphere but also like dressing up a little for dinner and shows if we want too.

 

The bigger ships have more to offer in entertainment and activities but we recently were on the Jade which is much older and smaller but we  really enjoyed getting to know the staff and had a great time on that cruise.

 

Things that I know are different from other cruise lines will be the Free at Sea promo, drinks, specialty dining, wifi and excursion money included. For us its the drinks and dining that matter, rarely use the other two options.

 

No assigned dining times, two MDR's that are included free, O'Sheeans which is a 24 hour food options included. And of course the buffet is included.

 

Make sure to book a cabin above or under other cabins for less noise, we did a Club Balcony once and enjoyed the perks but these are typically under the buffet depending on the ship so can be nosey.

 

I feel the cabins are very comfortable, we are balcony only people so can't comment on inside or ocean view. We love using our balcony daily!

 

We are very much looking forward to our upcoming NE cruise this Sept.

[GORDONCHICK]

We sailed the Joy in September of 2023 from NYC to Quebec.  We loved the Observation Lounge but were told they will be cutting it in half and adding more cabins (more revenue), which is sad since it was such a lovely area.  Most go on the cruises in this area in hoped of seeing the leaves change colors and we were too early for that but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Plan for cool/cold weather and some rain.

 

I haven't been to Bermuda but I would think of Caribbean cruises as more beachy than Bermuda, though it has the pretty pink sand.

[ngrund]

16 hours ago, stinkyharriet said:

I did the Canada/New England last October on the Escape and will be doing it again this October on the Breakaway.

which one? I'm on the one leaving 10/20.

[tomk3212]

@ettaterrell You're actually performing the best piece of advice I could give you; use CruiseCritic as your Go-To source for information!!  TONS and TONS of good info here on EVERYTHING to do with cruising on ANY cruise ship line, not just NCL.  Use the search feature bc chances are someone else has asked the same or a similar question.  DON'T let that stop you, though, from asking your own!

[The Traveling Man]

21 hours ago, ettaterrell said:

Looking for information for both places.  Someone told me Bermuda for beach vibe and Canada for tree/ scenic vibe?  Is this how you would describe the difference?   What are the best things about each cruise?   One way is on NCL Joy amd the other NCL Breakaway.   Which ship is better?   Thanks so much 

It obviously is a matter of personal preference and depends heavily on where your interests may lie.  For me, Bermuda is a "been there, done that, got the T-shirt" kind of place.  It's a nice place to visit, but it simply doesn't tug at my heartstrings and beckon me to return.  I've taken a half-dozen cruises to Canada / New England and have a B2B booked there for this Autumn.  We also flew or drove there several other times.  I doubt that I will ever tire of visiting there, especially in October when the Fall foliage colors are at their most radiant.  YMMV.

[Laszlo]

22 hours ago, ettaterrell said:

Looking for information for both places.  Someone told me Bermuda for beach vibe and Canada for tree/ scenic vibe?  Is this how you would describe the difference?   What are the best things about each cruise?   One way is on NCL Joy amd the other NCL Breakaway.   Which ship is better?   Thanks so much 

Bermuda is all about the beaches.... do yourself a favor and stay away from Snorkel Park and go to a real beach

 

 

 

 

Or go snorkeling....

 

 

[Crown Vic]

On 7/9/2024 at 3:32 PM, ettaterrell said:

Looking for information for both places.  Someone told me Bermuda for beach vibe and Canada for tree/ scenic vibe?  Is this how you would describe the difference?   What are the best things about each cruise?   One way is on NCL Joy amd the other NCL Breakaway.   Which ship is better?   Thanks so much 

Do ‘em both or flip a coin. Cheers…

[trivia addict]

I have been on the Joy three times, and I love her. (BTW, They did take half of the OL away for more cabins, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be). Never been on the Breakaway so can’t help you there.

 

Been to Bermuda 5 times out of NY, and done 3 New England cruises, once  out of Boston, twice out  of NY.

 

Here are my observations 

- two very different experiences. Are you the type to sit on a beach and do you enjoy being on the ship rather than an excursion each day? or do you prefer sightseeing and nature, and active excursions?

-Autumn is the perfect time to go to New England ( but maybe not late October or November….weather can turn quickly)

-Perfect time for Bermuda is May and June before it gets too hot. Not sure if October / November is warm enough to actually go into the water and swim.

-A cruise to Bermuda will only be a one port stop, and three sea days.

New England will give you several different places to see. Not sure where you are from, but if you have never been to New England, places such as Portland, Boston, Halifax, Montreal and Quebec, are definitely worth visiting.

[Travelling2Some]

You can do both on the Breakaway out of NY this fall as a B2B:  October 20-27 to New England/Canada followed by October 27 - November 3 to Bermuda, if you are available both weeks.  We were booked for these but had to cancel recently.  Just be aware that Boston has been substituted for Bar Harbor.  We got notice of that itinerary change months ago.  (Kind of shady that they are still advertising the original itinerary with Bar Harbor.)

[Laszlo]

1 hour ago, Travelling2Some said:

You can do both on the Breakaway out of NY this fall as a B2B:  October 20-27 to New England/Canada followed by October 27 - November 3 to Bermuda, if you are available both weeks.  We were booked for these but had to cancel recently.  Just be aware that Boston has been substituted for Bar Harbor.  We got notice of that itinerary change months ago.  (Kind of shady that they are still advertising the original itinerary with Bar Harbor.)

They still have Bar Harbor for next year Lol

[graphicguy]

Have done both itineraries.  Love them both.  Just got back from my 2nd Bermuda trip on the Joy.  As others have said, the Observation Lounge on the Joy is a great place to hang out with floor to ceiling windows and a 270º view.  They have snacks throughout the day and a Starbucks is available there if that's your beverage of choice.  Very relaxing.

 

Bermuda is the antithesis of Cancun, Cozumel and the Bahamas.  While all have beautiful beaches, that's about all they have in common.  Bermuda is calm and laid back.  Nothing moves quickly there (that's a good thing).  And, if you get the chance to go when they are docked over night, you'll be able to really take time to explore and experience what I think is an island that rivals any resorts in the world.

 

New England/Canada....another great itinerary.  Way different than  "beach-ey...resort" type of cruise Bermuda is.  It's all about the history, and depending on when you go, the changing foliage.  The history and sea based ports are the focus.  BE sure to take some conservation excursions to learn about the ecosystem as it's as fascinating as it is beautiful.  Quaint areas and roadside restaurants are a "thing", too.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to take either.  But, if it's September, I'd pick New England/Canada for the changing foliage.  

 

No bad choices, though.

 

[shof515]

Just now, Laszlo said:

They still have Bar Harbor for next year Lol

thats if they will actually go there. due to Norwegian shady advertising, they will keep the bar harbor port stop listed as long as possible. 

 

I am on the October 13 sailing to Canada/New England, Norwegian has been advertising bar harbor as a port stop for many months/years. the bar harbor port website shows the breakaway is not stopping at bar harbor in the middle of October for my cruise. 

 

its already after final payment and there has been no official itinerary change, with rumors of boston being the replacement port 

 

For next year, i wont be surprised at all if they keep bar harbor port listed and then remove that port sometime before the cruise sail date 

[Travelling2Some]

We have taken both cruises several times each.  Just thought I would also mention that the one-way cruises from NYC to Quebec are also really nice.  We have taken Amtrak back from Montreal (easy train ride from Quebec City) and really enjoyed that too, especially with the fall colors.  The train from Montreal to NYC is called "The Adirondack".   It runs along Lake Champlain and through the Hudson River Valley and is one of the most scenic train rides in the United States.  We brought a fancy picnic (champagne, pate, good bread and chocolate covered strawberries) to enjoy on the ride. 

 

Bermuda water is still warm enough to swim in September and (probably?) October but we found it still too cold in the Spring months.  I'm not a beach lover so it did not detract from Bermuda's charms for me.  The key to avoiding a boatload of children is simple:  Cruise when school is in session.  In NY you also have to be aware of when the Catholic and Jewish school vacations are if you are trying to avoid kids because they can differ from the public schools.

[Travelling2Some]

3 hours ago, shof515 said:

For next year, i wont be surprised at all if they keep bar harbor port listed and then remove that port sometime before the cruise sail date 

I learned during the pandemic to always check the port schedules.  NCL continued to advertise and take deposits on cruises anyone sensible knew would never sail.  Since then, I always check the port websites to see if the ship actually has a reservation there.  The port authorities have no reason to lie.  The cruise line has both motive and opportunity.

[The Traveling Man]

19 hours ago, trivia addict said:

Autumn is the perfect time to go to New England ( but maybe not late October or November….weather can turn quickly)

Late October is the peak time for Fall foliage color.  It can be worth it to risk a bit of inclement weather to view the beauty of nature at its best.