Canada/New England Cruise

[itsanita]

I am just starting to do some research on this cruise for 2009. I have been reading thru some of the posts and i have a few questions.

 

Is there a cruise line that is more into this area than another? (like Princess seems to be the "star" in Alaska)

 

Is there an itinerary or port that should not be missed? I see that some cruises skip St John.

 

Is there a better time of the year to go? We were thinking of early fall.

 

What is the Saquenay River and do all the cruises go thru this area?

 

I notice that Celebrity seems to have longer cruises...14 days but has stops in Boston, Bar Harbor and Portland and 4-5 sea days. Is the time spent in these US cities worth it?

 

Anything else that stands out about this trip that you feel a beginner needs to know?

 

Thanks.... I'm getting excited about our trip to Alaska next month, but already looking to plan the next one!!!

[Acey]

I am just starting to do some research on this cruise for 2009. I have been reading thru some of the posts and i have a few questions.

 

Is there a cruise line that is more into this area than another? (like Princess seems to be the "star" in Alaska)

 

Is there an itinerary or port that should not be missed? I see that some cruises skip St John.

 

Is there a better time of the year to go? We were thinking of early fall.

 

What is the Saquenay River and do all the cruises go thru this area?

 

I notice that Celebrity seems to have longer cruises...14 days but has stops in Boston, Bar Harbor and Portland and 4-5 sea days. Is the time spent in these US cities worth it?

 

Anything else that stands out about this trip that you feel a beginner needs to know?

 

Thanks.... I'm getting excited about our trip to Alaska next month, but already looking to plan the next one!!!

 

To answer a couple - Carnival has the most cruises to eastern Canada - particularly Victory - however most other mainstream lines call on these ports. September is a beautiful time to visit - even in to October when the leaves change colour. Each port like Saint John and Halifax offer unique experiences - Halifax is a much larger city however.

[Ephraim]

It depends on where you want to go. Holland America is the only cruise line that goes all the way to Montreal. Many of these cruises don't make it to Quebec City either. So Holland American basically owns the Boston/Montreal route. All the other ships are just too large to do it.

 

The Saguenay river is a fjord. There is an aquatic marine park where the St-Lawrence estuary meets the Saguenay. The krill pour into the St-Lawrence estuary and the whales inhabit the area.

[Mrs007]

Anita, we have booked for the Oct. 2009 sailing on Celebrity. Everyone has their own reasons for choosing certain schedules. I chose this paticular itinerary because:

1) I miss seeing the changing of the leaves in the Fall.

2) I remember as a child a family vacation we took to New England and wanted to see that area again.

3) This itinerary has an overnight in Quebec which I thought would give us an opportunity for a nice dinner and maybe a carriage ride and still allow a full day for exploring the area.

4) We also enjoy sea days, so the 4 sea days were a plus for us.

5) It is round-trip, so we won't have to have any international flights or open jaw flights, which will save us a little.

6) And lastly, we will sail past the Statue of Liberty and I think that will be awesome!!

 

Enjoy your Alaskan cruise - that is our favorite destination!!

[Rikka]

Holland America is not the only cruise line to sail out of Montreal. We are booked on the Royal Princess that is sailing from Montreal to New York on September 15th.

[NancyIL]

We're on the 9-night Explorer of the Seas this October out of Bayonne, NJ, because my husband wants to see Canada and doesn't care about the New England ports. Explorer goes to Sydney and Halifax, NS; Charlottetown, PEI; Saguenay Fjord; and Quebec City. I only wish the port times were longer. I also like Celebrity Constellation's itinerary with a mixture of New England and Canadian ports, as well as the overnight in Quebec City, as Mrs007 mentioned. We're going on the Constellation's Transatlantic cruise next September, and I would love to stay onboard for 2 more weeks for its NE/Canada cruise - but I don't think that is in the cards.

[Ephraim]

Holland America is not the only cruise line to sail out of Montreal. We are booked on the Royal Princess that is sailing from Montreal to New York on September 15th.

 

Actually to correct myself... Holland America is the only line that does it regularly. Princess has a small ship that comes rarely and Crystal does it on certain years. The world has also done a number of cruises out of Montreal.

 

Holland America runs springtime from Montreal to and from Boston and then again in the late summer through fall. It's the only cruise line with a regular route that includes Montreal.

 

Most CRUISE ships are now too large to get under he bridge at Trois Rivieres leaving the market open only to the smaller cruise ships (larger cargo vessels can still make it, since they aren't as tall as cruise ships.)

[WehoAtlantis]

I will let you know how our October 9th cruise on Explorer of the Seas goes and post photos in case you haven't already booked your 2009 Canada cruise.

 

Happy hunting,

 

Mike

[NancyIL]

I will let you know how our October 9th cruise on Explorer of the Seas goes and post photos in case you haven't already booked your 2009 Canada cruise.

 

Happy hunting,

 

Mike

 

We're on the same cruise! :) Have you posted on the roll call for that cruise? (It seems like you have.) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=590892

[itsanita]

Thanks for all your comments.

 

Mike, I'll be anxious to hear about your trip on the EOS. That's the cruise we are looking at. Celebrity has a 14 nighter that looks good too. We like the extra days "at sea".

[Susie51]

Celebrity sails out of NJ I believe. You will see the Statue of Liberty from a distance. Sailing out of NYC terminal, you will go right past the Statue of Liberty.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

If you haven't been to the U.S. cities, than IMO you would enjoy it a lot.

 

Sept. is a good time because it stays light longer and is warmer. You can see more things,but the trees aren't as colorful.

[aqhacruiser]

We're on the 9-night Explorer of the Seas this October out of Bayonne, NJ, because my husband wants to see Canada and doesn't care about the New England ports. Explorer goes to Sydney and Halifax, NS; Charlottetown, PEI; Saguenay Fjord; and Quebec City. I only wish the port times were longer. I also like Celebrity Constellation's itinerary with a mixture of New England and Canadian ports, as well as the overnight in Quebec City, as Mrs007 mentioned. We're going on the Constellation's Transatlantic cruise next September, and I would love to stay onboard for 2 more weeks for its NE/Canada cruise - but I don't think that is in the cards.

 

We will be on the 9/25/08 one for the new all Canada itinerary and looking forward to exploring new ports:D I will post info and pics on the Royal Caribbean site All things Explorer of the Seas when I return:)

[MrsTffx]

I hear so much about the Sept./Oct. sailings, but nothing about August - and that's when we've booked our next cruise! Sure hope it's just as nice!

[NancyIL]

I hear so much about the Sept./Oct. sailings, but nothing about August - and that's when we've booked our next cruise! Sure hope it's just as nice!

 

We're going in October to see the fall colors. While you won't see that in August - you'll definitely have warmer weather, as well as more hours of daylight.

[NS-Cruiser]

I hear so much about the Sept./Oct. sailings, but nothing about August - and that's when we've booked our next cruise! Sure hope it's just as nice!

 

 

I live in Nova Scotia - about 1 hour drive from Halifax... today (AUGUST 12) we are rainy and cool - about 20 deg C (68 deg F):( ... this is NOT the normals for this time of year (August) - normally we are in the high 20's (28 - 29 C) (80 - 85 deg F) and it's usually so sunny you can't stand it - :D seriously August is one of the nicest times of the year (weatherwise) in Nova Scotia. the days are longer this time of year... sunrise is around 6 AM and sunset is around 9 PM... where-as in mid-october the sunset will be around 6 PM, and sunrise will not be until around 7 AM which makes for much shorter days, and the temperature drops to the low to mid teens © (around 45-55 deg F)... later in the year (Late November early December) we often get our first snow, and the temperature drops to 0 C (32 F) and sunrise is around 7 AM with sunset around 5:30 PM - that's why I'm hopping on the Carnival Freedom for 6 days in the Western Caribean on Nov 30th...:)