Advice needed from past Canada/New England cruisers, please

[flashdog_1]

From most of the photos I've seen, each of the ports on this itinerary except Boston & New York, have craggy clifflike coasts (Newport, Bar Harbor, St Johns, Halifax).

 

I'm really wondering if there is much variety in the scenery getting to the craggy cliffs in each port, or if we will become weary of it all.

 

I did not post this on the Canada board or the New England board for fear of offending the kind people who live in those port cities and share info on their towns and adjacent countryside.

 

I did research a few years ago for this cruise and remembered some people saying it was a long way to go to Peggy's Cove for yet another coastal lighthouse etc. Any opinions on this? Thanks!

[Sauer-kraut]

Bar Harbour, Maine is a nice little town, good for strolling. Newport is interesting if you get off the coast part and into some of the summer homes there. I have done both places albeit from the land side from an automobile, but still interesting.

 

As to the craggy cliffs....

The rocky coast of Maine is really neat! Somehow I don't think the beauty of the North American NE Coast can be very ho hum at all!

[Bennett'sCruise]

Loved our Ne/Canada cruise and would do it again in a heart beat!

Never got tired of any of it ... different in each port, as far as I'm concerned.

And Peggy's Cove has lots of history and was worth seeing ...

~d

[Giantfan13]

Depending on how long you have in Newport, we love to do the Cliff Walk. it it about a 3 1/2 mile walk all along the waters edge. It goes by many of the mansions that you also can visit. You do not have to do the entire walk, as there are several entree and exit points and you can take the trolley back to the center of town and the crusie dock. We go to Newport once a year on our won, and just love this city.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[jasperdog]

From most of the photos I've seen, each of the ports on this itinerary except Boston & New York, have craggy clifflike coasts (Newport, Bar Harbor, St Johns, Halifax).

 

 

I did research a few years ago for this cruise and remembered some people saying it was a long way to go to Peggy's Cove for yet another coastal lighthouse etc. Any opinions on this? Thanks!

 

 

Will definitely go on this cruise again. Bar Harbor is a gorgeous little town and the Acadia Park Bus tour was well worth it. Halifax is a great town and Peggy's Cove was interesting. Tour guide gives a great history of the area. St Johns fresh water/ salt water convergence has to be timed right-----won't see it anywhere else! Newport you can have, didn't appeal to me at all. Remember you might get to see some whales travelling north.

[Hikini]

This cruise is on my wish list. Enjoy!

[STARFISH*4]

enjoyed Peggys Cove and definitely thought it was worth it...really liked the Canada/NE cruise even if we did miss Martha's Vineyard...but would most definitely go on another this time when the COLORs are present!!

[philly50's]

We did Canada/NE in September 09. We went to Peggy's Cove (private excursion) and it was really beautiful. We didn't mind the ride because you get to see other scenery along the way. Bring your passport and they will stamp it at Peggy's Cove.

 

My only issue with the cruise was the weather. We went in early Sept and thought it would be warmer than it was. I was freezing the entire cruise. One sea day the band out by the pool was wearing ear muffs and gloves. I have to say I was jealous that I didn't have gloves too, it was quite chilly.

 

Are you going to St. John NB? We did the reversing falls speedboat there and that was so much fun.

[blue hen]

Did this cruise last year (ne/canada) we loved it !!

[cynbar]

I think you'll be fine, this is a great itinerary with a variety of ports so I don't think you'll get bored. Newport is a great town, so much more than cliffs. The town itself is very scenic with shops, great restaurants, views of the harbor. And I think every visitor should take a tour of at least one of the mansions, you won't believe how fancy they are and the views are tremendous. Boston is a great city and beautiful with a lot of history, shopping (think Quincy Market) and fantastic restaurants, particularly if you like seafood such as lobster and clam chowder, or Italian. Bar Harbor is a lovely, small New England seaside town. Anyway, I think you get my drift --- lots of variety here. Really, no two ports are the same........

[jaw070701]

We went last year and while it was chilly (down right cold in the am) we had a great time. There is lots to see in each of the ports. We even did Quebec and that is a lovely city and you dock right at the old town. I would suggest the spa pass - its great for when you want to warm up. This cruise was the second time I did this route and the 4th (maybe 5th) for my Dad.

[Host Caroline]

I love this itinerary! Have done it twice and will go again... the New England and Canadian towns are picturesque and the food (if you love seafood) for lunches is wonderful. To each his own re scenery but I prefer this to many Caribbean islands..... (favorite is Alaska - what tops that though?;)).

 

That being said have not gone to Peggy's Cove to deal with crowds but did go to Lunenburg on second tripl so DH could see Bluenose II and that and Mahone Bay were absolutely gorgeous little towns (get there from Halifax).

[jaja]

I love this itinerary! Have done it twice and will go again... the New England and Canadian towns are picturesque and the food (if you love seafood) for lunches is wonderful. To each his own re scenery but I prefer this to many Caribbean islands..... (favorite is Alaska - what tops that though?;)).

 

quote]

 

I agree.....

[VillaHappy]

We went in July 2008 and would love to go again. No two ports are the same!

PS - is "craggy" even a word? :confused:

[j603]

Being from Maine, I might be a little bias but..... Bar Harbor is a must visit spot. The view from atop Cadillac Mountain is not to be missed. Arcadia National Park gives you a true sense of what coastal Maine is all about, nature-wise. One of my favorite childhood memories, really.

[Dolphins]

You might enjoy doing the following:

Bar Harbor- Rent a bike at the Acadia Bike shop and ride the car-free carriage trails around scenic Acadia National Park.

Boston- You might consider the Duck tour around Boston streets and on the Charles River.

Newport- The cliffside walk is worth seeing

Halifax- Best walking port on this itinerary. Scenic waterfront, Titanic museum, the Citadel, and beautiful parks all within walking distance of the dock.

St. John- Best shopping port, lots of malls, town squares within walking distance of dock.

 

Enjoy this cruise, we are doing it again in September on the Dawn.

[Cruise_More_Often]

I love this itinerary! Have done it twice and will go again... the New England and Canadian towns are picturesque and the food (if you love seafood) for lunches is wonderful. To each his own re scenery but I prefer this to many Caribbean islands..... (favorite is Alaska - what tops that though?;)).

Me, too! This was my absolute favorite cruise, even topping Alaska. I can hardly wait to go again, but it's so expensive flying from the West Coast.

 

Our trip to Peggy's Cove was worth every minute and every penny of the private excursion (through Shoretrips). Both my husband and I love photographing the places we visit, Peggy's Cove is simply one gorgeous place for photographs. My photos of it start here. We did not visit any of the other ports the OP mentioned.

[DAGVBSB]

I did the Canada/New England itinerary on Royal Carribean in 2008 and to date, the itinerary and sites are some of my favorites. (even beats Alaska in my opinion.) Halifax was by far my favorite port. It is a great city and don't miss Peggy's Cove... it is a true gem to visit and you will enjoy it. The lighthouse is actually a very small part of it... touring the rest of the village is great.

 

Bar Harbor is a great town and I now wish that I had forgone my tour in that town to just walk around. As a history teacher, I loved Boston and actually took the tour and walked the entire Freedom Trail! (and then took a second tour that day to the Adams House in Quincy!)

 

We did not go to Newport because we went to New Haven and I didn't particularly care for St. John.... it just didn't strike me as much as Halifax did. (We also had a stop at Portland which was very nice too.)

 

 

Our entire group that cruises have Canada/New England at the top of our list for next summer but it most likely will not be on NCL as they don't sail the Canada/New England route in July when we have to go because of our jobs in education. We are looking at RCCL again out of Baltimore or Princess out of New York.

 

It's a shame that there are not more choices in the summer months since I know ALOT of educators who want to take the cruise but can't due to our schedules.

[flashdog_1]

We did Canada/NE in September 09. We went to Peggy's Cove (private excursion) and it was really beautiful. We didn't mind the ride because you get to see other scenery along the way. Bring your passport and they will stamp it at Peggy's Cove.

 

My only issue with the cruise was the weather. We went in early Sept and thought it would be warmer than it was. I was freezing the entire cruise. One sea day the band out by the pool was wearing ear muffs and gloves. I have to say I was jealous that I didn't have gloves too' date=' it was quite chilly.

 

Are you going to St. John NB? We did the reversing falls speedboat there and that was so much fun.[/quote']

 

Yes, we will go to ST John NB and are also sailing the first trip out (Sept 12). Thanks for the heads up about cold!! Had the leaves begun to color?

 

On your private excursion to Peggy's Cove did you have a van for 6, and could customize the trip? I've seen an ad for one that will do just that, where you pay by the hour regardless of whether the van is filled. If that is what you did, what other stops did you make, and where did you eat? Thanks

[Host Caroline]

Loved Cadillac Mtn in Bar Harbour and the sail we did on the schooner Margaret Todd... gorgeous views of town, harbor, etc. I'm a "doggie person" and recommend doing some souvenir shopping at "Bark Harbor", a doggy boutique whose proceeds go to help shelter dogs. We had lunch on terrace at the inn that faces dock where Margaret Todd is and view was lovely

Oh, and the skipper of the MT has two first mates... adorable but very serious Newfies... :D

[j603]

With the heat we have had in New England and the lack of rain, you will probably have a better chance at seeing some color the further north you go. It will not be full color but you will definitely see glimpses of the colors.

[philly50's]

Yes, we will go to ST John NB and are also sailing the first trip out (Sept 12). Thanks for the heads up about cold!! Had the leaves begun to color?

 

On your private excursion to Peggy's Cove did you have a van for 6, and could customize the trip? I've seen an ad for one that will do just that, where you pay by the hour regardless of whether the van is filled. If that is what you did, what other stops did you make, and where did you eat? Thanks

 

Phyllis we were on the NCL Majesty, one of her last runs from Philly to Canada/NE. We booked the Peggy's Cove tour with HalifaxTaxi company. I think it was $135 for the 4 of us. We told them we needed a mini van because one of our friends has a slight disability and we didn't want to be crammed in with other folks. They were very accommodating and I would highly recommend them. I know we had booked for about 4 hours but were out much longer. We ate at Peggy's Cove. Les, our driver recommended the gingerbread but we went to a little shop, toward the front and got a pastry of sorts that had steak in it. Wow, that was delicious, wish I had one right now. Our friends did get the gingerbread and they loved that too.

 

We left the very end of August last year, we were in Sydney on Labor Day and everything was closed. Unfortunately the leaves hadn't changed yet but we live in Philly and experience that seasonal change every year so we weren't too disappointed.

[InverStone]

I did not post this on the Canada board or the New England board for fear of offending the kind people who live in those port cities and share info on their towns and adjacent countryside.

 

 

 

We don't offend easy, so don't worry.

 

I think you will find the scenery different in each port...St. Johns is very rocky (I'm from Newfoundland and now live in Halifax) which is why people in Canada call it "the rock" with steep hills and cliffs. Beautiful, great people but crap weather.

 

Halifax has a nice waterfront but will be more like Maine...Peggy's cove is very different with no cliffs really...more like huge boulders. An interesting place.

 

Peggy's cove:

 

http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/65/peggys_cove.jpg

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Peggys_Cove_Harbour_01.jpg

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Peggys_Cove_3.jpg

 

St. Johns:

 

http://www.virtualtripping.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/st-johns-harbour.jpg

 

http://jeffjoslinmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/St_Johns_Harbour.jpg

 

I'm not as familiar with the other ports (besides Boston and NY). At Some point in the future my wife and I are going to visit your beautiful part of the U.S., any cruisers we have met from there have been as friendly and fun loving as most maritimers (the closest we have come to "visiting" was spending a day in Louisiana before a cruise from New Orleans!).

 

Have fun and enjoy your vacation!

 

Inver

[billjessmaddie]

I have been on 1 Canada cruise and my mom has been on 2. The thrill of the trip is the cruise ship. Canada is Canada. The only reason we went on the cruise was because it left out of New York and we wanted to go on a cruise. If you are happy with the cruise aspect then you will appreciate this cruise. However, everything is what you make of it. And I am sure that if you do your research, you could find something enjoyable to do in every port you visit.

[Jerseyboy1]

My wife and I did the Canada/New England cruise in 2008 on the Dawn. I must say it was one of the best cruises that we have ever taken. We like to explore ports, photograph sights and absorb some of the local flavor when we can. Unlike a Caribbean cruise, there was never a quest for the perfect tan on our itinerary. Very relaxing trip! Some photos I took:

 

Port of Saint John

 

Peggy's Cove, Halifax

 

View from Cadillac Mtn. Bar Harbor, Maine

 

Scenery around Bar Harbor