New England / Canada Cruise Planning 2012

[DizzyDallasDi]

I canceled my New England / Canada cruise this fall for a cruise to Alaska in July. Now, I still want to take a New England / Canada cruise and need seasoned cruisers to tell me what dates would give me the most bang for my buck. I want to see the gorgeous fall foliage and get the best weather possibilities. Can someone give me a timeframe that would give me the best of both? Thanks in advance for all your help!

[RuthC]

Foliage timing is a movable feast. But your chances for best weather and best leaf-peeping should come between the last week (or so; maybe the 20th) of September, and mid-October.

[Winters in NZ]

We have taken 4 Canada/New England cruises over the past 8 years, and we have never seen any great variety of fall colors. The colors have either appeared before or after our cruises.

 

However, there is a site

http://www.janroncommunications.com/Fall-Colours.html

which also has a link to the history of fall colours

[sail7seas]

Please do not plan your cruise around fall foliage date expectations.

Here we are well into November, and many of the trees have not yet started to drop their leaves. I am looking out my window right now at the brightest yellow and beside it vivid red tree in my neighbor's yard. This is late for us to still have color on the trees and Maasdam has ended her season in New England, long since.

 

IF you get lucky, you'll see pretty color but there is no forumula to promise it to you.

 

Of course, the further north you go (Quebec, Montreal), the earlier the trees reach peak color. It can be 3-4 weeks between Quebec peak to peak in Boston.

 

A friend sent us a photo of fall foliage in Seattle this week and it looks glorious. Is this the usual time window for peak color in Seattle or are they late as well?

[liketraveling]

I did the repositioning cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale last month.

 

The weather is dependant on mother nature. When I arrived in Quebec City the temperatures were 80 degrees. There was some color. More than you get in California. By the time we left our last port we hit the rough weather and arrived late in FLL.

 

Look at the ports and see where you want to go. If you do back to back Masdam from Boston to Montereal and back to Boston you have double chance to see different things.

 

Don't plan around weather because you never know.

[1of4]

It would be impossible to plan a year ahead for when the peak colour change will happen. It will also be different in every port. Ours, about 1.5 north of Toronto, was weeks ahead of Toronto and other parts of the province along the St. Lawrence. Quebec City will be different than Halifax.

 

Canadian Thanksgiving is a good date if you want colour - can't promise peak though. Aim for the second week in October. But the weather can be cold and windy. One good wind storm (think the reminants of hurricanes coming up from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico) can knock all the leaves off. When I lived in the Eastern Township area of Quebec, Lake Mephramagog to be exact, we got snow every Thanksgiving.

 

September is usually too early.

 

Although most of the leaves are gone around home, they are near peak in Toronto, only 1.5 hours south (I commute every day to work). But there are some brilliant reds still hanging out on my drive, most yellows and golds are gone. If you quilt the landscape looks like a Thimbleberries quilt for the colours and well past prime in the country.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise. That one is on my bucket list too!

 

I tried to post pictures from this Thanksgiving but "a security token was missing". I will try again. Sorry, this time my files are too large. I am at work and can not resize from here.

[DaveOKC]

We were on the repositioning (Montreal to Fort Lauderdale) of Maasdam from Oct 15 to 28 last month. We got some decent colors, but missed the peak by just a few days due to a storm that hit just prior to our departure.

 

I would look at the repo cruises for next Fall, as I think they leave about a week earlier than ours did. We still had a great cruise on a fine ship with a fantastic crew!

 

DaveOKC

[sail7seas]

Having done this Maasdam cruise, back-to-back, again, and again and again, the best advise I can offer for those looking when to book is to consider the following:

 

There is a reason the prices are lower at the very start of the season and at the very end.

 

IF seeing foliage is important to you, into the bargain, you should know there's a good chance of having cool, damp or rainy weather. It is so much more pleasant to tour, walk, shop, kayak, whale watch etc in beautiful weather. You have a much better chance of pretty days in June, July, August and to mid September. Yes, you can get great weather in October but the chances of not are higher. The price differences are a good 'indicator' of what you should expect is likely.

 

What do you want more? You have to decide.

 

[DizzyDallasDi]

Thank you to everyone for your help! I'm sure the scenery will be fabulous with or without fall colors. Now, on to the planning. :D

[sail7seas]

One benefit to summer sailing is how floral Quebec City is. Their window boxes and potted gardens are magnificent. If you enjoy beautiful plantings, you'll be charmed with how beautifully floral it is walking around Quebec City.

 

Same for Charlottetown. Many homes and small businesses plant the most beautiful new guinea impatients and begonias and various flowers...... they make it look so 'well tended'.

 

[powderhorn]

A lot of our shops close by October here. We are a summer tourist destination, mainly for the golf and beaches. It is a common complaint we hear from cruise passengers stopping in on the later scheduled cruises. I'd also agree that, if you can forego the need for foliage, earlier scheduled cruises may have a better chance for nicer weather. Something to think about as you plan your cruise. We'd love to see you!

 

Today it is beautiful here. Lots of nicely coloured foliage on the trees, 15 degrees (around 60F).....and no cruise ships in site!:)

[Opinions]

It is so much more pleasant to tour, walk, shop, kayak, whale watch etc in beautiful weather.

 

I agree...We have done this cruise 3 times in the fall...We never seemed to pick the best time for fall foliage...One cruise in late October the weather was very cold...When we cruised in the warmer weather the sightseeing was much more enjoyable...We intend to do this cruise again and the weather will determine when we go.

[sail7seas]

A lot of our shops close by October here. We are a summer tourist destination, mainly for the golf and beaches. It is a common complaint we hear from cruise passengers stopping in on the later scheduled cruises. I'd also agree that, if you can forego the need for foliage, earlier scheduled cruises may have a better chance for nicer weather. Something to think about as you plan your cruise. We'd love to see you!

 

Today it is beautiful here. Lots of nicely coloured foliage on the trees, 15 degrees (around 60F).....and no cruise ships in site!:)

 

 

 

We love Charlottetown and visit twice (or more) each summer. It is one of the friendliest, most pleasant, lovely places we look forward to visiting each year.

 

Thank you for your hospitality. We are always treated so well when 'in town'. :)

 

No one can guarantee weather but in all our years of Maasdam's Boston to Montreal to Boston cruising, and it's been a lot of cruises, on the whole, we've had wonderful weather in June and August.

Maasdam is on her Viking cruise mid July to mid August.

[zackiedawg]

As others have mentioned, fall colors are variable and movable, and a matter of luck is always involved - so definitely don't try to plan exclusively for that reason. I too was on Eurodam's repositioning cruise Oct 10-22, which was my first Canada/New England cruise. By my estimation, we got very lucky - fall colors were goregous in Canada, and just touching in Bar Harbor, and we got about as perfect weather as one could ever wish for in Quebec, Saguenay, Gaspe, Sydney, Halifax, and Bar Harbor. We got some overcast in Charlottetown and Gloucester, but nothing that hindered any tours or moving around, just made photos a little dull. And only at one stop did we get fairly well rained out, at Newport. Considering how foul October weather can get up there, it was a stroke of luck. Snow slammed the area about a week later, and a bad noreaster. We had very rough weather at sea headed back the 2nd to last day, but that's about it. of course, winter/fall was late in coming this year, so normally that time of year, Canada may have been past peak and New England fall colors might have been better - because it came late, Quebec and Saguenay were right at lovely, peak color, while New England really hadn't even started yet, at least along the coast.

 

For a peek of our weather and fall colors on our Eurodam cruise, check out my Eurodam gallery:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/eurodam_nov_2011&page=all

 

And good luck!

[CMM]

Since most of the reviews seem to comment on lack of color we went for the best bargain time which seemed to be September. Kids back in school, but still nicer temperatures.

 

For true foliage a land base tour that goes deeper into New England would be best. We have enjoyed the 3 September cruises we have taken for reasons other that the leaves. Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor is breathtaking, Newport has incredible mansions, Portland is quaint, Halifax has Peggy's Cove and so much to offer, Boston is a city rich in History.........

enjoy!

[principessa1180]

Hi. We just booked for May 12th. It was 699 for an N Cabin. I do know it is going to be chilly. I think it is a pretty good price. I think that finding a flight to Montreal will be interesting.

[DaveOKC]

Hi. We just booked for May 12th. It was 699 for an N Cabin. I do know it is going to be chilly. I think it is a pretty good price. I think that finding a flight to Montreal will be interesting.

 

We had good luck with American Airlines to Montreal. Even did a one way. Price was very reasonable. From OKC to Montreal it was about $175, but we booked early.

 

DaveOKC

[sail7seas]

That was a good price. You did well.

[hvsteve1]

As someone who has lived in the Northeast my whole life, (until recently) fall colors (or colours in Canada :p) can vary greatly. We could never count on which week we could take a drive to see full colors and found a lot of tourists who were bummed out by having made vacation plans to find the trees still green or bare. It has always been a crapshoot.

 

So far as when to visit Canada, as someone who has spent quite a bit of vacation time in the Maritimes and Quebec in recent years, I would also check out tourist web sites to find out when popular attractions close. For example, we will be in Quebec City next October. I was looking forward to seeing the changing of the guard at the Citadel again but find that ends the beginning of October. I'm sure there are other tourist oriented events and locations that are not available after certain dates.

[principessa1180]

we are going for our 5 year anniversary. there is a one week holland america sale going on. it ends tomorrow. i really hope everything goes well. we got a flight into montreal the day before. are there any nice hotels by the port u would suggest?

[principessa1180]

we just got a flight to montreal for 310 per person on deltra. from boston, it was 146 on southwest. we live in santa fe, nm.

 

i'm a huge anne of green gables fan, so this is why we are going. my husband was nice enought to agree. we are both 31, so it sounds like we will be on the young side.

 

we have a 3 year old boy. i wish we could take him, but he is very wild. im scared he would jump overboard. i am not being funny either.

[sail7seas]

It's a wonderful cruise we do every year and love. You will not be the only 31 year olds on the ship. There are all age ranges. This is a port intensive itinerary and you have six ports in seven days. You'll have full days and your youth will help you enjoy it to the max.

 

Hope you love it as much as we do.

 

Any questions....... ask away. Everyone here who has done this cruise will be happy to help. :)

[powderhorn]

i'm a huge anne of green gables fan, so this is why we are going.

 

It's neat. This morning we caught the 1934 movie version of Anne of Green Gables on TCM starring Anne Shirley. It was fun to watch, but I have to say PEI looks better in color than black and white. If you have anything specific you would like to know about PEI, let us know and we'll try and help.:)

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024831/

[sail7seas]

PEI is truly beautiful IMO

We have fully enjoyed every visit there.

No one can beat your wonderful mussels. :)

 

 

 

[powderhorn]

PEI is truly beautiful IMO

We have fully enjoyed every visit there.

No one can beat your wonderful mussels. :)

 

 

 

 

Kind words...Thanks. Here is a link to a video we shot last August while canoeing in front of our cottage on the eastern end of the Island. Of course we are biased, but we never go anywhere in the summer, because we love it where we live. Our little island (Panmure Island) is connected to PEI by a mile long dune structure which supports a beautiful beach and our lighthouse adorns most of the tourism literature. It's quiet and peaceful with enough natural beauty and wildlife to fill up our days by just admiring it. turn up the sound, you can here the mother duck quacking to her brood.:) Enjoy!