Springtime New England/Canada cruising?

[chrismch]

Looking for a cruise near the end of May 2014 and noticed that HAL does them during this time running from Boston to either Quebec or Montreal. Has anyone done one of these? I'd love to hear your impressions of the cruise?

[the2ofus]

I am interested in the responses also. Is the possibility of fog in the ports greater during certain months?

[sapper1]

I am interested in the responses also. Is the possibility of fog in the ports greater during certain months?

 

Fog is a possibility at any time during June, July and August. September is usually a lovely month as the humidity of the summer has passed and the probability of fog is lessened.

 

The fog is quite capricious as it can be sunny and 80° in my backyard and if I travel two miles to the uptown area by the harbour it can be shrouded in fog and and much cooler.

 

A lot of the cruise passengers seem to be delighted to experience the fog. I suppose it does have a sort of eerie beauty but it plays havoc with your hairdo and gives you fog head. :eek:

 

Morning fog will often will have burned off by noon, giving a nice warm day, and then it will roll in again in the evening.

 

I enjoyed meeting you on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done the full 14 days from Boston to Quebec and back to Boston -- at the endof August -- nice weather.

We also did a repositioning cruise in April/May from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal. We had chilly days and fog.

[DFD1]

What about late May or early June?

 

Thanks for any help.

[sapper1]

What about late May or early June?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Inland will be warm in late May. The coastal areas will be coolish. June can go either way but tends to be more rainy and foggier than July and August. It seems around here that we don't really have much of a spring. We just wake up one morning in late June and it's summer.

 

You really don't have to go too far inland to get the warmer temperatures.

 

I guess the best thing to do is layer your clothing and be prepared to take off some layers when/if the day warms up.

 

Even if daytime is warm it will cool off by 6PM. The same applies to the coastal areas in summer. We can complain about the heat all day and then need a jacket for an evening walk.

 

Now the weather could make a liar out of me and be gorgeous from May onward or it could be miserable and foggy all summer. There is really no predicting coastal Maine or Maritimes weather. You take what you get.

[sail7seas]

We do the Maasdam Boston to Montreal to Boston cruise every summer, b-to-b and positively love it. We never tire of that itinerary.

 

The earlier in the season you go, the cooler the likelihood the weather will be. Weather in New England is never positively predictable and you could well get a warm spring with pleasant temperatures or you could get lots of chill and rain.

 

We usually go in August and almost always have great weather but even then sometimes I put on a hoodie of very light jacket in the mornings but am able to remove it late morning.

 

Fog in Bar Harbor can happen all season. We have come into the harbor sometimes when the bridge could not see the ship's bell on the bow the fog was so thick. They have to put a navigation officer on each tender for the five minute ride from ship to shore the fog can be so thick. And then suddenly you look out and realize the fog disappeared. It can go away in a flash!! :)

[sail7seas]

What about late May or early June?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

No way to promise you what the weather would be.

 

In Boston, late May can be high seventies or even low eighties for Memorial Day or can be rainy and in the sixties.

 

In early June, you would want a light jacket and long pants in the mornings in most of the ports but by afternoon could be comfortable in shorts. Again, variable.

 

[igraf]

We cruised from Montreal to Boston at the end of May last year on the Maasdam. The weather varied from downright hot (very unexpected!!) in Montreal to raining in Boston.

 

I would definitely recommend seeing both Montreal and Quebec City. Some cruises don't go to Montreal. Spend the night before the cruise in Old Montreal if you can, as it feels like you are in Europe. I liked the "river cruise" experience between Montreal and Quebec City.

 

The cruise is port intensive with only one day at sea. If you need more time on the ship then I would suggest doing so while in Sydney. Nothing wrong with Sydney, it is just that that day off works well and the other stops were more interesting.

 

We rented cars in Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax and Boston. I particularly liked driving around Prince Edward Island. Driving in Boston was a bit of challenge.

 

Overall, a very nice cruise.

 

igraf

 

 

 

Looking for a cruise near the end of May 2014 and noticed that HAL does them during this time running from Boston to either Quebec or Montreal. Has anyone done one of these? I'd love to hear your impressions of the cruise?

[buckirj1]

I've never sailed a Canada/NE itinerary as early as May (though I'd like to on HAL if pricing would ever make sense), but there's a distinct possibility of fog in June and July. I've never actually been cold, though. Those HAL cruises are so port intensive, you might not get a chance to experience being at sea in heavy fog: it's beautiful, serene, and kinda creepy all at the same time. You could be sitting on deck lost in reverie...and then the ship's fog horn makes you jump out of your skin! It's great!

[DFD1]

Thank you all. Sounds like August might be best with May/June a matter of luck.

 

We love Quebec City and the 14 day collectors cruise from Boston provides parts of three days there.

 

We're still thinking about it.

[sail7seas]

We have had occassions when Maasdam has sounded the fog horn all through the night. The first time, when it first started, I thought I'd never be able to sleep with the ship's horn sounding every couple of minutes, hour after hour, but I came to absolutely love it. With the thick fog, the quiet of being at sea, at night, no lights visible, it became mystical to me and I now welcome when we get to enjoy it. I am very sure the bridge would far prefer they never need to set the horn to repeatedly sound.

 

Coming ashore in Bar Harbor, on the tender, in thick fog is truly an experience. :)

 

It has happened to us maybe 15 - 20% of our visits there.

 

[Luna]

. We rented cars in Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax and Boston. I particularly liked driving around Prince Edward Island. Driving in Boston was a bit of challenge.

 

Overall, a very nice cruise.

 

igraf

 

Wow are you brave! I live 5 miles north of Boston (and used to work there) and won't drive. If I have to go in town, as we call it, I take public transportation. Weather permitting, Boston is a wonderful walking city. If you have issues walking, the T will get you close to where you want to be. Of course, if you want to see the sights outside of the city, you *do* need that car, but be prepared for a challenging drive and beware - if a driver looks as though s/he's about to cut you off---you *will* get cut off:p That's how we roll around here.:D

[DFD1]

The Hop on/Hop off bus system in Boston is great for seeing the city. We've used it and had a wonderful day.

 

A bus passes each stop about every 10 minutes and the driver's narration (sp) is appropriate to the area you're in, regardless of which bus you're on or who the driver is. They all have the same script (more or less), so you don't lose anything by getting off....When you get back on again, it picks right up where you left off (more or less)....LOL

 

We love Boston!

[neverleavingthebalcony]

 

We rented cars in Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax and Boston. I particularly liked driving around Prince Edward Island. Driving in Boston was a bit of challenge.

 

igraf

 

Doing the NE/ Canada cruise in May will be layering clothes, hopefully it wont be too foggy.

 

What car rental company did you use in Charlottetown? How far from the pier?