Canada/New England in May?

[cruzeluver]

Hello All,

 

We have been on a number of cruises on various lines, but primarily to the Caribbean with one Mexican Riviera and one Alaska.

 

I know Fall is the popular time for the Canada/New England itineraries, but due to scheduling issues we are looking potentially at a May sailing out of Boston in 2018 on Maasdam. It is a seven day cruise with port stops in Portland, Maine; Saint John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Sydney, Nova Scotia; and Bar Harbor, Maine.We have never been to that part of the world and are very interested but curious as to what the experience would be like going outside of prime season.

 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[navybankerteacher]

I'm thinking of that one myself. Maasdam is one of my favorites - and May is a happier (though cooler) time than October. Pre-season calls will give you a better chance to see the ports while they are not crowded.

[RuthC]

New England in the spring tends to be cold and wet. Average daytime temperatures in southern New England are in the 60s, but when it's a wet 60s, it is not a pleasant time.

Yesterday here was the first nice spring day we've had in weeks. Today summer arrived.

[JimnKaren]

We were on Veendam, Ft. Lauderdale to Montreal. 4/21 - 5/6. It was cool (never below freezing) and wet. Some of that was just the weather patterns that were happening then. We live in Florida and our weather pattern has us into the mid-90s every day this week!

 

Portland is not a big cruise ship stop. Bar Harbor will get you to Acadia National Park. The Canadian ports are all outstanding and we would not hesitate to return there.

 

A benefit of sailing there in May is the pricing that is offered. Compare to what is available in the Autumn. Not a good comparison.

 

The ship is one of our favorites, having been on Maasdam for 70 days since October 2013.

 

Jim

[Mr. Boston]

We cruised over Memorial Day weekend four years ago from Quebec City to Boston. We started out cool, rainy and cloudy with each day getting progressively nicer until we ended in Boston to summertime weather. We dressed in layers, similar to Alaska, and it worked out perfectly. We prefer sightseeing in cooler weather so that trip was one that we look upon fondly and one we would definitely repeat at that time of year.

 

 

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[styles27]

I see a couple of my fellow MA and RI cc members have already given you their insight and I agree with what they said.

 

We did the Canada/New England itinerary one year in September and it was chilly and sunny in Bar Harbour and the Canadian ports but not too chilly that we couldn't enjoy ourselves.

 

May is an interesting month here in New England...most of the month this year has been wet with cool temps in the 50's and some in the 60's but today it was 90 degrees here in Massachusetts...go figure.

 

It's funny because we were in Alaska last week and had pretty much the same weather in Alaska as my family was having back home here in MA so if you treat it like you would if you were going to Alaska...it could rain or it could be sunny and warm and it most likely will change if you wait an hour you should be fine. lol

 

That's New England weather...we really just go with the flow because nothing is written in stone around here.

 

October is chilly around here too, the only benefit to going at that time of year is obviously the foliage but in May everything is coming to life in New England so it's also a very pretty time of year.

 

If the pricing were right and that were the only time I could go I would go in May and plan to dress in layers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We did a repositioning cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal one time.

Our last 3 or 4 ports it was cool with off and on showers. We stayed 4 days in Montreal at the end of the cruise and it rained every day.

[3rdGenCunarder]

We were on Veendam, Ft. Lauderdale to Montreal. 4/21 - 5/6. It was cool (never below freezing) and wet. Some of that was just the weather patterns that were happening then. We live in Florida and our weather pattern has us into the mid-90s every day this week!

 

Portland is not a big cruise ship stop. Bar Harbor will get you to Acadia National Park. The Canadian ports are all outstanding and we would not hesitate to return there.

 

A benefit of sailing there in May is the pricing that is offered. Compare to what is available in the Autumn. Not a good comparison.

 

The ship is one of our favorites, having been on Maasdam for 70 days since October 2013.

 

Jim

 

I like all of these ports. Portland is a real town, not a cruise port, which I think is nice. I recommend Maine Foodie Tours in Portland. Good tastings and lots of history and funny stories. They have a tour in Bar Harbor, too, but I liked the one in Portland better.

[DaveOKC]

We did a May FLL to Montreal cruise a couple of years ago. Weather was fine and we enjoyed the cruise. And of course, prices were alot less than in mid-summer.

 

On the other hand, be advised that not all of the tourist attractions will be open (or running a full schedule) prior to Memorial Day, so if there is something you really want to see/do, research it first.

[cruzeluver]

Thank you all so much for the feedback! Great information.

 

We are pretty sure we are going to book. We have no cruise line loyalty and this would be our first on HAL. We are aware Maasdam is one of the oldest and smallest but not a concern for us. We like a lot of variety in our cruises and have been on smaller ships, larger ships (will be on Oasis of The Seas in October) and enjoy them all, albeit for different reasons.

 

I'm sure I will be spending more time on the HAL boards learning about what to expect.

 

Thanks again.

[navybankerteacher]

New England in the spring tends to be cold and wet. Average daytime temperatures in southern New England are in the 60s, but when it's a wet 60s, it is not a pleasant time.

Yesterday here was the first nice spring day we've had in weeks. Today summer arrived.

 

Of course, May is just half over - and we are flirting with 90's. Anyone who schedules New England travel (any time of the year) based upon past weather experience is due for a series of surprises.

 

Frankly, I'll take May in New England over any other month in any other part of the country.

[aliaschief]

We did a Maasdam May repositioning cruise from Fl to Montreal and we had some nice days along the way but on a couple of days it snowed as we got further North!

 

Hard to predict Mother Nature! Just need to be prepared for cooler weather.

[Alberta Quilter]

I was on the same cruise as DaveOKC. Here is a link to my live thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2203191. I hope it will help you with some information. We did luck out and have lovely weather but I would still heed the advice about wearing layers.