New England Cruise

[Trev0r]

I have always wanted to do New England in the Fall but unfortunately my wife isn't happy at the thought of touring around from place to place so we have decided to compromise on a cruise. Could you advise me which cruise provides the best day trips to view the New England countryside. We are first timers to cruising. Also we are flexible about where to join the ship (anywhere on the NE coast would be OK with us). We are aiming to go in autumn 2020.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Check out Holland America -- they do Canada/New England cruises.

[spookwife]

Id advise  steering clear of Bar Harbor as a port stop.  it is tendered and we are 0-3 in attempts.  fog, heavy surf and rain have kept us away.

 

which bums me out cuz I really like that city...

 

look at  ships out of the Baltimore Port.   8-9 day cruises to  NE/Canada.  one of the easiest ports to sail out of.  we prefer Royal, but  I believe Carnival also sails out of there.  

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, Trev0r said:

I have always wanted to do New England in the Fall but unfortunately my wife isn't happy at the thought of touring around from place to place so we have decided to compromise on a cruise. Could you advise me which cruise provides the best day trips to view the New England countryside. We are first timers to cruising. Also we are flexible about where to join the ship (anywhere on the NE coast would be OK with us). We are aiming to go in autumn 2020.

"Best" is always subjective but as you have many choices, I would advise checking-out some of the offerings. New England cruises are offered by many lines - for example, check-out the following cruise lines that offer New England:  Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Oceania, Norwegian & Celebrity. There are also more upscale lines such as Regent, Silversea, etc. You choice will depend on your budget and the itinerary you wish.

[marco]

Compare various sailings and the ports they call at.  Choose by which ports are most appealing to you.  I would recommend any one that includes Newport, RI. Most sailings will either be out of NY or Boston.

[Essiesmom]

Most cruises will visit the same ports, and offer the same excursions.  So perhaps you should pay attention to the time in port, the amenities of the ship, and departure port.  EM

[navybankerteacher]

You might want to consider one of the cruises from Quebec to Boston or New York - giving you a couple of days to see Quebec first - for a whole additional experience.

[davekathy]

5 hours ago, Trev0r said:

I have always wanted to do New England in the Fall but unfortunately my wife isn't happy at the thought of touring around from place to place so we have decided to compromise on a cruise. Could you advise me which cruise provides the best day trips to view the New England countryside. We are first timers to cruising. Also we are flexible about where to join the ship (anywhere on the NE coast would be OK with us). We are aiming to go in autumn 2020.

We're doing a 14 night New England/ Canada cruise with Celebrity on the Summit 8 September 2019. R/T from Cape Liberty (Bayonne) NJ. 

[Bonnie J.]

We went to Halifax,  Nova Scotia, and St. John, New Brunswick, from New York over the 4th of July weekend.  It was so cold I  ended up buying a hoodie in the gift shop. I also wore very thin long pants too, a souvenir from Xhal Ha, Mexico. It can be colder farther north. But other days it was shorts. Maybe take a sweatshirt, jeans?

 

Watch out! you may end up planning your next cruise!!

[SuiteTraveler]

We did a 1 week on the Regal Princess in early October 2018.  It was just wonderful.  It began in Brooklyn (we stayed at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge - AWESOME! and ate dinner the night before at The River Cafe (reservations required - but this is a terrific restaurant - it is where David Letterman held his retirement party - it overlooks all of Manhattan! and you can walk to it from 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.). The port is a short ride away from the hotel in the morning.

 

Itinerary was:

Brooklyn

Boston (we took the train to Salem, Massachusetts to see the House of Seven Gables http://www.7gables.org and really enjoyed seeing this town and the historic buildings.) It is all very walkable as the train stops just adjacent to the historic district. We had an early dinner at Legal Seafood back in Boston. https://www.legalseafoods.com/restaurants/boston-logan-airport-terminal-e-447

Newport (we went to see some of the famous mansions (Breakers and Marble House which was just so fun as I knew the stories behind these houses and wound up also seeing the church where JFK and Jaqueline got married as well as the house used for exteriors for "Dark Shadows"). We had lunch on our own at The Mooring very close to the dock. https://www.mooringrestaurant.com/?utm_source=Yext&utm_medium=Yext&utm_campaign=Yext_Google

Bar Harbor (we had no problem tendering in and out of this port. We had a lobster lunch at a little after 11am at Galyn's which is right at the pier, walked all over the town and then went on a tour of Arcadia National Park in the afternoon where we enjoyed blueberry lemonade and popovers - wonderful!). https://www.galynsbarharbor.com

Saint John (we went to see the reversing tides and then out to see St. Martins and the Sea Caves followed by a city tour and a stop to see the tides had reversed - great day with a great tour guide - she was hilarious!  Our bus actually broke down at one point, but it didn't matter we were having such a great time and the mayor of St. Martins and her husband heard we were stranded and in an act of small town kindness, brought bottled water and cookies to us on our stranded bus!  What a great mayor!  We were standing beside the bus and could smell the pine trees.  It was a lovely day outside and being stranded was not a problem at all. Within a short amount of time (maybe an hour at most), a new bus arrived and we continued our tour. )

Halifax Nova Scotia (went out to photograph the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove - WOW!  It was cold, but I still enjoyed it!)

Brooklyn

 

The Regal Princess is a beautiful ship.  The food was good to excellent in every case.  We didn't have much choice on cabins as I booked very late and got someone's last minute balcony cancellation - it was perfect!  They have an awesome spa with a thalisotherapy pool and this sky walk thing that goes out over the water from an upper deck.  The entertainment was good and we thoroughly enjoyed this ship which I see is doing the same itinerary this year!

 

JMO, once your wife sees these amazing ports and the charming inns and eats the fantastic food on land, she will regret not doing a land vacation and you can probably negotiate to do a land trip next year!

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by SuiteTraveler

[happyyaya]

Since you've indicated 2020....for the first time, Celebrity (on the Summit) will begin and end a New England cruise in Boston, in October 2020. It includes 2 nights in Quebec. This would allow you to explore Boston either before or after the cruise. The itinerary looks great. 

[Kartgv]

Consider transportation ease when you're planning your trip.   Some cruise lines do 1 way cruises from a southern port (New York, Bayonne, etc) to Quebec, then a separate cruise in the return direction.   You can do both as back-to-backs, but that may be additional time and money.  Flying either to or from the Canadian port if you only do one way can also be more expensive and difficult.   These cruises also usually stop in the same ports both directions. 

 

We prefer a cruise that is a 'round-trip' such as the Celebrity Summit cruises .    Happyyaya mentioned the one out of Boston, but most of their cruises are round trip from Bayonne/Newark, 14 nights with an overnight in Quebec.   

 

Also, I wouldn't avoid a cruise just because it stops in Bar Harbor.   It's a lovely little city and well worth seeing if you get the chance.    Yes, there's a possibility that the tenders may not be able to operate, but there's also a good chance they will.    We've done the port 3 times and had no problems any of the times.   

[Toofarfromthesea]

10 hours ago, Trev0r said:

I have always wanted to do New England in the Fall but unfortunately my wife isn't happy at the thought of touring around from place to place so we have decided to compromise on a cruise. Could you advise me which cruise provides the best day trips to view the New England countryside. We are first timers to cruising. Also we are flexible about where to join the ship (anywhere on the NE coast would be OK with us). We are aiming to go in autumn 2020.

 

We just booked a 12 day cruise on Victory Cruise Lines, which does this type of cruise, as well as Great Lakes cruises.  They were recently bought out by American Queen.  This is the cruise we will be doing:

https://www.victorycruiselines.com/departure-details/?c=233

And here is their calendar of upcoming cruises, which includes the 2020 offerings:

https://www.victorycruiselines.com/calendar/

We felt that a small, 200 pax, ship will get in much closer to the sights, while cruising, than even the smaller ocean line ships.  

Edited May 30, 2019 by Toofarfromthesea