September or October?

[Huggsy]

Hi all, which is thought to be the best month to take in an Autumn cruise around New England/Canada?

[Ethereal Cruiser]

Late September or early October!

 

If you wait too long, a lot of the fall colors will be gone.

[Guerncruising]

Hi Huggsy, we went 7th Oct. 2017. It was a great cruise with a few wet days but wasn’t the best for colours, often seen better when driving up the M1! Not Regent’s fault, obviously, but someone who had not provided enough rain apparently. Did some great trips and had to miss only one port due to whales slowing us down. I have an uncle who used to live in Halifax N.S. who said that you have to take it as it is. 
We had a great time and it was an introduction to cruising for some friends who came with us. 
Pick your date and enjoy. 

[Huggsy]

10 minutes ago, Guerncruising said:

Hi Huggsy, we went 7th Oct. 2017. It was a great cruise with a few wet days but wasn’t the best for colours, often seen better when driving up the M1! Not Regent’s fault, obviously, but someone who had not provided enough rain apparently. Did some great trips and had to miss only one port due to whales slowing us down. I have an uncle who used to live in Halifax N.S. who said that you have to take it as it is. 
We had a great time and it was an introduction to cruising for some friends who came with us. 
Pick your date and enjoy. 

😂 Thanks - M1, here I come! 🚙

[GOARMY]

Early October aboard Navigator about 12 years ago.  Hit it just about right, that year, said the Locals, as to peak colors.  Reviewed a set of pictures taken during that trip.  Weather cooperated, as well.  

 

GOARMY!

 

  

[RetiredandTravel]

On 6/10/2022 at 11:08 AM, Ethereal Cruiser said:

Late September or early October!

 

If you wait too long, a lot of the fall colors will be gone.

 

 

This is correct, yet too early and you will see green. 

 

Most states have foliage info.

 

here's Maine (midpoint?)

 

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/projects/fall_foliage/whenandwhere/

 

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/projects/fall_foliage/report/index.shtml

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[Jim B]

We did a mid October Montreal to Miami on Navigator.

Wish we had done it a few weeks earlier. Parts of it was very cold, windy, and rain/sleet,

until we got south of NYC. Then the weather was fantastic.

[flossie009]

In 2016 we were on Mariner sailing from Montreal (21st October) to Miami (4th November).

The cruise was good but we were underwhelmed by the fall colours - too much wind and rain which stripped much of the colourful foliage.

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It really depends on what's more important to you, fall colours, or weather.  We did one in the last part of September, ending on October 1st.  Granted, that was around Newfoundland, and did not go down to Boston or New York.  We saw very little colour, but I wasn't surprised.  Trois Rivieres actually had pretty maples near the dock.  Being from the Northeast, it was no big deal for us, but for some this is the most important thing.  But as the days progress, the weather can deterioriate, although the weather is never guaranteed in that part of the world, more so in autumn.

[Sunprince]

For the Canadian part of the voyage , the best timing for fall colours is a one to two week period around Canadian Thanksgiving (always the second Monday of Oct). Weather is variable but will still be fine. Also within the region there is different timing ( from days to weeks) for the best fall colours (north to south will turn colour first)  Any time after mid Oct then the weather might not cooperate and will be noticeably cooler (especially on the ocean).  Also many seasonal tourist businesses tend to close down after the thanksgiving weekend. 
 

If you don’t care about seeing the leaves turn then a cruise anytime in September is a much better option.  

[Quack21]

Very disappointed not much fall color when we went Oct 3 - 15, 2019 Montreal to New York.

[Sunprince]

2 hours ago, Quack21 said:

Very disappointed not much fall color when we went Oct 3 - 15, 2019 Montreal to New York.

Too early or too late?

[cotto22]

Fall foliage varies from year to year. My family is from Maine,and I went to college there. The peak could be October 1st, or the 7th or the 15th. It just depends on the weather. I have visited my sister mid September and enjoyed Autumn color, and sometimes over Halloween there has still been a lot left. 

  We did a Montreal to Miami cruise a few years ago in late October and that year the colors were past their prime. There was still some color further south, but not as much as we had hoped for. We knew it was late, but the price was right and the weather was nice and cold, which we enjoyed.

[Sunprince]

23 minutes ago, cotto22 said:

Fall foliage varies from year to year.

Very true…if it is a dry summer/fall then the leaves will not be as colourful and may be prone to fall early. Also sometimes there might be a tropical storm or hurricane and that will cause early departure of the foliage.  Other times there will still be colour in late October, if conditions are right.  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

What surprised me on our Montreal-Montreal found trip down the St. Lawrence and around Nfld, was just how little colour we had a *chance* to see.  As I said, I'm from the NE, so perhaps I don't notice as much.  Montreal was lovely, and there was some colour on the Mountain, and Trois Rivieres was colourful, but everywhere else, not so much.  This was the last week of September.  It's always hit or miss when and if you can see those great displays of blazing red maples.

[Quack21]

23 hours ago, Sunprince said:

Too early or too late?

Too early

[ChucktownSteve]

Another key contributing factor is how much rainfall there is.  We sailed several years ago to Quebec in the first week of October but because the previous rainfall was lacking, the colors were very delayed.  Too difficult to predict if you're booking far out.  Maybe the Farmer's Almanac can help?

[Ethereal Cruiser]

FYI, I noticed today that Grandeur has new itineraries in New England starting September 2024!

[pingpong1]

Is it possible that Navigator just might "not be around" anymore by the fall of '24??  😢

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, pingpong1 said:

Is it possible that Navigator just might "not be around" anymore by the fall of '24??  😢

With the latest release of 2024/2025 sailings, Regent are scheduling cruises on Navigator through into 2025 🙂 

[Gilly]

We are on Navigator right now and the Captain has offered assurance that Navigator will be around for the foreseeable future.  That brought a round of universal approval from those present, too.

[SusieQft]

I was also worried about Navigator's fate when I saw that the 2024 Grand Artic Adventure will be on the Mariner.  Now with the release of the 2024-25 schedule showing Navigator still sailing, I am thinking that probably that Grand Voyage is just so popular, even without St. Petersburg, that they decided it needed a larger ship.  I'm glad that Navigator is still on the schedule.

[Gilly]

14 hours ago, SusieQft said:

I'm glad that Navigator is still on the schedule.

Me too!