Doing a 7 day out of NYC to Canada on the Venezia in September..What to expect?

[valandemmy]

We have cruised a lot over the years, but have never cruised to Canada or New England and never out of a New York port.

Other than the obvious differences from the tropical climate...what can we expect from the NYC port and the Canadian cruise?

[Guest BasicSailor]

Pack yourself a few warm items the first half of this cruise. 😉

Edited February 3, 2023 by BasicSailor

[valandemmy]

20 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

Pack yourself a few warm items the first half of this cruise. 😉

 

The trip is Mid September..."historical" weather said 70s during the day....I can live with that lol.

 

Do you think it is an older crowd for that type of cruise...doesnt seem like a party cruise lol

[shof515]

be aware of the time difference and ship time

 

Canada is 1 hour ahead of New York time

[Guest BasicSailor]

35 minutes ago, valandemmy said:

 

The trip is Mid September..."historical" weather said 70s during the day....I can live with that lol.

 

Do you think it is an older crowd for that type of cruise...doesnt seem like a party cruise lol

 Oh, you knew the answers. My apologies 🤣

[sgttami]

The majority of my cruises have been from NYC and NJ (RCL) and I love leaving from NYC as it's close to home and no flying.  Have met a lot of fun people on board.  

 

There won't be a lot of kids since it's the start of the school year for the area and it won't be an old fogey cruise either.  The Canada itinerary had a nice mix of ages.

 

I like the itinerary for the cooler weather but on one Canada trip in September it was unseasonably warm and hit 85 one day in Halifax.

 

Pack layers of clothes since the temps change throughout the day.  It was never freezing and never sweltering.

 

It's still one of my favorite itineraries that I'll do again at some point and was looking at Venezia as well! 

[jsglow]

We're very much looking forward to trying this sometime.  As others have said, September begins the Fall transition up north. Clothing should reflect the need for flexibility from shorts to multiple layers.

[d12j28]

15 hours ago, valandemmy said:

 

The trip is Mid September..."historical" weather said 70s during the day....I can live with that lol.

 

Do you think it is an older crowd for that type of cruise...doesnt seem like a party cruise lol

Bring layers. The temps in September can be all over the place. However, you are most likely to have cool nights and mornings (40's-50's) and it will take awhile for the day to warm. That 70 will likely be around 3-4 PM.

[Crusin Karen]

I live 20 minutes from port of Manhattan. September is usually still warm but ocean breezes on the ship can be chilly even in summer so pack at least a hoodie.  I've sailed north many times and had some of the best weather and some of the absolute worst weather,  One cruise it was raining buckets in Halifax and we couldn't even go to Portland or Boston.  Another time we had blue sky for a week. so do pack some rain gear!  And many mornings are foggy....I mean, can't see 5' in front of you foggy.  But weather's a crap shoot and nothing you can do about it.  And it IS still "hurricane season."  Jamman has a bunch of reviews of his northbound cruises complete with Patti's pictures, so put a search in!  Have fun!  Cruising out of NY is amazing!

[luvs2beachit]

I did the Canada cruise on the Magic out of NYC last September and  the weather was 70's and sunny during the day and 60's towards evening.  I layered up and it worked out great.  We were lucky. No major weather issues.  This was my 7th Canada cruise and for the most part, other than some rainy days, layering worked fine.

As someone mentioned in an earlier post bring some rain gear just in case.  I have been able to pick up cheap plastic rain cover ups at Dollar Tree that u use and then toss. Not very stylish but they do the job.  I have a Canada cruise booked for this September so am hoping my luck holds out!

 

[blueshine]

We did this itinerary last September on the Magic. This was a quieter cruise. Not too many kids. We enjoyed the spa. It was very relaxing. I packed from shorts to long layers. Luckily, we never needed our wind breakers or rain coats. This was an easy cruise since we are only an hour or so from port.

[RD64]

I did not check the itinerary, but if you go to Charlottetown, PEI - excellent lobster roll near the pier AND Anne of Green Gables Chocolates. These are truly some of the best chocolates you can purchase at a reasonable price. They have a small outlet within the pier complex - and their main store on Queen Elizabeth Street.

 

Also, I am assuming that you are travelling with a passport. At the visitor centre within the pier complex, they will put a PEI stamp in your passport. Sydney, NS does the same thing.

 

As for Halifax - truly an all round great place with so much to see and do. Hopefully it is not a busy day and you will dock front and centre at Pier 21 or Pier 22. Otherwise you will be banished to one of the hinterland piers. If I had to live anywhere else in Canada it would be Halifax.

[Sugar67]

Here in Eastern Canada our Falls have been just getting nicer and warmer. RD64 is correct about the seafood restaurant in Charlottetown.  It is called Water Prince Corner Shop and it will be open still in September.  Anne of Green Gables Chocolates are located just around the corner and up a couple blocks from the restaurant, on Queen Street.

If you are docking in Halifax, I recommend doing an excursion to Peggy's Cove.  It is a beautiful spot.  Bring layers as others have suggested and be prepared for this Maritime kindness!  Hope you have a great cruise

Edited February 5, 2023 by Sugar67

[nycruise1]

We were on Sunshine and they heated the main pool.  Even though it was not covered, and some days were cool and misty, we were able to use the pool everyday.  In fact one day it was actually hot, like a hot tub.  But they lowered it to a reasonable warmth the next day.

On 2/3/2023 at 8:10 PM, Crusin Karen said:

And many mornings are foggy....I mean, can't see 5' in front of you foggy.  

We had this and the worst part was walking on deck and the fog horn would go off--it was loud and startling!  Never heard it when we were in our middeck inside cabin.

 

Very much enjoyed Halifax.  Check out the Citadel if you have any interest in military history,

[valandemmy]

Thanks for all the info.  we have been watching Halifax reviews and can not wait to see it.

 

Thanks again. 

[broadwaybaby123]

I'm actually from New England, it's fairly comfortable here during that time. Sweatshirts/light jackets and jeans will be just fine here. Temps are normally in the 60's and depending on when you come, you might see our peak Fall colors.

Edited February 6, 2023 by broadwaybaby123

[Haljo1935]

On 2/5/2023 at 10:59 PM, broadwaybaby123 said:

...and depending on when you come, you might see our peak Fall colors.

@broadwaybaby123Do you have a ballpark estimate on dates for this fall Leaf Peeping? I haven't been able to find a good color map w/dates.

Edited May 27, 2023 by Haljo1935

[broadwaybaby123]

Usually October, but that depends on exactly WHICH state you're visiting.

[Haljo1935]

@valandemmy what dates is your cruise? We are B2B Sept 16 - 29.

[HappySails4U]

We are on this same cruise in September.   Never sailed from NYC and have never visited Canada  Really hoping for some chilly mornings !!   Still haven't made a decision on excursions yet.

[Haljo1935]

15 minutes ago, HappySails4U said:

We are on this same cruise in September.   Never sailed from NYC and have never visited Canada  Really hoping for some chilly mornings !!   Still haven't made a decision on excursions yet.

We aren't booking excursions just yet, think we need to research weather a little more, but there are some great options.

We have left out of NYC one time - Princess, last cruise prior to Covid shutdown, Oct what 2019? It was Canada New England.

Then last Oct 2022 we did HAL out of Boston Canada New England.

So this will be our 3rd Canada New England and 2nd NYC.

The NYC sail away was stunning w/Lady Liberty in the background. Last year we were exactly a week behind hurricane Fiona. The weather was great both times - chilly mornings and evenings, but we were a full month later.

Edited June 7, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[HappySails4U]

2 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

We have left out of NYC one time

So on your previous NYC sailing, how was debarkation on your return?    I have read that the port area is very chaotic (disorganized)  trying to get to your transportation.     We will be flying home from LaGuardia and don't know if we should plan to use a taxi / Uber/Lyft  or Carnival transportation.

[Haljo1935]

17 minutes ago, HappySails4U said:

So on your previous NYC sailing, how was debarkation on your return?    I have read that the port area is very chaotic (disorganized)  trying to get to your transportation.     We will be flying home from LaGuardia and don't know if we should plan to use a taxi / Uber/Lyft  or Carnival transportation.

I don't remember anything specific, so it must have been uneventful, which in this case is good. 🤗We did use Princess shuttle w/the expectation that in an unfamiliar port potentially prone to traffic and other delays, we would have the least disruptions/best experience. We are planning on using Carnival transfer this time for the same reason. We did not do any excursion or stay over - we went directly from ship to airport, which we're doing this time, as well.

My travel companion is not what I would consider "seasoned" but has cruised a bit. She is a Nervous Nellie (feel ok to say since it's my sister, lol) about making flights and navigating in places she doesn't know well, so she's more comfortable retaining as much control as possible, which she feels like she gets w/cruise line transfer vs ride share, taxi or public transportation.

Edited June 7, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Mira28]

13 hours ago, HappySails4U said:

So on your previous NYC sailing, how was debarkation on your return?    I have read that the port area is very chaotic (disorganized)  trying to get to your transportation.     We will be flying home from LaGuardia and don't know if we should plan to use a taxi / Uber/Lyft  or Carnival transportation.

 Hi,

  Disembarkation can take a while or it can be pretty smooth and quick. It's hard to know ahead of time. The Manhattan Cruise port isn't particularly attractive, but things do move along once you get your bags, and you basically just walk straight through out of the terminal to the street. Taxis are lined up across 12th Avenue. There should be no problem getting one to LGA. You will encounter some Uber/Lyft drivers offering rides just before the taxi queue. If you want Uber or Lyft, my suggestion is to walk straight past these people and go east, about a block away from the pier. Order the ride then. It may not be any cheaper, but it will be less chaotic. I have not used the cruieline shuttles, but I'd imagine they are easy to find and a straightforward way to get to the airport. 

[AFS1970]

We sail on the 16th also, only on your first week thought. This will be our second trip to Nova Scotia, the first was 30 years ago.