Canada cruise in the fall

[srsurman]

I'm patiently waiting for a Boston to Montreal or Quebec City cruise for Fall 2026 (when do they typically get released?).  Anyway, I notice that for 2025 the last cruise leaves Boston on October 4, which means that it's barely fall.  And this year, the last cruise is October 12.  In a normal year, that's on the early side for prime leaf-peeping.  Is that typical for HAL to stop sailing so early?  Any particular reason they don't sail the whole month of October?

[Stpatsirish]

Here in Southern Canada, peak colours are usually on our Thanksgiving weekend, which is October 14th this year.  That is actually late for our Thanksgiving, which can be as early as the 8th. A lot of the stops in Canada are much further north than I am so that would mean their peak time is the beginning of October. 

[whatcruiseisnext]

I am also interested in in the 2026 Canada itineraries.

[C 2 C]

We cruised to Quebec in early October a decade ago and were welcomed with 6 inches of snow on the ground.

[shippmates]

They stop sailing to Canda early in October due to unstable weather.  You could possibly have beautiful fall temperatures or you could have snow and freezing tempertures.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Also, some tourist places close down after Canadian Thanksgiving, as its the unofficial end of tourist season. I remember a tour to Louisburg on a late fall cruise and it was only partly opened, and some of what they had opened was probably just for our tour. 

 

The other thing is colors don't all change at once, so you can see a mix of fall colors and green. On top of that, Canada has a lot of evergreens. Early October in Sydney (2016) and in Saguenay (2022).

 

Edited September 14 by 3rdGenCunarder

[srsurman]

6 hours ago, C 2 C said:

We cruised to Quebec in early October a decade ago and were welcomed with 6 inches of snow on the ground.

The planet has been warming significantly in the past decade.  Missed opportunity to extend the cruise season imo.  When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

[sunviking90]

Cabot trail, outside Sydney NS, Oct 9, 2019. Plenty of fall colour.

 

[srsurman]

4 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

Cabot trail, outside Sydney NS, Oct 9, 2019. Plenty of fall colour.

That's kinda my point.  Those fall colors were probably just as nice a week or two later.

[rodndonna]

10 hours ago, srsurman said:

That's kinda my point.  Those fall colors were probably just as nice a week or two later.

 

We're from the Maritimes and personally we wouldn't book and later than early mid October for that area. Up to our Thanksgiving weekend (mid October) weather can still be quite nice. It cools pretty fast in later October, and if the leaves are gone by then (not unusual depending on the season and wind/rain storms) it's really not that appealing.

 

Edit: That is one of the reasons we are "from" the Maritimes but now live in Southern Ontario after retiring ...the season for nice weather there can be pretty compact.

Edited September 14 by rodndonna

[C 2 C]

6 hours ago, rodndonna said:

Edit: That is one of the reasons we are "from" the Maritimes but now live in Southern Ontario after retiring ...the season for nice weather there can be pretty compact.

Southern Ontario here:  It's Hot, it's dry.  The leaves are drying out and falling.  We don't expect much colour this year.

[Fouremco]

LOL. As a former Maritimer who moved to Ottawa to retire, weather was certainly not on the plus side of the balance sheet. Of course, Southern Ontario is another thing altogether, but our kids and grandkids are here in Ottawa.

 

For the OP's consideration, I'd say that you have a better chance of good viewing if you sail from Montreal or Quebec City and head in a Southerly direction. Colour are at their peak earlier in Quebec than in Nova Scotia, so as they go past their best in Quebec, they'll still be at their peak in Nova Scotia. If you start in Boston and get great colours in Nova Scotia, they'll be past their prime by time you reach Quebec.

[rodndonna]

6 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

LOL. As a former Maritimer who moved to Ottawa to retire, weather was certainly not on the plus side of the balance sheet. Of course, Southern Ontario is another thing altogether, but our kids and grandkids are here in Ottawa.

 

 

We met in working in Ottawa, returned to Maritimes (Fredericton) and on retiring and deciding where to live it was a hard "no" to return to Ottawa because of the harsh cold.Although a place like Fredericton or elsewhere in the maritimes has a shorter summer, it does not have the extremes you have in Ottawa. 

[Lady Arwen]

18 hours ago, C 2 C said:

Southern Ontario here:  It's Hot, it's dry.  The leaves are drying out and falling.  We don't expect much colour this year.

We’re just two hours NW of Toronto in Thornbury and this weekend has been very hot!  Like you, a few of our bushes have already started to dry out and the leaves look ready to drop.  I doubt we’ll see a vibrant fall season.
 

 I wouldn’t suggest to anyone to take a Canada New England cruise just to see the fall colours.  In Canada, especially, it’s very difficult to predict from year to year.  On many Thanksgiving holidays in southern Ontario we’re still using the bbq and sitting outside and our neighbours in the Maritimes are shoveling the snow off of their driveways.  You just never know.

[3rdGenCunarder]

33 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

We’re just two hours NW of Toronto in Thornbury and this weekend has been very hot!  Like you, a few of our bushes have already started to dry out and the leaves look ready to drop.  I doubt we’ll see a vibrant fall season.
 

 I wouldn’t suggest to anyone to take a Canada New England cruise just to see the fall colours.  In Canada, especially, it’s very difficult to predict from year to year.  On many Thanksgiving holidays in southern Ontario we’re still using the bbq and sitting outside and our neighbours in the Maritimes are shoveling the snow off of their driveways.  You just never know.

 

 I agree! There are so many wonderful things to do on a Canada cruise, that I consider the fall colors a bonus. Geography, climate, unusual weather all affect when trees turn color. You shouldn't expect to see bright postcard-perfect fall colors throughout the entire cruise. Some places will be past peak, some at/near (if your timing is lucky), some yet to reach peak. And if the trees are mixed species, a maple may be bright pink-orange while an oak is still green. 

 

I have to admit, I don't do a fall cruise for the color because I get beautiful fall colors right where I live (northern NJ). I go for the fun of the cruise and the things to do at the ports. I also agree about the weather. Some years here are better than others. This year we've gone from heat wave to deluge to no rain for almost 2 weeks and none in sight for a few more days. I have NO idea what that combination of extremes will do to our trees. I just know that it's my unofficial start to autumn today because the first tree to turn in my neighborhood (always the maple 2 houses away) is starting to show some red leaves. 

 

p.s. to the folks complaining about Ottawa's winters. Don't you get to skate on the river? That has to be a pretty good perk.

[visagrunt]

On 9/13/2024 at 7:47 PM, srsurman said:

That's kinda my point.  Those fall colors were probably just as nice a week or two later.

A couple of weeks later those colours were dried out and on the ground.

Autumn is extremely short in the Maritimes and even moreso in Québec.  I remember more than one white Hallowe'en growing up in Montréal.

[Fouremco]

4 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

p.s. to the folks complaining about Ottawa's winters. Don't you get to skate on the river? That has to be a pretty good perk.

Every winter, the National Capital Commission transforms the historic Rideau Canal into the world’s largest skating rink. The skating season typically runs from January to early March, but it is very much weather-dependent. For the last couple of years, there's been almost no skating, a big disappointment for residents and visitors alike.