What to pack - Last week in September?

[SuzMate]

Okay, I'm stealing Sheebah's tag line --

 

We sail from NY round-trip a month from today. Ports include Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston, and Newport. I'm thinking layers - T's, sweaters, jeans/slacke and the like for days. But will we need a coat or a jacket too. I have a leather jacket or a wool coat. Are either appropriate?

 

We are in Boston two days, the first day we plan on walking the Freedom Trail, so I'm planning on a more comfortable look (including good walking shoes). The second day we plan on a trip to the art museum, a nice lunch with family members, and a little shopping. I was thinking a skirt and boots that day, or will it be too early for that.

 

Coming from San Diego makes it hard to know what is appropriate for that time of year - September tends to be one our warmest months of the year.

[Cruise Lover Kathy]

When we went the first week of October in 2004 we had great weather. I like the leather jacket and some kind of sweater/layers for underneathit. When we were in Newport, everyone ended up in short sleeves but you needed gloves (lightweight but...) when we were in Peggy's Cove so...

 

We are going back October 12-24 on the QM2 so I hope we have nice weather then too.

[TheWog]

Unfortunately, it is hard to say. September is iffy weather wise. You can have some really warm days, then you could also have cooler days even in the same week (I mean 80s to 60s fluctuation - extreme, but has happened). I would say your plan works. You won't need boots, it won't be that cold. But you will need a jacket especially for the evenings. The leather would work fine (no need for a heavy wool jacket yet), but I also don’t know your tolerances. Being from San Diego you may not have the same tolerance for cooler weather as I do. A light leather glove is probably also good to have in there. Sweatshirts/sweaters are perfect for the day if it is chilly. Out on the ocean it may be. In port the sun will still be shining and that will warm you, but a sea breeze may cool you down. Sorry if this is long or complicated, but the New England weather is an unusual experience especially in the fall when trying to figure out how to plan a day.

 

For Boston, you might be a bit warm while walking the trail, especially if really sunny. You don't want to end up just carrying it.

[CEV426]

We went the 2nd week of Oct. last year and the coldest temp was on top of Cadillac Mt. I'm talkin' bone chilling temps and very windy. I think it was in the 20s or 30s up there and the wind was no help. I am the "always hot" type, so take it from there. The heaviest thing I wore was a lined wind breaker type jacket with maybe a turtleneck or long sleeved T.

 

Dont worry too much about evening as you will be on the ship and indoors.....unless you want to hang out on deck after dark. There are places to buy sweatshirts everywhere (Esp Bar Harbor) .....so pack light and pick up some wearbale souvenigers. If you need much at all it will be in Nova Scotia and Bar Harbor. Boston and Newport are mild.

[tom1841]

An example of weather this month...........several days ago it was in the low 50's for a night time low.........Tomorro 95 very humid.....By midweek hi's in the low seventys.......you kinda never know .The layer idea seems good.To assure comfort plan for anywhere from mid 40's at night or early mornings to 80 during the day.

[jrobinso]

We've opted for a New England "road trip" this year, the first two weeks of October. We are starting in New Hampshire,the Vermont, Maine,Mass.,RI and CT. It sound like as long as I have "layers" I won't need a heavy jacket. Is that correct???? Another Southern Californian here.

[Renee2882]

No heavy jacket needed just bring layers and always have light jacket or sweater handy. Weather can really fluctuate and believe me it's miserable to be underdressed on a chilly fall day.

[Jan_In_Maine]

I've got to agree on the layers. A wind breaker would be nice, a tee, sweatshirt, long pants. (Bring a pair of shorts, just in case.... ya never know). Have a wonderful time on your trip. New England is beautiful! Jan

[jrobinso]

thanks so much for the info. I'll leave the heavy jacket at home. I also didn't think about throwing in a pair of shorts, but I will now "just in case". We are so excited. We've been trying to do this trip for several years now, but something has always gotten in the way ( health issues the last 2 years). We opted out of cruising since there is so so much we want to see. We will be in Bar Harbor ( Bar Harbor Inn) for 3 nights. Any "must dos" Jan-in-Maine??? Hoping we can find places to laundry scattered around so we can pack lighter than usual.

Thanks

Jan ( in California!!!)

[Spikesgirl]

Jan - as you can tell, I'm also from CA, but I grew up in Vermont. Can tell you that I have seen snow the last week in September and have seen blissfully warm (for New England)days in November...in fact in the same year. Of course, the weather differs a bit on the coast, but do be prepared for some chilly times, especially if you are born and bred Southern California.

 

As for laundry, there should be facilities on your ship if you can't find anything land based. We always travel with just a week's worth of clothes to lighten the load, as it were. somehow, that never seems to help.

 

Charlie

[JoanneF]

Jan-We just returned from Bar Harbor 2 weeks ago. It is beautiful. Bar Harbor Inn is beautiful and in a great location. Laundromat is at 38 Holland Ave. There is a nice Shore Path that starts at Bar Harbor Inn and goes along the water. It exits at the opposite end of Main St. It's ~1 mile or so long. We took the shore path and then worked our way back up Main St. with shopping, lunch. We had a great lunch at the Parkside Restaurant. Inside Acadia National park are some great sceninc overlooks, etc. One we really liked was just below Schooner Head. The left turn only said Overlook. It was just past Precipice Trailhead and right before an Entrance Station to the park on the Park Loop Rd. There is a parking area and then a short walk down a path to the overlook.Here is a link to a great interactive website and map.

http://www.acadiamagic.com/acadia_national_park.html. Here is the "official" website link.

http://www.nps.gov/acad/

 

Have a great time. Three days in Bar Harbor will give you plenty of time to explore. Be sure you go the the other side of Mt. Desert Island. There are great views and shops on the quiet side.

Joanne

P.S. I live in Boston and am originally from CT, so if you have any other questions about New England, feel free to e-mail me

[Jan_In_Maine]

jrobinso .... I have a lot of ideas on "must do" in Maine everywhere from the mountains to the coast and in between.

 

If you are going to be in the Mt Desert area (which we pronounce as if it was something to eat after supper) I'd advise to take a ride to Schoodic which is going towards Downeast Maine ... it is also part of the National Park System and is more quiet and beautiful ... try this link (I didin't have much of a chance to really look at websites) http://www.acadia-schoodic.org/

 

If you are coming from NH into Maine and go through Conway take route 113 in Maine - it is also part of the White Mountains and is beautiful in the fall (closed during the winter). There are some great areas coastal also ... Castine is wonderful ... full of history. http://www.castine.me.us/pages/AboutPages/history.html

 

Tell me what you like and I'll be glad to come up with more ideas. Jan

[EGG]

This is my advice if you are going to be walking around in the different ports:

 

I would not take a leather jacket. My husband and I take jackets that are made of polyester/nylon materials, the kind that are a little waterproof. These give you some protection if you have short periods of light rain and if you get warm you can tie the coat around your waist. Not the most fashionable, but more practical than leather which does not like rain and does not bounce back if you want to carry it. If you end up sitting on a wall, etc. and the coat gets dirty you can wash it. These also can be packed. They are usually less form fitting then a leather jacket so you can layer easier. My jacket has a hood so I don't have to shlep an umbrella.

 

I loved the cruise. We went in the middle of Oct. The only port that was chilly was Quebec. We've learned our lesson in several ports and we now layer and take off the top layer as the day warms up. We don't like being cold all day.