Canada.new england cruise out of ny or boston< oct 2009?????

[mommyx2]

We are looking at Canada/New Englad cruise. There is 7day out of NY on carnival truimph that makes 4 stops or 7day rccl jewel of sea out of Boston with 4 stops as well. We are coming from west coast, so airfar and pre hotel is about the same. We are cruise both carnival and RCCL in the past and both were good. Carnival is $700 less then RCCL. Help us decide and tell us why we should choose one over the other....

 

thanks

[LindaKE]

We will be on a 7 day out of Boston on NCL in Oct. It starts in Boston and ends in Quebec and has Bar Harbor, St. John, Sydney, Halifax, and La Baie as ports. You might want to look into that as well. We have been on only Carnival for a comparison, but we love NCL.

[julia]

Hi:

 

I just did this same exact comparison and we decided on RCI's Jewel out of Boston. While Carnival has a great product, we just felt the Jewel will be more elegant, and that staying in Boston (or Vermont!) would be less expensive than New York. (We are hoping to fly in a few days early and get a car and do a road trip!)

 

Good luck and let us know what you decide....

[EbayCruiser]

We are booked on Holland America for 10/03/09 out of Boston and ending up in Montreal.

 

HAL is more expensive but worth it ... the itinerary is fantastic. You are on a smaller ship so you get to cruise up the St. Lawrence River and I have heard the views are breathtaking.

 

You also get to stop in Quebec City which I heard is very beautiful! :)

[mommyx2]

Hi:

 

I just did this same exact comparison and we decided on RCI's Jewel out of Boston. While Carnival has a great product, we just felt the Jewel will be more elegant, and that staying in Boston (or Vermont!) would be less expensive than New York. (We are hoping to fly in a few days early and get a car and do a road trip!)

 

Good luck and let us know what you decide....

 

Hi Julia,

ok we decided on Jewel out of Boston Oct 10,2009.. We are excited. We will be coming in early to see Boston.. Which week are you going?

 

tami

[julia]

Tami:

 

We'll be on the same sailing! (We both should head over to the roll call boards and join in... there's one already started).

 

Will be in touch!

[appletx]

We are booking for Oct. Boston to Quebec. Which side of ship do we want to be on? Does it make a big difference - that is are you close enough to land to see scenery?

[SailBadtheSinner]

The only time it makes a difference is when entering a port; but in that case, what you don’t see on the way in, you’ll see on the way out (except maybe on the St Lawrence River)

 

 

 

SBtS

[CasaSmith]

My DH and I have cruised on the Jewel of the Seas twice doing this itinery. The first time was 10 days going roundtrip from Boston to Quebec and it was beautiful trip. The second time was last year going roundtrip from Boston and stopping at Bar Harbour, Portland, Halifax and Saint John. I think the difference is which ports you want to visit. Any of the cruise lines should be fine. We are thinking of going on a 14 day HAL from Quebec to Fort Lauderdale.

 

The New England/Canada cruise is my favorite besides Alaska. It is so much laid back and relaxing.

 

Any you choose should be fine. Enjoy and have fun.

[Milwaukeeee]

Hi...being brand new here I would like to ask...what is roll call and how do you

find it on this site? Thanks.

[julia]

Hi...being brand new here I would like to ask...what is roll call and how do you

find it on this site? Thanks.

 

Go to the top of the message boards and click on the link to the main Cruise Critic Message Board.

 

There you will find all of the sub-boards such as "port of calls", "roll calls" etc......

 

Bookmark each one that you are interested in and you will find a LOT of information!

[julia]

Hi...being brand new here I would like to ask...what is roll call and how do you

find it on this site? Thanks.

 

Go to the top of the message boards and click on the link to the main Cruise Critic Message Board.

 

There you will find all of the sub-boards such as "port of calls", "roll calls" etc......

 

Bookmark each one that you are interested in and you will find a LOT of information!

[Grego]

Surprised you hadn't consider the 7 day Caribbean Princess out of New York. She has 6 ports and one sea day. Looks like a lot more in the 7 days.

[Kimjergen]

My DH and I have cruised on the Jewel of the Seas twice doing this itinery. The first time was 10 days going roundtrip from Boston to Quebec and it was beautiful trip. The second time was last year going roundtrip from Boston and stopping at Bar Harbour, Portland, Halifax and Saint John. I think the difference is which ports you want to visit. Any of the cruise lines should be fine. We are thinking of going on a 14 day HAL from Quebec to Fort Lauderdale.

 

The New England/Canada cruise is my favorite besides Alaska. It is so much laid back and relaxing.

 

Any you choose should be fine. Enjoy and have fun.

 

We are considering taking a 7-day Boston to Montreal sailing on the Maasdam on May 30th. We are a family of four, me, my dh, and two sons who are 13 & 11. Lucky for us, our kids truly love history & nature and enjoy museums, historic sights, tours and good food - we are thankful for our geeks who prefer exploring the world over Disney in a heartbeat. We've been on a Transatlantic(Noordam) & Roman empire(Westerdam), Alaskan(Spirit), aCarribean cruises(various Carnival ships), and Bahamas cruise(Norwegian) but this would be our first NE/Canada cruise.

Anyhow, I know the Maadam is on the smaller side for a cruise ship and I'm wondering if the north Atlantic journey will be rough for this Early June sailing because this Maasdam has no quad cabins located toward the middle of the ship which is where we normally choose to have our cabin. With that knowledge which is better for less movement if you can't be mid-ship, aft or stern? I thought maybe main deck & aft might be the best we could do but was hoping someone with experience had a suggestion.

Also, the Maasdam does not stop in St Johns, but does visit Halifax and our boys REALLY want to see the Bay of Fundy. Any suggestions or experience in doing this out of Halifax? We rarely do ship excursions and usually rent cars/hire taxis or hike or ride buses to experience the ports. The four of us enjoy relaxing on the ships but we don't mind walking quickly all day long and are very active in port.:)

Thanks in advance for any and all advice or tips!

Kim

[Ernie G]

We are considering taking a 7-day Boston to Montreal sailing on the Maasdam on May 30th. We are a family of four, me, my dh, and two sons who are 13 & 11. Lucky for us, our kids truly love history & nature and enjoy museums, historic sights, tours and good food - we are thankful for our geeks who prefer exploring the world over Disney in a heartbeat. We've been on a Transatlantic(Noordam) & Roman empire(Westerdam), Alaskan(Spirit), aCarribean cruises(various Carnival ships), and Bahamas cruise(Norwegian) but this would be our first NE/Canada cruise.

Anyhow, I know the Maadam is on the smaller side for a cruise ship and I'm wondering if the north Atlantic journey will be rough for this Early June sailing because this Maasdam has no quad cabins located toward the middle of the ship which is where we normally choose to have our cabin. With that knowledge which is better for less movement if you can't be mid-ship, aft or stern? I thought maybe main deck & aft might be the best we could do but was hoping someone with experience had a suggestion.

Also, the Maasdam does not stop in St Johns, but does visit Halifax and our boys REALLY want to see the Bay of Fundy. Any suggestions or experience in doing this out of Halifax? We rarely do ship excursions and usually rent cars/hire taxis or hike or ride buses to experience the ports. The four of us enjoy relaxing on the ships but we don't mind walking quickly all day long and are very active in port.:)

Thanks in advance for any and all advice or tips!

Kim

 

Kim:

 

The fact that the Maasdam is on the smaller size might be to your advantage regarding the ships movement. But, I would suggest you go with the AFT cabin, if you can't get a mid-ship one. The AFT cabins have a slight roar of the engines and occassionally you can hit the anchor go down when tendering in to port. But other than that they are a great choice and the noise is minimal.

 

We are considering this cruise for the fall but are looking more closely at the Caribbean Princess.

[Kimjergen]

Kim:

 

The fact that the Maasdam is on the smaller size might be to your advantage regarding the ships movement. But, I would suggest you go with the AFT cabin, if you can't get a mid-ship one. The AFT cabins have a slight roar of the engines and occassionally you can hit the anchor go down when tendering in to port. But other than that they are a great choice and the noise is minimal.

 

We are considering this cruise for the fall but are looking more closely at the Caribbean Princess.

 

Thanks Ernie, I think you may be right about the aft cabin, I made my reservation today. I noticed you also have sailed on a few of HAL's smaller ships so you are experienced. How did you like the smaller ship atmosphere on the Ryndam as opposed to any larger ships you've sailed on. I've heard the Caribbean Princess is a beautiful ship, so you'll have an amazing trip. We are using HAL because their 3rd/4th passenger rates are unbeatable most times plus, we love their service to both us as adults and our kids. We'll have to give Princess a try sometime too when they offer better rates for families with well behaved children who love to travel.:)

Best,

Kim

[Ernie G]

Thanks Ernie, I think you may be right about the aft cabin, I made my reservation today. I noticed you also have sailed on a few of HAL's smaller ships so you are experienced. How did you like the smaller ship atmosphere on the Ryndam as opposed to any larger ships you've sailed on. I've heard the Caribbean Princess is a beautiful ship, so you'll have an amazing trip. We are using HAL because their 3rd/4th passenger rates are unbeatable most times plus, we love their service to both us as adults and our kids. We'll have to give Princess a try sometime too when they offer better rates for families with well behaved children who love to travel.:)

Best,

Kim

 

 

Kim:

 

The Ryndam is the ship that got us hooked on cruising. It was our first cruise for my 50th BD. We absolutely fell in love with the staff and our dinner mates (on 65th cruise, ages 80 & 84). Since then we've actually completed 15 cruises. I need to update my list as we took the Ruby Princess in March. As far as the Caribbean Princess goes we have sailed it once and enjoyed it immensley. I understand about the 3 & 4th passenger rates and you're right....not all lines offer the discount. Princess employees quite a few of polynesian staff members, which as you know help create great memories. Next to HAL I prefer the staff of Princess best. I think we're looking at the 10/10 sailing of the Caribbean, but we never book far out. We wait for the rates to start dropping 70 days out from sail date. If there are no cabins available.....then we don't go. But going cheap enables us to cruise more often. Have a great time!

[CasaSmith]

Kim, I agree the aft cabin is your best chose.

 

Halifax has a lot of sites to see within the city that your boys may enjoy. There is the Citadel, the Maritime Museum, the Gardens, and of course now my mind went blank. Anyways you may want to visit the city first, but you would know what your family likes best.

 

What ports do you go to?

 

Enjoy your trip.

[Kimjergen]

Kim, I agree the aft cabin is your best chose.

 

Halifax has a lot of sites to see within the city that your boys may enjoy. There is the Citadel, the Maritime Museum, the Gardens, and of course now my mind went blank. Anyways you may want to visit the city first, but you would know what your family likes best.

 

What ports do you go to?

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

We are sailing on the 5/30 Maasdam out of Boston and visiting the ports of Bar Harbour, Halifax, Sydney, Prince Edward Island, Montreal and Quebec and would like to combine the exploration of the town/city as well as going off the beaten path and enjoying the hidden treasures of the area.(we hope to combine walking around with renting a car to go further out from the port to other interesting towns or sights or possibly even doing some sea kayaking for an hour or some other active fun too) Any suggestions appreciated for any of these ports!

 

Anyone out there reading this, what's the coolest or most fun thing you did on shore in Bar Harbour, Halifax, Sydney, Prince Edward Island, Montreal or Quebec? Truthfully two of the important and enjoyable parts of cruise travel are the anticipation, research and planning part as well as looking back at past adventures and sharing tips and experiences.

Thanks and hope to hear from you soon!:D

[sept10dsm]

We just booked the Carribbean Princess for 499 for obstructed outside. This will be our 3rd time doing the cruise and 3rd different Princess ship (Grand and Crown were the other 2)