Canada & New England Cruises
Canada & New England cruises are not what one would consider a typical cruise experience. For one thing, the weather tends to be cooler in the regions that these cruises visit. Often including a port or two in Canada, as well as a variety of ports along the Eastern Seaboard, these cruises visit areas steeped in history, and for that reason they make great family get-aways. Add to that the fact that many of them take place when the leaves are changing colour, offering multiple opportunities to view some truly awesome natural displays of nature at its most beautiful, and a Canada & New England cruise can provide for a great family holiday at a reasonable price.
The season for Canada & New England cruises generally runs from May until September, and they can be of varying lengths. Some of them only run for seven days and these generally run round trip from U.S. ports such as New York or Boston. On these shorter trips, however, you won’t see as much since the cruise probably won’t be able to get much farther than Nova Scotia before having to turn back. But on the longer cruises, some as long as 14 days, you will get a truly port-intensive experience. Key ports of call will often include Boston and Halifax, as well as Quebec City, Bar Harbour, Maine and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Other possibilities often include Philadelphia and New York City, as well as possibly Newport, Rhode Island, Martha’s Vineyard, in Gloucester, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. Prince Edward Island is sometimes even included on the longer itineraries.
As for what to do while in all these interesting ports, most people on this type of cruise prefer to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities to learn about the heritage of the various places they visit. Most of these ports have a significant heritage and a sometimes colourful history. People enjoy exploring the quaint little streets and making taking a guided walking tour with a local historian.
Eating opportunities abound as well, and many of the cruise line excursions include lunch stops at various venues. Regional specialities are often on the menu, including Maine Lobster, New England clam chowder, and a variety of other items pleasing to the pallet.
If you time your Canada & New England cruise just right, you’ll have an opportunity to “leaf peep,” that is take in the views as the leaves change colour in a profusion of reds, oranges, browns, and varying shades of green. One fun thing to do is to take an aerial tour at one of the ports, where the focus is on viewing the fall foliage from above, in a small airplane or helicopter.
Each stop on a port-intensive Canada & New England cruise provides for a different culture, an entirely unique heritage and history. These live history lessons provide a great way to justify taking the kids out of school for a week in order to bring them along. What they will learn from a local historian during a visit to a natural history museum in one of the ports will easily compensate for any classroom time they would have missed by taking the cruise.
See all the great destinations you can visit in Canada & New England
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