It’s that time of colorful year again – autumn. Mother Nature shows off her colors in places like eastern Canada and New England, where leaves go from green to orange, crimson and glowing gold. The colorful array seen from a cruise ship is one that should be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
The leaves will eventually fall to the ground but for a wonderful few weeks, they will decorate the landscape from Coast to Coast.
Besides leaves while on a cruise see tall lighthouses, learn lessons in American and Canadian history, taste fresh lobster and clam chowder, see seaside Victorian mansions and the chance to see humpbacks and other whales folic before migrating to warmer waters.
Yes, regardless of where you call home, New England and Canada cruises are a fall favorite.
“Voyages to New England and Canada are always very special and popular for both our guests and crew alike,” says Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 Captain Aseem A. Hashmi. “I am personally so fascinated by this part of the world for not only its striking and ever-changing natural beauty but also the very rich history associated with the region.”
Cruise lines explore New England and Canada in September and October, Cunard with the Queen Mary 2 and Holland America Line with three mid-size ships sailing between Boston and New York and Canada, either Montreal or Quebec City. Princess Cruises has two ships sailing from Brooklyn, and in fall 2020, one of the ships will be the new, 3,660-passenger Sky Princess, which debuts next month in Europe.
Carnival Cruise Line in the fall does weekly itineraries from New York City that visit Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; Portland, Maine; and Boston. This year the ship sailing the route is the 2,984-passenger Carnival Sunrise, which recently underwent a $200 million upgrade. Next year the Carnival Radiance, fresh from a similarly extensive makeover, will take over the itinerary. The line’s most innovative ship, the new 5,280-passenger Mardi Gras, will make her inaugural departure from the U.S. when she embarks on a six-day cruise from New York to Saint John and Portland in September 2020.
Ultraluxury line Seabourn explores the region with the intimate, 458-passenger Seabourn Quest, including calls at small, less-visited ports, while British line P&O Cruises visits on longer itineraries from Southampton, U.K.
“Coastal-wise, there aren’t many places in the world I know of where specifically the change of a season, in all its true colors, is so beautiful,” says Seabourn Quest Captain Joost Eldering. “It all happens within only a few weeks, like watching slow motion in real life. I’m very much a fall season person, happy for peace to return within nature.”
Canada Highlights
Exploration of the northeast coast of North America takes travelers to Atlantic Canada and provinces such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Many itineraries also explore the St. Lawrence, Canada’s most important river, which flows between the Atlantic and the Great Lakes, past colorful hardwood forests and quaint villages and the world-class cities of Quebec City and Montreal.
Captain Hashmi says he particularly enjoys the distinctness of the different ports of call, from seaside towns with wooden houses to the chic cities.
“As a captain, sailing in the St. Lawrence River in fall is so awe-inspiring, especially when the leaves start turning and is a reflection of just how beautiful our world is,” he says. “As a Cunard captain, Nova Scotia holds a special place in our company’s 180-year history as Halifax is where it all began and is the birthplace of our founder, Sir Samuel Cunard. Halifax always gives our ships a special welcome and for us, it is always a ‘homecoming’ too.”
Exploring Coastal New England
“When approaching the New England coast, the almost uniform green appearance of summer can be seen to change to the riot of fall colors and makes you very much aware the season change is underway,” said Holland America Line’s Zaandam Captain Chris Norman.
A Canada and New England cruise delivers history, culture and gorgeous fall colors. It’s a ticket to one of Mother Nature’s best shows, with no need to deal with finding hotel reservations or negotiating roadways clogged with leaf-peepers.
Source Carnival Corp. & plc
