Any cruisers that have done NYC-Canadian itinerary?

[nu2dvc]

Hi guys... we are contemplating the 5-nighter that stops in Halifax and Nova Scotia. Looking for somebody who may have done it last time they offered this itinerary that could share any info.... how exciting it was, if the ports were as beautiful as they'd hoped, if the excursions offered were any good, etc.

Really any info/advice appreciated! We know very little about this itinerary and just hoping to have somebody with experience chime in.

TIA

 

[serrem]

We did the 5 night Canada cruise in early June 2012 and had a great cruise. It was coooold both on deck and in the ports. The day we were in Halifax the (high) temperature was in the mid 40's (F).

The only real excitement was pulling open the stateroom curtains as we pulled into Halifax to see a group of bagpipers centered perfectly in the porthole about 15 feet away. Oh, and we saw a whale from our stateroom window as we traveled from Halifax to Saint John.

Loved Halifax. Liked Saint John. We did not do Disney excursions in Halifax. Instead, we rented a car and drove to Peggy's Cove for a lot less than the excursion would have cost for four people. Well worth it. Then we drove south along the coast and visited several beautiful fishing villages, then back to Halifax for lunch and afternoon on the ship. In Saint John we took the Disney bus excursion that toured the town. Not much to see, and the "reversing falls" were a disappointment. Had much better time in the afternoon walking into town and enjoying the indoor mall and the City Market.

We liked the trip so much, we've already booked it again for October, 2016. I'm hoping it will be warmer.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I wish they were sailing that route about a week later -- much better chance of catching the fall foliage. Peak is usually around Columbus Day, tho it varies a bit from year to year, and Canada peaks first since it's further north. It would also be nice if they included PEI and Quebec. Am I expecting too much? Nope, other cruise lines offer all of the above, for a lot less $$$$.

 

[Kimberly1]

We did it and LOVED it. We did a Titanic excursion in Halifax that my daughter still talks about, and we went to a maple syrup farm inSaint John. If we could go again, I would, but October is during the school year and missing isn't an option for us.

 

[firsttimemom]

We did it (kids were 12 and 14) and enjoyed it. We were glad we did it but dont feel compelled to do it again. LOVED sailing in and out of NYC. did the lobster and lighthouses excursion in Halifax which was good and did ziplining on our own in St. John (OK for our first time but doesn't come close to ziplining in a jungle like we did in San Juan).

 

[lorimay]

We did the very last one in Sept. We loved it, wished it would have been longer though.
Beautiful weather a few sprinkles here and there but nothing much.
Loved Peggy's Cove beautiful sights.
We didn't swim at all on this cruise.
But I have to say sailing in and out of NYC was amazing, one of the must beautiful sights I have ever seen, especially coming back into port while it was still dark.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I wish they were sailing that route about a week later -- much better chance of catching the fall foliage. Peak is usually around Columbus Day, tho it varies a bit from year to year, and Canada peaks first since it's further north. It would also be nice if they included PEI and Quebec. Am I expecting too much? Nope, other cruise lines offer all of the above, for a lot less $$$$.

Actually, you should be about right for foliage. We are usually at peak around Columbus day here in CT.

 

[MouseMomx2]

We did the 5 night Canada cruise in early June 2012 and had a great cruise. It was coooold both on deck and in the ports. The day we were in Halifax the (high) temperature was in the mid 40's (F).

The only real excitement was pulling open the stateroom curtains as we pulled into Halifax to see a group of bagpipers centered perfectly in the porthole about 15 feet away. Oh, and we saw a whale from our stateroom window as we traveled from Halifax to Saint John.

Loved Halifax. Liked Saint John. We did not do Disney excursions in Halifax. Instead, we rented a car and drove to Peggy's Cove for a lot less than the excursion would have cost for four people. Well worth it. Then we drove south along the coast and visited several beautiful fishing villages, then back to Halifax for lunch and afternoon on the ship. In Saint John we took the Disney bus excursion that toured the town. Not much to see, and the "reversing falls" were a disappointment. Had much better time in the afternoon walking into town and enjoying the indoor mall and the City Market.

We liked the trip so much, we've already booked it again for October, 2016. I'm hoping it will be warmer.

October will likely be colder than June, by a good amount. October temperatures here in New England average in the upper 50s/low 60's while June offers temps in the upper 70's. The upside is that you should have a good opportunity for a bit of leaf-peeping with the Fall foliage.

 

[shoes99]

We did it and LOVED it. We did a Titanic excursion in Halifax that my daughter still talks about, and we went to a maple syrup farm inSaint John. If we could go again, I would, but October is during the school year and missing isn't an option for us.

We did this cruise the first week in September 2012. It was fun to take the train from Central
New Jersey to Penn Station then take a taxi to the pier. We did the Titanic excursion and Peggy's Cove.
It was sentimental since 2012 was the 100th anniversary of the actual sinking of the Titanic. We sailed
in 2012. In St. John it poured so we stayed on the ship. We could see the bagpiper from the deck.
It was a good cruise.

 

[nu2dvc]

Thanks for all the responses guys, I really appreciate it. Can't say that I'm much closer to deciding whether this cruise would be for us.... the whole cold-weather thing is really not sounding great, I mean to have the Aquadunk right there but be unable to use it would stink. I like the idea of jumping right in that hot tub but I have Raynaud's disease so I can't let myself get a chill or it would ruin my day, my feet and fingers would be throbbing for 12 hours afterwards.

Hmmn... decisions, decisions!

 

[Melissa S]

The ports are beautiful. We felt safe doing everything on our own (Alexander Keith brewery tour, gardens, etc). We experienced unusually warm weather during our sailing. Our first port day we wore pants and sweaters and after 30minutes had to go back to the ship and put on shorts and a t shirt. It was too cold for us to swim but DD was in the pool everyday. There were very few kids on our sailing. Pools and gym were empty and the ship really died down after the evening show. The itinerary and timing (school just started) definitely drew more seniors. funniest was when we saw a dad get reprimanded by a senior at the ice cream machine for letting his daughter eat too much ice cream before dinner- that was the tone of the cruise LOL.