On October 16th, my husband Mark and I left home for a 10 night Canada & New England Cruise on the Emerald Princess. We went to see the fall colors, but we got so much more.
Fall Colors Cruise in New England
Fall colors in the East are usually the most vibrant from the last week in September to the middle of October. Along with the season, the color changing of the leaves is affected by rainfall and temperature, so it varies from year to year. Our cruise was a little past the prime time change from green to red, but we still saw a fair amount of red, as well as lots of orange and yellow during our voyage.
Acadia National Park
Our East Coast course started in New York City and went by the following route: Newport, RI; Boston, MA and Bar Harbor, ME. Next we crossed into Canada via Saint John, New Brunswick; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and finally Quebec City, Quebec. This was a nice mix of large cities and small towns.
There are many things to do in each port. The most convenient are with the cruise ship. On this itinerary they center on scenery or history.
Lobster in Bar Barbor
Our US stops were fabulous. Newport is a small town, which was a haven for the rich and famous during the Gilded Age, and the Cliff Walk past vast estates culminating in a visit to the Vanderbilt Estate is a popular one. In Boston, because it is where our country’s fight for independence from England began, there are many historic tours. Bar Harbor is a cute little seaport town and it’s easy to walk to the shopping (mostly souvenirs, clothing and Christmas) and restaurants right from the dock. This area is famous for its lobster dinners. Also, nearby is the beautiful Acadia National Park, where we saw the first of the big fall colors and beautiful coastline.
Lighthouse, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Highland Village, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Scenery was the most prolific on our Canadian stops. Saint John is famous for its “reversing falls” where tidal action meeting a river, combined with a narrow channel creates a backward flow of water when the tide comes in. Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia and is where about 200 victims of the Titanic are buried. Sydney is where the fall foliage is the most vibrant, but you have to get away from the port to see it. Charlottetown on tiny Prince Edward Island (the smallest of Canada’ provinces) is noteworthy as the home of L.M. Montgomery, the author of the Anne of Green Gables books and where she got her inspiration from the family farm.
Quebec with the Emerald Pricess and the Fairmont Chataeu Frontenac
The crown jewel of the trip is Old Quebec City, where the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac commands the view and the quaint little old world town beckons. It really is like being in Europe to visit here and talk with the people, who are predominantly French speaking. Nearby is the gigantic Montmorency Waterfall, higher than Niagara Falls that you can walk over and below. We told many people on our ship about the amazing experience they could have visiting these falls that they had no clue existed.
This cruise was an excellent trip with a wonderful variety of experiences. My husband and I both highly recommend it to you.
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