Lobster rolls in Bar Harbor, the leaves on fire from Halifax to Quebec.
Bar Harbor, Portland, Halifax, Saint John and the Bay of Fundy, then up the St. Lawrence to Quebec City. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Carnival and Oceania sail it from New York, Boston, Cape Liberty and Baltimore: 7 night round trips in summer and the famous foliage weeks in September and October. SmartCruiser shows every sailing with taxes and fees included and puts the ones with SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit at the top.
Three ways to see the leaves
Pick one and the list below filters to it. Round trip or one way, the ports are the same; the river is the difference.
Round trip from New York
- Norwegian, Carnival and MSC from Manhattan and Brooklyn; Royal Caribbean and Celebrity from Cape Liberty
- 7 nights: Boston or Newport, Portland, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax
- No flight for the whole Northeast corridor; Amtrak drops you a cab ride from the pier
Best for: first-time cruisers, foliage weeks, parents and grandparents together
From Boston
- Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Celebrity, 7 to 10 nights
- Bar Harbor is a half day away, so you get more Maritimes and less open water
- Flynn Cruiseport is 10 minutes from Logan if you are flying in
Best for: New Englanders, anyone prone to seasickness, foliage at its peak
10 nights and up
- One way to Quebec City or Montreal, or a longer round trip from New York
- Adds the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Charlottetown, the Saguenay fjord and Quebec City itself
- Holland America, Princess, Oceania and Celebrity; the foliage keeps going as you head north
Best for: the trip of the year, repeat cruisers, Quebec City in the fall
Canada & New England deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every Canada and New England sailing from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, bonus onboard credit, a Special SmartCruiser rate, or a senior, resident or police & fire fare that beats the public price. Below them, every other sailing with full sorting.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery Canada & New England sailing
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Sail from the East Coast
Most sailings leave from the Northeast corridor. Pick a port and the list above filters to it.
Which line for Canada & New England?
Seven lines run the route; the ship decides how much Canada you get. Our one-line take, with a link to each deals page.
When to go
The season runs May to late October. Summer is lobster and whales; fall is the leaves, and the leaves set the price.
Canada & New England cruise questions we answer every day
Do I need a passport?
Bring one. The ships call in Canada, and while US citizens on a round trip from a US port can technically sail with a birth certificate and photo ID, Canada can ask for a passport and you cannot fly home from Halifax without one. Non-US citizens need a passport and may need a Canadian eTA or visa.
When exactly is peak foliage?
Quebec City and the Saguenay turn first, late September. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick peak in early October, Bar Harbor and Portland the second week of October, Boston and Newport mid to late October. A sailing in the first ten days of October catches color at nearly every stop.
Will the sea be rough?
Usually not. The route hugs the coast, and the Bay of Fundy and the St. Lawrence are sheltered. The open stretch between Boston and Halifax is one night; in late October it can get lumpy, which is why the shorter crossing from Boston suits anyone who worries.
Is this a good cruise for kids?
It is a good cruise for grandparents and kids together: lobster shacks, lighthouses, the Hopewell Rocks at low tide, a whale watch in Bar Harbor. Teens who want water slides should look at Royal Caribbean from Cape Liberty; sea days are few, so the ship matters less than usual.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Gratuities, drinks packages, excursions and parking are extra, and we tell you the total before you book.
What do the SmartCruiser picks mean?
They are sailings where booking through SmartCruiser gets you something you do not get booking direct: instant savings, bonus onboard credit, a Special SmartCruiser rate we hold on that sailing, or a senior, resident or police & fire fare that beats the best public price.
Talk to a Canada & New England specialist
Tell us your week and we tell you which sailing catches the leaves at every port, priced on every line with the bonus onboard credit included. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.