Our Canada / New England WAS NOT What We Expected!!!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ต.ค. 2023
- Sometimes things don't go as you want on a cruise... In this video, we will share the highs... and LOWS of our first cruise to the New England and Canada ports.
#cruisereview
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I’ve lived in Maryland for 60 years. The leaves rarely begin to change before the second week in October. September is frequently a hot month (as is May). I think the takeaway of this video is don’t go on this type of cruise before mid to late October if you want to see color.
late september
9
Marylander for 54 years and I concur.
Hi, I'm from Halifax and the leaves in Nova Scotia don't start turning until well into October. September is one of our best Summer months. I would say that perhaps Baie Comeau is very new to the cruise ship visitors and they likely have little to no infrastructure for it. If visiting Saguenay, a visit to the National Park is really one of the best ways to experience the Fjords. Quebec City is a gem of a place. It is wonderful at any time of year. My favourite time is December with Christmas markets, the snow slide right in front of the Fairmont Castle and the Nordic Spa (Ström Spa) while it is snowing and overlooking the St. Lawrence is dreamy. You are spot on about the restaurants there, a foodie fest.
Lived in New England all my life. This was a bad season for color due to all the rain we got over the summer. Lots of yellows and browns this year and not much for the vibrant reds and oranges. Also, peak is generally early October and there are foliage trackers online as well that can help you pick the perfect time
Thank you guys for your honest and down-to-earth reviews! This was a really good video. Y’all are so entertaining and you get along so well! Your making me want to take a New England/ Canada cruise!
😅 they ended up at Lexington market I live here and don't go to Lexington market 😅
Very helpful information, especially the tip on one-way vs. round trip routes to visit more ports. Thank you!
My wife and i are sailing the Boston loop cruise the third week of October this year. Looking forward to Boston, Portland, where we have friends, and the Eastern end of Canada. My first time in the Northeast. We have been to Western and Central Canada in the past and it was so beautiful. We are so excited for this trip. Hoping the Fall gods are with us.
We did the East Coast Cruise in late October. Pluses and minuses as well. It snowed in Quebec City while we were there. We had a 14 day cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale, repositioning cruise. Love, love, love Quebec city as well. We went in 3 days early and then had an overnight in Quebec as well and still wish we had more time. We really enjoyed Halifax and Boston and Bar Harbor. Oh hell all of them. 1 sea day in 14 days. Our favorite cruise. Snow to extremely hot. and the tail end of a hurricane as well.
LOVE the smaller, older ships!
Thanks!
So glad I found this . We are taking this cruise this sept for our 25 th anniversary! We live in Baltimore so it was a no brainer for us. You answered all the questions I had in my head. Thanks so much. I also agree, I love the smaller ships!
I live in southern Connecticut. Typically the height of foliage is the week around Oct. 20th. Not only was the foliage late this year, the colors were not as vibrant. We had a very hot and drier summer than usual. This probably contributed to the late and dull leaves.
Loved this video wrap up video. You to are so much fun. ❤
Thanks for the tips! We definitely would love to try a New England Fall cruise!
Saguenay Fjord is breathtaking! 3hours cruise.
PEI is impressive, red soil/rocks/cliff, beautiful countryside
Quebec is a French style
Love your vlogs!!!!! Thank you for taking us with you
Great tips... Doing Princess cruise from Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale, 14 days in mid Oct. Spending 3 days in Quebec before the ship departs, so your review of Quebec (and other ports) helped!
Great wrap-up video. I prefer the smaller ships for the same reason. Even on a short cruise you get to know the crew and they know you. Doing research on your ports is a great tip. My first cruise was to Alaska, our first port was Juneau. I swear I thought I had landed in Downtown Disney...very disappointed. As far as "sketchy" parts of town...OMG you guys! I remember watching a video years ago: You were is Nassau and looking for the cigar factory, you walked down a very narrow blind alley with several unmarked doors on the advice of a local.
We did a similar cruise last year leaving from Boston and missed Sydney and Charlottetown because of damage from a hurricane. Cornerbrook was a substitute port and we loved it. We hiked around and went to a Screech In. The town was lovely and the people were very friendly. We did a boat excursion in Saguenay that also included a bus ride through a national park (with a few stops). It was so pretty, and the fjord trip was very informative. It was our only scheduled excursion on the trip because it seemed like the best way to see what we wanted to see.
We had 3 days in Quebec City and that wasn’t really enough. We would love to take the cruise again and see some of the ports we missed.
Hi guy's. Loved following along on this cruise. There were some "interesting issues" for sure. Sorry you didn't get to see many of the fall colors. I'm in upstate NY. It was very hot. We only had some color changes by me this past 8-10 day's. They went from green to yellow with very little red. Next thing they were almost all down. Not the typical fall season. If you're looking for the fall colors and crisp (not cold) air, I would go later in October, like the 3rd or 4th week. I haven't done the cruise, but have traveled to several of the ports by car. Favorite thing to do is get into the local restaurants. 😊. Thank you for doing this and taking us along with you.
We just did a Fall New England/Canada cruise and have to say we did enjoy it. Newport Rhode Island was beautiful, Boston was AWESOME!, Bar Harbor was quaint but we have no desire to return, St John was disappointing and the "sightseeing stops" were mediocre at best, don't bother with the "reversing rapids" they were NOT worth the trip over to see. Last stop was Halifax, the port area and walk along the shore line is worth the trip alone. We did the hop on hop off bus and rode it around town but ended up spending 90% of our time along the boardwalk where the ship docks. All in all a good trip. Would we do it again....no. We would like to go back to Boston for a several day stay to do all the things we couldn't get to. Quincy Market and Cheers were the highlights that we got to and did not disappoint.
Thank for sharing this with me. I loved it.
New subbie🎉 ….Love how detailed this video was. My honey and I are seriously considering a fall Canada/New England cruise. This helped a lot 🙏🏽✨
Thanks for the honest review!
-Candice, Andrew, and Riley 🐾
I’ve been to that market. Same experience. 😂😂 Live and learn. And you are being kind calling it rough.
Enjoyed the recap and review.. . Thanks
For the town of Saguenay you actually anchored in La Baie which is a very small town. The visitor center at the end of the quay had information about the bus into Saguenay. I had a great walk there last year, all along the waterfront. When we arrived there were dancers and entertainers on the dock, and the MUSIC woke me up in my cabin. I was on Caribbean Princess. I found La Baie a fun little town to wander around. RESEARCH ahead of your port visit is important. The sail away on the Caribbean Princess was fantastic.
Exactly, some cities you can just get off an explore and others require research if you want to have a good time.
They should have taken the shuttle going to Chicoutimi. The old port area is beautiful, so is the area by the ''Little white House''.
Well we met you guys on the Sky! Jason first, in the hot tub. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and hope you guys will keep in touch with us 👍🏻
Glad you had fun here in Portland! Porthole’s even better at night.
Just got back Sunday on serenade of the seas. Weather was warm!! Round trip from Boston. Liked Sydney and Halifax but favorite ports were bar harbor and Portland!! Did a Boston city tour with airport drop off. Definitely want to go spend time in Boston!!
You said it right about the road trip. I lived in New England most of my life. Leaf Peeping is best on a land based trip. One plus thing about fall time on the coast there are less tourists.
One tip, stay off the Orange Line train in Boston.
If you ever go back to Saguenay, the Zodiac Ride through the fjords is a must do! One of the best excursions we’ve ever done. I did my research before we went and realized that there was absolutely nothing at the port and am excursion is a must. I think the shuttle may take you to the national park. We were on the Princess ship that was in port when you were.
Bar harbor favorite port on our New England/Canadian cruise. Acadia national park is incredible! We rented a 6 person electric cart and drove ourselves thru the park loop and all over town, stopping at every little ocean overlook, or point of interest we saw. So fun!
We rented Gem in bar Harbor as well - a highlight of the trip for sure!
Our Gem was canceled due to fog. 😞
If you have a car there are plenty of things to see outside of Baltimore. You can drive to Annapolis, Washington DC, Anteitam Battlefield, Harper's Ferry, WV, Gettysburg, PA, etc... Also while in the city of Baltimore you can visit Fort McHenry, National Aquarium and a few blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards you can visit the Babe Ruth Museum.
Just got off the NCL Pearl for this trek. We did find fall colors and loved it.
@EECC Travels I'm glad you liked our province (Quebec). We're from Drummondville almost half way between Montreal and Quebec city. Reach out next time you come over here maybe we can find you some interesting things to do and see. Baie-Comeau is a lost cause though 😮 ...sorry NCL had it as a port of call. And by the way we say "Sag-neh" we skip the middle syllable. 😊
Ok, good to hear this from a local!!
I agree with you, Jason, I don’t know about on the water, but I do love storms
We took a road trip from Western NY through Vermont, New Hampshitre, Maine and then to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, then to Quebec (btw pronounced kib- BECK), Montreal and back home. We LOVED it!
That sounds amazing!!
We did that road trip many years ago and loved it too. Next fall we are going to do it on a cruise ship.
I watched this video because I like you guys... then I realized we are going on the exact same cruise in October--Quebec to Baltimore. We are spending 3 days in Quebec prior, 3 in Washington DC post. It's so amazing, we have cruise friends that are going to host us and act as tour guides in DC. We had them im Montana last summer. Yea for friendly people on cruises. Sail on!
I took a Canada/New England Fall cruise a couple years back and learned an interesting tidbit from a tour guide on one of my Canadian shore excursions regarding the leaf colors. He mentioned that if you are going on a Fall cruise in order to see the changing leaves, make sure to head inland on your excursions as all the tree species located on or near the coast only change to yellow leaves, so you don't get that vidid contrast with all the yellow and reds like you do further inland.
Last Saturday, I got back from an 8 day Carnival cruise out of Norfolk, VA to Maine and Canada. I was disappointed we didn’t see many fall colors. The most fall colors were in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
We travel very much like you guys. We would rather explore the ports on our own and don’t do shore excursions unless there is something really special worth doing. We like the Princess Royal Class ships - a little larger than the NCL Sky I believe. But definitely not a mega ship with slides, water parks and race cars. We usually know all of the bar tenders on the ship before we disembark. We are going back to Canada / New England on Majestic Princess in October 2025. We sail out of Boston. This will be our 3rd Canada / New England cruise. October is a better month for the fall foliage and both of our birthdays will happen on the cruise. Our favorite port is Bar Harbor. But sadly, they don’t want us anymore. And our next cruise goes to Portland instead. But really looking forward to seeing Portland and trying that Porthole restaurant you recommended. Thanks for the review and your other Canada / New England videos.
Went on a Canadian cruise last year on the week of Halloween and it was amazing.
Also, I recommend going to Quebec in December it’s so beautiful and magical. ❤
Love your videos
We are at Dave's Lobster now. Thanks for the tip!
We are planning to do this trip in October 2024. Our intent in to fly from Phoenix to Detroit and take a transfer to Windsor, ON. We will then take a VIA Rail to Quebec City and take a one-way from Quebec City to Bayonne, NJ, Then we will spend a week in Atlantic City, NJ and Ocean City, MD. We will not do the cruise on an NCL ship, however.
Thanks for your insight. I LOVE the smaller ships.
We just returned from a New England/Canada cruise on RC Serenade of the seas. We left from Boston-to Syndey Nova Scotia, Halifax Nova Scotia, BarHarbor Maine, Portland Maine and back to Boston. We absolutely loved Halifax and Bar Harbor. (You did not miss much in Sydney.). We also ate at the Porthole in Maine on your recommendation. Quebec looks amazing. Agree also on smaller ship. We enjoyed it being less crowded also.
Great blog! We're planning one next year so your experiences with Quebec and the other Canadian ports will help us plan better. Thank you. Personally, I will be very much interested to see if our neighbors up north have a better lobster roll.
We are on the Princess New York to New England to Canada cruise starting October 12th. Fingers crossed we get to see a glimpse of Fall!
We have done New England cruises six times. They were all in September. Our favorite ports are Bar Harbor, Boston and Newport. I’m anxious to visit Quebec City and Montreal soon
My favorite port for food was Portland. But for the views/experiences we really liked St. John New Brunswick where we also went to St. Martin & the Bay of Fundy Trail.
You guys are great! Going to book for next fall!!!
I have that same map you were in front of. Great map to track / show where you have gone.
I have only been on one ship and it was a small ship from the Norweigen line called the Leeward, it no longer exists
as this was 25 yrs. ago. I loved it it was beautiful. Always wanted to go on another ship and cruise, i have so enjoyed
this, Quebec City is a beautiful place, we love it there. Thank you for all your hard work. Here in Ontario Canada you
will find quite a difference say from Oct. 12 till one week later, its like completely changed into the most vibrant colors.
So i imagine its the same in Quebec.
Try Holland America Line Boston to Montreal itinerary...
I have done that particular cruise 3 times on 3 different Holland America Line ships...I would do it again and again.
I went in late May, August and early June.
Boston, Bar Harbor, Sydney, Halifax, Charlottetown, Quebec City and Montreal. Loved every port except Sydney....nothing much to do there.
Great episode. I think everyone has alluded to the fact it was a bad year for color. Living 30min from Boston, it is still fun to go up and see it. You motivated me to price out some NE/CD cruises but the prices just aren't low enough at this point. My two cruiselines are asking too much. But I enjoyed your review and will keep this in mind for future years. Thanks for the great review.
I’ve never done a Canada New England cruise but was on the sky last October and loved that ship. They did karaoke with a live band which was so much fun to watch. Only thing we didn’t like was that the Local was not open 24/7
I loved the cruise I went on to Canada. I went on the Holland America's Maasdam ship which is no longer in service.
My favorite ports were, Quebec City and Montreal. Great places to visit. Very few ships go to Montreal as the ships have to be small to get under the bridges to Montreal. But loved the city hop on hop off bus tour.
I grew up in Baltimore. No leaves change till October at best. Honeymooned in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire. October 16th, lovely.
Thanks for sharing the info. I am doing a Canada/NE cruise the first week of Sept on NCL Gem. 7 days out of and then returning to Boston. Very much looking forward to the ports of call. I have been to Quebec many times with students and it is an amazing city. Not a big excursion fan myself (mostly because of the cost), but I know how to explore on my own. I will definitely be checking out some of restaurants you highlighted. Cheers!
Love your comments on Quebec City!
Such a great city!!
I am a new subscriber on your page would like to thank you for all the information that you gave on your trip from the beginning to the end y'all explained it very well and I was considering to do that cruise particularly but I don't know now
Wonderful, informative video… Thank you so very much… Thinking about doing a long new England cruise… We did do a short New England cruise, where we just went to Bermuda, Boston, and Rhode Island… We cruised there many years ago and really did not have any desire to go back again until now, since we are a little older, and would love to do more than just a Caribbean… Thanks for a great video🚢
We were on the Magic 10/14-10/22 - favorite port was Portland, ME. The Holy Donut and Highroller Lobster Co were worth the trip in itself!
I love Quebec City especially during winter carnival it's cold but it is a great time.
Hubby and I are taking our first ocean-going cruise this summer, Boston to Montreal, on the MS Volendam (Holland America's smallest as well). He was born in Quebec City, so that's a relax day for us (he's already dragged me all over many times there, Montreal too when he was on his second last military posting). Our itinerary is Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sidney, Charlottetown, Quebec City, and Montreal. We'll be walking on our own in Halifax and Sidney. I was born in Halifax, but my Naval dad passed in 61 (buried at sea off the Atlantic shelf) and I hadn't been back to Nova Scotia until 6 years ago. Hopefully the weather will be better than on our way through Halifax. On that trip, we stayed in Lunenburg.
We are going on a similar cruise. I am happy to hear that Halifax and Sidney sound like walkable ports and don’t require an excursion.
Found your channel looking for info on Portland, Maine -- thanks for the info. BTW, our favorite thing in Boston is wandering around the North End -- it's a lot of fun! We've been to Martha's Vineyard to visit family and it's not the amazing place we imagined it to be, but I understand your disappointment at the change in the itinerary.
Going this coming September on Holland. We will fly into Quebec and have an overnight there with the ship as well. Super excited about spending that much time there!!
I visited Saguenay ("sag-a-nay") a few years ago by car, and took a local boat ride to see the fjords. In the rain, it was a misty ride for a few hours, with some walking at the historic villages down the valley. The port area is off the center of town, so cruise passengers might need to walk past a few blocks to get there.
Glad you enjoyed Charlottetown! I live in Charlottetown, and we were on the Getaway cruise in 2020. We saw you but I was too shy to say hi. You guys rock! If you ever come back to PEI, hit me up!
Sad that your have not seen the fjord it’s so breathtaking.
I thought you would miss the peak of leaf peeping season not that there wouldn’t be one at all. I’ve been to Baltimore and you’re right the inner harbor and the Italian section is great but there are some really dicey areas that should be avoided. Glad you enjoyed and made the best of your cruise 🚢
Saguenay in summer is such a vibrant port full of welcoming activities and entertainment. Everything closes in September. That cruise line really screwed up.
I'm doing a round trip next September on the NCL Jade out of Boston. Looks like it has the same ports you mentioned starting from Portland and going through Nova Scotia. It also adds a port called Corner Brook which is on another island further north, and then turns back to Boston. It doesn't do the Quebec ports.
As for the colour of the leaves they change by the amount of sunlight not the temperature but they usually go hand in hand less sun cooler weather it can be sped up if you get a week of gloomy over cast days. Closer to the mountains will affect it more here in Banff the leaves change earlier than in Calgary. Right now all the leaves are on the ground covered in snow lol.
Being from New Brunswick Canada, PEI is only 2 hours from where I live and if you want to experience the true fall colours, you need to come to the Maritimes in October, glad to see you both in my neck of the woods, we’ll be cruising in February 2024 on the Magic …. Cheers!!!
I’m hoping to cruise this area and I really appreciate your honest opinions.
Most people who come to Saguenay, go whale watching. It is considered to be one of the best places in the world to see whales including the blue whale at certain times of the year but I guess you have to book that in advance. The best time to see fall foliage in the martimes would be the first week of October usually and the second week of October is the best in Quebec and Ontario. Of course, each year is a little different. Thanks for your videos!!
Really great information here, thank you.
So I live in Canada, but on the opposite end, I'm in west in British Columbia. I'd definitely like to do a fall foliage cruise as its cheaper then flying there and spending 10 days hoping about. That said, I'd be looking for ports that highlight some real landmarks like Peggy's Cove, and some fishing villages in in some of the islands. I'd have been really disappointed had I done the itinerary yous did. Very glad you posted about it, thank you.
When I spoke about doing this cruise to my friend from back East, he told me mid-October is best time for these cruises for fall colors. I would have thought September as well.
I'm sailing Canada/New England in May on HAL Volendam. Different ports, though. We sail out of Montreal and finish in Boston. One stop in Bar Harbor, ME, but not Martha's Vineyard.
I live in PA and this year the foliage was late this year. The earliest it ever is is early October but it can be as late as very late October!
If you go again and are in Halifax Nova Scotia, try Peggy’s Cove and The Harbour Hopper!!! Those two excursions will to disappoint!! Happy cruising!🛳️
In Quebec, Montreal has a lot of often free summer festifvals and good public transit. Ste. Anne de Bellvue is the most picturesque little village! Swimming is great at Montbello. Chicoutimi is a great small city with a lott to see and a good resto bar ciruit. The pulp milll museum was great-I had it all to myself in winter. The ravine nearby makes for a great hike. Fort Levis is worth a visit. I always buy booze at QC.'s Christmas market. QC has terrible public transit. Tramway is 6 yrs away.
I am from PEI .. glad you enjoyed the lobster .. Halifax is a must if you tour this area again .. same feel as Boston
Yes, we've done a similar one. Also with NCL ... the Gem, I believe... our favourite size ship rather than the larger ones. Our ports were better than yours, but Quebec City was amazing. Add to that, it's where my ancestors started out in Canada in the 1600's, and the original home is now a restaurant in Old Quebec, Cote a Cote, which I spied in your program. Would happily do the entire cruise again.
I’m from Boston. The Canadian cruises are way to early to see foliage. We had so much rain this summer and the leave’s changed late and aren’t colorful this year.
As a Canadian who lives close to QC, I have zero desire to go to Baie Comeau myself. But yes, Quebec City is definitely THE go-to place!
Beautiful video thats indeed such a shame you didn’t get to see any of those fantastic view of the puur Autunm colors 😢 . Does look amazing from photos i seen in books etc .
Sure sounds a lovely cruise ,just annoying very Disappointing that some ports were not what they seemed🤷♀️, but Quebec looked absolutely Amazing 😻.
Have a Lovey week 🥰. you have more cruises booked or are you waiting for after the thanksgiving ? Or in New year ?
We were on the Caribbean Princess that was in port with you. I would absolutely do it again! Our favorites were Quebec City (ship embarked in Quebec City, but had three full days there, one overnight on the ship) our hotel provided free breakfast at Le Buche! Fabulous!, Saguenay (there was an explanation of the fjords over the loudspeaker, but also a seminar onboard the day before), Sidney (fabulous excursion Tour of beautiful Cape Breton), Charlottetown (we rented a car and drove to Peggy’s Cove and around that area away from the touristy port) and Boston and NYC of course. We love Princess! Probably will never do Norwegian or RC ever again. We are also foodies and the food and service on Norwegian just does not do it for us.
We did a New England/ Canada cruise 🚢 out of Boston and the weather was horrendous…every single day. Rain, fog, fog horns going off every few minutes for hours! I would like to try it again sometime.
PS: My husband and I just love your channel!!!!
I had to laugh at the beginning.I know exactly where you were walking over to Lexington Market.Yes not a good move. That area has really changed. Little italy is awesome and so is Fell's Point, wish you would have gone down there. I live in Baltimore /Towson area, so when you come to town the next time let me know and I will be your tour guide. Haha... Thanks to the video, I really do want to do the cruise from Baltimore to Quebec City.
Just booked Celebrity Eclipse out of Boston next Fall. It's a roundtrip, but it overnights at Quebec City. Other stops include Rockland and Portland Maine, PEI, Halifax, and Sydney.
Loved Rockland Maine. Stayed there as part as of a land trip.
This sounds like the cruise my sisters and I took last October on the Celebrity Summit. We had a great time. We didn’t do Sydney, but the rest was great. Tours were great.
Love your overview. We were on the Jewel of the Sea Royal cabberian ship the same time. All Canadian ports. We did do the boat tour in saugney, dissappointed We tour like you in ports, find a good brewery!. Loved PEI and Quebec City. Also visited Saugney and Sept illes wouldn't be disappointed missing those ports. We also had halifax, sydney, cornerbrook newfoundland. Disappointed in cornerbrook too. Would do another candian cruise but would choose some different ports.
😮city blocks in NYC are crazy too! Short one way and looong the other way.
We cruised 9 days out of Quebec City to New York on NCL Dawn for our Canada New England trip. We traveled mid September, so we didn't see the fall colors (we live in Vancouver BC, so we see colors at home). We did, however, arrive in Charlotte Town 2 days after a hurricane hit part of town. The cab driver we hired to drive us around for a tour took us by his house to show us his poor little trailer, that still had a tree on it from the storm. Rhode Island and Nova Scotia were our favorite stops. We spent 3 night in New York before returning home. We purchased 3 day passes for the Hop On Hop Off bus, which was the best thing ever. We discovered several Irish pubs we went to for lunch or dinner every day. And the weather was hot still.
We took this cruise in 2014 from Boston. I have to gree about Basie Como and Saguenay . We did a back to back so on our return we stopped in Halifax (which was part of the Boston to QC) and Bar Harbour . We couldn’t stop in Sydney because of a storm. Quebec City is awesome and we did an excursion to Montmorency Falls. BTW - we’re Canadian.
We did a new England cruise at the end of September and no fall colors as well. But in Ohio this year the.colors were spectacular last week!
We just got off Serenade OTS a week ago. Sailed out of Boston. Cold an rainy all week and not much color. Did a bus tour excursion in Sydney...meh. Did another bus tour excursion in St. John, Bay of Fundy. That was interesting, not raining, color. Went off on my own in Bar Harbor where everything is uphill. Last stop was Portland where I did another bus tour to Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. Unfortunately it was pouring and you couldn't see much. That was disappointing. This was our first cold weather cruise. Don't think we would do it again. Cruising in January to the warmer climate.
We did the "Caribbean Princess" CA/NE that started on 8/4. We started in Quebec City and had many of the same stops. We had some slightly rough seas and did not go to Sydney. I and others did some hot tubbing while people inside got queasy. I also thought Saguenay was kind of dull, but the rest of the stops were good. We did a lot of walking. We started with two full days in Quebec city. Maybe the leaves weren't at their best but I didn't notice. I would do a CA/NE again for sure, maybe a different line to get some slightly different ports. Part of the allure was getting out of the horrible heat of the southeast US.
Similar to you we're not big excursion people. We did do a walking tour in PEI with a teen boy that does them and was highly rated on tripadvisor and similar sites. We mostly explore the town, get boba tea, head back to the ship.
PEI, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Quebec City were all gorgeous. We've been to Boston a lot, but it's always nice. Watching planes going in and out of Logan while we sailed away at night was neat to watch. I see this and Alaska as two of the more interesting and unique North American cruise routes. Saguenay was the only 'meh' port on our 10 nighter.
We are going in the first week of October on the Vision. We are really looking forward to the itinerary and the small ship.