Cruises Call On Autumn's Abundant Beauty

Jason · July 10, 2006

By ARLINE AND SAM BLEECKER, Chicago Tribune

With clockwork precision, every major cruise line dispatches vessels to ports in New England and eastern Canada each fall. These annual pilgrimages let cruisers gawk at landscapes aglow in gold, red and amber. And now is the time to plan your autumn outing.

Options abound for cruising to the region's seaside hamlets and historic cities, but keep in mind that these popular itineraries fill up fast, especially for sailings at the height of foliage season. A number of lines sail these waters for an extended period - typically starting in May, when you still will get the cultural flavor of the region, albeit without the blazing colors that cruises in September and October bring.

Cruise lines make it easy to catch a Canada/New England cruise, offering departures from a variety of East Coast ports.

On this tried-and-true itinerary, many lines tweak their offers to give veteran cruisers a taste of something new.

Crystal Cruises, for instance, bumps up its shore-excursion options this year, adding what the line dubs "artisanal" experiences. Crystal Symphony's seven- and 11-day sailings in September and October from New York showcase a roster of new tours. These include the chance to visit a family-run Angora goat farm that specializes in spinning mohair wool; and an unusual nursery known for its array of edible flowers. In true New England tradition, Crystal passengers can visit the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, which teaches artisanship for restoring classic and modern yachts.

For the active cruiser, many lines also have ramped up their soft-adventure excursion options, offering touring by bike or hiking along ocean trails. Depending on where your ship calls, you might even gear up at the original L.L. Bean emporium in Freeport, Maine.

Here's a sampling of sailings garnered from materials from the Cruise Lines International Association, the marketing organization for 20 lines. For information on rates, dates and availability on any of these sailings, consult a travel agent.

Carnival Cruise Lines' Victory offers four weeklong fall foliage cruises in September, round-trip from New York. Ports of call include Boston; Portland, Maine; St. John, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Celebrity Cruises' Constellation sails a trio of 11-night Canada/New England itineraries in September and October, round-trip from Cape Liberty Cruise Port (Bayonne, N.J.). The ship calls at Boston; Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine; Halifax; and Quebec City. One highlight is cruising Canada's Saguenay River.

Crystal Cruises' Symphony has five destination-rich itineraries this year: a new 11-day cruise and two new seven-day cruises round-trip from New York; and two 11-day sailings between New York and Montreal.

Holland America Line's 22 cruises in Canada/New England through Oct. 7 include 10 during peak foliage months. The line's Maasdam operates between Boston and Montreal; the Amsterdam sails from New York to Montreal. Norwegian Cruise Line's Dawn sails a series of seven-day voyages, with departures Sept. 2 to Oct. 7. The round-trip itinerary from New York calls at Martha's Vineyard, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston and Newport.

Princess Cruises' Sea Princess and Star Princess sail nine departures on three itineraries. Star Princess offers seven-day round-trip cruises from New York, while Sea Princess departs on 10-day sailings between New York and Quebec City. Royal Caribbean International's Jewel of the Seas departs on four-, six- and seven-night cruises, sailing round-trip from Boston. Highlights on the longer itinerary include Martha's Vineyard, Portland, Bar Harbor, Halifax and St. John. The four-night trip calls at Bar Harbor and Halifax.

In October, Seabourn Cruise Line's Pride features two eight-day itineraries that begin and end in Gloucester, Mass. Port calls include Quebec City; Portland; Bar Harbor; Halifax, Baddeck, Louisbourg and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; and Saguenay and GaspÃƒÂ©, Quebec.

American Cruise Lines' six- and seven-night sailings along New York's Hudson River region visit the towns of Catskill, Albany, Kingston, Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. Six-night Chesapeake Bay sailings out of Baltimore call at ports in Maryland and Virginia.

And Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth 2 has a 20-day Canada/New England itinerary that even includes a trans-Atlantic crossing from Southampton, England.

In fact, if you think stateside itineraries have a been-there-done-that quality, you may want to set your sites across the Big Pond where, in September and October, Peter Deilmann Cruises serves up a feast of wine towns and autumn colors on sailings along the Rhine River in Germany and the Moselle River in Germany and France.

Deilmann's seven-night cruises on the 110-passenger Heidelberg sail the Moselle to the vineyard-choked villages of Cochem and Bernkastel-Kues, offering picturesque castles, half-timbered houses and old market squares.

The Heidelberg calls at Trier, a German town with 2,000 years of history, and the pretty port town of Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle. Castles and castle ruins abound throughout the wine region south of Koblenz, between Koblenz and Mainz.

Other Rhine cities on Deilmann's itineraries, notes an announcement, include Amsterdam, the Netherlands' capital; [the German cities of] historic and art-filled Cologne with its grand Gothic cathedral; chic and modern DÃƒÂ¼sseldorf known for its elegant KÃƒÂ¶, a boulevard lined with fine shops and trendy cafes; the colorful small wine town of Rudesheim; the old imperial city of Speyer; and Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France with its lovely medieval quarter of well-preserved half-timbered houses and Gothic cathedral." The cruises depart from Amsterdam, Trier and Mainz (Frankfurt).