Canada Cruise Ports
Canada is a country full of incredible contrasts, from vibrant multicultural cities to the wilderness and from huge mountains to vast lakes and everything in-between and that is just part of what makes it such as great place to visit on a holiday.
The country also offers one of the busiest turnaround cruise ports in North America as well as some of the continent’s most popular cruise ports of call, which makes it a great country to explore on a cruise getaway.
Thankfully, Canada is also hosts many the world’s leading cruise lines so no matter if you refer to travel on huge megaships, or luxurious expedition ships, you can do when cruising along the shore of the Great White North.
But just where can you visit on a cruise holiday to Canada, that is what we will answer in this guide to Canadian cruise holidays.
Cruises To Canada
Cruise Holidays To Canada
If you are looking to enjoy a cruise holiday to Canada, the great news is that there are plenty of options when it comes to all aspects of a Canadian cruise holiday.
There are a range of turnaround ports, plenty of ports of call, lots of options for flying there and even chances to visit on No Fly getaways from the UK, with just about every mainstream cruise line offering chances to sail on them to ports in the country.
In other words, no matter what you look for on a cruise holiday, you will likely find it on a Canadian getaway- except maybe for a day sunbathing on a beach, although that can certainly be done in the height of summer.
Canada Cruise Guide
We look at a wide range of cruise ports that can be visited in Canada onboard either mainstream cruise line or on smaller, expedition ships but due to the nature of many of these ports, it is usually a mix of the 2 that stop there.
Turnaround Ports
For those looking to start and/or end their adventure in Canada there are a few options that all offer great cities to explore that have lots of accommodation options and international airports.
All these ports are well worth visiting and really add to your holiday.
Vancouver is one of Canada’s leading cities for tourists and it no surprise why.
Surrounded by mountains, the picturesque vibrant city all you could want from a city break and offers the leading turnaround port in the country offer trips to Alaska, to California and across the Pacific to Hawaii and Asia.
Montreal is another vibrant Canadian city that has a French flair to it and whilst it is both a turnaround port and a port of call, the options are often limited to smaller ships due to its location on the St Lawrence Seaway.
Quebec City also offers the chance for a French-Canadian experience and is a great option for those wanting to explore Canada before or after setting sail as the port is both a port of call and a turnaround port.
Canada offers a wide range of cruise ports for those stopping off in the country including vibrant cities, small towns, remote villages and islands that all offer their own unique history and culture complete with the ever-present Canadian warmth and hospitality.
When it comes to cruise ports in Canada, they can be bet split into two separate areas; West Coast or Pacific cruise ports and East Coast or Atlantic cruise ports.
The east coast of Canada is on the Atlantic Ocean and offer visitors the chance to explore The Maritimes as well as Quebec and the Great Lakes.
Ships sailing in this part of the world are usually starting and/or ending their itineraries at ports in the northeastern USA or are part way through trans-Atlantic journeys.
Baie-Comeau sits on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River and offers the chance to visit for those cruising the region on smaller ships including expedition style ones.
Charlottetown is the largest city and main cruise port on Prince Edward Island that offers the opportunity to enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere of island life in eastern Canada.
The small city of Corner Brook is located on the island of Newfoundland in the mouth of the Humber River.
It is ideal for those want to avoid the main tourist hotspots of Canada and simply get to enjoy an authentic experience.
The port city of Halifax is a great place to simply exit your ship and set off along the long river front boardwalk that takes in several museums, shops and attractions whilst offering incredible views across the bay.
It is also where visitors can head out on excursions to Peggy’s Cove and its iconic Lighthouse.
Havre-Saint-Pierre is a small fishing town that is known for its stunning natural beauty and for its incredible wildlife including black bears, blue whales and seals.
Red Bay is small fishing village in Labrador that is visiting by a number of smaller ships giving cruisers to chance to visit this historic part of Canada, which is famed for been the site of a number of shipwrecks.
Thanks to its position on the Saguenay River, this small town gives you a chance to visit rural Canada as it sits around 80 miles upriver from Quebec City.
Saint Anthony is a small town on the very northern end of Newfoundland that has lots to offer visitors including icebergs, Viking settlement and whale watching.
Saint John is an historic city located on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick that offers an authentic Canadian experience and is a great place to simply stroll around and explore for your day ashore.
Saint Johns in Newfoundland offers an incredible entrance as you sail past the beautiful Signal Hill before docking downtown and having the chance to explore all that is on offer in this tourist friendly seaside resort.
The port of Sydney sits in the north of Nova Scotia that has spent heavily on its cruise infrastructure recently and that has benefitted us all with a wider range of ships calling in there.
The west coast of Canada is on the Pacific Ocean, and it features the country’s leading cruise port of Vancouver. For many cruisers, these ports feature on journeys through the Inside Passage to Alaskan ports whilst they also feature on Pacific Coastal journeys and as ports on trans-Pacific routes to Asia or Hawaii.
The town of Victoria on Vancouver Island lives up to its name as it transports you back in time to the Victorian era so why not have head to a luxury hotel for Afternoon Tea or visit the beautiful Butchart Gardens.
Other options for guests include heading out on whale watching trips to see the many Orcas that call the waters around the island home.
Popular Cruise Lines
With the country been a popular place for cruisers to head to as well as been a popular stopping off point on trips including those cruising Alaska and crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, it will come as no surprise that the majority of cruise line offer the chance to visit Canada.
Amongst the lines to offer the most options are Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Oceania Cruises, Silversea Cruises and the Carnival Cruise Line.
Canada
Canada is a vast modern country that is also full of history and differing cultures that makes it a unique place to visit.
It is home to some of the biggest cities in the worlds, including the likes of Toronto and Montreal and it offers some of the biggest mountains and lakes to explore.
Those contrasts are what really make the country special and whilst the shape of the country, with it been incredibly wide and having a massive land border with the United States, and the fact that the far north remains difficult for cruise ships to visit due to the coldness and you are limited as to where you can visit on a cruise holiday.
Thankfully, there are still plenty of options for those sailing on mainstream cruises and even more for those on smaller, expedition style ships that take advantage of the huge rivers and the vast Great Lakes to take in even more of Canada.
Best Time To Visit Canada
The cruising season in Canada is relatively short, especially for those heading north to Alaska on the east coast but there are plenty of options from March until November.
For those sailing on the east coast, the summer months are arguably the best time to visit but many of the ports can get crowded in August, so we would recommend visiting in either June or July or early September.
The same can be said for on the west coast but if you want to experience the natural beauty of autumnal Canada, October is the best time to visit.
Canada Cruises From The UK
Thankfully that isn’t the case as there are several cruise lines that offer direct sailings between the UK and Canada, including round trips.
The first option is to pick a transatlantic cruise that starts or ends in the UK, but you will need to take at least 1 long haul flight.
These cruisers can be direct or take the north Atlantic route via Iceland and/or Greenland.
The second option is to do around trip between the UK and Canada which normally takes around 20-25 days.
Canada Cruises From Southampton
If you do want to sail to Canada from the UK, it will more than likely be from the country’s leading cruise port of Southampton with the likes of P&O, Cunard and Princess Cruises offering Southampton to Canada itineraries.
Here at CruiseHols.co.uk we bring you all of the information you will ever need to choose the right cruise destination for you and your family.
Our destination guides include everything from ports to attractions and excursion to the positives and negatives of the destination.
