The Maritimes Cruise Ports
The Maritimes, also known as the Maritime Provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada that takes in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
That places it on the border between the United States and Canada and in a popular cruising region where ships heading between Europe and North America as well as between the US and Canada calling into a variety of cruise ports in the region.
It is home to some of the Canada’s most popular cruise ports and can be visited for most of the year, outside of winter, with the chance to see the beautiful Canadian autumn a major draw.
Cruises To The Maritimes
Cruise Holidays To The Maritimes
The Maritimes is a beautiful part of Canada that despite been relatively small offers lots of options for those wanting to visit on a cruise.
Ships calling in their offer the chance to head to places such as Quebec, Greenland, Iceland, Boston, New York and even the UK but the ports in the region itself really shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Maritimes Cruise Guide
Canada’s The Maritimes offers a great mix of large cities, seaside resorts, small town and remote island ports of call that can all be visited on the same cruise.
It is a great way to see the very best of Canada and take in just what makes the country such a great place to visit on a holiday.
The Maritimes Cruise Ports
Halifax is a vibrant city that offers a completely different experience for visitors when compared to the rest of the Maritimes region.
Visitors can stroll from their ship and explore many of the cities main attractions via a long boardwalk or you can experience the history of the region at the cities Citadel.
Sydney offers a mix of all you would expect from a large urban area but with the small town charm of been on the relatively remote Cape Breton.
Charlottetown offers all you could want from a small island port of call in Canada including friendly locals, brightly coloured houses, a beautiful seafront and plenty to see and do.
Saint John is an historic city in New Brunswick where many of its attractions are based on the history of the city as one of the earliest settlements in Canada.
Lunenburg is a small fishing village in Nova Scotia that is just to the south of Halifax and whilst only smaller luxury or expeditions ships will call there, it offers a great chance to engrain yourself in the history and traditions of the region.
Our Visit
We were fortunate enough to visit the region in 2023, when we called into Halifax, Nova Scotia as part of a trans-Atlantic cruise from Iceland to Boston.
On our visit to Halifax, we took a morning excursion to the iconic Peggy’s Cove to see its famous Lighthouse before strolling from the downtown cruise dock along the waterfront boardwalk.
That takes you past many of the city’s main attractions and takes in things such as a street food market to try local produce, numerous gift shops and it also gives you great views over towards Dartmouth.
Popular Cruise Lines
If you are wanting to sail with a mainstream cruise line, the chances are that they will offer cruises that visit The Maritimes including the likes of Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Oceania Cruises and the Holland America Line.
There are also plenty of expedition style cruise lines that visit the area for those wanting a more adventurous getaway.
The Maritimes
The Martimes has an incredibly long history with the first human settlements starting around 6,000 years ago.
The region was one of the first in North America to see European settlers when Viking explorers set up communities in around 1000CE whilst later Europeans from the likes of France, England, Portugal and Spain all visited there and it is from those later settlers that much of the culture and history of the region has developed around.
Nowadays, the region is a popular cruise destination for those wanting a more relaxed holiday, where they simply enjoy days on shore exploring the ports that they visit on foot or head out of town to see the natural beauty of eastern Canada.
Best Time To Visit The Maritimes
If you are simply wanting to explore the ports you visit, the summer months are the best time to visit as that is when it is warmest and driest.
With that said, August can see many of the ports and their attractions crowded, so we would recommend visiting in June, July or September.
Several offer October sailing to take advantage of the beautiful autumnal foliage found throughout the region and this is becoming a popular time of the year to visit as well.
The Maritimes Cruises From The UK
It is possible to set sail form the UK and visit the Maritimes with some line even offering round trips, whilst the option for transatlantic journeys are also readily available.
The Maritimes Cruises From Southampton
If you would like to sail to eastern Canada from the UK, the chances are that you will have to set sail from the port of Southampton where the likes of Cunard offer direct transatlantic journeys often calling into Halifax with others such as Princes cruises offers return voyages.
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.
