12 cruise lines showcasing the region's most spectacular season

Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island.

5. Celebrity Cruises

Though Celebrity Cruises offers fewer New England cruises than some of its competitors, the ones it does offer are worth checking out if you’re interested in a long cruise. These are 10- or 11-night voyages sailing round-trip from Boston. Many of the ports of call are similar across these sailings, including Halifax, Charlottetown, Portland, and Quebec City.

The lighthouse of Cap Hérissé in Iles-de-La-Madeleine, Quebec, Canada.

6. Holland America

With cruises departing from Boston, Quebec City, and Montreal, Holland America’s New England and Canada cruises include popular ports of call in Nova Scotia and Maine. Shore excursions cater to all kinds of vacation types, from adventurous hikes around Acadia National Park to foodie walks through Saint John, New Brunswick.

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Itineraries are available through mid-fall as well as spring and summer. Most of the line’s New England cruises vary in length from seven to 15 days, and there’s also an epic 25-day voyage that includes stops in Greenland and Iceland.

Autumn in New England’s Acadia National Park.

7. Oceania Cruises

If you’ve experienced New England cruises in the past and have visited the typical ports of call, you may want to consider a voyage aboard Oceania Cruises next. It has some unique ports of call you aren’t likely to find with other cruise lines, including Baie-Comeau and Gaspe in Quebec; Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts; and Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

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Oceania’s New England and Canada cruises depart in August, September, and October, and include one-way and round-trip itineraries out of New York, Boston, and Montreal. Sailings range from 10 to 12 days on the 1,200-passenger Allura, the 684-passenger Nautica, and the 684-passenger Insignia.

8. Seabourn Cruise Line

Choose Seabourn’s Canada and New England cruises for a yacht-like experience with smaller ships that pull out all of the stops. The majority of its regional itineraries sail out of Montreal and focus on Canadian ports with just a couple of stops in New England, including Boston and potentially Provincetown, Newport, or Martha’s Vineyard.

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9. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

With four ports in New England and several more in Canada, Regent Seven Seas Cruises lets passengers see the highlights of the region with curated excursions. Stop in Martha’s Vineyard, Boston, Bar Harbor, or Portland to enjoy the sights and sounds of New England with their themed cruises. These include Lighthouses and Lobster Rolls, numerous fall foliage tours, and more. Most of these New England and Canada sailings are aboard the 744-passenger Seven Seas Grandeur or the 746-passenger Seven Seas Splendor.

10. Silversea Cruises

For another intimate New England cruising experience, consider Silversea Cruises. The line’s crew-to-guest ratio is nearly 1:1, and its small vessels can access ports that others can’t get to. Its 10- and 11-day itineraries include stops at ports such as Newport, Portland, and Quebec City.

11. Windstar Cruises

If your idea of a New England cruise also includes multiple stops in Canada as part of your journey, then you should look into Windstar Cruises. The small ship cruise line includes New England ports like Boston and Portland, but the majority of ports you’ll experience are in Canada. For example, its 11-day Southeast Canadian Explorations cruise stops at Halifax and Quebec City as well as lesser-visited destinations like Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, and Gaspé, Quebec.

12. Viking Cruises

Viking Longship Mani, Expeditions ship Viking Polaris and Viking ocean ship Venus on the North Sea Canal, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Want a New England cruise that also includes a few palm trees? Viking Cruises is distinct in that its 15-day Canada and New England Scenic Shores cruise also brings passengers to Fort Lauderdale. So, if you’re interested in a one-way cruise that brings you somewhere a bit more tropical than New England, this might be the perfect itinerary for you. The journey begins in Montreal and stops in several Canadian ports along the way before visiting Bar Harbor, Portland, and Newport. It then continues down the East Coast to Florida. A reverse sailing from Florida to Canada is also available.

Viking also has 13-day Eastern Seaboard Discovery and Eastern Seaboard Explorer sailings, offering one-way voyages from Boston to Montreal. Viking’s New England itineraries sail on either the 930-passenger Viking Mars or the 930-passenger Viking Neptune.

New England in the fall: These 12 cruise lines showcase the region’s most spectacular season originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com.