Ready to immerse yourself in the culture, cuisine, and history of New England? Choosing the right cruise from our hand-crafted itineraries is an exciting way to decide which experience you will have on your small ship cruise of the North American East Coast. Cruises of New England and the East Coast are generally between 9 and 17 days and travel as far north as Nova Scotia and as far south as the Bahamas.
The first step in choosing the perfect New England cruise for you and your family is to figure out how long your cruise will be and which destinations you’d most like to experience.
Popular ports & destinations for cruises of the New England coast include:
- Portland, Maine
- Rockland, Maine
- Bar Harbor, Maine
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
- Provincetown, Massachusetts
- Newport, Rhode Island
Cruises that continue south of New England may also stop in ports like:
- New York City
- Sag Harbor, New York
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Wilmington, North Carolina
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Savannah, Georgia
- Amelia Island, Florida
- West Palm Beach, Florida
- Nassau, Bahamas
If you’re hoping for a more northern New England cruise experience, your small ship may dock in the Canadian coastal towns of:
What kind of New England cruise experience are you hoping for?
- Active New England cruises feature daily opportunities to hike, kayak, bike, and explore the cities.
- Relaxed cruises through New England take a more leisurely pace with opportunities for spa days, walking tours, and days at sea in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Wildlife and nature tours of the eastern seaboard feature stops along the mighty St. Lawrence River, thundering Niagara Falls, wild Mackinac Island, untamed Nova Scotia, and the rugged coasts of the northeastern U.S., marked by the iconic lighthouses.
No matter which cruise you choose, you will have options to mix in active tours, relaxing days, wildlife & whale watching, urban exploration, and more.
While choosing your itinerary and length of trip are a great way to determine which New England cruise is right for you,
another way you can decide on your cruise is by selecting the small ship or mega-yacht that you’d like to enjoy - our selection of luxurious, modern cruise ships are optimized for explorations of the U.S. east coast, including spacious and elegant cabins, environmentally friendly features, sophisticated technical updates, comfortable accommodations, and varied common areas to make your time on board just as enjoyable as your time exploring the destinations.
Also, be sure to ask yourself:
When should you plan your cruise to New England? Since the cruising season in the North American northeast is limited by the cold winter seasons,
summer is a very popular time to cruise New England, from early June through August, with long, sunny, hot days and very little precipitation.
Have you considered visiting New England in the autumn months?
Perhaps the best time to see the true beauty of the Atlantic Coast is the fall season, from late August through October, when the summer heat has given way to warm days and brisk nights and the leaves of New England are vibrant autumnal shades of oranges, yellows, and reds.
Bear in mind that some cruise lines exclusively offer fall cruises of New England, so if you are planning a family vacation, it is important to pay attention to the availability of the cruises of your choice.
You might notice that some of the bigger cruise lines also offer New England cruises. Still, small ship cruises are the best way to experience all that these destinations offer, with greater opportunities to stop in the small ports and a more flexible and personalized itinerary with greater attention from the crew.
