For rugged beauty, seaside splendor and an easy drive-to port, there’s nothing that compares to a Canadian Maritimes cruise from Boston. Yes, New York City’s Manhattan Terminal is also a terrific homeport, but for something uniquely different and rich in history, try a cruise that departs from the Black Falcon Terminal in Boston. If time and money are a pressing issue, Carnival Cruise Line offers a “taste” of the Canadian Maritimes with four and five night cruises extended through the end of July.
If you can take five days off from your daily routine, the Carnival Glory departs from Boston on Mondays and Saturdays cruising to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick. For those who can only get away for a long weekend, there are several four-day cruises which depart on Thursday and return very early on Monday morning, with possibly enough time to get back to your job that very day. These four-day cruises visit Saint John, New Brunswick.
I did say there is something for everyone in Saint John and that would also include a stop at the original Moosehead Brewery. Unfortunately, tours are no longer given, but for Moosehead fans, there’s an on-site retail store. For those a bit more thirsty, Carnival offers a Pub Crawl shore excursion that visits three pubs with tastings and live music. Other nature activities include bird-watching, kayaking, the Pink Hop On Hop Off Bus and dozens more on Carnival’s shore excursion list.
The five night cruise adds the city of Halifax to the itinerary. If you can finagle the extra day, a visit to Halifax is well worth your while. Home of Samuel Cunard (yes, founder of Cunard Line) and the world’s second largest harbor, this port city was the nearest spot for rescue ships to bring those who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Hundreds of artifacts from the Titanic can be viewed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, a stop that’s included on many of the Carnival Glory’s shore excursions.
After the Carnival Glory finishes the season in Boston, the ship will reposition to New York City’s Manhattan Terminal for a series of four- to seven-day voyages from Aug. 1 to Oct. 6, 2012.
I’ve been on several Canada New England cruises and this itinerary is one of my favorites. The natural, rugged beauty of the Canadian Maritimes plus the convenience of beginning your Carnival cruise at Cruiseport Boston and doing all of this in only four or five days, makes it the perfect short summer or fall cruise vacation.
N.B. Thank you VisitSaintJohn.com for correcting my error regarding tours of the Moosehead Brewery. I originally wrote that daily tours were available, as they were when I was there several years ago. Unfortunately, due to safety and security concerns, they no longer conduct tours of their plant.
I’m the editor and creator of CruiseMaven.com, a solo traveler cruising the world on waves and wheels, collecting recipes along the way. I hope my articles and photos entertain, advise and inspire you to travel the world without flying. Take a breath…stop for a local meal and a glass of wine along the way.
Sherry Kennedy says
Hi Don,
Thanks for your email. It appears that Carnival Glory cruises round-trip Miami from now through April 2019. The closest embarkation port to Boston would be New York.
Happy Travels!
Sherry
Don Armstrong says
Does this ship, The Glory still go out of Boston this summer of 2017? I’ see a date here of August 7 in about 2 more months from this date on a 5 day round trip from Boston
Thanks, Don A.