Besides fall leaf-peeping, which of course can be spectacular, whale-watching excursions in New England are the number one draw during the late summer and fall months. The most common sightings are humpbacks, but other species are seen as well, including minke whales, finback whales and right whales. Whales and dolphins can also be seen while at sea; maybe you'll be lucky enough to spot a narwhal, a unique species with one tooth piercing its upper lip. It is believed that the narwhal is the inspiration for the mythical unicorn.
Visiting the cities in this region can offer a wealth of cultural opportunities, but almost all of them have a quirky, off-the-beaten-track museum or two that might be fun to visit. Take the kids to the only Toilet Museum in the world, in Worcester, for example, or to see the witches' stocks in old Salem, or to the Green Animals Mansion in Newport, wherein an entire zoo's worth of topiary awaits. The legendary L.L. Bean store in Freeport, Maine, stays open 24 hours a day, and you can see Lenny, the 1,700-pound moose sculpted entirely from chocolate, at Len Libby's in Bar Harbor. In Prince Edward Island, you can visit Avonlea, home of "Anne of Green Gables."
Most people don't realize that New England and eastern Canada is a great wine producing region, with several wineries in Massachusetts, Maine, Quebec and Nova Scotia. You can make an entire day trip out of visiting local wineries; in fact, some cruises highlight that in their itineraries.
Montreal has a notable jazz festival, film festival and comedy competition every year, but it is also gaining repute as one of the leading fashion design cities in the world. Take a stroll through Old Montreal and the converted buildings around the old port; you can visit the designers' studios and, who knows, you might just meet the next Versace or Vera Wang. And by the way, making a purchase from one of these soon-to-be-famous designers may not be as big a bargain as it used to be due to a less powerful U.S. dollar but the exchange rate still offers a good value.
Here's a fun fact that rarely sees print: There are more bars and pubs per capita in the city of Halifax than in any other city in North America. As a result, the pub-crawling excursion is one of the most popular on any cruise ship.
St. John's is located on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, an area rich with the lore of fairies. Yes, fairies -- in fact, many of the towns around the peninsula are named Fairy-something-or-other, and locals still tell fairy stories in the pubs and bars around the region.
The Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium in Bar Harbor serves lobster ice cream. Now that's something to write home about.
Fjords aren't limited to Norway and Chile; North America has them too. A bizarre geographical confluence created the Saguenay Fjord, in that it's located in the heart of the province of Quebec and is fed by both the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Lawrence Seaway. It's unique, the only one of its kind in the world. It's not as spectacular as the European or South American fjords, nor as pristinely beautiful as those in Alaska, but if your cruise itinerary has a day of cruising the Saguenay, you are lucky indeed.
The old quarter of Quebec City is the only fortified city in North America. You can wander the ramparts and look down into the maze of cobblestoned streets below. There's a funicular a few blocks away that descends to Lower Town, not far from the docks, a very steep (but very short) ride that delights children.
You can spend a day walking The Freedom Trail in Boston, the very route that Paul Revere took to warn of the British invasion of the city. It's two and a half miles long, so wear good shoes. Plan to stop in some of the bakeries in Little Italy (on the trail) for sustenance.
Excellence Playa Mujeres, Mexico-February 2014
