Hard as it might be for people in the northeast to believe it, winter really is over, and after winter comes spring, and after spring comes summer. Typically, in the cruise world, that means cruises in Alaska and Europe, but what about cruising right in your own backyard, on the rivers and coastline of New England, the other northeastern states and eastern Canada, where a number of small-ship operators offer laid-back, off-the-beaten-path itineraries.
Carrying fewer than 100 passengers, these vessels run the gamut from rustic schooners to modern vessels built to sail narrow passages such as the Erie Canal. Low-key and casual, their experience concentrates on historic towns, scenic beauty, and pure relaxation. In addition to the itineraries listed, many of these lines also offer summer cruises on the Great Lakes and fall- foliage cruises in New England.
American Canadian Caribbean Line (tel. 800/556-7450; www.accl-smallships.com), a family-owned company based in Warren, Rhode Island, offers several summer cruises, many departing from its own RI shipyard. From June through September the company offers twelve-night cruises on the Erie Canal and Hudson and Saguenay rivers, visiting towns and sites such as West Point, Narragansett Bay, Troy, and Montreal, with debarkation in Quebec City. Prices start around $2,275 per person. Two itineraries take in the New England coast: a 7-night coastal Maine itinerary sailing round-trip from Portland (from $1,750, July-Aug) and a 5-night New England Islands cruises sailing round-trip from Warren and visiting Cuttyhunk, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, and Newport (from $1,245, July-Aug). A number of itineraries are also available on the Great Lakes. Carrying only 84 to 100 passengers, the line's ships are bare-boned but comfortable, and generally attract an older crowd.
Connecticut-based American Cruise Lines (tel. 800/814-6880; www.americancruiselines.com) operates three much more roomy vessels, two carrying only 49 passengers and one, the new American Spirit, carrying 92. From July through mid-September they offer 7-night Maine coast cruises from Bangor and New England islands cruises from Providence, RI, visiting Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island, and others (from $2,885 per person). Keeping the focus on historic towns and cities, American's ships usually dock within a few blocks of museums, shops, and historic districts. For those who don't want to explore on their own, shore excursions are offered at a nominal price ($10¿$20 per person on average), and usually include tours of local museums, tours detailing a port's architecture and history, and visits to historic homes. Cabins are unusually large for small ships (averaging more than 200 square feet) and the onboard vibe is casual.
In summer, St. Louis-based Clipper Cruise Line (tel. 800/325-0010; www.clippercruise.com) operates the comfortable 100-passenger Nantucket Clipper on northeastern itineraries, offering 7-night "Escape to the Hudson Valley" cruises May-June, round-trip from New York City (from $2,170); a single 7-night New England and Nova Scotia cruise in June, sailing north from New York to Halifax and visiting Newport, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Bar Harbor (from $2,140); 12-night Maritime Canada and St. Lawrence River cruises in June and August, sailing between Halifax and Quebec City (from $3,750); and 8- night St. Lawrence Seaway and Thousand Islands cruises in June and July, sailing between Quebec City and Buffalo, New York, and visiting Montreal, Ottawa (via Prescott), Lake Ontario, Toronto, and the Welland Canal/Niagara Falls (from $2,480). Clipper's comfortable small ships focus on offbeat ports of call, learning, and mingling with other well-traveled passengers. It's the ideal small-ship cruise for people who've tried Holland America or one of the other mainstream lines but want to try a more intimate cruise experience.
Among the most distinctive cruises you'll find in the northeast are those offered by coastal Maine's fleet of traditional tall ships, 14 of which sail under the banner of the Maine Windjammer Association (tel. 800/807-WIND; www.sailmainecoast.com). Built between 1871 and 1983 and all individually owned and operated, the vessels sail leisurely 3- to 6-night itineraries from Rockland, Rockport, and Camden from late May through mid-October, visiting the fishing villages and quiet islands of Penobscot Bay. Cabins are basic, as are meals prepared either aboard ship or on open fires ashore. It's an intensely old-fashioned, wind-in-the-sails experience, and totally fits the Maine vibe. Cruises average $395 to $875. Several times each summer, most of the fleet participates in various events, such as Boothbay Harbor's Windjammer Days (week of June 20), the Great Schooner Race (week of July 4), Rockland's Maine Windjammer Parade (July 15) and Maine Windjammer Music Festival (week of Aug. 1), Camden's Windjammer Weekend (week of Aug. 29), and WoodenBoat magazine's WoodenBoat Sail-In, in Brooklin (week of Sept. 12). Most events feature music, food, tours, and other activities.
Another Maine-based operator, Wanderbird Expedition Cruises (tel. 866/732- 2473; www.wanderbirdcruises.com), sails 2- to 6-night cruises exploring the Maine coast, some of them oriented toward hiking, fishing villages, lighthouses, birdwatching, whales, and even wine and knitting. Cruises are offered aboard the 12-passenger Wanderbird, a former North Sea fishing trawler built in the Netherlands in 1963. She's a little weird looking but charming, combining the stocky lines of a fishing vessel with a pair of short masts and sails and beautifully maintained wood interiors. The owner/captains' two black labs accompany each cruise. All sailings are from Winterport, Maine (12 miles south of Bangor, 41 miles north of Camden), with prices starting at $400 for 2 nights, $720 for 3, $950 for 4, $1,100 for 5, and $1,500 for 6.
From June through September, Arabella Cruises (tel. 800/395-1343; www.cruisearabella.com) offers 5-night cruises aboard the beautiful 42-passenger sailing yacht Arabella, launched in 2000. Sailing round-trip from Newport, RI, the ship visits to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Newport, and Cuttyhunk. Rather than the kind of rustic experience offered by many of the New England schooners, Arabella offers the amenities of a modern luxury craft (including a hot tub and satellite TVs), though most of her cabins are fairly small. Prices are based from $999.
Heading inland, Mid-Lakes Cruises (tel. 800/545-4318; www.midlakesnav.com) offers 2-, 3-, and 4-night cruises on New York's canals, including the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga/Seneca, June through October. Slow and sedate, the trips highlight canal history and engineering and visits to quiet canalside towns. Their one vessel, the 40-passenger Emita II, is a converted Casco Bay ferry with a small lounge/dining area, bar, and outdoor recreation decks, but no cabins -- passengers sleep ashore each night in hotels. Per-person double-occupancy prices are $327 for two nights, $555 for three, and $747 for four, with higher rates for solo passengers and slightly lower rates for triples. Cruises sail one-way from docks near Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, and Rochester.
Up in Canada, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines (tel. 800/267-7868; www.stlawrencecruiselines.com) offers river cruises on the 66-passenger M/V Canadian Empress, a steamboat-style river cruiser built in 1981 on a design borrowed from 1908. Cruises include a 5-night St. Lawrence and Ottawa River Journey sailing between Ottawa and Kingston June-Sept; a 6-night St. Lawrence River Passage cruise, also between Ottawa and Kingston, May-Oct; and a 3-night "Passages and Channels of the 1,000 Islands" cruise, round-trip from Kingston, July-Aug. Prices range from $780 to $2,199.
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