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By Randy Mink  When nature’s paintbrush sets Eastern North America ablaze with the fiery hues of autumn, cruise travelers hop a riverboat or oceangoing ship for a calm-water odyssey that blends history and nostalgia with fall foliage unrivaled anywhere else in the world.
While a brisk-weather cruise contrasts strikingly with a Caribbean romp, it can be quite exotic in its own way, a refreshing change of pace. Instead of palm-fringed islands and turquoise lagoons, your memories of a domestic cruise may center on a lobster cookout in Maine, shopping for antiques in Ohio or perhaps sipping hot chocolate in a cozy lounge as your ship glades past the rocky coast of Nova Scotia.
Cruising in the United States and Canada, moreover, offers a high degree of security and comfort. You’re on home turf, people speak your language and it’s fun getting in touch with your own heritage.
The continent’s rivers and coastal waterways were the interstate highways of yesteryear, the lifeblood of industry, the passages to new frontiers. Ports of call on today’s pleasure cruises, from Midwestern river towns to Atlantic fishing villages, dish up some delicious slices of Americana.
For groups considering a smooth-sailing holiday in September or October, there’s a cornucopia of options, from intimate vessels navigating inland waters to megaships that visit New England, French Canada and the Maritime Provinces.
INLAND CRUISES
A big plus of inland cruising is that you always have a view on both sides, and the smaller size of a rivergoing craft allows it to dock almost anywhere.
American Canadian Caribbean Line’s Grande Caribe and sister Grande Mariner offer four, 12-night fall foliage adventures between Warren, R.I., the company’s home port, and Quebec City. With retractable pilot houses that allow them to travel beneath low bridges, the 100-passenger sisters are the only overnight cruise vessels able to navigate New York’s Erie Canal.
Northbound trips sail along the southern shore of New England to the Hudson River, continuing on to the Erie Canal, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Stops on the Hudson include the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, N.Y. Passengers also visit historic Fort Ontario in Oswego and Boldt Castle in the 1,000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence, near Alexandria Bay, N.Y. Passengers on this “Northeastern Fall Foliage” itinerary spend two nights each in Montreal and Quebec City before boarding a bus back to Warren. The southbound itinerary operates in reverse (www.accl-smallships.com).
St. Lawrence Cruise Lines’ 100-passenger Canadian Empress, a replica steamship with brass handrails and ornate metal ceilings, operates cruises that begin or end in Kingston, Ontario, where the St. Lawrence begins at Lake Ontario. On the five-night “Canada’s Capital” itinerary, the boat journeys from the St. Lawrence to the Ottawa River as far as Ottawa, or vice versa. Other trips run between Kingston and Quebec City. Shore tours visit such living history sites as Upper Canada Village and Fort Wellington, built during the War of 1812.
The Canadian Empress’s three-night “1000 Islands Fall Extravaganza” in late October focuses on the bays, channels and passages of the famous archipelago, which actually numbers more than 1,800 islands in a 50-mile stretch. The green of jack pines contrasts strikingly with the deep rust of the oaks and vivid reds of blueberry bushes on the floor of island forests (www.stlawrencecruiselines.com).
Three of American Cruise Lines’ small ships spend a whole week spotlighting the Hudson River’s autumn splendor, highlighted by the imposing palisades and rolling hills that inspired 19th century landscape artists. The 49-passenger American Glory and 100-passenger American Spirit and American Star offer seven-night roundtrips from New York City. Besides shore tours to West Point, passengers visit Springwood, the Hyde Park estate of Franklin D. Roosevelt; Lyndhurst, the Gothic Revival mansion of railroad baron Jay Gould; and Sunnyside, home of author Washington Irving in Sleepy Hollow.
 The line’s 49-passenger American Eagle offers six departures of its one-week fall foliage cruise of Chesapeake Bay, departing Baltimore for ports of call in Maryland and Virginia. Along the James River, American history comes to life at Tidewater Virginia attractions like Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Victory Center, and Colonial Williamsburg. Maryland highlights include the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and Chesapeake Maritime Museum in St. Michael’s. In early November, American’s other three ships make Chesapeake sailings after their Hudson season concludes (www.americancruiselines.com).
RiverBarge Excursion Lines’ 198-passenger R/B River Explorer spends fall on the Ohio River. Its seven-night “Fall Foliage and Fillies” circuit (Oct. 16-23) from Cincinnati visits towns like Ripley and Portsmouth, Ohio; and Huntington and Point Pleasant, W. Va. From Ripley, barge passengers tour Kentucky horse country, with visits to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington and a bourbon distillery (www.riverbarge.com).
ok- will Majestic America Line’s 412-passenger American Queen, the world’s largest paddlewheeler, offers a series of week-long fall foliage cruises on the Upper Mississippi, traveling between St. Paul and St. Louis. In Winona, Minn., shore tours include the Watkins Museum at the headquarters of the venerable home products company that pioneered door-to-door selling and thrives today from catalog and online sales. The “Watkins man” was a frequent guest of housewives in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, peddling everything from vanilla to red liniment oil for sore muscles.
Up the river from Winona, American Queen passengers also visit Red Wing, an artist’s colony brimming with charm. Downtown shopping magnets include Red Wing Shoes and Red Wing Pottery. Color-splashed bluffs flanking the Mississippi River in this part of southeastern Minnesota attract leaf-peepers from throughout the Midwest. The boat’s other ports of call are La Crosse, Wis.; Dubuque, Davenport and Burlington, Ia.; and Hannibal, Mo., hometown of Mark Twain. The Upper Mississippi’s system of locks and dams enhances the itinerary’s appeal (www.majesticamericaline.com).
NEW ENGLAND-CANADA CRUISES
Come mid-September, most major cruise lines dispatch at least one ship to New England and Canada. Fall-flecked landscapes and salty maritime lore take center stage on six- to 13-night cruises that depart from New York/New Jersey or Boston for history-rich cities like Newport, R.I.; Portland, Me; and Saint John, New Brunswick. Some ships enter the St. Lawrence for visits to Canada’s Quebec province.
Unlike the modest vessels that ply rivers and coastal waters, the major lines’ megaships provide casino action, multiple restaurants, endless entertainment and all the other amenities expected on a cruise vacation. Passengers bound for northern climes just have to bring more sweaters than shorts.
A typical New England-Canada sailing is the 10-nighter between New York and Quebec City on Holland America Line’s new 2,044-passenger Eurodam. Along the way, travelers can see grand mansions in Newport, walk the Freedom Trail in Boston, and go biking on Canada’s Prince Edward Island. In Bar Harbor, Me., they might chow down at an authentic Down East lobster bake, do some sea kayaking or tour Acadia National Park by horse carriage (www.hollandamerica.com).
September guests of the 2,758-pax Carnival Victory get a day in Portland, the largest city in Maine. They can browse shops lining the cobbled streets of the Old Port area, visit the much-photographed Portland Head Lighthouse, tour the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, or take an excursion to Freeport, home of L.L. Bean and numerous factory outlet stores (www.carnival.com).
Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia, are popular Canadian ports with guests of the Eurodam and other ships. Excursions from Halifax go to Peggy’s Cove, a photogenic fishing village famed for scenes of its lighthouse, weathered shacks, lobster traps and drying nets. The Fortress of Louisbourg, near Sydney, recreates 18th century French village life when France and Britain were vying for Eastern Canada.
Romantic Quebec City, celebrating its 400th anniversary, is a bastion of Old France perched on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence. Travelers revel in sampling French cuisine, walking the ramparts and exploring cobblestone streets lined by 17th and 18th century stone buildings. There’s more Gallic flair in sophisticated Montreal, second only to Paris in the size of its French-speaking population.
Some cruises begin or end in Montreal, giving guests a chance to stay there overnight. Guests of Crystal Cruises’ 940-passenger Crystal Symphony, for example, stay overnight on the ship in Montreal (and Boston) on 10- and 11-night trips (www.crystalcruises.com).
Five Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) ships offer Northeastern fall color cruises. The 1,966-passenger Norwegian Spirit, 2,224-passenger Norwegian Dawn and 2,384-passenger Norwegian Jewel leave from New York on six- to 10-night roundtrips. The 1,748-passenger Norwegian Dream makes one-week outings from Boston, and the 1,462-passenger Norwegian Majesty offers the same from Philadelphia (www.ncl.com).
Of Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) three ships in the region this fall, the largest is the 142,000-gross-register-ton/3,114-passenger Explorer of the Seas, which makes roundtrips from Cape Liberty. N.J., to Quebec City. The Jewel of the Seas sails out of Boston to Canada’s Maritimes, while the Grandeur of the Seas embarks from Baltimore (www.royalcaribbean.com).
RCI’s sister line, Celebrity Cruises, employs the 2,038-passenger Celebrity Constellation on two-week roundtrips from Cape Liberty to Quebec City (www.celebrity.com).
Those looking for a smaller ship might opt for Princess Cruises’ 710-pax Royal Princess, which offers 11-night “Connoisseur’s Canada & New England” voyages between New York and Montreal. The 1,950-passenger Sea Princess and 3,100-passenger Caribbean Princess also do New England-Canada cruises (www.princess.com).
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