The size of your ship and length of the cruise will determine the variety and number of ports you visit, as will the type of itinerary and point of departure. Loop cruises start and end at the same point and generally call on ports in relative close proximity to one another; one-way cruises tend to be lengthier, beginning at one point and ending at another. Almost all New England and Canada cruises are loop cruises.

Cruises of seven- to eleven-nights generally sail from New York, Boston, Baltimore, or Montréal and spend at least one day at sea, along with visits to five or more ports of call such as Boston and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts; Newport in Rhode Island; Bar Harbor and Portland in Maine; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and St. John, New Brunswick. The lengthier itineraries might also include Québec City, a day of scenic cruising along the St. Lawrence River, and, possibly, a trip through the Saguenay Fjord. As a rule, only one-way cruises sail all the way to and from Montréal. Cruises from Southampton, England that focus on New England and Canada are longer voyages, generally in excess of three weeks, and typically include two transatlantic crossings.

Only Carnival Cruise Lines schedules summertime getaway cruises to Canada from New York. Typically, these are two-day cruises at sea. A four-night cruise includes a visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia, or you can venture to Halifax and St. John, New Brunswick, on five-night cruises.