Nova Star Cruises: Travel from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Today Nova Star Cruises kicks of its second season sailing between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. This weekend we had the opportunity to tour the ship and to spend the night on board in Portland, which was really cool.

Nova Star is enormous! It’s a 528 foot ship with 162 passenger cabins, two hoistable vehicle decks, a casino, a spa, three restaurants, four bars, and an area especially for kids. And there’s so much more! Our tour took us all around the ship, including up to the bridge where the ship is piloted. Even though it was a foggy gray night, it was really cool to be up in the bridge looking out over the sea.

The ship’s many features include a buffet restaurant, fine dining restaurant, pub, and a shop that sells gift items, duty free items, and local offerings such as Nova Scotia wine. Nova Scotia is a rapidly growing wine region that has its own Tidal Bay wine, which reflects the coastal terroir.

While it is traveling between ports, the ship also features all sorts of entertainment, from ice cream socials, to wine and beer tastings, chef events, bingo, live music, art lessons and more, depending on the schedule.

We spent the night in one of the exterior cabins, so we had a nice big window overlooking the Portland Harbor. Cabins are all equipped with private bathrooms with showers, and everything was absolutely spotless. The beds were super comfortable too! I had a great night’s sleep in the cabin, and we woke up to a beautiful morning.

Nova Star connects two beautiful coastal locations, both with exquisite natural beauty, excellent food, and maritime culture. Getting to Nova Scotia from New England has never been more fun. We’re hoping to plan a trip to Halifax sometime this summer, using Nova Star to kick off our vacation from the second we drive aboard. For more information on the ship, things to do on board, and Nova Scotia as a destination, please visit novastarcruises.com

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*I am doing some work for Nova Star Cruises. All opinions are my own.