Why leaf peepers are turning to cruises instead of road trips

Gillian Machado loves the fall, but living in South Florida, the season’s trademark chill tends to elude her.

“It’s just like, hot and hotter,” the 26-year-old told USA TODAY of the climate there. But in late 2024, her family took a Norwegian Cruise Line ship sailing to New England and Canada, where they got to enjoy proper fall foliage – a festive change from the palm trees back home.

“My cousins live up north, and they go to get apple cider donuts, and they go to pumpkin patches, and all these things,” she said. “So (the cruise) kind of makes me feel a little bit like I got to have that experience as like a Floridian who usually doesn't get to have it.”

Travelers pile into cars and trains for leaf-peeping journeys each year, but cruise ships offer an alternative to see the autumnal sights – with plenty of activities on offer along the way. With cruise demand growing – 37.2 million ocean cruise passengers set sail in 2025, up from 34.6 million the year before, according to Cruise Lines International Association's State of the Cruise Industry Report – here’s why you should consider seeing the changing leaves by ship.

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/travel/