Anything Montreal

Jolie, thank you - that website is great. I booked an Avis car rental with our corporate account and this will work out great. We disembark on a Saturday morning so I would think traffic would be less an issue (Yes, been to Montreal before so I know a little about the traffic there!).

 

Thanks again!

You are probably on the same ship as us (Veendam). We were going to get the train to Ottawa but now I think it's a good idea to rent a car. Are you leaving the car in Ottawa or driving back to Montreal? I have had a hard time trying to find out about any possible drop-off fees if we leave the car in Ottawa (we leave nearby). Are you paying a drop-off fee?:confused:

Also having a hard time to find out which car rental is closest to the pier (we just got a notice that we are going to be at the Alexandra pier - Berth H3 at the Iberville passenger terminal.) You will be at the same pier if you are on the Veendam.

Definitely want to get there sometime in the near future! When Montreal hosted the "Exposition '67" , I represented the US as a solo guitarist as part of the amateur talent corp that performed during the event. It was a pretty cool experience for an 11-year old that had never ventured very far from PA! Have never been back but I came across a cruise over the past few years that stops at Montreal as part of a Canadian Maritimes and St. Lawrence Seaway trip...definitely want to do it. Research I've done indicated that some of the buildings are still there and have been designated for various uses. Too bad the cruise doesn't end at Montreal since then I could add a few additional days and perhaps get around to see more than will undoubtedly be allowed by just a day in port. Then again, could also just drive up there sometime as part of a more extensive road trip.

The Veendam (HAL) is ending in Montreal on May 6th. Starts in Florida on April 21st and ends in Montreal. We just booked it. It might interest you.

Thanks for mentioning this but I don't believe that sailing stops at the ports I'm interested in. It would be nostalgic to sail on the Veendam again sometime though being that we were on her to go to Alaska back in '06.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I have looked at a few of the cruise lines mentioned. My interest is primarily in visiting some or most of these ports - Baie-Comeau, Gaspe, Perce, Iles de la Madeleine, and Saguenay Fjord. Otherwise, if I just wanted to stop at the usual ports that are on a New England / Canada itinerary such as Quebec, Charlottetown, Halifax, Bar Harbor, etc. it would be easy to choose from many different cruise lines. I've done one with Celebrity, which was very nice, but I like the idea of trying a smaller ship (have never been on one) to do the St. Lawrence Seaway. The one I'm looking at with Pearl Seas starts in Toronto, then the Thousand Islands, Montreal and continues east. As for time of year, my preference would be either later Sept / early October or April / May.

You could check out http://www.croisieresctma.ca/en/

They may not hit all your ports but they do several in the area

the Pearl Mist cruises look good also

You could check out http://www.croisieresctma.ca/en/

They may not hit all your ports but they do several in the area

 

the Pearl Mist cruises look good also

Thanks! I had never heard of this CTMA before...very interesting. I had looked at the Pearl Mist itinerary and that is probably the one I'll wind up using.

Some tourists enjoy the CTMA althought it is a ferry. Different comments about CTMA can be found here:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g499336-d2365414-Reviews-CTMA_Cruises-Ile_du_Cap_aux_Meules_Iles_de_la_Madeleine_Quebec.html#REVIEWS

Cruise Critic has a search engine where you can enter the departure port you want with another port you want to visit. Some of the smaller Québec ports are not in the the pull-down menu but it is a start. Here is the link:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseto/

One search website which does have the smaller ports is "cruisetimetables.com". I cannot put the link here because they are sponsored.

The other posters gave a lot of good info. but just thought the links could be helpful.

You are probably on the same ship as us (Veendam). We were going to get the train to Ottawa but now I think it's a good idea to rent a car. Are you leaving the car in Ottawa or driving back to Montreal? I have had a hard time trying to find out about any possible drop-off fees if we leave the car in Ottawa (we leave nearby). Are you paying a drop-off fee?:confused:

 

Also having a hard time to find out which car rental is closest to the pier (we just got a notice that we are going to be at the Alexandra pier - Berth H3 at the Iberville passenger terminal.) You will be at the same pier if you are on the Veendam.

Hello fellow Veendam cruiser!

I actually have business in Northern NY state after the weekend so we will be driving there from Ottawa. Got a great rate on our corporate account from Avis but yes there will be a drop charge. Avis has a location (certainly walkable - but with luggage we will taxi or Uber it) at Metcalfe Street.

Hope this helps!

Hello fellow Veendam cruiser!

 

I actually have business in Northern NY state after the weekend so we will be driving there from Ottawa. Got a great rate on our corporate account from Avis but yes there will be a drop charge. Avis has a location (certainly walkable - but with luggage we will taxi or Uber it) at Metcalfe Street.

 

Hope this helps!

We are back to Plan A - to take the train from Montreal to Ottawa. We were told it would be about $150 to $200 for the drop-off fee so we will get the train. We enjoy the train so it's not a problem.

See you on the ship. Disappointed that nobody has posted on the roll call I entered. Other cruises we have taken had very active roll calls but with MSC it does not seem to happen. I think because of the language issue - not a lot of passengers speak English so they don't post on roll calls in English.

We are back to Plan A - to take the train from Montreal to Ottawa. We were told it would be about $150 to $200 for the drop-off fee so we will get the train. We enjoy the train so it's not a problem.

 

See you on the ship. Disappointed that nobody has posted on the roll call I entered. Other cruises we have taken had very active roll calls but with MSC it does not seem to happen. I think because of the language issue - not a lot of passengers speak English so they don't post on roll calls in English.

My second paragraph is confusing because we have two cruises booked(one with HAL and the other one with MSC) and mixed them up. Sorry for the confusion.

One post above deals with HAL and the other one with MSC.

The Québec Tourism Board has updated its website and it is very nice with a lot of info. Montréal is a vibrant city and it will be evenmore with its 375th anniversary this year. Other events such as the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the Formula-E (like the Formula-1 but with electric cars) will also take place in 2017. I am no travel agent, but all these activities, coupled with a strong USD versus CAD, will probably make the city very popular this year, for everybody, not just cruisers.

So, if you have a specific accommodation in mind, for before or after your cruise, it is definitely worth checking out the following link to evaluate how fast you have to reserve and for how long:

https://www.quebecoriginal.com/en/where-to-go/regions-cities/montreal/montreals-375th-anniversary

There are three trains from Montreal to Ottawa on May 6th. One is at 9:00 a.m. and the next one is at 11:37 a.m. and the last one is at 19:00. I would like to get the earliest train at 9:00 a.m. but it's probably not possible because we are scheduled to dock at 7:00 a.m. Any advice? Not sure if we have to clear customs in Montreal - we will be in Quebec City before Montreal so not sure how that works as far as customs?

There are three trains from Montreal to Ottawa on May 6th. One is at 9:00 a.m. and the next one is at 11:37 a.m. and the last one is at 19:00. I would like to get the earliest train at 9:00 a.m. but it's probably not possible because we are scheduled to dock at 7:00 a.m. Any advice? Not sure if we have to clear customs in Montreal - we will be in Quebec City before Montreal so not sure how that works as far as customs?

You should have cleared customs and immigration already (the latter is always at first Canadian point of entry, the former may repeat depending whether there were additional opportunities to acquire non-Canadian goods - but between Quebec City & Montreal you're in Canadian local waters the whole time so no Duty Free/US or other foreign port issues). Saturday morning traffic shouldn't be a problem getting to the station from the pier.

VIA check-in is only going to be a problem for you if you want to check bags - then you need to be at the station at least 45mins before departure. Self-disembarking would be the only way to guarantee this - which means you must be able to carry all your own stuff. Very soon after docking (due to no immigration/customs) you can start walking off - here in Vancouver as early as 7:15 from a nominal 7am arrival time, and that's WITH a need for CBSA clearance.

NB: Carry-on baggage isn't as generous on VIA as Amtrak - one large suitcase/1 personal item - so even if you could schlep all your own stuff onboard without difficulty you may have to check some of it.

WOW, just caught up on reading pages and pages of great information! We are not cruising, but rather spending a few days in mid-August in both Montreal and Quebec City.

What is the latest situation with Uber? Have all the legalities with operating within the Provence been settled?

WOW, just caught up on reading pages and pages of great information! We are not cruising, but rather spending a few days in mid-August in both Montreal and Quebec City.

 

What is the latest situation with Uber? Have all the legalities with operating within the Provence been settled?

It's legal until September, when the 1-year pilot program ends. As to de facto availability - e.g. will cabbies protest again to try and persuade lawmakers not to grant permanent legality... who can say?

I'd keep an eye on news at the time of your visit - if you hear about protests consider public transit as much as possible (since if cabbies are protesting that means fewer cab drivers available AND interference with Uber cars). A hotel near enough to the parts of town you plan to spend most of your time in, and close to a subway station, is always good idea and will minimise impact on you if there are any further problems.

It's legal until September, when the 1-year pilot program ends. As to de facto availability - e.g. will cabbies protest again to try and persuade lawmakers not to grant permanent legality... who can say?

 

 

I'd keep an eye on news at the time of your visit - if you hear about protests consider public transit as much as possible (since if cabbies are protesting that means fewer cab drivers available AND interference with Uber cars). A hotel near enough to the parts of town you plan to spend most of your time in, and close to a subway station, is always good idea and will minimise impact on you if there are any further problems.

Thank you for this information, yes I will check closer to my travel date! I haven't booked our accommodations yet, but I am planning to stay in the Downtown/Old Montreal area. Once we confirm the place, then I can see which method of transportation will suit us, i.e. tax, bus, etc.

New direct flights to/from Montréal (YUL)

For those looking at flights for cruises starting/ending in Montréal, several new routes have been added this year or will be.

Air Transat - Montréal-Tel Aviv twice a week from June 18th to the end of October.

WestJet - Montréal-Boston twice a day from Oct 15th

Montréal-Halifax twice a day since March 15th

Montréal-Québec City four times a day starting June 15th

Air Canada - Montréal-Shanghai once a day since Feb 16th

Other new direct flights from Montréal.

Air Canada - Lima, Dallas, Phoenix, Reykjavik, Tel Aviv...

Air Transat - Porto

For more info. here is the article:

"Montréal-Trudeau consolidates its position as an international hub":

http://www.admtl.com/sites/default/files/2017_Mtl-Trudeau_Intl_Hub_A.pdf

Other new direct flights from Montréal.

 

Air Canada - Lima, Dallas, Phoenix, Reykjavik, Tel Aviv...

 

Air Transat - Porto

 

For more info. here is the article:

"Montréal-Trudeau consolidates its position as an international hub":

http://www.admtl.com/sites/default/files/2017_Mtl-Trudeau_Intl_Hub_A.pdf

Thanks for this! My friend is flying in from Phoenix; I will let her know to check AC for a non-stop flight, rather than connecting through Toronto. I am flying from Fort Lauderdale non-stop on AC.

Update on flood situation.

See post #7 in this thread

"Veendam in Montreal docking":

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2495911

Arriving on a cruise ship early June. Need to store bags for day and tour city as have early evening flight. Where can I store bags?

Arriving on a cruise ship early June. Need to store bags for day and tour city as have early evening flight. Where can I store bags?

Try a search in this thread. Topic has been discussed before.

A couple of questions for our upcoming cruise.

We will be coming from the airport on bus 747 & staying at the Le Petite in old town. It looks like JEANNE-MANCE is the closest stop to the hotel. Is that correct & will there be taxis available there or is another stop preferable?

In earlier part of this thread, it was said that Bus715 is specifically geared to tourists. I looked at the bus route but not sure which stop is closest to hotel.

Merci

If you are staying at Le Petit Hotel at 168 Saint-Paul West you can take the 747 bus, get off at its first stop (Lionel-Groulx subway station), ride the subway in Montmorency direction for 6 stops until the Place d'Armes stop and then you will be a 5 minutes walk to the hotel.

There are alternate ways if you do not want to take the subway. The best stop would be SAINT-LAURENT not JEANNE-MANCE. You should be able to hail a taxi on the street but they will not be waiting at the bus stop unless there is a taxi stand nearby. For details about different routes see this link ("Getting around" option):

http://www.stm.info/en

The 747 is handy and cheap but I do not recommend taking it if you have a lot of luggage. There are helpers to help putting the luggage in the racks on the bus at the airport but you will be on your own to get off the bus. The Lionel-Groulx subway station has 2 elevators.

Arriving on a cruise ship early June. Need to store bags for day and tour city as have early evening flight. Where can I store bags?

For disembarking cruise ship passengers, there is a luggage storage facility at the cruise port. Cost: 4 CAD per bag. It is opened until 05:00 PM. More details in this link:

http://www.port-montreal.com/en/access-to-berths.html

Has anyone did a taxi from YUL to cruise port recently? Some places I read it's $40 flat fee, but I know when I was there before there was no flat fee.