Fouremco

I just read an article today that explained that CN owns the tracks and naturally gives priority to its freight trains. As long as Via is using CN's rails, it's not going to be given the right of way.

LOL. I'm a big proponent of both R2R and Google Maps, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree!

Consider the vast transportation options in any given country, and the frequency with which schedules change, flights are added or subtracted, routes are modified, prices increase, etc., etc., and then multiply these to include most countries in the world. IMO, it would be highly unreasonable to expect R2R to maintain a constantly up to date detailed listing of global transportation options. As R2R allows you to input your travel dates, next May in the OP's case, the problems you mention with respect to the Amtrak Adirondack won't be an issue if service resumes a few weeks from now. I view R2R as an excellent initial resource for researching options. Once I've determined my preferred option(s), I can then drill down to get detailed current information from the transportation providers' websites. In your case, you clearly have a good idea of what the options are and which you are likely to choose, so R2R is really not a necessary step. But if you were travelling in a country that you had never visit and knew little about, R2R would probably serve you very well as an initial starting place.

LOL. HAL's consistently inconsistent application of the rules. I'd just not assume that a straight reversal could be made, and ask pointed questions at the excursions desk beforehand to avoid any unexpected outcome.

A Canadian citizen travelling on a Canadian passport is subject to the same rules and regulations, whether residing in Canada or the US. I've read nothing here, on the embassy website or elsewhere on the internet suggesting that the Egyptian government has made an exception for Canadians currently living outside the country. For certain destinations, including Egypt, HAL will provide visas when required, so passengers do not need to acquire them in advance of a cruise. However, as the CIBTvisa website indicates, Canadians are an exception when it comes to Egypt. As this and similar threads point out, this is the result of an Egyptian government decision last year that Canadians can no longer acquire visas upon arrival, but instead must acquire them in advance from either the embassy in Ottawa or the consulate general in Montreal. As to your question about boarding without a visa, that would not be allowed, even if a passengers says that they'll remain on the ship. This scenario comes up every year with Alaskan cruises out of Seattle that stop in Canada, typically Victoria. Would-be passengers lacking the required documentation to enter Canada think that they'll be able to board if they just stay onboard while in port, only to be advised that they won't be allowed on the cruise. Based on the foregoing, I see no option other than to acquire a visa. It can be done by mail, and I'd recommend not delaying the application.

You've personally done that with an excursion that was fully booked and had a standby list? If so, it would seem that you are an exception based on the number of posters who have said that they've been told that they must cancel and rebook.

HAL views OBC as exactly that, a credit that can be used aboard. So, no using OBC pre-boarding. You can't do a payment reversal per se, with HAL crediting your card and debiting your OBC. You can, however, cancel the cruise, triggering a refund to your credit card, and rebook using your OBC. However, if it's a popular cruise and is fully booked, your cancelled reservation will go to whomever is at the top of the standby list. You chance losing out on the excursion if it's full.

Ha-ha-ha!

Agreed. In 2015, we sailed Boston to Montreal on the Maasdam, and the following year visited the Caribbean on one of Koningdam's first cruises. Going from the fleet's smallest to its largest ship, the impact on smaller communities was quite noticeable.

Was this the first US port after leaving Canada? Cruises departing Boston and stopping in Bar Harbor on their way North shouldn't experience this problem.

We visited Eidfjord in 2019 during our Voyage of the Midnight Sun cruise aboard the Nieuw Statendam. We split our day, spending the morning walking the very picturesque town and the afternoon taking a 3 hour sightseeing tour to the Vøringsfossen waterfall, with a stop at the Norwegian Nature Centre. We booked the tour well in advance with https://gofjords.com, but it appears that they no longer run any excursions from Eidfjord. However, they do operate other tours from other towns you'll probably be visiting, so a visit to their website might be worthwhile. FWIW, for the 8 ports visited during the cruise, we only booked 1 excursion with HAL. With a bit of research we found local providers that offered comparable or better excursions for quite a bit less, and that seems to be even more prevalent post covid. In addition to some of the previously suggested areas for research, I found a wealth of helpful information by going through the roll calls for past sailings of the same cruise.

Another vote for checking Rome2Rio. Here's the Quebec-to-Boston link: https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Quebec/Boston#trips

According to this government webpage, visitors arriving by boat do not need an EASE travel document. https://www.easecv.com/en/article/boat-arrival/ If in doubt, contact the embassy or one of the consular offices in the US. They have no official representation in Canada. https://embassies.net/cape-verde-in-canada

As this and other threads clearly show, there is no consistency in the way in which HAL treats requests for AARP OBC for existing bookings. Read post #8 for my experience and success in getting $200 OBC for a cruise booked a year earlier. These terms and conditions are not being applied with any consistency. I would highly recommend that anyone with an existing booking go ahead and apply for the OBC. I wasn't an AARP member, but after reading all of the posts by passengers who were successful in getting OBC for existing bookings, I decided to join and apply for it. As you can see, I made the right choice, spending $17 to get $200.

My experience with the AARP OBC. Rather than rewriting it, here's a link to my post on the HAL forum:

In late June, I joined AARP and went through the SheerID verification process before submitting the results to Holland America, requesting OBC for an upcoming cruise booked a year earlier. Given the varied experiences posted here in the HAL forum, I didn't know whether I'd get the full amount, nothing at all, or a token $25 that some have received when submitting after their booking was already made. Today I decided to see what was happening, and called my big box TA, asking for an updated booking confirmation showing the current OBC. While the TA could see our HIA and CCL stock OBC on HAL's system, there was no sign of anything for my AARP membership. Consequently, she phoned HAL and had it added. The HAL agent indicated that those wishing to add the AARP OBC after a booking has already been made have to telephone to have it added, which is why mine hadn't been added previously. Once again, this contradicts the experience of many others, and it appears that HAL's staff still have no consistency in their approach to AARP. However, if you are successful, $200 is a pretty good return on the $17 membership fee.

As we will be on that cruise, I'm very happy to see the response that you received!

Agreed. On the other hand, Rome2Rio is always available, while tapping into reliable local knowledge isn't always possible. On a flight to Halifax, we were diverted to Moncton because of the weather. I was able to quickly and easily find options on R2R to reach my destination without undue delay, while the flight was held back until the following day. It's a bit like using Google maps to find your way from A to B. Generally pretty darn reliable, and it can provide timely details (delays, detours, etc.) that a local may not be aware of. Of course, there are times when local experience can provide a better route.

Here are some options with details: https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Rotterdam-Cruise-Terminal/Rotterdam-Centraal-Station#trips

LOL. Having lived in Quebec for the better part of 30 years, including during the 1980 and 1995 referendums, I'm very well acquainted with the many complex issues.

Not dumb, just technologically challenged as it nears its fifth birthday next month. 😇

I should have been clearer when I said that I've never used my passport for ID purposes, and qualified the statement by saying "within Canada". Whether at home or travelling domestically, I don't use my passport. When travelling outside the country, however, I always have my passport with me and show it if required.

A couple of points. First of all, as @broberts has pointed out, as a Canadian, travel to the US only requires that your passport be valid for the duration of your visit. The same for US passport holders visiting Canada. If travel to the US was our only travel, then our passports would indeed be good for the full ten years. But that is not the case. We travel to many different countries. While much of our it is planned in advance, we choose to be able to travel at a moment's notice should a tempting opportunity arise. As long as there are countries that require a six-month period of validity, we will continue to operate on the basis of a 9.5 year passport. Secondly, you are correct, a Canadian passport could be used as identification. On the other hand, I've held a Canadian passport for over fifty years and haven't once used it for this purpose.

Pass!

How long are you planning to spend after the cruise? A day or two? A week? If you are planning on just a day or two, I'd strongly recommend that you spend them in Quebec City. If you are planning on spending a longer period of time, then by all means spend some time in Montreal as well. I've spent countless days in both cities, and even lived in Quebec City as a wee bairn. While my preference would be to spend your time in Quebec, both cities have a lot to offer. https://www.quebec-cite.com/en https://www.mtl.org/en