Really Bad News...Montreal

[COLLEYBERRY]

 

Let's just hope that the MUC police force is more professional and more law abiding than their colleagues in Metro Toronto.

 

 

no kidding iancal....no kidding.:(

Colleen

[3rdGenCunarder]

It would not stop me. I have been even known to wear a Black Hawk Jacket in Vancouver and those BlackHawk games with the Cannucks can be rough.

 

But you have Friends in High Places. :)

 

Don't wear it in Philly. A Ranger fan was attacked after a Flyers game in Philly this winter.

 

Back to the original thread. I read the Canada board, and this topic has been debated for a while there. Maybe it's the same posters as the ones here, but people there have said that they could tour Montreal and feel safe. Others said it wasn't safe.

 

When we were in Montreal last fall, we saw an article in the paper about a planned "Occupy" demonstration and march. We didn't see any evidence of it, nor see anything about it in the next day's news.

[rafinmd]

If you have first hand knowledge of the situation consider it credible

 

If not, consider it over blown.

 

Agree completely.

 

But you have Friends in High Places. :)

 

 

Back to the original thread. I read the Canada board, and this topic has been debated for a while there. Maybe it's the same posters as the ones here, but people there have said that they could tour Montreal and feel safe. Others said it wasn't safe.

 

When we were in Montreal last fall, we saw an article in the paper about a planned "Occupy" demonstration and march. We didn't see any evidence of it, nor see anything about it in the next day's news.

 

Kathy, I was also in Montreal in October, and did go by the Occupy demonstration several times. Probably 10 blocks from the docks, I saw no threat from it whatsoever.

 

Roy

[gentlemancruiser]

These reports are greatly exaggerated, although I suppose things could change. I live in Montréal and so far I haven't ever been even slightly inconvenienced by these protests. In the last several months, however, I was almost pickpocketed in Athens by a team of three, one of whom was distracting me, I was overcharged in Turkey, followed and accosted by a shady individual in Santiago, avoided a major demonstration in Mexico City (where you can find panic buttons to attract the police in the Zocalo), saw someone get mugged on the quai as my subway departed a station in Paris, and was approached by petty drug dealers and prostitutes in the des Paquis quarter of Geneva. Montréal, in comparison, is pretty tame.

 

Thank you for presenting a balanced post.

 

I've seen the media coverage and spoken with my brother who lives in Montreal and works at McGill University. He's told me that it's not a bad as what the CBC, CTV & Global TV are reporting.

 

Please don't listen to those alarmists.

[nimiq]

I appreciate solocanadian's post which encapsulates my own views.

 

I still fear this long summer which eventually is going to become in Montreal, a hinderance to tourism in Montreal, or how it wil eventually prevent boarding of the Maasdam in this once great port.

 

I don't have a crystal ball, perhaps any future problems in Montreal might be avoided. I really don't know, nor do I quite frankly care any more. I will spend my time in Vancouver, and in Boston cheering on the Sox or I will be attending other venues in the USA, which these days are quite frankly more tourist-friendly and provide lack of worry for me.

 

My plans for Montreal, although only a 2 drive away no longer exists for me.

 

Today, I read the CTV.ca Montreal site.

 

A Montreal mother-of-four, Sandra Suissa Moghrabi has launched a Facebook site " Montrealers-time to take back our city."

 

"It is about people like me who want to be able to take their children, park downtown, and walk without fear that the streets will be blocked with fear that Molotov cocktails, that smoke bombs will be thrown without fear that bombs will be lit. It's for people like me."

 

That's all I will say on this topic. I'm just too tired to worry about this any more.

 

Good luck if you do come to Montreal, and if you run into problems to get onto the superb Maasdam, I hope it works out for you.

 

Cheer to all. Peter

You are starting to get me frustrated with you negative post of Montreal. I am a resident and you are way of the map with you affirmations. First of all the marches are always done at night and are more and more controlled since some of the population have join in with the students.

 

So if you like to go with you kids in the park I dont see the danger.

 

I think you have something else against Montreal and are taking this situation and making it worst.

How about saying what you really think of Montreal and not about the protest ?

 

Eric

[arewethereyet]

And this thread is on the HAL board supposedly because it might affect Maasdam boardings???

 

 

Please.

 

Mods, where are you?

[guy44134]

I just was in Montreal yesterday (May 26), post Maasdam cruise, and did witness a very large demonstration in the Rue Ste.-Catherine Est area in the evening. There were thousands of (mostly) young people marching, banging on pots & pans and shouting slogans. I was a bit startled at first, but there was no violence that I witnessed, and a friend who is resident of the downtown area re-assured me that it was not a dangerous situation. It was mostly annoying and loud. The protest was led by police on bicycles & motorcycles and followed up with several mounted policemen and squad cars. I was most intimidated by the mounted policemen and I quickly jumped on the sidewalk when I saw them coming (I was simply walking up the street in the opposite direction of the protesters and was not bothered by anyone). I saw NO evidence of any protest during my extensive wanderings throughout the daytime. Based on what I saw and what I heard from my friend, I would not avoid traveling to Montreal at this time. Just keep your wits about you and steer clear of trouble and you should be fine.

[mariner]

I think it's fair to say there will similar protests in Greece, Spain, Portugal, France and goodness knows where this summer. Maybe even lower Manhattan.

 

If you'd like fair and balanced reporting of it, read the Chinese or Russin media since US journalism doesn't appear to be (sarcastic cough).

[C2C2C]

I just was in Montreal yesterday (May 26), post Maasdam cruise, and did witness a very large demonstration in the Rue Ste.-Catherine Est area in the evening. There were thousands of (mostly) young people marching, banging on pots & pans and shouting slogans. I was a bit startled at first, but there was no violence that I witnessed, and a friend who is resident of the downtown area re-assured me that it was not a dangerous situation. It was mostly annoying and loud. The protest was led by police on bicycles & motorcycles and followed up with several mounted policemen and squad cars. I was most intimidated by the mounted policemen and I quickly jumped on the sidewalk when I saw them coming (I was simply walking up the street in the opposite direction of the protesters and was not bothered by anyone). I saw NO evidence of any protest during my extensive wanderings throughout the daytime. Based on what I saw and what I heard from my friend, I would not avoid traveling to Montreal at this time. Just keep your wits about you and steer clear of trouble and you should be fine.

 

This would be the best summation of the situation to-date.

 

Take your cruise all and enjoy the beautiful city of Montreal!!

[raindropsalways]

A couple weeks ago (May 12 & 13), we, two senior disabled ladies on mobility scooters, rode our mobility scooters from the ship to our hotel (approximately a mile). Along the way we did some sightseeing, saw a beautiful city with a lot of beautiful sites. In the afternoon we enjoyed our lunch while at Parc La Fontaine and later wandered back to the hotel. On Sunday morning we hopped on our scooters and scooted to the train station (approximately 1 ½ miles). Unfortunately it was raining then, however we were able to enjoy more beautiful sites along the way. At no time did we feel threatened or afraid.

 

I think Montreal is a beautiful city and sincerely hope other cruisers off the Maasdam or any other ship take the time to enjoy all the sites. Other than standard caution, I could see no reason to be concerned about protesters.

 

Betty

[g-didi]

 

I think Montreal is a beautiful city and sincerely hope other cruisers off the Maasdam or any other ship take the time to enjoy all the sites. Other than standard caution, I could see no reason to be concerned about protesters.

 

Betty

 

 

Totally agree! I like your attitude!

[Vahishta]

Please everyone get a grip!!! The students are protesting that is correct but other than a few streets being closed every now and then for a couple of hours, there is nothing different. Montreal is a beautiful city and if tourists are going to be put off by a few protests then it is going to be their loss. Do not listen to everything on the radio and on the media. You may see pictures of 1000s of people protesting on a street but then there are also 1000s of streets with no one protesting!! And before people in Ottawa get too complacent, let me tell you that these protests are quickly spreading to other cities in Ontario and the US.

[ardeur]

Our local news stations haven't mentioned anything about Montreal. I was unaware of this.

 

I just did a little searching around on CNN. I didn't find anything about the protestors but I *did* find coverage on the Luka Rocco Magnotta dismemberment case.

 

I'm going back to ignoring the news again. LOL

[sail7seas]

Our local news just did a story on the demonstrations. They showed a rather large crowd but it didn't appear to be violent or threatening from what I could view.

 

[Petronillus]

Montreal is my favorite city in all of North America, and I now live in the metropolitan area of a world-class city. Forty-one years ago I proposed marriage to DW on top of Mont Royal with the city spread at her feet. There are few greater treats for a U.S. family than to spend a 4-day weekend in Montreal for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

 

I was distressed to hear the negative reports on this thread but am now much reassured to hear firsthand comments of cruisers, Quebeckers, and Ontarians defending the crown jewel that is Montreal.

 

A few years ago DW & I walked with another couple at night through le Parc de Mont Royal to take the path up to the belvidere on top. We were alone, and got spooked. When we got back to l'Hotel Bonaventure we asked the gentleman at the front desk if we had taken a foolish risk. He seemed to find the question genuinely baffling, not appreciating what possible cause for concern there might be.

[Cruiser Craig]

Not sure in which metropolitan area of a world class city you now live, but it might be a little known fact for some that Mount Royal Park in Montréal was designed by Frederick Olmstead, the same urban planner who designed Central Park in Manhattan. The difference between safety concerns when comparing the two, however, would be similar to comparing the cliché 'night and day'.

[sail7seas]

Every major city has random crime.

There is NO crime free large city in North America.

 

We have spent considerable time in Montreal including a number of three to five day stays through the years and lots of turn around days when sailing Maasdam. We have never felt unsafe but never kid ourselves to not use all the common sense we use in all major cities when traveling.

 

[iancal]

The original post was absolute nonsense.

[CGinMTL]

Peter - Sorry to hear about your surgery and hope you are feeling better. This is the first I've heard of any issues in Montreal. We fly there in 2 weeks to spend 1 night there before boarding the Maasdam. We are staying near the airport but were looking at restaurants in other areas for dinner. Sounds like we may need to change those plans but guess I'd better go do some research to see what's going on. Thanks!

.

Hello,

I live in Montreal. I can tell you, please don't change your plans.

You will be here Grand Prix Weekend. Gov't is working hard to get this resolved ASAP>

Everybody in MTL is VERY AWARE of tourism and the black mark this is leaving on the economy.

We are the "festival city" after all.

There is no problem visiting downtown during the day.

If there are still marches by the students....they are always after 8PM. The post makes it sound like we live in a war zone......... this is not the case.

Hope you will have a great time and come back and post about your experience.

[CGinMTL]

Montreal is my favorite city in all of North America, and I now live in the metropolitan area of a world-class city. Forty-one years ago I proposed marriage to DW on top of Mont Royal with the city spread at her feet. There are few greater treats for a U.S. family than to spend a 4-day weekend in Montreal for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

 

I was distressed to hear the negative reports on this thread but am now much reassured to hear firsthand comments of cruisers, Quebeckers, and Ontarians defending the crown jewel that is Montreal.

 

A few years ago DW & I walked with another couple at night through le Parc de Mont Royal to take the path up to the belvidere on top. We were alone, and got spooked. When we got back to l'Hotel Bonaventure we asked the gentleman at the front desk if we had taken a foolish risk. He seemed to find the question genuinely baffling, not appreciating what possible cause for concern there might be.

 

..........we need some of these positive words.

[Cruiser Craig]

Every major city has random crime.

There is NO crime free large city in North America.

 

We have spent considerable time in Montreal including a number of three to five day stays through the years and lots of turn around days when sailing Maasdam. We have never felt unsafe but never kid ourselves to not use all the common sense we use in all major cities when traveling.

 

 

 

I totally agree, sail7seas. However, the common sense you use in one major city may be more intense than the common sense you use in another major ciy. The point is, of course, and you make it perfectly, is that common sense is necessary wherever you are.

[sail7seas]

We love Montreal and have always enjoyed our visits.

We will certainly choose to return again and again.

 

What I am interested to learn is just how much the tuitions have been raised that prompts these demonstrations.

What is the annual tuition for undergraduate work at McGill?

 

 

[jodi58]

i'm going to politely refer to the original post as baffling at best.

 

I live and work west of Montreal so I am not affected by the protests. However my hubby, 2 sons, brother, sister and nieces all live and or work in downtown Montreal. Yes there have been disruptions but all are getting on fine with their lives without any incident to speak of.

 

Obviously none of us are happy with the situation but this is our reality at the moment, like it or not.

 

I could not imagine a situation where getting to a cruise ship would be a problem:confused:

 

Jo

[TexasMommy]

I'm typing this from Momtreal. Here for the week. See no cause for concern for cruisers. Silly post in my opinion.

[sadou]

Hello brave Cruisers,

 

I live just 45 minutes away from Montreal and 2 days ago, my son went to see a show right downtown Montreal. He said everything is fine. For us, the traffic is more of a pain than the students demonstration.

 

You are right when you talk about a movement like Occupy Montreal or Wall Street. It started with the students, but it is more like an international movement at the moment. People in Quebec are getting fed up with corruption. We are the most taxed people in North America and for every new construction they are doing, we, the tax payers are charged sometimes 2 or 3 times the amount of money it should cost. There are horror stories about corruption everyday.

These supposed riots are only people, ordinary people like me, who are getting together, neighborhood but neighborhood, armed with kitchen ustensils and cooking pots, making noise to show the government their unhappiness about the way they are handling our finances.

 

This is really the core of the problem. 99% of the time, people are in a happy mood, feeling no longer isolated and powerless in front of this machine who is asking for more and more money every year.

 

Yes they do make noise but they are far from being dangerous. You'll see families, grand mothers, little kids in their carriage, a philosophy teacher in a Panda costume (which has been taking part of every walk since it's started). A Panda ? Does that inspire you violence?

 

Please, do not change your plan. Montreal is still a very lively and fun place to visit. I have no intention to change any plan to visit Montreal this summer. Dont let the media give you the wrong idea. Otherwise, you will never go anywhere. I was in Turkey 3 years ago. There was a terrorist attack 2 weeks prior to my arrival there. I enjoyed my day and never regretted discovering such a beautiful country.

 

Live and enjoy,

 

Sadou