Montreal to Boston review with tips.

[sugarcharlie]

Maasdam Montreal to Boston

 

After sailing on other lines, my last five cruises have been with HAL. I probably will try some other lines again in the future, but for the immediate future I feel very comfortable on these ships. I have a Carribean cruise booked for next March and a 14 day Alaska cruise for summer of 2014.

 

I flew to Montreal from Chicago on Porter Air. I had never used them before but was extremely pleased as I was reminded how air travel used to be. They had nice leather seats with just two on each side of the aisle. They served complimentary snacks and drinks, including beer and wine, and had a wonderful passenger lounge with a business center stocked with new Apple computers. They are basically a Canadian regional airline so they are not in too many American cities. Hopefully they will expand their routes into other markets in the near future.

 

I stayed at the Novatel Hotel near the airport in Montreal. They have a complimentary shuttle from the airport to the hotel. I booked the hotel on line for one night at a rate of $130.00. The room was large and the hotel had a pool, and a restaurant. It was a contemporary hotel with modern design and very clean and I would stay there again. It is not in an area that is touristy so if you want to be closer to old Montreal or the port I would suggest staying at a hotel closer to town. I took a cab to the port the next morning and it was $40.

 

Embarkation went fairly smooth. I was in a Neptune Suite so we were given priority in checking in as well as for tenders during the cruise. I had booked a veranda but was offered an upsell to the Suite 48hrs before the cruise due to some cancellations, so it worked out well. The room was larger than the last Neptune suite I was in but the bathroom didn't have the dual sinks and space of the Nieuw Amsterdams'. The veranda was much larger on the Maasam though. Two chaise loungers and a table with four chairs were easily accommodated.

 

The Maasdam is twenty years old but still in pretty good shape. The great crew and staff more than made up for the few worn areas or dated colors and design of some of the ships interior spaces. The public spaces are basically on the 8th deck. The lido on 11 was really the only other main place people were in numbers.

 

Food in the dining room was better than previous cruises. The Pinnacle was about the same as was the Canneletto. We had anytime dining which was the best for us since we sometimes had early dinners and sometimes late depending on what we were doing in port that day. There was only one sea day on this cruise. Because of the ports, I had lobster, both whole, tails, and rolls, five of the seven days of the cruise.

The absolute best was at Lobster on the Wharf in Charlotte, with close seconds in Halifax at a little fishing village our driver took us to, and at Bar Harbor on West Street where they served a whole lobster, french fries, cole slaw and blueberry pie for $22.95. Th ship had a lunch one day on the Lido Deck poolside of PEI mussels made over charcoal and allthe side salads and fixings, that was wonderful.

 

The entertainment consisted of two dancers, a couple of singers, the Hal Cats, Adagio (which is a pianist and violinist). There was a female comedian one night, a male comedian/magician one night, and the last show was the Dancing With The Stars final. All in all, not bad.

 

Acitivities as usual, with bingo, trivia, happy hour, and a microsoft lab person who gave lessons on such things as working with Windows 8, and how to organize your photos. She was very good and answered everyones questions.

 

My biggest problem with HAL and probably the other cruise lines as well, is they take all these photos of you on formal night, at the ports, at activities etc, and they display them for you to purchase. People are asked to pay hundreds of dollars for a few prints which is absurd. If they would be a little more reasonable they would sell five times as many photo packages and make twice as much money, by cutting the price by 40-50%. Their bean counters should be able to figure that out.

 

Getting off the ship in Boston was a breeze. The airport is located downtown and it was only about a $15 cab ride from the port by taxi.

 

On an odd note, I was originally planning to take the ship from Boston to Montreal but for reasons unknown the airfare from Montreal to Chicago one way was a lot more than from Chicago to Montreal. The airfare to or from Boston to Chicago was the same so I started in Montreal to save a little on transportation cost.

 

I did meet cruisers who had done this cruise several times in the past. There are so many interesting things to do in these ports was the main reason given by them as to why they repeat the trip.

 

Quebec was a beautiful city with lots of cultural stops. We went to the top of the Frontenac Hotel, and walked around the city. Stopped in many shops, art galleries, and the old Notre Dame Church. Could easily spend three days there.

 

Sydney was a little town with a lot of history. Mining and steel was their primary industries but have been closed down and unemployment in the village is about 20%.

 

Charlotte was a nice town to walk around. The ship docked close enough to walk to the main part of town. Best lobster I had on the trip was at the Lobster on the Wharf right outside of the ships pier. Can eat outside on the wharf or inside.

 

Halifax is a city of about 400,000 so you need a plan there. There is a Maritime museum about a ten minute walk from the ship that is quite good. I hired a driver that I found out about from other posters on CC as well as reviews from Trip Advisor. Lincoln Town car that we shared with another couple. We got a four hour tour of the entire city as which included a stop at a little fishing village for lunch. Really a great tour without going into tourists traps. Went to the cemetery where we saw the Titanic graves and the driver was very knowledgeable on the history of the area. The info on the Halifax Explosion of 1917 was fascinating. My daughter and her friends are taking this cruise in July and I highly recommend they take this tour. It was not offered through the ship but Paul (the driver) told me he had been contacted by HAL to possibly make his tour a HAL excursion. You know what that means.....price rising!

 

Bar Harbor was great. Easily a walking village with choice of several different routes. Whale watching, kayaking, Arcadia National Park tours also available. The road across to the park is completely covered by water at high tide so make sure you get back before that happens. Also very good restaurants and hotels. A scenic village that seems to shut down from October to May.

 

If I had the time I would have done the back to back trip because of all the things to do. These are real good ports to visit and the cruising along the St Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec is scenic as well.

 

I highly recommend this voyage.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post the review of your cruise. Sounds like you had a good time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[sail7seas]

We have done that cruise on Maasdam many times b-to-b and we never get enough of it. We think it one of HAL's best short cruises on one of HAL's best ships. :)

 

I agree about your tour comments for Halifax. We have done a similar tour and found it very interesting. We had a terrific tour leader and I was very interested learning about the terrible explosion. We also found the cemetary fascinating by discovering how diverse Halifax is. We had no idea but the cemetary clearly showed the many sections for all the diversity..... Greek, Italian, Chinese etc The tour leader gave us lots of information about the Titanic graves.

 

Thanks so much for your review. I really enjoyed reading it. :)

 

[shrimp56]

Thanks for your report. We just did Boston/Quebec on the Veendam. *reminds self to do a report*

[pris993]

We have never done this cruise, seriously considering it. Would like to do a RT Boston, 14 day.

 

We have friends in Montreal, visted there on a return trip from Europe years ago, arrived first week in June and it was 40 degrees. Understand, they have two seasons summer and winter not much inbetween.

 

Considering going in August or early September... wondering which would be the better time for weather. We are not really going for the fall weather is not too hot or not too cold, if that is possible.

[sail7seas]

We have been in Montreal and Quebec City, Charlottetown etc in June, July, August.... sometimes it is 90 degrees and sometimes it is 65 degrees. It is variable and there is no absolute about weather on any itinerary and certainly not for this one. Mid to late June through mid September offers the best chance for summery weather. It is very rare for early June to be 40 degrees in Montreal. That is not a norm.

 

Edited June 28, 2013 by sail7seas

[cuagrad90]

SugarCharlie - A friend and I will be in Halifax in early September on the Veendam. Would like to take the tour you did with Paul. Can you tell me how to contact him? Thanks.

[pepsigirl64]

:D Thank you for sharing your trip experience. We will be doing a B2B in September 2014, Boston to Boston. I figured if I was going to fly across the country then I would make it worth my time. I am excited to go to these places and what I don't see the first week, then I can do it on the next week!! We will be on the Maasdam also.

[erewhon]

Thank you for this interesting review of your Maasdam cruise.

[Keith1010]

I am glad that you enjoyed the voyage.

 

Keith

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your review. I could do lobster five out of seven days, yum :p. I agree on the photos. We no longer even let them take ours as we know we are not going to buy them.

[sail7seas]

:D Thank you for sharing your trip experience. We will be doing a B2B in September 2014, Boston to Boston. I figured if I was going to fly across the country then I would make it worth my time. I am excited to go to these places and what I don't see the first week, then I can do it on the next week!! We will be on the Maasdam also.

 

 

You're going to love doing that cruise b-to-b. We do it over and over again.

 

;) If you find a great lobster lunch, you get a chance to enjoy it a second time. :)

 

Have mussels in PEI. They are about the best there are.

 

[aliaschief]

Very nice review and some useful tips for our October Atlantic Coast repo cruise on the MS Eurodam.

 

Thanks.

[jayjaycan]

Thanks for your review.

 

FYI..........the reason your Montreal to Chicago flight was more expensive was because flights originating in a Canadian airport are subject to more taxes than flights originating in a U.S.city.This is a real sore point for us Canucks.There is a rapid increase of Canadians flying out of U.S.border cities (Buffalo,Niagara Falls N.Y.,Detroit,Seattle etc..Even the added cost of getting to the U.S border cities for Canadians living close by still saves money.because of the lower air fares.

 

Buffalo & Niagara Falls N.Y, have expanded and improved their airports to accomodate the increase in Canadaian flyers.Airport taxes and surcharges here can represent 45% + of the total cost.

Edited June 28, 2013 by jayjaycan

[NCSunshine]

Great Review.. really looking forward to this cruise in July.

 

I'm also going to ask if you can share the info on the driver in Halifax.

 

and can't wait to eat lobster 5 days out of 7

[shrimp56]

Daily lobster was my plan too, but I only managed in Bar Harbor and Charlottetown. I got distracted by a delish fish chowder in Sydney and enjoyed a Pinnacle lunch. In Halifax I must have eaten on the ship.

[Winters in NZ]

Porter is a fantastic airline, having taken it many times to Boston, twice to Chicago Midway and to Moncton.

 

Paying $40 for a cab ride could be averted and save you a bit of cash in Montreal.

 

Simply buy a day pass which allows unlimited access to the bus/subway system, as in most large cities.

 

Also, you can buy your pass inside the Montreal airport, hop on city bus #747 which quickly brings you to/from downtown, and you can get around the city for your investment of $9.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Glad you enjoyed this cruise. We did it two years ago and loved it!

[TylerRose]

TY so much for taking the time to share your review. We have just booked this itinerary & I am

very excited! :D

[world~citizen]

Thank you for the review.

 

If the stars align, it may be possible for us to do this cruise. We have it picked out (BtoB) and if we can sort out the sitter we used last year it is possible.

 

I have never heard of a serious problem associated with this cruise and it doesn't take us far from home should we have to return in a hurry. You have just reconfirmed how charming the ports are and we look forward to it if not in the fall, someday.

 

I am glad you enjoyed it. The Maasdam is older but as you say not tired, and is the perfect ship for this itinerary.

 

Again I'm glad you enjoyed it, and are spreading the word on this often overlooked itinerary.

[sugarcharlie]

For those that asked about the Halifax tour, it was with Halifax Titanic Historical Tours and the owners name is Paul McNeil.

 

You can find him and reviews on Trip Advisor or just google the name of his company because I think he has a website.

 

I suggest doing it ASAP because his schedule fills up quickly. You do not have to send a deposit to him, just pay after the tour is over. If he is booked ask him to contact you if someone cancels on the day you want. It is always a possibility. He asked us if we had any special interests and if we did he would include them in our tour. He definitely knows Halifax and all the little tricks of seeing the best attractions and avoiding the tourist traps!

[pris993]

We have been in Montreal and Quebec City, Charlottetown etc in June, July, August.... sometimes it is 90 degrees and sometimes it is 65 degrees. It is variable and there is no absolute about weather on any itinerary and certainly not for this one. Mid to late June through mid September offers the best chance for summery weather. It is very rare for early June to be 40 degrees in Montreal. That is not a norm.

 

 

Thanks for the info.