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Home from Maasdam Boston to Montreal Cruise

tewmom1

By tewmom1,
in Holland America Line

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tewmom1

tewmom1

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Our last stop on the cruise was Quebec. We did not book any tours. The ship was in the Old Quebec City area. It was raining when we arrived so we decided to book tickets for the Hop On Hop Off bus. The ticket place was a short walk from the ship. We did take the Finiculaire (better than walking up all those steps) to get to the top, we have knee issues so it was worth the $3.00 (euro) per person. I really wanted to see the Citadel, it was the last stop on the bus (1.5 hours later), the tour was 2 hours so we passed. Then we found out we were only a short walk from where we purchased the tickets. Although the bus tour showed us a great deal of the area and kept us dry, I would have better spent the time touring the Citadel. Live and Learn!

 

Did get to see the guards.

 

35037122004_66aaee7942_c.jpgDay 7 Quebec by Dianne, on Flickr

 

As we walked downtown, we came across this little Italian Restaurant, Restaurant Parmesan, which was fantastic. Our waiter was so friendly and the food was delicious. The restaurant is located on 38 rue Saint-Louis, I highly recommend, lovely lunch with wine.

 

35744714511_4cd17af820_c.jpgDay 7 Quebec by Dianne, on Flickr

 

35488226790_5e5ee179e4_c.jpgDay 7 Quebec by Dianne, on Flickr

 

After our relaxing lunch we were back out on the streets exploring. Old Quebec is a quaint and lovely little town, I wish we had more time to explore.

 

35744995311_4914c12f4a_c.jpgDay 7 Quebec by Dianne, on Flickr

 

35744995291_af150611f9_c.jpgDay 7 Quebec by Dianne, on Flickr

 

Puddle Reflection of the ship

 

35744995081_85c60ecec8_c.jpgDay 7 Quebec by Dianne, on Flickr

Edited by tewmom1
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tewmom1

tewmom1

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Would love to know about specialty dining from anyone on this thread that's been aboard -- if you did any and whether it was worthwhile.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

We did one specialty dinning at the Pinacle Grill. We thought it was worth the extra cost, big portions. I had a 10 oz filet mignon cooked perfectly to medium rare with Bernadine sauce and asparagus. (They offer many different sauces).

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tewmom1

tewmom1

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I just did this cruise from Montreal to Boston and loved your pictures. Reminded me of all the things I got to see.

 

Great pictures. :)

 

Thank you we really enjoyed this cruise!

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Mr. Boston

Mr. Boston

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Wow! Hubby, who is an amateur photographer (won two blue ribbons on the amateur category at the Topsfield Fair) was very impressed with the ship reflection in the puddle! Thanks so much for sharing your work. Quebec City is our absolute favorite.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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tewmom1

tewmom1

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Wow! Hubby, who is an amateur photographer (won two blue ribbons on the amateur category at the Topsfield Fair) was very impressed with the ship reflection in the puddle! Thanks so much for sharing your work. Quebec City is our absolute favorite.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thank you very much, that shot is a personal fave!

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tewmom1

tewmom1

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On our arrival to Montreal we were completely socked in with fog and torrential downpours. The fog slightly lifted and thunderstorms commenced. Ugghh! Went down to the front desk and someone reported that water was pouring in from the ceiling in the Crows Nest. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the Lido deck and then waited for our tags to be called for our Montreal tour with transfer to the airport. The tour was really good despite the nasty day.

 

I particularly like the World Trade Center interior. Wonderful how they blend old and new buildings together as if they were always that way.

 

35895635215_6874a73a29_c.jpgMontreal World Trade Center by Dianne, on Flickr

 

 

By far the best stop was at the Notre-Dame Basilica. Wow, from the outside I expected a typical interior of an old church. When we walked through the doors I was blown away by the architecture and colors. This is the church that Celine Dion was married in and where she held her husbands funeral mass. I could have spent the whole day inside exploring. There was a lovely choir of young children singing as we toured.

 

35800818205_ba15ed9069_c.jpgNotre-Dame Basilica of Montreal by Dianne, on Flickr

 

35895526025_1ed485c31e_c.jpgNotre-Dame Basilica by Dianne, on Flickr

 

35764175451_f2a0c050e0_c.jpgNotre-Dame Basilica by Dianne, on Flickr

 

At the conclusion of the tour we were taken directly to the airport, arriving at 12:30. Live and learn, it took forever to get through check-in, immigration, etc. Our flight was not until 3:20, we had lunch and then waited for our flight to Boston. Once on the plane we started to taxi and then were turned around and had to sit on the tar mat for over 30 minutes. All in all from our arrival at the Montreal airport to our arrival in Boston was 6 1/2 hours. I googled to find out the driving distance and it is only 4 1/2 hours. So for anyone that needs to travel back to Boston from the cruise, I would recommend renting a car and driving. :D

 

This concludes my review, thank you for all the kind comments on my images. It was a great trip and I highly recommend it.

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tewmom1

tewmom1

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wow -- what gorgeous pix of Notre Dame .. Have been but coming back up in August to board the ship in Montreal... Looking forward to taking the kids to see it again!

 

Thank you! The Basilica was the most beautiful I have ever seen! I was in awe when we walked through the doors. Enjoy your cruise.

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vicd1969

vicd1969

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Wonderful photos! Too bad the weather didn't cooperate. The HAL Canadian itinerary is one I'm interested in taking one of these days. Thank you for providing all your cruise's details and inspiring me with your photos.

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I Luv Crusin

I Luv Crusin

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Thank you SO much for this review. My husband and I are doing this next cruise September for our 36th anniversary. We will be coming up from the Washington DC area. I was seriously considering doing round-trip flight to Boston and then driving back from Montreal to BOS. My initial look at car rental was high however.

 

I KNOW my husband would love to see Puffins! Also the Bald Eagles looked like an adult and chick?

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DanL

DanL

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Thank you! The Basilica was the most beautiful I have ever seen! I was in awe when we walked through the doors. Enjoy your cruise.

Is that the church in old town. Understand there are 2 ND churches in MTL.

Leaving in 2 weeks :).

Thanks for review.

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ontheweb Holiday Sharing Rare

ontheweb

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Wonderful review! My husband and I will be taking the reverse cruise on the Maasdam in July of 2018. By any chance did you save the daily schedule for the ship? I haven't found it anywhere and I would love to see it!

 

We are also doing the reverse cruise in 2018. Are you on the July 14th sailing? Maybe it's not too early to start a roll call.

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