HAL Zaandam Montreal to Boston Aug 10, 2019 Review with Pictures

[Match Game 72]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

Thank you for the detailed info and your pictures!

You're welcome.  Glad to hear you are enjoying the report.

[Match Game 72]

Sunday was our first port day of many. It was Quebec City!

 

 

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Zaandam docked very close to the Museum of Civilization. And within walking distance of the Funicular to the old city.

We bought Hop On Hop Off bus tickets from a ticket station at the cruise port. Four adults cost $170 cdn.

The HOHO has a stop directly outside the Museum of Civilization. It was very convenient. The HOHO narration is no longer a live tour guide. It's mainly recorded. You can select French or English. The bus driver occasionally shared some interesting information in both languages as well.

 

[sail7seas]

3 minutes ago, Match Game 72 said:

Sunday was our first port day of many. It was Quebec City!

 

 

 

 

Quebec city is a great port, Hope you enjoyed it  I t is so floral this time of year and charming IMO

 

 

 

sail.noordam@gmail.com

[Match Game 72]

After the HOHO, we went back to the ship for lunch. My mother stayed onboard, and the three of us walked to the lower part of the city near the Funicular. It is a cozy area with charming shops and architecture. A few musicians were playing in the streets as well.

 

 

[Match Game 72]

Here is a bust surrounded by a huge globe with swirling fake snow.

 

[sail7seas]

 

 

Halifax and Charlottetown are also  wonderful ports, IMO  ..  Bar Harbor can be very fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Match Game 72]

I think Quebec City was my favorite port. It was beautiful, lovely and extremely easy to get around.

 

That night, we had a shrimp towel animal.

 

[Match Game 72]

5 minutes ago, sail7seas said:

 

 

Quebec city is a great port, Hope you enjoyed it  I t is so floral this time of year and charming IMO

 

 

 

sail.noordam@gmail.com

I completely agree!  We have visited Quebec City on a land vacation in the past. It's really worth a trip.

[Match Game 72]

3 minutes ago, sail7seas said:

 

 

Halifax and Charlottetown are also  wonderful ports, IMO  ..  Bar Harbor can be very fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You betcha.  We enjoyed ourselves at those ports, too.  🙂

[Match Game 72]

The next day was our only Day at Sea. It was Monday.

 

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HAL had plenty of daytime activities for adults. My mother and I decided to take a kitchen tour.

The kitchen is on deck 4 and is the reason that passengers cannot walk from the front of the ship to the MDR without going to the 5th or 3rd deck.

After the kitchen tour, I had a whole new appreciation for how hard the dining staff works. They must walk miles every day. And if the staff is serving on deck 5 MDR, they use escalators to transport the food. It was very eye opening.

 

[Match Game 72]

The kitchen tour ended in the Pinnacle Grill dining room. They also handed out some little snack and provided a sheet with a written tour and food stats.

All in all, I felt the tour was worth seeing, but be prepared to wait. Groups of about 20 or so are brought through. And if the group in front of you are not moving, neither are you.

The head chef was available for Q&A during the tour. I was very impressed by him and his answers. 

 

[Match Game 72]

This evening was the first of two Gala nights. We dressed up for both evenings and enjoyed the MDR food. 

 

An elephant visited our cabin that night. 

[sail7seas]

20 minutes ago, Match Game 72 said:

Here is a bust surrounded by a huge globe with swirling fake snow.

 

NICE ..  Thank you for sharing the photo with us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Match Game 72]

And then it was Tuesday and Charlottetown. Zaandam tendered into port. It was an extremely short tender ride. Tender tickets were distributed in one of the lounges. We waited about 45 minutes for our color and number to be called.

 

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We had planned to walk to Frontier Hall and buy tickets for the Emerald Carriage Tour. A few months earlier, I spoke to the owner and learned they had a handrail and stairs to get into the horse-drawn trolley. She told me to just show up and buy tickets.

Well, I guess things change. We were told at Frontier Hall that all Emerald Carriage Tours were reserved for cruise passengers and we should have bought them onboard. So we found a different tour on a bus instead. They met closer to the dock and gave a discount for Canadian cash. I think it was about $20 or $25 per person.

I do not recommend this tour. It seemed very thorough for an hour, but the guide was not terribly engaging. Some of my family may have taken an expensive nap!

 

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Later that night, we were visited by Mr. Toad.

[Krazy Kruizers]

That is a wonderful itinerary that you did -- have done a few times -- various variations and times of year.

 

Love your reports and pictures.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Love your blog👍 Zaandam was one of our favorite haL ships! We did several cruises on her! We might think in the future of doing a Montreal Boston run!

Thank you 

Denise😊

[cormike1]

Thanks for your review so far Match Game 72.  We are doing this on Sept .21st so it is getting very close now.  Your pictures and write-ups have only made me more excited.  Thanks  and looking forward to the rest of your review.

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And then it was Wednesday, and we docked in Sydney. 

Prior to the cruise, I had reserved a car with Enterprise. They have a shuttle that picks up at the port and takes you about 15 minutes to the Enterprise office. With the exchange rate, we paid $84 for the car and half a tank of gas. We probably could have bought just 1/4 tank to go roundtrip to the Fortress of Louisburg.

 

 

[Match Game 72]

28 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

That is a wonderful itinerary that you did -- have done a few times -- various variations and times of year.

 

Love your reports and pictures.

Thanks for following along! We choose HAL and this ship specifically for the itinerary. We all wanted a cruise, but not too far away and not too hot in the summer.  Canada/New England fit the bill.

Edited August 24, 2019 by Match Game 72

[Match Game 72]

The drive one way to the Fortress of Louisbourg was about 45 minutes. Most of the scenery was trees. It looks very much like Maine.

We parked in lot 1 (one of five parking lots) and then bought tickets at the welcome center. There was a senior discount and anyone under 17 was free. Our total was under $60 cdn. The women at the ticket desk was very helpful and told us not to miss the demonstration at 11:45. It was an impressive firing of muskets and a canon.

To get to the historical area, we took a short bus ride which is included in the price of admission. Then, there is a bit of a long walk to the entrance.

 

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Some pictures from the demonstration we attended are below. When the cannon fired, I could feel it in my chest.