Thoughts: FLL to Quebec City Cruise on the Caribbean

[Cruiser933]

Oli's Trolley is another good option to see Acadia in Bar Harbor. Halifax has museums and public gardens in walking distance. The Citadel and cemetery with the Titanic graves are also interesting.  In Sydney we rented a car to go to Fortress of Louisbourg. We loved Quebec City and Hotel Le Priori in the lower part is fantastic. Montmorency Falls is very nice to see just outside the city.  We took the bus to Montreal (Orleans Express). We were not impressed with Montreal compared to Quebec City.  We rented a car from Montreal back to Albany to flg home. For us, flights were a lot cheaper from there than Montreal or Quebec City and it gaves us a chance to see the Adirondacks.

[Miss Picante]

We are booked to do this cruise in reverse starting in Quebec City this October.

 

 This week I focused on getting plane reservations to Canada and was shocked to find that it was very expensive and inconvenient (a many hour layover in Chicago!) to fly to Quebec City from Dallas.  Usually it’s pretty easy to get anywhere from DFW airport.

 

However, I did find it very easy to get affordable nonstop  tickets from Dallas to Montreal. I  was able to use a fairly small amount of American Airlines aadvantage award miles for a flight at a convenient time.  We planned a two night stay in Montreal, then I went ahead and bought Via Rail tickets over to Quebec City where we will stay a few nights before our cruise leaves. It’s about a three hour and something trip and the senior price was $30 US per ticket.

 

[Jeter02]

@CineGraphic and @CruiseVA since there is an overnight in Quebec City how early can I disembark the ship on disembarkation day? I found a very inexpensive flight that departs at 6 a.m. 

[CineGraphic]

1 minute ago, Jeter02 said:

@CineGraphic and @CruiseVA since there is an overnight in Quebec City how early can I disembark the ship on disembarkation day? I found a very inexpensive flight that departs at 6 a.m. 

 

Go for it! You can walk off at any time.....even on your first day in Quebec.

[Jeter02]

5 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Go for it! You can walk off at any time.....even on your first day in Quebec.

This is great news!!! Is there no customs clear at the Port when you disembark in Quebec?

[BarbinMich]

16 hours ago, rdsqrl said:

There are far steeper hills in Quebec, like Lombard Street steep.  It was a very unwelcome surprise!  Depending on where you're staying, budget a few extra dollars for taxi fares for distances you might otherwise walk if you were in, say, Manhattan. 

I'm surprised by yours and others comments re the hills in Quebec city.  I've been there 3 times, twice by car and once by ship.  As I'd done a lot of sightseeing "up above" the Old Town on the first 2 trips, I didn't take the escalator (or whatever it is) to get up there.  But as I remember, once you're "up there" it's pretty level.

[CineGraphic]

25 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

This is great news!!! Is there no customs clear at the Port when you disembark in Quebec?

You clear Canadian customs at your first Canadian port, and that was a major non-event. I think all we had to do was fill out a form, and leave it in our cabin for the steward to collect. Very simple, no delays of any kind.

[Astro Flyer]

In October 2011 we stayed at Hotel du Vieux-Quebec on the west end of the upper old city & it was easily walkable for us.  It cost us $185 CAD (included taxes/fees) & their website states “For over 5 years Trip Advisor has rated HVQ as the # 1 hotel in Quebec City”.

 

https://www.hvq.com/en

 

Our ship stayed overnight after embarkation & the next day we took an independent bus tour (Old Québec Tours) which was much less expensive than the same Princess tour.

 

https://www.toursvieuxquebec.com/en/home

 

We went the opposite direction as you & arrived in Montreal because of better flight options (Quebec had mostly regional jets) & wanting to see the city.  We enjoyed the scenic train ride to Quebec & then a short taxi ride to HVQ to stay overnight before embarkation the next day.

 

In Bar Harbor we took an independent tour with Oli’s Trolley (still a 79% 5-Star rating on TripAdvisor) to Acadia National Park.

 

https://olistrolley.com

 

For us the other ports were walkable so that’s how we toured those ports.

Edited January 12, 2020 by Astro Flyer

[Jeter02]

32 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

You clear Canadian customs at your first Canadian port, and that was a major non-event. I think all we had to do was fill out a form, and leave it in our cabin for the steward to collect. Very simple, no delays of any kind.

Fantastic!!! I remember filling out the Canadian immigration form prior to arriving in Victoria Canada when I do the Alaskan cruises.1.2.3. Painless! The way I like it!

[Jeter02]

Has anyone here taken the ferry from Halifax to Prince Edward Island? 

[CruiseVA]

10 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

Out if curiosity, which hotel in Quebec City did you stay at? Was it reasonable cost wise?

We're "Marriott" people, stayed at the Delta Hotels Quebec, it's in the upper section, not a bad walk to everything. TBH, I don't know how much I paid, it couldn't have been outrageous compared to others because I'm cheap, but I will spend a bit more to get the night credits. I must have tossed the email confirmations, which is odd, as I saver the, usually.  I may have used points...

[Jeter02]

1 minute ago, CruiseVA said:

We're "Marriott" people, stayed at the Delta Hotels Quebec, it's in the upper section, not a bad walk to everything. TBH, I don't know how much I paid, it couldn't have been outrageous compared to others because I'm cheap, but I will spend a bit more to get the night credits. I must have tossed the email confirmations, which is odd, as I saver the, usually.  I may have used points...

Thanks for responding. I ended up finding a great flight deal with a decent itinerary, so no hotel needed. Once again I'm appreciative for all your wonderful info.

[CruiseVA]

1 minute ago, Jeter02 said:

Thanks for responding. I ended up finding a great flight deal with a decent itinerary, so no hotel needed. Once again I'm appreciative for all your wonderful info.

Awesome, did you check Princess EZAir, we started using them a few years ago, very good prices usually, and, easy to cancel if you cancel your cruise. If you can, spend an extra night or two post-cruise - well worth it.

 

[Jeter02]

2 minutes ago, CruiseVA said:

Awesome, did you check Princess EZAir, we started using them a few years ago, very good prices usually, and, easy to cancel if you cancel your cruise. If you can, spend an extra night or two post-cruise - well worth it.

 

Yes!!! Love Princess EZ air. I always go through them for any of my cruises not leaving or going to FLL. Always make out savings wise thankfully.

[G&T Cruisers]

Yes,Yes,Yes do this cruise you will not regret it.We did this cruise July 2019 and it is one of our favourite cruises.

[Jeter02]

Just now, G&T Cruisers said:

Yes,Yes,Yes do this cruise you will not regret it.We did this cruise July 2019 and it is one of our favourite cruises.

Great. I already booked it! Would love to hear what your favorite ports and favorite sights on the trip where.

[villauk]

Great cruise; we were on the same sailing as VA and CineGraphic. I think most of our port stops we detailed on the communal review already posted. We really enjoyed the ship’s tour in Boston that took us out to Harvard and Lexington - super guide full of excellent historical facts. We also did a private tour in Sydney NS, which again was great.

 

The first half of the cruise was extremely hot - the humidity in NY was 🥵. Saying that, I loved Charleston and would like to return, even in the peak of the summer sun. Quebec, it rained on the first day, however didn’t prevent us from venturing out and about. I’d easily take this itinerary again.

[sunsetbeachgal]

16 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

@CineGraphic and @CruiseVA since there is an overnight in Quebec City how early can I disembark the ship on disembarkation day? I found a very inexpensive flight that departs at 6 a.m. 

We did this cruise last fall, disembarked Quebec however we stayed overnight in a hotel.  If I were you, the day before during your port call I would look into pre booking a taxi Or car service since you will probably need it to come in the range of 4 AM or earlier.  
 

There is a taxi queue outside the back of the port building but I would not count on any being there that early.  People who tried getting an Uber or Lyft when we disembarked were not successful.  The airport is about a half hour away, and not very big so we didn’t experience long lines or anything.  I think the fare was around $40 

Edited January 13, 2020 by sunsetbeachgal

[licram]

We need transportation to the airport at 4AM. Our plane leaves at 6:30 AM. Do taxis run all night in Quebec. We are staying at Hotel Champlain in upper town on august 7 2020. Don’t want to miss our flight.

[sunsetbeachgal]

10 minutes ago, licram said:

We need transportation to the airport at 4AM. Our plane leaves at 6:30 AM. Do taxis run all night in Quebec. We are staying at Hotel Champlain in upper town on august 7 2020. Don’t want to miss our flight.

 
Your hotel will make arrangements and set up taxi pick up for you, ours did.  Just let them know when you check in what day and time you need it for. 

Edited January 13, 2020 by sunsetbeachgal

[Jeter02]

2 hours ago, sunsetbeachgal said:

We did this cruise last fall, disembarked Quebec however we stayed overnight in a hotel.  If I were you, the day before during your port call I would look into pre booking a taxi Or car service since you will probably need it to come in the range of 4 AM or earlier.  
 

There is a taxi queue outside the back of the port building but I would not count on any being there that early.  People who tried getting an Uber or Lyft when we disembarked were not successful.  The airport is about a half hour away, and not very big so we didn’t experience long lines or anything.  I think the fare was around $40 

Thank you so much for the info. I truly appreciate it.

[Jeter02]

1 hour ago, licram said:

We need transportation to the airport at 4AM. Our plane leaves at 6:30 AM. Do taxis run all night in Quebec. We are staying at Hotel Champlain in upper town on august 7 2020. Don’t want to miss our flight.

I'll be leaving at 4am as well.

[CineGraphic]

@CruiseVA started a group "live from" thread when we were on this sailing last July. Several of us chimed in on what we did in each port. Maybe someone can post a link to it, I need to take Woodley to the vet for a check-up and some shots.

 

 

[skynight]

16 hours ago, Jeter02 said:

Has anyone here taken the ferry from Halifax to Prince Edward Island? 

Did you actually look into the timing on this? Is it really possible during a 9 hour port call? Believe the drive and ferry ride alone are in the 4 1/2 hour range.

Have been to Charlottetown, PEI. It's a nice town. Equal to Halifax. No better no worst. 

[sunsetbeachgal]

1 minute ago, CineGraphic said:

@CruiseVA started a group "live from" thread when we were on this sailing last July. Several of us chimed in on what we did in each port. Maybe someone can post a link to it, I need to take Woodley to the vet for a check-up and some shots.

 

 

What a beautiful dog! Is he a Wheaton Terrier?