The thrifty cruisers Canada/New England review 4/29-5/6

[cgolf1]

37 minutes ago, CGinMTL said:

The cab is flat fee , indépendant of number of people or bags 

Uber is not 

And there are a lot of detours and construction in Montreal 

Something to think about when making your decisions 

 

We got burned by Uber due to traffic and some other weird thing in Florida and it was more than it should have been. That was likely our one and only Uber experience. 

 

Also thanks for the answer. We would actually like to do this tour again, maybe in the fall or summer. Summer for the Gardens in Halifax and fall would be for the colors as the trees change.

[cgolf1]

34 minutes ago, Dismomx5 said:

 

You can ask the hostess to seat you with a server that you've had and enjoyed. We did that last year on the Rotterdam. One server just seemed to 'get' us, and so we sat in their section all the time.

 

When we setup a 5:45 reservation for each night, we were told we would have the same table and servers we had that night. We liked both. We never had the same table and servers again, it was weird. The dining seemed very chaotic and we even ended up with a buzzer to get a random table with the reservation, while watching people without a reservation get seated right away.

 

At least on the Zaandam they need to work on this, we have never seen something this disorganized. This was complaint 2.

 

We did find that the 2 times we got seated in that open area on 4 behind the host/hostess stand that the servers were a lot better than anywhere else we were seated including deck 5.

[Mary229]

Just now, cgolf1 said:

 

When we setup a 5:45 reservation for each night, we were told we would have the same table and servers we had that night. We liked both. We never had the same table and servers again, it was weird. The dining seemed very chaotic and we even ended up with a buzzer to get a random table with the reservation, while watching people without a reservation get seated right away.

 

At least on the Zaandam they need to work on this, we have never seen something this disorganized. This was complaint 2.

 

We did find that the 2 times we got seated in that open area on 4 behind the host/hostess stand that the servers were a lot better than anywhere else we were seated including deck 5.

Definitely not the HAL way, they failed you.  

[cgolf1]

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

Definitely not the HAL way, they failed you.  

 

Yeh it was a bit frustrating, but the food made up for it:) Also in the moment it seems like a big deal but we have learned to roll with it. Also since I have been on the gluten free diet, I have learned to roll with the punches a lot more than I used to, or maybe I am finally growing up;)

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, cgolf1 said:

Day 2 Activities and Supper

 

One thing I do want to comment on is the lack of detail on the daily program. They list the activities and even highlight some. Unfortunately they don't provide any background information on any of these activities. Maybe we are spoiled by other lines that do this, but it does help us to make decisions about what activities we want to do each day.

 

The activities for the day were walking around the city and once we were back onboard we played some cards, relaxed, and caught the dance sho In Tandem on the world stage. This show surprised us in that we all enjoyed it quite a lot.

 

We did try to go out for the Pickelball basic instructions, but it was so windy at that point that we headed in for Happy Hour, which you will notice was 50% off house brands and cocktails from 4-5 in the crows nest and ocean bar. This happened nights 2-7 and was great. For the 4 of us, 4 brandy old fashioneds came to just under 25$ total each night. We weren't going to drink more than 2 drinks each this cruise but couldn't pass this up lol.

 

Supper for me was the shrimp cocktail and the rack of lamb, and I really enjoyed it. My wife did the crab and artichoke dip, said the crab wasn't noticeable so she loved it, the cheese ravioli which she also enjoyed.

 

Added a couple of sail out pictures too. We went to bed relatively early because we usually are up and getting ready at roughly 6 each day.

 

We also fell into a routine pretty early in the cruise too.

 

Yes, you now have to use the app to get the complete information.  I love this but understand those who don’t.   In the app you can add events to your schedule and it will alert you at the correct time. 

[cgolf1]

2 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Yes, you now have to use the app to get the complete information.  I love this but understand those who don’t.   In the app you can add events to your schedule and it will alert you at the correct time. 

 

We really don't like using the apps, this is the first cruise my wife actually used her phone for pictures and stuff. We generally lock the technology in the safe. I have now stopped bringing my iPad and catch up on reading books and doing puzzle books during the relax and chill times. I end up doing too many screens at home and for work so I need to unplug from them.

[cgolf1]

Day 3 at Sea

 

This will be an easy one. While we had a routine that sounds kind of boring lol, the time went by fast and I didn't do as much reading or puzzle books as I normally do. 

 

Today we did the EXC talk on the Canadian icons and we learned some things in it that we didn't know. My father in laws family made their own maple syrup from trees on their land and we actually still have a few jars of it, so they know the process well.

 

My wife was going to go to the flower arrangement presentation, but it was overflowing and we both ended up at the shopping show thinking they would talk about the upcoming ports, nope it was all about the onboard shops. Then they gave out a 200$ off coupon at the end, which after the raffle turned out that the coupon needed to be used in the next hour or it was no good. Very disappointing.

 

We did buy a watch onboard because it was on the top of my list and at a lower price than it should have been so we did ok. 

 

Supper

I did the Seafood Deviled eggs and the Chile Rellanos, both were excellent. My wife did the I forgot the app and Garlic herb roasted chicken which was excellent.

 

Kelly Macfarland was the comedian for the night and she was probably the funniest comedian I have seen at sea. Very good show.

 

We ended up playing cards in the Hudson room to close out the night. They seemed to keep this room nice and cool. Only pictures are for an idea of how gloomy it was this trip, weather wise, not the experience though.

[NanceeTom]

We are also booked for Zaandam, August 23, and would be interested in any information.

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

Only pictures are for an idea of how gloomy it was this trip, weather wise, not the experience though.

Spring is not the time to visit New England/Canada. Summer? Sure. Fall? Absolutely! 
But spring here usually arrives some Tuesday afternoon in late May. Then it's summer. 

[Mary229]

32 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Spring is not the time to visit New England/Canada. Summer? Sure. Fall? Absolutely! 
But spring here usually arrives some Tuesday afternoon in late May. Then it's summer. 

Now, now.  Those of us who are already sweating will take a cooling off anytime we can get it. 

[bakcd]

Thank you for taking time to review the gluten free diet onboard.  I was hoping for some changes but I do know it can be done.  I agree with you that Celebrity has a better handle on it but we now prefer HAL.  We will soon be on the ship for 3 weeks and hope to enjoy lunch with fresh seafood in each port.  We have done this sailing several times and have some favorite places for gluten free meals.  Do you have any tips for lunch in Montreal or Quebec?  I did not know about the cidery in Sydney, thank you for that tip.  I was also happy to see the books back in the library.

 

I never found the hair dryer in the drawer to be of much use, I have fine hair,  as it is not very powerful and I don't believe it had a diffuser.

[cgolf1]

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

Spring is not the time to visit New England/Canada. Summer? Sure. Fall? Absolutely! 
But spring here usually arrives some Tuesday afternoon in late May. Then it's summer. 

 

It is funny growing up in Wisconsin we are used to the 80s one week, snow the next, and then back into the 70s in the spring. I packed my clothes the instant we booked, was forecasted long term in the 60s and 70s as far out as we could see. I packed light too, but went with the convertible pants that can convert to shorts and look nice enough to wear to dinner. Where we vacation for fishing in the early summer I learned to layer effectively. Our weather here has been a roller coaster temperature wise this year too.

 

It was cold but didn't really impact our enjoyment of the cruise at all, other than missing out on the promenade deck, which we haven't seen since the freedom of the seas.

 

Not sure how it impacted others, but we did here a few say that they saw snow for the first time. The crew for sure wasn't a fan of the cold.

Edited May 8, 2023 by cgolf1

[cgolf1]

1 hour ago, bakcd said:

Thank you for taking time to review the gluten free diet onboard.  I was hoping for some changes but I do know it can be done.  I agree with you that Celebrity has a better handle on it but we now prefer HAL.  We will soon be on the ship for 3 weeks and hope to enjoy lunch with fresh seafood in each port.  We have done this sailing several times and have some favorite places for gluten free meals.  Do you have any tips for lunch in Montreal or Quebec?  I did not know about the cidery in Sydney, thank you for that tip.  I was also happy to see the books back in the library.

 

I never found the hair dryer in the drawer to be of much use, I have fine hair,  as it is not very powerful and I don't believe it had a diffuser.

 

We only ate on the ship with the exception of Halifax when we had a 6+ hour excursion. We were so rushed that I ate the protein bar that I packed in my camera bag. In Montreal we were in so late I only ate breakfast in the hotel. 

 

Living up to the thrifty name my wife really doesn't like eating off the ship. Sorry that I can't help you there.

 

I can see why one would do this sailing multiple times, it is an amazing itinerary, and we are thinking of doing it again in the future.

Edited May 8, 2023 by cgolf1

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, cgolf1 said:

It was cold but didn't really impact our enjoyment of the cruise at all, other than missing out on the promenade deck, which we haven't seen since the freedom of the seas.

Glad to hear that our customary spring weather (did you get rain, too, I presume???) didn't discourage you from having a good time. 

Yes, there is a lot of history in this region. As a little girl I had walked on the Plains of Abraham. Later, in school, when the French & Indian War was taught, it was so exciting to be able to picture it in my mind. Having been there brought history to life. 
Same with so many other parts of history, like the American Revolution. 

[cgolf1]

2 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Glad to hear that our customary spring weather (did you get rain, too, I presume???) didn't discourage you from having a good time. 

Yes, there is a lot of history in this region. As a little girl I had walked on the Plains of Abraham. Later, in school, when the French & Indian War was taught, it was so exciting to be able to picture it in my mind. Having been there brought history to life. 
Same with so many other parts of history, like the American Revolution. 

 

It only snowed/rained on us once in Sydney. We were very lucky to miss it the rest of the time, but the skies were very friendly to us. We went out both in the morning and afternoon in Sydney and the morning was the snow/rain, and the afternoon was nice:) 

 

Halifax the rain rolled in just as our excursion bus got back to the ship. It was a little crazy how lucky we got with the weather.

[cgolf1]

This is probably my favorite picture of the ship, and maybe from an artistic perspective the whole cruise.

[cgolf1]

Charlottetown Prince Edward Island

 

On this stop we essentially did the historic walk from the map handed out in port. We did deviate to stop at All Souls Church. This along with the other church we stopped at were both amazingly beautiful in very different ways.

 

The architecture here was also very pretty as well. My lovely wife also made it in one of the pictures, I will make an appearance in Sydney.

 

It was a very nice walk and I was able to have my DSLR out the whole time.

[Mary229]

You did a great job photographing PEI

[cgolf1]

2 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

You did a great job photographing PEI

 

Thank you, I have even more pictures of the churches but held back from posting too many. If some are interested I can post more. I was also worried about board rules if that would be crossing a line.

Edited May 8, 2023 by cgolf1

[sunviking90]

31 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

This is probably my favorite picture of the ship, and maybe from an artistic perspective the whole cruise.

This is exactly the reason to cruise on a HAL ship! Love the promenade deck.

[cgolf1]

On 5/7/2023 at 1:30 PM, AllTheSun said:

How was clearing passport checks and customs? Did it take a long time? I’m flying in this fall with my parents but none of us have flown into Canada post-9/11 so no idea what to expect. I did see they offer the ability to fill out your customs declaration Pre-arrival so I plan on us doing that. Especially when traveling with my parents I try to do anything I can to make airport stuff easier 😆 

So customs was very easy. It was 90% automated. They had a kiosk where you scan in your passport and you answer why your coming, your not carrying too much money, and your not carrying anything illegal. It prints out a slip and you show the agent the slip or passport when leaving the area. Then you grab your luggage and hand the skip to an agent on the way out and you are done. Very easy and fairly quick. 

[cgolf1]

Activities and dinner

 

Other than walking around we played some cards and we went to the Musicology dance production. The dance production wasn't as good as the first and some parts were very different to the point I found them amusing. I am not sure that was what they were intending, but it was very different. 

 

For supper I had the Trio of Salmon and the lamb shank, both of which were very good. The lamb basically fell of the bone. My wife had the Caesar salad and  the Carbonara which she enjoyed.

 

One thing we have noticed is a lot of vibration in the ship and you can even feel it in the cabin, 2526 in the front of the ship. Not sure if it is from the rough weather and the the wind or it is just a quirk of the ship. Other than being noticeable it really didn't impact us all that much. Of course we did enjoy a drink at happy hour:)

Edited May 9, 2023 by cgolf1

[oakridger]

11 hours ago, Kate45 said:

I am thoroughly enjoying your review and pics. We are doing 10 nite Montreal to Boston with 3 prts in Newfoundland September 3rd. I noticed on your pic of menu for 1st nite, there isn't any "always available" options. We haven't cruised since before covid but on our previous cruises (15 with various lines), there was always a couple of options available every nite if nothing appealed to us....like salmon, roast chicken, and a Caesar salad. Is this still the case? 

 

You are correct that there is no longer a listing on the MDR menu specifically called "Always Available" but you will always see at the bottom of list of Mains a beef, roasted chicken, salmon and the infamous "Rustic Lasagna".  As others mentioned, you can ask for a plain salmon, for example, instead of a Maple Glazed Salmon.  You will see Caeser Salad and French Onion Soup listed most days but should be available if asked.  

[coldinerie]

Thank you for taking the time to post your experience.  We sail in 4 days and love seeing the menus, the ship and your take on the ports.  Thank you again.

 

[CGinMTL]

10 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

So customs was very easy. It was 90% automated. They had a kiosk where you scan in your passport and you answer why your coming, your not carrying too much money, and your not carrying anything illegal. It prints out a slip and you show the agent the slip or passport when leaving the area. Then you grab your luggage and hand the skip to an agent on the way out and you are done. Very easy and fairly quick. 

Arrive can app is also still in use at yul ( optional ) but also helps