Jim_Iain - First Non-Celebrity Cruise in 22 year - Ponant vs Celebrity Comparison

[Jim_Iain]

Room Service Menu. (No Surcharges)

 

 

 

[maggieq]

Amazing pictures and unique itinerary.   
 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Pillow Menu

 

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

and was exciting going underneath..long ago Maid of the Mist (?)

Looks like they have also discontinued that.    I remember seeing pictures of my parents on the Maid of the Mist ---- MANY MANY years ago.

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, PaulaW said:

Hi Jim,

 

Thank you for posting all of the beautiful pictures.

 

I’m glad you enjoyed the Falls— it’s an incredible experience.  I’m sure you will enjoy the Welland Canal transit too.  I wish the timing had been better so I could have driven to Lock 3 and watch your ship!

 

Enjoy the rest of your voyage!

You may be able to see us.   We are 4th in line and just now got to 58A.   Not scheduled to arrive at Lock 7 until 9PM.  

[hcat]

31 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Looks like they have also discontinued that.    I remember seeing pictures of my parents on the Maid of the Mist ---- MANY MANY years ago.

okay,  I am MANY YRS OLD! 

I went with my parents...wearing the rain slicker and all..   it was   very cool!

 

Falls lit at nite were  brilliant!

 

So far  do you have any favs for this cruise?

[Mrs.Dukes]

Jim, thank you for another fabulous cruise report, enjoying following along. We have been to Niagara Falls many times as my son went to undergrad and law school in Buffalo. The falls are beautiful at night, and very interesting in the winter. As for the Maid of the Mist, I rode it with my grandkids in 2022.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[lkj1301]

Ok so I really didn't I was MANY yrs old, but we were at Niagara Falls in 2004.  I saved our 2 blue rain slickers from the Maid of the Mist excursion as souvenirs 😁. And my screen saver, to this day is a zoomed in view of the falls from the Canadian side...what a sight.

 

Lorie

[dock]

Lovely pics.
Niagara is always breathtaking.

 

[REEtired]

3 hours ago, Ciaranaman said:

We have lots of those signs around. Lots of turtles here 🤣

~Bernadette

Same here in Rehoboth Beach, going south on Coastal Highway. 
Marie

[bjahil47]

Love your pictures of Niagara Falls!  I am originally from Buffalo so we always went to Niagara Falls.  I have been on Maid of the Mist Boat Tours at the falls many times and they are still operating daily!
 

Here is a very old picture when they drained it many years ago! 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

You can’t ride the Maid of the Mist on the Canada side 

the boat is the Hornblower 

[miched]

1 hour ago, bjahil47 said:

Love your pictures of Niagara Falls!  I am originally from Buffalo so we always went to Niagara Falls.  I have been on Maid of the Mist Boat Tours at the falls many times and they are still operating daily!
 

Here is a very old picture when they drained it many years ago! 

That was in 1969.   We were there on our honeymoon.  Corny but it was all we could afford at the time and it was only for 3 days.  We drove from Detroit.   We were able to walk at the bottom where the falls would have been.   Picked up a rock as a souvenir that has long been lost like many other useless pieces of mementos.   
 

They “shut” the  American Falls down with coffer damn built from dirt to study the erosion.   I don’t know if it really helped or did anything.  My understanding is that the Horseshoe Falls recedes about 3 ft per year.  Eventually there will be no falls, just rapids.  Way beyond any of our lives.   Like the the glaciers that formed the Smoky Mountains.  They receded way before I was born.   Nature keep changing the landscape.  

 

The Maid of the Mist goes close to the Horseshoe Falls.   It never goes under it as someone else mentioned.   If it did it would sink from the force of the water.  It would be worse than any tidal wave.  
 

We went on a tour that went behind the Horseshoe Falls at the bottom of it.   It was a walking tour on a boardwalk.   Don’t know if that is still available as the falls has receded a lot since then.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by miched

[MamaFej]

16 minutes ago, miched said:

We went on a tour that went behind the Horseshoe Falls at the bottom of it.   It was a walking tour on a boardwalk.   Don’t know if that is still available as the falls has receded a lot since then.  

 

It was available as of 2012.

[bjahil47]

33 minutes ago, miched said:

That was in 1969.   We were there on our honeymoon.  Corny but it was all we could afford at the time and it was only for 3 days.  We drove from Detroit.   We were able to walk at the bottom where the falls would have been.   Picked up a rock as a souvenir that has long been lost like many other useless pieces of mementos.   
 

They “shut” the  American Falls down with coffer damn built from dirt to study the erosion.   I don’t know if it really helped or did anything.  My understanding is that the Horseshoe Falls recedes about 3 ft per year.  Eventually there will be no falls, just rapids.  Way beyond any of our lives.   Like the the glaciers that formed the Smoky Mountains.  They receded way before I was born.   Nature keep changing the landscape.  

 

The Maid of the Mist goes close to the Horseshoe Falls.   It never goes under it as someone else mentioned.   If it did it would sink from the force of the water.  It would be worse than any tidal wave.  
 

We went on a tour that went behind the Horseshoe Falls at the bottom of it.   It was a walking tour on a boardwalk.   Don’t know if that is still available as the falls has receded a lot since then.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Niagara Falls was a hot Honeymoon Place!  I was going to say 1969 but I wasn’t positive!  We also walked out there and any souvenirs are lost.

We went several times while it was stopped.  My dad was a rosarian and helped with planting the Rose Gardens at Niagara Botanical Gardens in Canada so we were there a lot.  Always stopped at US and Canadian Falls!
 

Sorry for hijacking your thread Jim!  

Edited September 18, 2023 by bjahil47

[champagnecruiser]

7 hours ago, hcat said:

okay,  I am MANY YRS OLD! 

I went with my parents...wearing the rain slicker and all..   it was   very cool!

 

Falls lit at nite were  brilliant!

 

So far  do you have any favs for this cruise?

I also was on Maid of the Mist in 1977 - I guess I too am many years old 😂 

Wonderful photos Jim! Bringing back lovely memories!

Edited September 18, 2023 by champagnecruiser
Mis spell

[Norwaylady]

Great pictures and a great pick of itinerary Jim!

Mr Norwaylady would loved to sail this route🤩

He loves sailing thru locks, so we truly enjoy river cruises due to this.

We really like the small vessels and the close up to land and action of the locks.

We have sailed on a Christmas market cruise, 2times  7n sailing on Mosel, 7n Donau and 11n St Petersburg to Moscow. 

We can do all of them again.....

 

The food and the entertainment looks promising for my cup of tea.... So we need so seek into this a little more🤓

 

  

[FeebeeH]

18 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Last night was the second Gala Night   
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incredible dinner.    A solid 10.  Far outstrips Celebrity meals.   

 

 

Looks delicious  and is making me hungry.  I've been having fun trying to translate the 1st line of each menu item (with varying degrees of success - and succumbing to the English line below in some cases).  Guess I can still recall some words from my French classes (which I flunked) 42 years ago.

[awhfy]

15 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have to say Niagara Falls are incredible.  Would love to see them at night when lit with colored lights. 

That is an experience you need to do, especially underneath

[Jim_Iain]

We are in Toronto.   Disembarkation is by a 3 color tag system.  
 

1.  Cars arranged by Ponant

2.  Tours and Bus Service

3.  Those using own transport

 

We will be last -  at 8am first group called.  We are due to depart at 9am

 

As we will not be able to check in until noon at our AirBnB I found a luggage storage area via an APP called Bounce.    The have luggage storage area  all over.  Many like the one we have is a Dry Cleaners.   Cost 8 Canadian per bag. 

[Jim_Iain]

We were really late getting to Lock 7 and did not get through until 10:30

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Final Dinner.  Did not disappoint.   The escargot was incredible.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[bEwAbG]

I went to Niagara in 2015 and strayed in the area (in Buffalo) for a few days, going to do the different falls-related stuff on different days.  Boat ride up to (not under) and the walk behind.  All of it was awe-inspiring.  Hard to get a sense of how majestic it is from just photos.  I would highly recommend a visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake when in the area.  Very quaint town about 35 minutes away on the Canada side, situated on Lake Ontario (you can see Toronto on the horizon across the lake).  Lots of wineries in the area too, if that's your thing.  The town hosts the Shaw Festival every summer so lots of theater then.   

[chemmo]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

We are in Toronto.   Disembarkation is by a 3 color tag system.  
 

1.  Cars arranged by Ponant

2.  Tours and Bus Service

3.  Those using own transport

 

We will be last -  at 8am first group called.  We are due to depart at 9am

 

As we will not be able to check in until noon at our AirBnB I found a luggage storage area via an APP called Bounce.    The have luggage storage area  all over.  Many like the one we have is a Dry Cleaners.   Cost 8 Canadian per bag. 

So sorry to see your cruise is at an end, I have so enjoyed your photos, ship comparisons and general commentary…Please board another ship soon!

[Oceangoer2]

10 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

You can’t ride the Maid of the Mist on the Canada side 

the boat is the Hornblower 

We took it from the Canadian side ...have they stopped that?  I know if you went through the caves you had to go from the US side.

Edited September 18, 2023 by Oceangoer2