Disembark Quebec City, fly home same day from Montreal. Advice?

[Birdnutty]

We're considering a cruise on the Emerald Princess that begins in Boston, and ends in Quebec City.  As much as we'd like to stay and tour in Quebec City a second day (our ship is in port the day before and overnight before disembarkation), our time is very limited. We need to be home ASAP.

 

Flights from Quebec City are few, expensive and LONG.Montreal has more frequent, shorter and cheaper flights

 

 Montreal Disembarkation starts at 6AM. We know it's a quick trip to the train station, from where we'd like to take a train to Montreal Airport, hoping to get a non-stop flight back to Boston, from where we will drive home (about 3 hours).

 

Our problem is figuring out the timing. How rough or smooth disembarkation off the Emerald Princess is in Quebec City starts the whole chain.  Is it usually smooth, or notoriously disorganised and chaotic?  I do know stuff can happen.  I'm just looking for an average situation. 

Is it possible to buy a ticket for an earlier train and then exchange it for a later one if there's availability? Or can we buy the tickets when we get there, thereby avoiding the pre-purchase time debacle?  At that hour of the day, there's a 4+ hour difference between the first one we could get and the next, so the first one is infinitely preferable, but I realise how tight that is.  Not quite as bad as flying, however.

 

Has anyone done this, and how did it work?

[cr8tiv1]

Once cleared, the gangway will be open all night long.  I saw a few passengers disembarking with their luggage (your responsibility).

 

You are correct.  Flying out of Quebec is a nightmare (expensive and very few flights).

 

I am not sure you will be able to get to Montreal by train in time to catch a flight EAST.  IF...they dock in the morning, it will take a train 2.5 hours to get from Quebec to Montreal.  You would still have to clear customs and immigrations in Montreal.  It will be another hour or so (terminal is large/Nexus or Global Entry?).  

 

The train will have several fare options.  If you sign up ahead of time, there are usually Tuesday specials and a senior option.

 

https://www.viarail.ca/en

 

 

 

[CU64]

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Once cleared, the gangway will be open all night long.  I saw a few passengers disembarking with their luggage (your responsibility).

 

You are correct.  Flying out of Quebec is a nightmare (expensive and very few flights).

 

I am not sure you will be able to get to Montreal by train in time to catch a flight EAST.  IF...they dock in the morning, it will take a train 2.5 hours to get from Quebec to Montreal.  You would still have to clear customs and immigrations in Montreal.  It will be another hour or so (terminal is large/Nexus or Global Entry?).  

 

The train will have several fare options.  If you sign up ahead of time, there are usually Tuesday specials and a senior option.

 

https://www.viarail.ca/en

 

 

 

Clearing Customs can be a long process. Also they do not tell you exactly where to go to get to international flights so you need time to navigate. Only time I almost missed a flight.

[cr8tiv1]

2 minutes ago, CU64 said:

Clearing Customs can be a long process. Also they do not tell you exactly where to go to get to international flights so you need time to navigate. Only time I almost missed a flight.

I had a perfectly timed flight from Quebec.  Air Canada canceled all morning flights.  I was assigned a late afternoon flight with a 60 minute connection.  If I didn’t pre-purchase a near the front seat and request a wheel chair, I would have definitely missed my flight.  
 

Things in my favor:  

 

Quebec flight was late, but we made up the time in flight
a pusher who ran me through the terminal yelling “coming through”.

global entry

prefilled out customs form

cut in line at US TSA line

outbound flight was delayed

literally, last one through the door
At least they knew I was coming

 

Give yourself plenty of time in Montreal. 

 

[tompeter]

Be sure to check Porter airlines. Limited schedules but much better pricing out of YQB.

[Birdnutty]

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Once cleared, the gangway will be open all night long.  I saw a few passengers disembarking with their luggage (your responsibility).

First of all, thank you for your responses!  

So we can get off earlier than the 6 AM "docking" time?  The ship will be there the whole previous day.  Or at 6 AM sharp? Would prefer to catch the 8:10 AM train to Montreal, and I am trying to figure out how doable that is.  

I am concerned that the entire disembarkation process won't start until then, at which point we'd have the rest of the passengers to deal with.  I've been in situations where that was a nightmare, and others where it was seamless and easy peasy.  I'm not accustomed to a ship that stays overnight in a port with disembarkation the next day, so I have no idea what to expect.

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I am not sure you will be able to get to Montreal by train in time to catch a flight EAST.  IF...they dock in the morning, it will take a train 2.5 hours to get from Quebec to Montreal.  You would still have to clear customs and immigrations in Montreal.  It will be another hour or so (terminal is large/Nexus or Global Entry?). 

We don't have either one.  Regular run-of-the-mill folks here.  Also have never flown in or out of Canada, so I have so many questions. We can expect that it takes at least an hour to go through Customs/Immigration without these special programs, or should we plan on much more?

[chrysalis]

9 minutes ago, Birdnutty said:

First of all, thank you for your responses!  

So we can get off earlier than the 6 AM "docking" time?  The ship will be there the whole previous day.  Or at 6 AM sharp? Would prefer to catch the 8:10 AM train to Montreal, and I am trying to figure out how doable that is.  

I am concerned that the entire disembarkation process won't start until then, at which point we'd have the rest of the passengers to deal with.  I've been in situations where that was a nightmare, and others where it was seamless and easy peasy.  I'm not accustomed to a ship that stays overnight in a port with disembarkation the next day, so I have no idea what to expect.

We don't have either one.  Regular run-of-the-mill folks here.  Also have never flown in or out of Canada, so I have so many questions. We can expect that it takes at least an hour to go through Customs/Immigration without these special programs, or should we plan on much more?

Just to be clear, in Montreal, before boarding a flight to the USA you are going through USA Customs and Immigration.....and the time it takes to do that fully depends on the time of day, day of week, etc. Sometimes it can take a couple of  minutes, and sometimes much longer, depending on the line-ups. An hour should give you plenty of time for that process.

[Birdnutty]

Good to know! Really helps with the planning process.  

Just have to decide how much pressure we want to take on by building in too close a schedule.  

 

If we book an 8:10 train from Quebec City, and miss it, do you know if it can be exchanged for a later time?  

[gilboman]

5 hours ago, tompeter said:

Be sure to check Porter airlines. Limited schedules but much better pricing out of YQB.

porter prices often are much more expensive than even Air Canada. 

[mahasamatman]

9 hours ago, Birdnutty said:

So we can get off earlier than the 6 AM "docking" time? The ship will be there the whole previous day. Or at 6 AM sharp?

 

If you want to get off that early, you will need to take your own bags. And in that czse, you can get off any time you want, including before 6am.

 

6 hours ago, gilboman said:

porter prices often are much more expensive than even Air Canada. 

 

And a far worse experience both on the ground and in the air.

 

8 hours ago, Birdnutty said:

If we book an 8:10 train from Quebec City, and miss it, do you know if it can be exchanged for a later time?  

 

You'll have to read the fare rules when you purchase the tickets.

[mdj59]

We did this last fall. ViaRail to Montreal was great. We checked our luggage at Quebec City’s Gare du Palais and saw more of QC, had lunch and caught an afternoon train. We then spent 3 great days in Montreal and flew home from there. As mentioned earlier, you will need to go through customs. If you don’t have global entry, I would suggest that you download the MPC (Mobile Passport Control) app once you arrive at the airport. Load your info and you’ll be able to go through an expedited line at customs.