The official Quebec, Saguenay and Baie-Comeau cruise ports thread!

We are on the NYC to QC September 20 cruise. Has Disney published (or does anyone know) which night(s) will be the Halloween Party (?pirate party?). Also, will the first day at sea most likely be the formal night?
 
We are booked on the Sept 20th sailing. Never done a cruise that has ended with an overnight stay in a port. Are there different procedures for disembarkation? What time do you have to be back on the ship?
 
We are booked on the Sept 27 QC>NY cruise. Our plan is to fly into Montreal on the 26th, spend the night, then use the DCL transfers to get to the port. We will be flying on Porter Airlines from EWR to YUL (with a stop in YTZ). I've never experienced Porter before, but both flights are under 2 hours, so how bad can it be?

Any suggestions for hotels in Montreal reasonably close to the airport? (I'm not sure which hotels (if any) DCL will offer transfers from, so we were planning on going back to the airport in the morning). Also (and I realize this is an unusual question), are there any Tim Hortons around that still make donuts on-site (as opposed to the frozen/trucked in variety that you find most places)?
 
We are booked on the Sept 27 QC>NY cruise. Our plan is to fly into Montreal on the 26th, spend the night, then use the DCL transfers to get to the port. We will be flying on Porter Airlines from EWR to YUL (with a stop in YTZ). I've never experienced Porter before, but both flights are under 2 hours, so how bad can it be?

Any suggestions for hotels in Montreal reasonably close to the airport? (I'm not sure which hotels (if any) DCL will offer transfers from, so we were planning on going back to the airport in the morning). Also (and I realize this is an unusual question), are there any Tim Hortons around that still make donuts on-site (as opposed to the frozen/trucked in variety that you find most places)?

Actually Porter is good. I used to live within walking distance of YTZ so would take Porter to YUL, YOW, and EWR.
 


Actually Porter is good. I used to live within walking distance of YTZ so would take Porter to YUL, YOW, and EWR.

Porter is AMAZING! I've used them between NYC (EWR specifically) and Ottawa and Toronto.
 
I’ve never stayed there but my husband really likes the Springhill Suites in downtown Montreal. And I know there is a Marriott in the terminal at Montreal.
 
We are booked on the Sept 27 QC>NY cruise. Our plan is to fly into Montreal on the 26th, spend the night, then use the DCL transfers to get to the port. We will be flying on Porter Airlines from EWR to YUL (with a stop in YTZ). I've never experienced Porter before, but both flights are under 2 hours, so how bad can it be?

Any suggestions for hotels in Montreal reasonably close to the airport? (I'm not sure which hotels (if any) DCL will offer transfers from, so we were planning on going back to the airport in the morning). Also (and I realize this is an unusual question), are there any Tim Hortons around that still make donuts on-site (as opposed to the frozen/trucked in variety that you find most places)?


I like the Sheraton Airport. 5 min from the airport. DH and I have a membership to the pool and gym there. The hotel is clean and it smells good in the hallways. Rooms are cute. There's a good restaurant inside. Reasonably priced. Pretty sure the shuttles are included.

There is also a Marriott hotel directly inside the airport. Stayed there before my first trip to Disney. A bit underwhelming when it comes to the look but comfortable and when it comes to location, it's definitely the best option.

There is a Tim Hortons inside the airport outside of the gates but I don't know if they cook there.
 


I’ve never stayed there but my husband really likes the Springhill Suites in downtown Montreal. And I know there is a Marriott in the terminal at Montreal.

The Springhill Suites is quite popular and the location is great (love the Old Port) but, it's a 20 to 30 minutes car ride from the airport...outside of rush hour. Can be longer. There are a lot of construction right now and that complicates transportation a lot these days.

+ It's going to cost you 45 to 60$ to get there in a cab if you don't ask for the 39$ flat rate (it could be higher).

You also have the option to go for the 747 bus. It's going to cost you 10$/pp but free for kids under 5. You need to pay in exact money or buy the ticket at the STM booth at the arrival in YUL...

...but it's valid for 24 hours so you can use it for your roundtrip. It's usually a public transportation bus but with a rack for the luggage. Don't expect anything fancy nor comfortable. It's a good price for the ride they offer though.
 
Port adventures for Quebec City and Saguenay are on DCL’s site! Some interesting, cool things to do. I will have a tough time deciding:)
I hope for Baie Comeau there is some way to visit the arched dam. I believe it may be far from the port, though.
 
Actually Porter is good. I used to live within walking distance of YTZ so would take Porter to YUL, YOW, and EWR.

Just out of curiosity, as an American, what's up with airport codes in Canada? I guess I can kinda see YOW as OttaWa, but how does Toronto = YTZ or YYZ, and how do you get YUL from Montreal? (and I ask this fully realizing that a lot of US codes don't make sense ... like MCO for Orlando (answer: it used to be Mccoy Air Force Base) or MSY for New Orleans ... but a lot of them do make sense, such as ATL or DEN)
 
Port adventures for Quebec City and Saguenay are on DCL’s site! Some interesting, cool things to do. I will have a tough time deciding:)
I hope for Baie Comeau there is some way to visit the arched dam. I believe it may be far from the port, though.

Can you screenshot them and post it here? I could give you my recommendations!
 
Just out of curiosity, as an American, what's up with airport codes in Canada? I guess I can kinda see YOW as OttaWa, but how does Toronto = YTZ or YYZ, and how do you get YUL from Montreal? (and I ask this fully realizing that a lot of US codes don't make sense ... like MCO for Orlando (answer: it used to be Mccoy Air Force Base) or MSY for New Orleans ... but a lot of them do make sense, such as ATL or DEN)

All Canadian airports start with Y (well, almost all major commercial airports). Something to do with old weather codes and the fact that Canada didn't/doesn't have enough airports to need more than one prefix. The US has 26 prefixes (I think - it is a lot) - so they can be more flexible.

The Toronto airport isn't technically in Toronto - it is in Malton (or was, it is now in Mississauga since that "absorbed" Malton.. Which doesn't make it clearer until you know that the telegraph station code (I've also seen it described as the Morse Code Railway Station code for the CN Railway) for Malton was "YZ". The Toronto telegraph station code was "TZ", so Billy Bishop (formerly City Centre and commonly Island) Airport is YTZ. Some airports use the code of the radio beacon associated with the city.

Here endeth my useless knowledge of the day :)

EDITED because formally and formerly mean different things :)
 
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MY RECOMMENDATIONS

Saguenay: (I can't believe they ask that much for some of the excursions...!!! My guess is it is because transportation and english translation is expensive) ...

"Wine and cheese in Blueberry country" if you are passionate with cheese like we are, this one will be nice as all of of cheese from that region win prizes. Most of the cheese I buy come from Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, IMO, they play in the big league.

"La Fabuleuse" is considered one of the best attraction of the whole province. If you like shows, I don't think you could go wrong with that.

"Discover Val-Jalbert" is in a category of it's own if you are interested in ghost towns & history and has beautiful falls. Don't miss their Molasse Cookies! :) I'm very fond of that village.

If you are more into nature, the "Hiking in Saguenay National Park" is very nice so is "Kayaking"... You might encounter whales and belugas. Same with the "Zodiac Adventure".

"Discover the Fjord Treasure" should be amazing. Can you screenshot the description? EDIT: Not exactly what I had in mind but should be relaxing.

"Best of Saguenay". Can you screenshot the description as well? I'm curious. EDIT: IMO...Snooze Fest. I wouldn't pick that one. You'll have more fun on the ship.

The "Zoo of St-Felicien" is not your typical zoo. It has animals from North America. You will ride in a "train" (not a real one). In a cage, sort of, for your safety. As for the attraction: If I could make a comparison: It's the Kilimandjaro Safaris (Animal Kingdom) of Saguenay. Get it?


Quebec:

"Old Quebec Walking Tour and Tea Chateau Frontenac" would most likely be my first choice. Great value. Old Quebec is amazing, beautiful is rich with history. Chateau Frontenac is it's landmark, beautiful. Also I love Tea. I'm jealous and I want to go too. Lol

"Historic Quebec and Montmorency falls" sounds like a nice value.

If visiting churches is your jam, "Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré" should please you very much.

"Ste-Anne Canyon and Sugar Shack" (even though we are not in the sugar shack season at all!!!) should be great. Haven't seen the canyon with my own eyes but heard it was a beautiful place and sugar shacks are awesome. Go if you LOVE maple treats.
 
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20180521_132547-2080x1170.jpg 20180521_133050-2080x1170.jpg 20180521_132417-2080x1170.jpg 20180521_132319-2080x1170.jpg 20180521_132600-2080x1170.jpg 20180521_132841-2080x1170.jpg 20180521_132823-2080x1170.jpg Someone asked for hotel suggestions near Montreal Airport: I was a the Sheraton Airport today and took a few pictures. The hotel is usually reasonably priced (compared to the Marriott inside the airport) & clean. :) About 5 min from the airport. I took the pictures of the planes from the gym.
 
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So, it seems like the hotel that Disney is booking in Montreal for guests who want a pre-night is the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. Looked at their website, looks like a nice property, but the cheapest room is $350 CAD which is about $275 US. Or $400 CAD for a room that includes breakfast. I usually try to not go higher than $150 US/night for a hotel, with breakfast included.

booking.com shows a fair number of hotels in Montreal below that price point, and some of them have decent ratings. I'll probably do some more research on those, and then factor in the cost of transportation from airport to hotel, and back to the airport in the morning.
 

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