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

[mevelandry]

Hi Everyone! We will be joining you on this cruise. Hoping there will still be foliage but thinking we may miss it since the weather has been so weird this year! Originally from New York but now live in Wisconsin. My husband is born and bred Wisconsin. I am sure he is going to enjoy challenging whether Quebec City or Wisconsin has the best Cheese Curds! This cruise will get us to 3/4 of a Grand Slam as we have already been on the Wonder and Fantasy.

I have read all the previous posts and all of the information on hotels...so, thoroughly confused at this point. We are flying into Quebec City. Jeff wants to stay as close to the post as possible. We think this is considered Old Quebec City, is that correct? Price is a consideration. Is Auberge Place d' Armes close to the port? But we are also looking for something with a little more charm than the typical Marriott. Would you be willing to please provide some more recommendations? If we have to end up doing a Marriott, which Marriott is closer to the port? Thank you very much!

Yes the port of Quebec is in the Old Quebec.

Auberge Place D'Armes is in a great location in Old Quebec and more or less 5 minutes drive to the port.

I think there aren't many Marriott near the Old Port except Marriott Downton Quebec?

For the hotels, it depends on your budget. There are a lot of boutique hotels at different prices... And big landmarks like Chateau Frontenac or lots of character like Chateau Laurier.

 

[Pens Fan]

Hi Everyone! We will be joining you on this cruise. Hoping there will still be foliage but thinking we may miss it since the weather has been so weird this year! Originally from New York but now live in Wisconsin. My husband is born and bred Wisconsin. I am sure he is going to enjoy challenging whether Quebec City or Wisconsin has the best Cheese Curds! This cruise will get us to 3/4 of a Grand Slam as we have already been on the Wonder and Fantasy.

I have read all the previous posts and all of the information on hotels...so, thoroughly confused at this point. We are flying into Quebec City. Jeff wants to stay as close to the post as possible. We think this is considered Old Quebec City, is that correct? Price is a consideration. Is Auberge Place d' Armes close to the port? But we are also looking for something with a little more charm than the typical Marriott. Would you be willing to please provide some more recommendations? If we have to end up doing a Marriott, which Marriott is closer to the port? Thank you very much!

We are staying at Auberge Place D'Armes prior to our cruise. We aren't sailing with Disney but I have followed along with this thread as it is so full of great information about the area. The hotel looks charming and is right across from the Chateau Frontenac. Like you, we were looking for something with a little more charm and character than your typical chain hotel. Plus, @mevelandry mentioned that there was a very well reviewed restaurant on the first floor. We plan on arriving in Quebec city on a Saturday (our cruise boards on Monday but doesn't sail until Tuesday night), so we will have lots of time to explore both old town the the surrounding area.

Enjoy your cruise! It doesn't look as if Disney will be returning to Quebec City in 2019, so for anyone wanting to sail from there on DCL - take advantage of it now. We are so looking forward to spending time in Quebec. We've been to many different parts of Canada - from one coast to the other - but somehow never Quebec. It's about time!

 

[Shadowfan]

Based on suggestions found here (plus TripAdvisor and our own desires for balancing activity/rest) these are the port adventures we have chosen:

Halifax: Lunenburg tour
Saguenay: La Fabuleuse show
Baie-Comeau: Hydro-electric & heritage tour
Quebec City: Grand exploration of Quebec

We are a family of four, two children 11 and 8.

We really would like to try the cheese in the Saguenay area—please recommend where to buy.

 

[mevelandry]

Based on suggestions found here (plus TripAdvisor and our own desires for balancing activity/rest) these are the port adventures we have chosen:

Halifax: Lunenburg tour
Saguenay: La Fabuleuse show
Baie-Comeau: Hydro-electric & heritage tour
Quebec City: Grand exploration of Quebec

We are a family of four, two children 11 and 8.

We really would like to try the cheese in the Saguenay area—please recommend where to buy.

Fromagerie Boivin in La Baie for cheddar cheese curds. They import those to Montreal so I can still buy it at my grocery store. Nothing beats cheese that was made in the morning.

I used to love the cheddar cheese curds from Fromagerie Perron in St-Prime (close to St-Felicien) too. It's a bit less salty than Boivin and just as amazing IMO. They import their Old Cheddar in Montreal. Heard good things about it. Can't believe I've never tried them yet. It would be a bit far from Saguenay though. Who knows, you might find some at a booth or something.

Fromagerie Médard from St-Gedeon. My two favorites soft cheeses are "14 Arpents" and "Rang des Îles". Soooo good!!! They import those in Montreal too. I buy them every time I do a little "wine and cheese night" at home.

Oh and while you are there, if you like soft drinks (sweet like Cream Soda), try "Red Champagne". It's a soft drink they make in Saguenay and I love it. I miss it so much!

 

[vakamalua]

mevelandry, thank you for all the helpful info! So looking forward to visiting your province!

We are on the September 27th Quebec--NYC cruise and will be spending three nights in Quebec City prior to the cruise.

Do you have any guess what we might expect from the weather at that time of year? Rainy season? Temperatures? Cooler as we head up the St Lawrence?

I assume we should bring layers...top layer being a fleece for evenings and on the water?

 

[mevelandry]

mevelandry, thank you for all the helpful info! So looking forward to visiting your province!

We are on the September 27th Quebec--NYC cruise and will be spending three nights in Quebec City prior to the cruise.

Do you have any guess what we might expect from the weather at that time of year? Rainy season? Temperatures? Cooler as we head up the St Lawrence?

I assume we should bring layers...top layer being a fleece for evenings and on the water?

My pleasure!

The end of September, up until Mid-October can be full of surprises. While it's rainy season with weather between 59 and 75 degrees, you could happen to be here during a phenomenon that we call "L'été indien" ("Indian Summer") which, when it happens, brings us warm summer weather, usually between 77 and...I've seen 86 degrees a few times (at least that's a possibility for Quebec and Saguenay). It usually happens during the first days of October.

Yes, it's definitely cooler as you'll head up the St-Lawrence to Baie-Comeau.

My advice: Prepare for every season. A good windbreaker. Hoodies. Scarfs. Gloves. Hats (even toques just in case, as evenings on the water could be colder). But also bring shorts and t-shirts in case it's warm.

 

[cruiser21]

Did anybody find cheap flights to Quebec? I can certainly see why these cruises didn't sell.

 

[belle07]

Has anyone checked in yet? I started to tonight and didn't see any character breakfasts, does anyone know if there will be one? Usually on all the 7 nights we have done there was one.

 

[mevelandry]

Did anybody find cheap flights to Quebec? I can certainly see why these cruises didn't sell.

There's a promo right now (started this morning) on Air Canada. Who knows.

If I can find Montreal-Honolulu one way tickets for 333$ CAD, I think you could find lower prices for Quebec.

Keep in mind that prices for plane tickets are much much more expensive than in the US. Ultra Low Cost is not really a thing here yet (but it's coming!)...

 

[Anisum]

Did anybody find cheap flights to Quebec? I can certainly see why these cruises didn't sell.

I didn't have any cheap to Quebec City, Montreal on the other hand was a treasure trove of cheap flights for me at least.

 

[cruiser21]

There's a promo right now (started this morning) on Air Canada. Who knows.

If I can find Montreal-Honolulu one way tickets for 333$ CAD, I think you could find lower prices for Quebec.

Keep in mind that prices for plane tickets are much much more expensive than in the US. Ultra Low Cost is not really a thing here yet (but it's coming!)...

I meant to say Montreal. I know Quebec there is no such thing.

 

[cruiser21]

I didn't have any cheap to Quebec City, Montreal on the other hand was a treasure trove of cheap flights for me at least.

Where are you flying from? What priced did you find?

 

[mevelandry]

I meant to say Montreal. I know Quebec there is no such thing.

Did you check with Air Canada this morning?

 

[cruiser21]

Did you check with Air Canada this morning?

457.00 one way. Yikes

 

[vakamalua]

Has anyone checked in yet? I started to tonight and didn't see any character breakfasts, does anyone know if there will be one? Usually on all the 7 nights we have done there was one.

I booked Palo and Shore Excursions this morning for the 9/27 Quebec--NYC cruise. I had to call DCL because one of the excursions we wanted to book in Quebec was not allowing online bookings; they booked it for me.

There is no listing in the online schedule for Pirate Night, a Character Breakfast, etc. DCL said they have no idea whether they will be scheduled later.

 

[mevelandry]

457.00 one way. Yikes

Where are you leaving from? (And When)

 

[Anisum]

Where are you flying from? What priced did you find?

I mean, I'm flying from NYC area so flights are generally pretty good but flights have been sitting at $88-92 between Air Canada and Porter for a while now.

 

[cruiser21]

Where are you leaving from? (And When)

Phoenix. I can find red eyes for 139.00, but I'm holding out for something better.

 

[cruiser21]

I mean, I'm flying from NYC area so flights are generally pretty good but flights have been sitting at $88-92 between Air Canada and Porter for a while now.

I will look at that. I have miles on Southwest and American, but Southwest doesn't fly to Canada and American prices are so high it would eat through all my miles.

 

[mevelandry]

Phoenix. I can find red eyes for 139.00, but I'm holding out for something better.

Which Air lines is that? I'm shocked you found flights that cheap!