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

[cruiser21]

Hi, we are getting ready to book the cruise and can't decide on oceanview or balcony, are the views as good as the Alaska cruise? just want to make sure is worth the extra money. Thanks!

I booked an inside on Alaska and I was glad I did. I loved Alaska, but I was a little underwhelmed by the views. I was expecting more due to all the hype on the cruise boards. Of course we did Alaska after Iceland and Norway and that could have something to do with the let down. I booked an oceanview on this cruise and I may change to an inside if I feel the need to save money.

 

[Pens Fan]

Hi, we are getting ready to book the cruise and can't decide on oceanview or balcony, are the views as good as the Alaska cruise? just want to make sure is worth the extra money. Thanks!

I can only help you as far as Halifax. We did the Disney 5 nighter in 2016 that went to Halifax and St. John (or is it Saint John??? I never can remember and it really seems to annoy folks when you get it wrong ). We had a balcony and it was a total waste of money. The scenery was ocean, ocean and more ocean. Add to that the cool weather, and we spent very little time on the balcony.

Now, with the new Disney cruises going up the St. Lawrence and into the fjord on the way to Saguenay, the balcony could be more useful. At least that's what I am hoping, as we booked an aft balcony suite (not on Disney but going to similar places). I would suggest asking this same question on Cruise Critic's port specific forum. Other cruise lines have been sailing this route for years, so you will tap into a much larger pool of knowledgable cruisers. This is the first time Disney had offered an itinerary that goes all the way to Quebec City.

 

[cruiser21]

I also think it depends on how much time you spend on your balcony vs being in the common areas. I love having a balcony to dry out my work out clothes, bathing suite, and to air out my teens stinky shoes. I've never found sitting on a balcony to be that enjoyable. It's either cold, windy, or I'm boring. I'd rather be up in the adult area with other people. Everyone's different, but the cost is quite substantial on the Magic or Wonder. I think it really has to be worth it. On the Dream and Fantasy it's usually just a couple of hundred.. I'm not sure why except maybe most of the rooms are balconies on the Dream class ships.

 

[Pens Fan]

I am looking at a flight from Pittsburgh to Quebec City. There are two stops - one in Toronto and one in Montreal. I am assuming we will need to go through customs in Toronto, as in retrieve bags, go through security, etc. Is that correct? We are U.S. citizens, so I'm guessing that any customs procedures would take longer than if we were Canadian.

The flight I'm looking at has a layover of 1 hour 26 minutes. Will that be enough time if we do have to through customs? I've never flown into Toronto before, so I'm completely unfamiliar with that airport.

Thanks!

 

[mevelandry]

I am looking at a flight from Pittsburgh to Quebec City. There are two stops - one in Toronto and one in Montreal. I am assuming we will need to go through customs in Toronto, as in retrieve bags, go through security, etc. Is that correct? We are U.S. citizens, so I'm guessing that any customs procedures would take longer than if we were Canadian.

The flight I'm looking at has a layover of 1 hour 26 minutes. Will that be enough time if we do have to through customs? I've never flown into Toronto before, so I'm completely unfamiliar with that airport.

Thanks!

This is short. I wouldn't recommend less than 2 hours. Toronto is a big airport and if your flight ends up leaving a little late from Pittsburg, you are going to run like crazies. And even if it isn't you are still most likely going to be in a hurry. I've experienced it before and I said "never again".

 

[Anisum]

Has anyone determined if Disney will do transfers to/from Montreal airport. That's significantly cheaper for me and since their website currently lists that as an option it's one I'm considering.

 

[Pens Fan]

This is short. I wouldn't recommend less than 2 hours. Toronto is a big airport and if your flight ends up leaving a little late from Pittsburg, you are going to run like crazies. And even if it isn't you are still most likely going to be in a hurry. I've experienced it before and I said "never again".

Thanks, that is what I was thinking. I was pricing flights on Google flights and they even noted that the flight into Toronto often ran 30 minutes late. Probably not the best way to start our vacation!

 

[mevelandry]

Thanks, that is what I was thinking. I was pricing flights on Google flights and they even noted that the flight into Toronto often ran 30 minutes late. Probably not the best way to start our vacation!

Good call.

My idea of a "safe layover" for Toronto is 2 hours and a half.

 

[Ainslee]

Good call.

My idea of a "safe layover" for Toronto is 2 hours and a half.

I agree! i flew to Vancouver a few years ago from Baltimore and had a 90 minute layover in Toronto. We were late getting to Toronto and ran the whole time. It was stressful and I had never be in the Toronto airport before. Our flight home from Quebec stops in Toronto and we have a 2 and a half hour layover and I feel much better about that this time.

 

[mevelandry]

I agree! i flew to Vancouver a few years ago from Baltimore and had a 90 minute layover in Toronto. We were late getting to Toronto and ran the whole time. It was stressful and I had never be in the Toronto airport before. Our flight home from Quebec stops in Toronto and we have a 2 and a half hour layover and I feel much better about that this time.

Excellent decision!

 

[cruiser21]

Has anyone determined if Disney will do transfers to/from Montreal airport. That's significantly cheaper for me and since their website currently lists that as an option it's one I'm considering.

I would call and ask. It's 45.00 just to the Quebec airport so I'm guessing it will be at least double. There is a bus to downtown Montreal that's 25.00 CAD.

 

[mevelandry]

I would call and ask. It's 45.00 just to the Quebec airport so I'm guessing it will be at least double. There is a bus to downtown Montreal that's 25.00 CAD.

Wow... At 45$ pp (US???) for the shuttle, I'd say: take a cab! It's just a 30 minutes ride between the airport and the port. It should be around 45$ CAD for the same ride.

Take note that the 25$ bus tickets for Montreal from Orleans Express are a promotional discount and the number of tickets are limited. I suggest you buy them in advance!

 

[cruiser21]

Wow... At 45$ pp (US???) for the shuttle, I'd say: take a cab! It's just a 30 minutes ride between the airport and the port. It should be around 45$ CAD for the same ride.

Take note that the 25$ bus tickets for Montreal from Orleans Express are a promotional discount and the number of tickets are limited. I suggest you buy them in advance!

Do they have Uber in Quebec?

 

[mevelandry]

Do they have Uber in Quebec?

Yes. But I'm not sure they have the same rules as they do in the USA. The place of Uber in Quebec has been problematic. Lots of complaints from the taxi industry. The government got involved, etc.

Also, remember that it is possible that your Uber driver won't speak english while cab drivers usually do.

 

[cruiser21]

Yes. But I'm not sure they have the same rules as they do in the USA. The place of Uber in Quebec has been problematic. Lots of complaints from the taxi industry. The government got involved, etc.

Also, remember that it is possible that your Uber driver won't speak english while cab drivers usually do.

None of our Uber drivers in NYC spoke English either LOL. I can get around that for half price fares. I also live in Arizona so I'm used to people that don't speak English.

 

[Anisum]

I would call and ask. It's 45.00 just to the Quebec airport so I'm guessing it will be at least double. There is a bus to downtown Montreal that's 25.00 CAD.

Honestly that's going to be better than the flights direct to Quebec. Either way I'll wait a bit in case flight prices go down.

 

[mevelandry]

Honestly that's going to be better than the flights direct to Quebec. Either way I'll wait a bit in case flight prices go down.

Did you take a look at Air Canada? Their prices can be low.

There are also rumors that ultra low cost air lines are going to serve Montreal soon.

For now, the cheapest way to get here apparently is by going to Plattsburg (1 hour from Montreal).

 

[Anisum]

Did you take a look at Air Canada? Their prices can be low.

There are also rumors that ultra low cost air lines are going to serve Montreal soon.

For now, the cheapest way to get here apparently is by going to Plattsburg (1 hour from Montreal).

I did. We don't get direct flights to Quebec with Air Canada and they all are transfers through Toronto or Montreal anyway so they cost more than just going direct to Montreal.

 

[cruiser21]

I did. We don't get direct flights to Quebec with Air Canada and they all are transfers through Toronto or Montreal anyway so they cost more than just going direct to Montreal.

The website states the last transfer from Montreal would be at 900 am. Unless you can find a red eye into Montreal it would mean spending the night at a hotel near the airport. American has flights from Philly to Quebec...Just another option if you can connect in Philly. I've found most major carriers have one flight into a Quebec and it's usually a smaller plane.

 

[Pens Fan]

I booked our flight yesterday on Air Canada (with a 2.5 hour layover in Toronto thanks to the advice on here ). I looked at a lot of different airlines, but found Air Canada and West Jet had the best options, at least coming from Pittsburgh. I know it depends on where you are flying from. I was determined to find one with only one stop over that would get us all the way to Quebec City. Pittsburgh isn't known for having a lot of direct flights other than to hubs, so it's tough sometimes to find flights to smaller airports without multiple stops.

I was pleasantly surprised at the pricing going into Quebec City vs. Montreal. In some cases, the price difference was so minimal it didn't warrant the extra time/cost of having to get from Montreal to QC. On others, there was a huge difference in price. There was one flight combination on Air Canada that was actually cheaper if you booked all the way to QC vs. stopping in Montreal. The first two legs were the exact same flights! It made absolutely no sense. Airline pricing has always baffled me. I usually just keep checking and checking until I find something I'm ok with paying.