Canada-New England

We are interested in comments/suggestions from anyone who has taken the 7-day cruise between Montreal and Boston on the Maasdam.

That's a pretty broad request. Would you narrow it down to more specific questions?

Suggestions about what? Activities in ports? What to do on the ship? Specialty dining? HAL shore excursions vs. private vs. DIY?

I haave done that cruise,, b-to-b Boston to Montreal to Boston, summer after summer and absolutely love it. No matter how many times we repeated those ports, we always found plenty to enjoy doing.

As Ruth commented, if you want to narrow about what you are interested, I'd be happy to try and help.

We noticed that the Maasdam goes to Montreal whereas the Veendam stops at Quebec City. Is that because of the size of the ships? Is the itinerary going all the way to Montreal a better choice?

The ships were originally the same size. The Veendam had an addition to the aft Navigation Deck, adding cabins to former deck space. So, the overall dimensions remain the same, but the Veendam carries more passengers.

They can both go to Montreal, but having different itineraries offers a choice.

Which is better---Montreal and Quebec City, or two days in Quebec City, is in the eyes of the beholder. It really depends to some extent on what you want to see. To a lesser extent, it can also depend on flight arrangements heading to/from Canada. Some places have a difficult connection with Quebec City, whereas Montreal is a lot easier.

If someone wanted to spend time on independent travel in eastern Canada pre- or post-cruise, that may not matter so much.

We noticed that the Maasdam goes to Montreal whereas the Veendam stops at Quebec City. Is that because of the size of the ships? Is the itinerary going all the way to Montreal a better choice?

The ships are the same size. I have done the Montreal to Boston route, as well as Boston to Montreal, and I've done Fort Lauderdale to Quebec and Quebec to Fort Lauderdale.

The advantage of the ones that stop at Quebec is that you usually get two days in Quebec, so an overnight on the ship. And that's great because there is a lot of stuff to do and see in Quebec.

Montreal is easier to get flights into and out of, and it has the advantage of allowing you to pre-clear US customs, so you land in the US as a domestic flight would rather than as an international flight.

My first cruise was out of Montreal when they still used the commercial pier, not the cruise ship terminal. We were docked right across from Habitat '67. And that is still one of my thrills on the cruise. Sunrise through Habitat '67 is an awesome sight.

Really it comes down to where in French Canada you want to be when you get off the ship. Both cities have advantages, and both cities are great for post-cruise stopovers. My personal choice would be to sail FROM Quebec or Montreal, and have a few pre-cruise days in the city. But if you are finishing the cruise in French Canada, I would pick Montreal every time as the end simply because it is easier to get flights.

Doing my first cruise to Quebec City late September... wonder what to expect weather wise? tepin que

Check one of the weather sites for 'weather history' but you will surely have at least some cool and likely some days of rain.

Dress in layers, bring a sweater/sweatshirt and a water resistant jacket.

Doing my first cruise to Quebec City late September... wonder what to expect weather wise? tepin que

:o What is 'tepin que?'

Thank you for starting this one. I just booked Maasdam - Montreal to Boston. Im not new to cruising but this will be my first HAL and first Canada/New England cruise

I have a question about the Canadian East Coast Ports, the excursions don't look that interesting. Is there enough to do around the cruise terminals. Just to walk about and soak up the local vibe or should we get on a bus and go see Anne of Green Gables

Check one of the weather sites for 'weather history' but you will surely have at least some cool and likely some days of rain.

 

Dress in layers, bring a sweater/sweatshirt and a water resistant jacket.

Thanks appreciate your suggestions.

Doing my first cruise to Quebec City late September... wonder what to expect weather wise? tepin que

We did the Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale October 10 - 22, 2011 and the weather was spectacular until Newport, RI. We were sitting on an outdoor patio in Old Quebec City on Oct. 9th and it was 75 degrees F. Only bad weather we had was a storm that hit off Newport and followed us to FL.

That being said, this is Canada so you just never know:)

Doing my first cruise to Quebec City late September... wonder what to expect weather wise? tepin que

It snowed on us in QC in Sept 2012. It was like 80 there last October.

Watc the forecast as you are a week put, fall in the NE abd province can vary greatly.

Just got off the Maasdam last week Boston to Montreal and it was absolutely my favorite cruise yet. In my opinion, better than Alaska!

There are a lot of things you can do on your own in the ports.

In Bar Harbor we have walked around and we have also done Oli's Trolley to Acadia and Cadillac Mountain -- we did the 2 hour one.

We enjoyed our tour out to Ann of Green Gables.

Halifax -- you can walk the boardwalk -- see the Maritime Museum, shops, restaurants. We have also done the Hop On Hop Off bus where you can stop at the Citadel National Historic Site. We have also gone out to Peggy's Cove.

Better than Alaska (Gertismum) )? Wow that's good to know. Alaska was really spectacular so if the Maasdam can deliver even close to that, I'll be a very happy camper, I mean cruiser

We definitely want to see the immigration museum, in Halifax. We've booked a walking tour in Quebec City and an all day - see everything excursion in Bal Harbor

I would love a few suggestions for Charlotte and Sydney

I would also like to know what to expect on board the Maasdam on a sea day. Is there a good variety of activities or is it more of a relax with a good book kind of day

Happy Fathers Day to all the cruiser Dads

Lots of good suggestions and tips here. We have been thinking of doing a Canada/New England cruise possibly in 2016. I didn't know that flights are easier out of Montreal vs Quebec City. Good to know. Definitely gives me something to consider.

Is June/July less rainy for travel there? That is when we were considering.

Thanks.

I am taking this cruise in July but it has nothing to do with. New England weather we want to get away from Henderson nv got weather

Lots of good suggestions and tips here. We have been thinking of doing a Canada/New England cruise possibly in 2016. I didn't know that flights are easier out of Montreal vs Quebec City. Good to know. Definitely gives me something to consider.

 

Is June/July less rainy for travel there? That is when we were considering.

 

Thanks.

Our weather is very similar to that in Boston. It can rain anytime but usually April is the most wet ( that isn't frozen). July can get very hot and humid in Montrail and Quebec City. Just remember:

30 is hot

10 is not

20 is pleasing

0 is freezing

I was on the Montreal to Boston last year and loved it on the Massdam. I would do that one again. This is the last year for Quebec-Boston run for some time. Next year the Maasdam heads over to Alaska. I tried to book Quebec-Boston for next year and saw the change, so we booked a different cruise.

I did enjoy the Embassy Suites in Montreal as a pre voyage stay.

Better than Alaska (Gertismum) )? Wow that's good to know. Alaska was really spectacular so if the Maasdam can deliver even close to that, I'll be a very happy camper, I mean cruiser

 

We definitely want to see the immigration museum, in Halifax. We've booked a walking tour in Quebec City and an all day - see everything excursion in Bal Harbor

 

I would love a few suggestions for Charlotte and Sydney

 

I would also like to know what to expect on board the Maasdam on a sea day. Is there a good variety of activities or is it more of a relax with a good book kind of day

 

Happy Fathers Day to all the cruiser Dads

Seeing you have six ports in seven days, the one sea day on this itinerary is usually welcome by most. It is a busy day on board as they have the Mariners Reception for Medallion holders followed by Mariners Brunch. Often there are so many Mariners, they have to have two seatings in the MDR. All of the usual shipboard activities have to be squeezed into that one day.

Our weather is very similar to that in Boston. It can rain anytime but usually April is the most wet ( that isn't frozen). July can get very hot and humid in Montrail and Quebec City. Just remember:

 

30 is hot

10 is not

20 is pleasing

0 is freezing

Keep in mind these are temperatures in Centigrade. that would not be so pleasant were it Fahrenheit temps. :D

32F is freezing.

0 F is frigid cold.

One of our many visits to Halifax, we took an HAL tour which was very interesting. While it was a bus, we had an excellent guide who gave us so much information about the history of Halifax, the diversity of this wonderful city, we saw the cemetery where victims of Titanic were buried. The guide shared very good information about White Star (owner of Titanic) and we saw the harbor where the horrid, huge explosion occurred. Though I have lived in Boston all my life and knew of the close relationship between Halifax and Boston, I was never clear why Halifax to this day sends the people of Boston a magnificent Christmas Tree each year and we make a lovely ceremony for the tree lighting. I finally learned the story on this tour. :) We spent some time in that cemetery as well as the Maritime Museum which has a fantastic ships' bell collection. That was of great interest to me and my DH. :)

The quality of this tour is hugely dependent upon the style and presentation of the guide. Hit or miss, as usual, how good a guide there might be on a given day.

Keep in mind these are temperatures in Centigrade. that would not be so pleasant were it Fahrenheit temps. :D

 

32F is freezing.

0 F is frigid cold.

 

Right you are Sail. I wasn't clear. That little rhyme is to help Americans understand metric temperatures.

Better than Alaska (Gertismum) )? Wow that's good to know. Alaska was really spectacular so if the Maasdam can deliver even close to that, I'll be a very happy camper, I mean cruiser

I did like Alaska, but I loved New England and Canada. We stayed at the Chandler Inn in Boston and had a great day in Boston. We then stayed at Auberge du Vieuw Port in Montreal post cruise and it was the best place we have ever stayed. Every port was so different on this cruise, where in Alaska, it all started to look alike after a couple ports. Plus, going to Quebec City and Then Old Town Montreal was like going to Paris but not having to fly all the way to France!