Gaspe, Sept-Iles, Saguenay

I will be on the Maasdam next month, anyone ever visited the ports mentioned, any must see & do's? I Have'nt really seen anything exciting on the ship's shoreex. Are there tour vendors by the ships terminal? Any info will be appreciated.

I have been to all three places, and have stayed at least one night in each. The short answer is that I have not viewed any of these places as "exciting."

In the case of Sept-Îles, I've been there six times (twice by bus, twice by train, and twice by sea). I've used it as a starting point for travel northward into Labrador and Schefferville, Que. on the Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway (the passenger service has since been taken over by Tshiuetin Rail Transportation (a First Nations company). While you would not have time to do the whole line during your short stay, there may be an excursion on a portion of the route. The best part of the ride is soon after heading north out of Sept-Îles when it enters a railroad tunnel through the mountain. When it emerges the train is upon a high trestle that crosses the Moisie River, which it then follows for much of the way through Québec and Labrador. Unfortunately, the ship's excursion prices are much higher than the railroad's regular fares, but given the circumstances there 's not much to do about that. Other than that, there are a small number of vendors that set up at a tent near the tender dock. A shuttle service, using school buses, will transport visitors to local museums and other sights for a CAD 10.00 fare (includes on-and-off privileges at the stops), so you should not have to use the ship's services for that (the bus stops just outside the tent, and you can pay cash). There's a pleasant boardwalk along the river, but it won't take very long to walk it. Not much in the way of shopping in the centre of Sept-Îles.

In the case of Saguenay, this is really the 2002 conglomeration of the then-separate communities of Chicoutimi, Jonquière, and La Baie. I've been there twice (once by bus, once by train), though I've also passed through on Saguenay River cruises twice. Not much there to see, though the nearby community of Tadoussac is rather pleasant (it is known for the many whales in the area, and the bay and the hotel at the bay are both quite beautiful). No public transportation there and back, though (but there is decent public transportation available within Saguenay for local sightseeing).

I've been to Gaspé twice (one by bus, once by train), but it was only an overnight stop before continuing on the next day. I can't recall there being anything here but the motel.

We stopped at Saguenay last year on the Crown Princess. Our favorite part was there at the dock. We woke up about 7am with people dancing outside and telling us to come out and see them! They were dressed in costumes had samples of blueberry pie, made a frozen taffy for us, had passengers dance with them and all kinds of things. Most interesting welcome we got anywhere.

We went on a Princess tour which really wasn't too exciting. The town had some kind of hoho bus but we really wanted to go to the mouth of the Saguenay River and the St Lawrence where you could see whales year round. Unfortunately we had no way or time to get there and back before the ship sailed.

The people were what was interesting to us here.

Gaspe is a pretty neat little place, but I would recommend doing an excursion as there really isn't much to do in the town. We didn't have anything planned so we just walked around town. We walked over the bridge (from the tender dock) to town and along the water to the museum. It was neat, but in hindsight I would have done an excursion to Perce.

One of the best thing about Sagunay is getting there, the Saguenay Fjord is a majestic sailing.

An excursion to Percé would be neat, I loved that area (didn't go by cruise ship, went there with the RV).

In Sept-Îles, I would also take an excursion (personnally, I like industrial visits so I would vote for that but it might not be your type of thing).

Thank you all for your input, I was wondering if there would be tour venders set up by the dock, questions answered. Thanks.

Wondering if anyone else is going on this cruise? We are renting a car in several of these ports. Want to find a good non tourist place to eat lobster at one of the ports, but all I seem to get is "tourist" type places. Any suggestion would be great. Thanks

Hi casey boy. I am also on this cruise. Have rented cars in PEI, gaspe, sydney and quebec city. I found a excellent lobster restaurant on the cabot trail my last time cruising here but cant remember the name right now. Sorry about that but im sure if i did the trail again i would recognise it if i passed it. I have booked a carriage and harbour tour in charleston and a acadia natl park tour all these independently.

Hi casey boy. I am also on this cruise. Have rented cars in PEI, gaspe, sydney and quebec city. I found a excellent lobster restaurant on the cabot trail my last time cruising here but cant remember the name right now. Sorry about that but im sure if i did the trail again i would recognise it if i passed it. I have booked a carriage and harbour tour in charleston and a acadia natl park tour all these independently.

Hi there,

We are also on this cruise and have been looking at a lot of options. What tour company did you use for Acacia Natl park? We have been there before and really are not sure if we just want to hike or tour. Also, is it better to reserve rental cars ahead or just when we get to port. Thanks for any info. and advice!

Brad and Mary

Hi there,

We are also on this cruise and have been looking at a lot of options. What tour company did you use for Acacia Natl park? We have been there before and really are not sure if we just want to hike or tour. Also, is it better to reserve rental cars ahead or just when we get to port. Thanks for any info. and advice!

Brad and Mary

We went with acadiatours.com I also find it best to rent cars ahead of time as you have more time to research prices, availability and locations. I find a lot of times cars are all gone by the time you arrive in port especially the smaller ports. You do not have to put down any credit card info until you are at the rental office. Some of the companys have pickups at the dock and others are there awaiting the arrival of the ship. Hope this helps

What kind of activities interest you ? Nature walks, art galleries, historic tours, food ?

For example around Sept-Iles there are some awsome cruises to see nature on the St-Laurent or on some of the most beautiful salmon rivers ,in Saguenay, a wonderful museum where Jean Tremblay, an incredible artist ( paintings) works.