canadjineh

Celtic Colours Festival is on at that time if you like Celtic music? https://celtic-colours.com/schedule/ It's a pretty big deal though, so get your tickets ASAP.

It's a 1 km walk approx. 15 minutes according to Google Maps. https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2948989-port-of-quebec-city-to-via-rail-gare-du-palais/

Just a suggestion for the seafood tour...make that day a brunch day, then have a late supper. Interesting that they are hangin' out for 2 days; is there a shore excursion on offer that would be far enough away to be the reason for the 'long' stay?

Hey gals...it's been a while. Any new trip shoes to show off? I've just been buying cute leather loafers and have found a pretty good site for online shopping. I've bought quite a few things off Temu.com and they do have some cute real leather flats as well as other styles in leather or cheaper/vegan materials. My latest pair is a blue loafer: Only $23 Canadian dollars. I have quite narrow feet so I've stuffed them with extreme cushion insoles so they fit properly. Lots of compliments.

Totally my vibe too....I love the random art/vintage/antique pieces in interesting corners of the older midsized Holland America ships and their more classic decor. I hate the brash & gaudy - but then again I was never one for theme parks even as a child. I find that type of design aesthetic too enervating.

Hi @iiplus: Here's a good basic site to give you some ideas that's backed up by other cruisers... https://allcruisehotels.com/blog/best-hotels-near-vancouver-cruise-port/#port - warning: Vancouver hotels are NOT cheap, even NYC near Times Square will net you better deals, but it is what it is. I would suggest staying at an hotel near the airport as it's quieter and getting an Uber or taxi will be easy 1/2 hr trip (barring any traffic incidents/construction issues) and most likely cheaper than one close to the cruise port even if within walking distance. I used to live down there quite a few years ago but haven't needed to stay in town for quite a while. Another suggestion is if you belong to any discount or coupon type site like Groupon or Travelzoo or Hotwire etc, take a look for random hotel deals in the city. I use those sites a lot when we only need a room for the night and all we want is a good sleep without worrying about sightseeing possibilities. If you are checking out AirBnB - British Columbia has enacted laws to limit their availability because there is an affordable housing shortage here and short term rentals have exacerbated the problem. Make sure you are getting a legally allowed/licenced space so you don't have any problems. Best wishes and bon voyage!

Will you be flying into Vancouver Airport or arriving by some other means? Are you wanting to stay for a couple days to explore the area or just coming in for the cruise? I ask because there are lots of good places to stay depending on if you want very close proximity to the cruise port, or close proximity to the airport so you can just relax as soon as you arrive in the city.

@Hobbes67: Here's a link to a topographical map of the area....you can check out the contours yourself and decide what might be too much of a climb. It's a large main road with sidewalks so it's not exactly like hiking along a dirt trail. Mazatlan topo map The route from the cruise terminal to the street entrance of the Observatorio is only about 30 meters in elevation gain. Seniors get a slightly discounted rate to get in. I will say I really like Maz because it's an actual city with history, and not dreamed up and built by FONATUR like all the usual vacation spots. Felices viajes. 😺

Eileen11: We didn't think so, since it is only 1.6 km from the port to the Observatorio. The last 1/5 is a bit of an uphill but unless you are using a walker or cane it isn't a problem, just take it slow if the day is very hot.

Hi @Hobbes67 Here's another thread with more discussion on the Observatory & we posted a few photos too. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3015762-mazalton-observatory-and-bird-sanctuary/#comment-67577200 They spelt Mazatlan incorrectly which is why you may not have found it with a search. Good info tho. It isn't as long a walk as you might think...Google maps and other travel sites show it as 1.6 km so just over a mile. We didn't find it a problem at all, in fact we did it after walking along the Malecon all the way from the south end of the Golden Zone (by the photo op Mazatlan letters.)

Best take a look at the NPS site covering hiking in Acadia Nat. Park here: https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/hiking.htm There is info on car free hiking using the Island Explorer bus system to reach the trailheads.

Sorry, but I concur with CCJack. That was our experience as well, a boot or knee scooter won't cut it.

Hi @grandma13 This Cruise Critic thread may help, although it is originally from 2018: https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2553525-car-rental-company-at-port-charlottetown-sydney-and-hailfax/ You could always take your phone to a nearby coffee shop if you don't have WiFi onboard and try a call on WhatsApp. It seems they may be able to pick you up by shuttle or bring a vehicle to you, but you should investigate this now before your trip to make those arrangements.

This past late Sept, we took the Princess ship excursion which was just transport to Saguenay Fjord National Park. We hiked on our own, lots of lovely trails and views. You don't really need a guide for this one; even if you just want to stay close to the Visitor Centre it was lovely and there is a grassy area down by the water you can wander around if you don't actually want to hike. We were 59 and 65 and relatively healthy (no joint or cardiac/pulmonary issues) I suggest getting into your swimsuit as soon as you get back and watching the sailaway from the hottub or pool at the back of your ship with a pre-dinner drink. It was an amazing sunset and we had the huge hottub all to ourselves on the Caribbean Princess.

Well, we took the Fortress Louisbourg excursion (Princess cruise) and really enjoyed it, actually wished it could have been longer. The staff were all in character and awesome, and we learned a lot about the hidden history of families of colour and also businesswomen of the era that we didn't know. We kind of ran from building to building during our limited free time and like I said, would have liked to explore more in depth. We haven't taken the other tours you mentioned, not even sure if they were on offer this past fall as they don't sound familiar. Just our two cents. 😎

Late Sept 2023 we had a fun time and delicious food at La Buche (FWIW they even have some good gluten free choices - I have celiac disease.) It is right in Old Quebec 49 Rue Saint-Louis. Yes it's kinda touristy but that is the fun part - it is like an old sugar shack where you can sit at private tables or join in a long family-style trestle table with benches. Historic building, food, service and atmosphere are good - they have 4.5 stars out of 5 with over 5000 Google reviews and over 2100 Tripadvisor reviews. https://restolabuche.com/ Lots of neat stuff to look at on the walls and definitely head downstairs to the washrooms, they are a gas! Casual restaurant, not fancy dining... if you want a yummy fancier dining place we can suggest Restaurant Shiraz. Very tasty Persian food, great atmosphere, lovely owners in upper Vieux Quebec. https://restaurantshiraz.com/ We really enjoyed their flavourful menu.

We only used Princess for two shore excursions while on our 10 night New England/Maritimes cruise this past Sept. We booked a ride on the school bus (who cares - it's only a way to get a largish group to the sites you want to see) to Saguenay Fjord National Park so we could do some hiking on our own - worth the ride. We also did a tour to Island Falconry on Prince Edward Island as there wasn't any way to do that privately. Good reviews on both those tours, BTW. The rest of the ports had great things to explore all within walking distance or easily arranged with other tour & transport companies, except for Boston - I'm totally uninterested in American Revolutionary history so instead spent about $100 CAD for return taxi and entrance ticket to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. It was amazing, I could have spent days there. https://www.mfa.org/

I just started following them and reading their blogposts. Very interesting.

Hubby & I stayed in Maz (not on a cruise - just land/hotel) a year and a half ago and we loved the observatory with interesting history and bird sanctuary. An easy walk right from the cruise ship. Best to do on your own, and there's a great view from the bar lawn if you choose to have a drink. Cheaper on your own, and you can choose your time to avoid the excursion crowd.

If you go on the National Park website you can get your tickets for Acadia online ($20/person), then you don't have to wait when you get off the tender. You can take the bus (fare-free with your park pass) to all sorts of trailheads, carriage roads, small local towns, etc if you are there between June 23-Oct 14. Here's more info on the NP website: https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/island-explorer.htm

My husband & I had an amazing time this past September at the Island Falconry. Peter is a very interesting fellow with great stories to tell as he introduces some of his birds to you in a classroom setting, where you can choose to have them perch on your arm. Then he takes you outside to fly his Harris Hawk and you also can lure the bird in with a meat treat in your glove and have the hawk swoop in to land on your arm/hand and take the morsel. Lots of opportunity to take photos and ask questions. https://www.experiencepei.ca/tour/fun-with-falcons https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g1507275-d17625546-Reviews-Island_Falconry_Sevices-Borden_Carleton_Prince_Edward_Island.html

We were there in Boston in Sept/23 for a Maritime/East Coast cruise. There didn't seen to be much on offer in Boston except for the US Freedom trail (we weren't interested) and I walked around the area near the ship for about an hour, but there was nothing to see except big commercial warehouses - commercial port. I ended up taking a taxi to Museum of Fine Arts - Boston which was totally worth it. It definitely wasn't a walkable distance away, though. Don't know if I'd bother with Boston again. Been there twice now... everything worth seeing is a distance away from your ship.

You can pop into any bank/credit union and ask to change for smaller bills, no charge if same currency. The fifties will still be quite useful as, unless you are planning on only eating at McDonalds, a decent sit down meal at a mid range dining/family establishment will easily run you $60-70 for two with a drink each and tip. Smaller fast food places/food trucks and little Mom & Pop stores may have a sign that says they cannot accept $100.00 bills (limited tills for change and fear of counterfeit bills.) Most places these days have a mobile card machine that can be brought to your table, so you shouldn't have a problem with scamming. If you go to a place with only a tethered machine, accompany them with your card to the machine at the desk so you can watch the transaction. (no hidden extra swipe behind the desk)

Hi alwalaska: It kind of depends on what time of year you are going... Huatulco and Fuerte Amador can be superhot during our springtime (we just got back from Huatulco in mid March and it was 35C & blue skies every day - people we met off a Princess ship that were on a Panama canal cruise said it was in the low 40'sC there.) I would suggest a beaches cruise in Huatulco, it's too hot to do any of the other 'active' things you mention. That would likely be different at the end of the wet season in Huatulco, say, November/December. Things would be much greener at least. It's been quite a few years, but we really enjoyed El Charro Ranch horseback rides out of PV into the hills along the river for some good views and a lovely waterfall (again, depending on the season you are going - possibly no falls if it's very dry.) They treated their horses well and they have been in business for over 30 years so they are pretty good. You need to take money with you for a lunch out in the Sierra Madre mountains, and a tip for your guide of course. We loved it, and were lucky enough to be the only two on the 'tour' with a private guide. https://www.ranchoelcharro.com/ Hope that helps a bit :)

We loved renting a car and driving out to Cabo Pulmo Nat. Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabo_Pulmo_National_Park We also enjoyed going to the natural hot springs within the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere north of http://www.loscabosguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/miraflores-300x200.jpg Cabo especially El Chorro (in the river.) https://www.loscabosguide.com/natures-hot-tubs/ It's a very cheap trip especially if you can get a group of 4 to share the car rental. Very easy driving too.