Montreal disembarkation/flight departure time

We are booked on a (first time) cruise which ends in Montreal. We were hoping to be able to catch a flight departing Montreal slightly after 1:00 p. m. the same day. We have no idea how long the disembarkation process takes or how long it may take to get to the airport. Anyone who can offer advice/input about this, we would greatly appreicate it. Thanks!

I cannot advise you on how long your departure will be but the trip to the airport (unless it's Mirabelle) should take about 30 minutes max. If it's Mirabelle (charter flights only) you should allow an hour.

Thank you, RickT!! I had not been able to find out about how long it might take to get to the airport (Trudeau) we'll use, so your reply helps a lot! I appreciate it very much!!!:D

I am assuming you are an American. You have to be at the airport at least 2 hours prior to departure. You go through U.S. immigration at Trudeau.

When we were on the Maasdam in May 2004 which finished our cruise in Montreal, we were close to the last people leaving the ship and we had left the ship a little before 10 AM. If you have a 1 PM flight I would suggest making sure you get off the ship as early as possible. When you fill out the questionire a couple of nights before you get off the cruise, be sure to fill in that you need to be at the airport by 10:30 AM. It sill take you at least 2 hours to make it through the customs as they are not very efficient or friendly or at least that was our experience with them. Hopefully you could be off the ship between 8 and 9 and with a half hour taxi ride to the airport you should make your flight.

Just remember that a variety of things can hold up people getting off a ship and make everyone wait.

Have a great next cruise.

babylene and wwinfl91....your input is also appreciated! Yes, I am American. The flight we're wanting to take has departure time listed as 1:13 pm. So it sounds like we need to request early disembarkation, then cross our fingers that nothing goes wrong!!

About going through customs at the airport...(remember this is my first time to do this :eek:...do they look through everything you bought or do you give them a list or just how does that work?

Thanks to all again for your information!:):)

Most of the time they look at your list and if you have purchased more than allowed collect the taxes on it. We have had them go through our carry on's several times because my wife, who is a crafts person, forgot to take out a very small pair of sissors one time and a nail clipper another time. Normally it is very easy.

We had a bad time in Montreal because some kind of meeting was going on and they only had two gates open. Then when the meeting ended and they started opening other lines, the guy in booth for the line we were in decided it was time for his break and we had to go get back into another line behind people who had been behind us. But because of all the security my wife didn't want to make any kind of stink about it.

I still think it wasn't the way it should have been handled.

Definitely ask for an early disembarkation number. If you don't originally get one go to the pursors desk and ask them to change yours. Most of the time they will do that.

Have a great next cruise.

Great info, wwinfl91!!! Thanks!

Just for your information, no airlines fly out of Mirabel airport anymore. All flights are from Dorval Trudeau Airport.

Thanks for that info about the airport. We'll be using Trudeau.

Is it fairly common for airlines to make changes in flight schedules without notifying passengers? I read somewhere that people were complaining about such practices. So I decided to check our reservations and much to my surprise, changes have been made!!! One change is only minor....just a few minutes later arrival time at the cruise departure city.

However, on our flight home, original reservations had connecting flights with an hour and a half between flights. The change NOW gives us a different flight number/time with only 25 minutes between flights!!!!:eek: That doesn't sound like much time unless one is a seasoned sprinter!!I wouldn't have checked on the reservations (for June) until closer to cruise time if I had not read those posts by others.

I haven't been on an airplane in years, and I just wondered if this happens frequently. Input from you experienced folks will be welcome on this subject!

from the pier in downtown Montréal to the Dorval Trudeau Airport, it should not take more than 20 minutes by cab, you are right downtown in old Montréal when you'll get off the ship, the sceney is worth it, if you like la nouvelle France and that you have a little time on your hand ask your cab driver to pass by Place Jacques Cartier, and chemin Camillien Houde to the Mont-Royal, there you'll have a bird's eye view of Montréal and it's on your way to the airport, might cost you a little more but you'll have nice pictures ( was raise in Montréal.

Sailing on the Sun from N.O. in 175 days and counting.