Westbound crossing to Halifax (and New York)

[david,Mississauga]

The westbound QM2 crossing ex-Hamburg 3 June, ex-Southampton 5 June is calling at Halifax en route to New York. Although the crossing to Halifax is not being sold as a segment, we told our travel agent we wanted to take this crossing but disembark in Halifax.

 

Cunard's first reaction was: "It can't be done". After contacting a senior Canadian immigration officer I was told that as Canadians we have the absolute right to enter our country at any port we choose and no airline or cruise company can stop us. I didn't want to just step off the ship with the day-trippers and not come back (carrying luggage would look suspicious!) so we asked our agent to persevere, which he did. Cunard relented and will allow an "itinerary diversion".

 

We have to pay the fare to New York, but that's fine because with the "Royal Upgrade Celebration" the fare is quite reasonable and having been on the QM2 several times (and will be going eastbound in May) we don't mind sacrificing two nights for the privilege of a rare Atlantic crossing to Canada. From Halifax we can take a train home to Toronto - although not the same day - and using our VIA Rail points it will be free.

 

Unless I am mistaken, this is the first Cunard crossing to Canada since the QE2 did a one-off crossing to Quebec City in August 2002. Of course there have been many cruises that include Halifax and other Canadian ports, but those were not available as a one-way crossing.

[pmb1]

Well done! Pity you can't "sub-let" your unused Halifax-NYC segment to some worthy Nova Scotian. Or can you?

[david,Mississauga]

Well done! Pity you can't "sub-let" your unused Halifax-NYC segment to some worthy Nova Scotian. Or can you?

 

If Cunard wanted to they could encourage people to book Southampton or Hamburg to Halifax and sell Halifax to New York as a two-night mini-voyage as they do with Southampton to or from Hamburg. At one time, Atlantic liners would sell that Halifax - New York portion. The last one to do that, as I recall, was the Italian Line with the Cristoforo Columbo up to the early 1970s. There was an airline strike around 1972 that gave the Italian Line the opportunity to sell all the cabins vacated at Halifax to New York bound passengers. It even made the CBC news.

 

I always wanted to take the train to Halifax then the "Colombo" to New York to connect with the QE2 or the France, but it never worked out due to the infrequent nature of crossings.

[sfo-john]

Didn't the Carmania/Saxonia/Ivernia/Sylvania quartet offer fares from NY to Canada in the 50's and 60's? I thought I read that once and remember thinking it would've been a nice way to do it!

[david,Mississauga]

Didn't the Carmania/Saxonia/Ivernia/Sylvania quartet offer fares from NY to Canada in the 50's and 60's? I thought I read that once and remember thinking it would've been a nice way to do it!

 

I can't find that information, but it is quite possible some of those ships did "positioning voyages" between New York and Montreal. Those four ships had quite a history. Their intended Montreal-Liverpool service didn't last too long; gradually they were deployed elsewhere. The last one, I believe, made the traditional crossing in 1967. Canadian Pacific sold passage on their Empress liners between Montreal and New York when they switched from the spring to autumn transatlantic service to cruising from New York.

 

It is still possible to get one-way voyages of seven nights between Montreal or Quebec and Boston on Holland America.