Canada/NE Montreal to Boston OR Reverse?

[kelly3399]

We are looking at doing the Canada/New England voyage. We can go from Montreal to Boston or from Boston to Montreal. Are there in any advantages or disadvantages to the direction we pick? Thank you, Kelly

[sail7seas]

[B]I have done the b-to-b, Boston to Montreal to Boston, over and over again and the only small difference I would note is when sailing from Montreal, it will be dark a good part of the voyage to Quebec City. When sailing from Boston to Montreal, the voyage between Quebec City and Montreal will give you more daylight views of the St. Lawrence.

If I were choosing and having to travel to one city or the other, I would choose the most inconvenient part of the travel to start off with and have the easier travel at the end. JMO[/B]

[RuthC]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]If I were doing only the 1-week cruise, I would prefer Boston to Montreal. That way the sea day---day of rest---comes near the end when I would need the down time more.
It would also give me a chance to start on the packing without missing any good port time.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[sail7seas]

[B]Another factor would be if you want to do a pre and/or post cruise stay in Boston or Montreal. Both are wonderful cities to have a bit of explore and get to know time.
[/B]

[kelly3399]

Thank you. We would really like to see as much of the St. Lawrence in daylight. So if we go Boston to Montreal would port or starboard side be the best for views? Kelly

[sail7seas]

[B]Doesn't matter. The river is not that wide and you will see both sides.
We always enjoyed watching out the MDR windows during Main Traditional 8 P.M. dining and were always seated on Starboard. I'm glad I thought to mention about the river. :)

[/B] Edited July 6, 2015 by sail7seas

[ellieanne]

This is hard for me.

If I have a few days before the cruise, I'd rather spend it in Montreal than Boston. Unpopular opinion around here, but I do not like Boston as a vacation destination, so just being there long enough to disembark and get to the airport is enough for me.

BUT, I love sailing into Montreal on the last day of the cruise. Sunrise through Habitat '67 is one of the most beautiful sunrise views I've ever experienced.

If I could not do a back-to-back, and had time for a couple of days pre-cruise, I'd prefer to sail from Montreal. If I only had the 7 days for the cruise, I'd sail from Boston.

[Krazy Kruizers]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5]If you are only able to do a 7 day cruise, go from Boston to Montreal.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5]And if you have some spare days -- spend them in Montreal.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5]We much prefer Montreal to Boston as well.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Montreal is more interesting than Boston. I agree. For me the best part of the cruise is sailing down the St. Lawrence, seeing Quebec City and finally sailing into Montreal. Very scenic. So I'd rather have that at the end of the cruise than at the beginning (as all the other ports sort of pale in comparison).

[sapper1]

Whichever route you choose to travel you may find it interesting that when you pass by Rimouski, north of Quebec City, you are passing the spot where the Empress of Ireland sank in 1914. It has been called Canada's Titanic. However, since the event was overshadowed by the events in Europe surrounding the outbreak of WW1, it didn't receive the press coverage it normally would have. Over 1000 people died in the disaster.

i have posted a link to the very sad story.

[url]http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canada-s-titanic-remembered-100-years-after-st-lawrence-sinking-1.2656923[/url]

[Fouremco]

OP, you don't indicate where you live, but you might want to take travel arrangements into consideration. We live 2 hours from Montreal, and after considering all of the logistics involved, decided that driving to Montreal, flying to Boston for embarkation and driving back from Montreal was the best plan. As we also preferred the Boston - Montreal routing for many of the reasons cited by others, we were happy that things worked out that way. :) Just another element to factor in.

Regarding your question on port or starboard, the views are magnificent on both sides for different parts of the cruise. For example, my preference on the approaches to Halifax would be port-side, but once into the St. Lawrence, definitely starboard. Just pick a side and go to the upper decks when the more interesting sights are on the opposite side. If you time your breakfast to eat on your veranda as you approach the day's port of call, however, I'd choose a port cabin.

[kelly3399]

Never thought of doing the B2B. I do like that idea too. We live in the Toronto area so for one way we could indeed drive to Montreal and spend a few days, fly to Boston to embark, then drive back home. Or we could do the B2B. Do they treat it as 2 separate cruises and therefore repeat the same nightly entertainment (movies and shows) on the return part? We do enjoy the nightly onboard shows, but not watching them twice in a row. Kelly Edited July 6, 2015 by kelly3399

[RuthC]

[quote name='kelly3399']Or we could do the B2B. Do they treat it as 2 separate cruises and therefore repeat the same nightly entertainment (movies and shows) on the return part? We do enjoy the nightly onboard shows, but not watching them twice in a row. Kelly[/QUOTE]
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]A back-to-back on this route would be two separate cruises. Therefore, the menus and show lounge shows would repeat.

But that doesn't mean there's nothing to do that's different! The first week you can notice which menus don't have much to offer, and book a specialty restaurant for the second week. Or plan to eat more casually and relax for the evening.

Some of the headliner shows may be different entertainers; the production shows would likely be the same. That would be a good night to take in a movie, get a DVD from the Front Office, or spend more time in the lounges enjoying the musicians there. Or, if the weather cooperates, sit out on deck enjoying the peaceful bliss that riding the seas can bring. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Fouremco]

[quote name='kelly3399']Never thought of doing the B2B. I do like that idea too. We live in the Toronto area so for one way we could indeed drive to Montreal and spend a few days, fly to Boston to embark, then drive back home. Or we could do the B2B. Do they treat it as 2 separate cruises and therefore repeat the same nightly entertainment (movies and shows) on the return part? We do enjoy the nightly onboard shows, but not watching them twice in a row. Kelly[/QUOTE]
One of the advantages of the B2B is you won't need that flight to Boston. Plus, if you are anything like us, you'll have a hard time deciding which activity to choose in each port. With the B2B, you get to choose two!

[sail7seas]

[quote name='RuthC'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]A back-to-back on this route would be two separate cruises. Therefore, the menus and show lounge shows would repeat.

But that doesn't mean there's nothing to do that's different! The first week you can notice which menus don't have much to offer, and book a specialty restaurant for the second week. Or plan to eat more casually and relax for the evening.

Some of the headliner shows may be different entertainers; the production shows would likely be the same. That would be a good night to take in a movie, get a DVD from the Front Office, or spend more time in the lounges enjoying the musicians there. Or, if the weather cooperates, sit out on deck enjoying the peaceful bliss that riding the seas can bring. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]



[B] For this itinerary, a b-to-b is a repeat of the first segment on your second week, however, several times when we booked, it was termed b-to-b. At some point prior to final payment, without out knowledge, HAL converted it to Collector's. Didn't make much difference but we got a small discount. The main reason I didn't like them doing that was with a b-to-b, we could cancel one segment, if necessary, and still go on the other segment. With a Collector's, we would have to cancel the whole cruise. As it turned out, we never had to cancel but it always nagged at me we should have been given the choice. They should not have switched from a b-to-b to Collectors after we booked without our knowledge, IMO.



[/B] Edited July 6, 2015 by sail7seas

[Fouremco]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B] For this itinerary, a b-to-b is a repeat of the first segment on your second week, however, several times when we booked, it was termed b-to-b. At some point prior to final payment, without out knowledge, HAL converted it to Collector's. Didn't make much difference but we got a small discount. The main reason I didn't like them doing that was with a b-to-b, we could cancel one segment, if necessary, and still go on the other segment. With a Collector's, we would have to cancel the whole cruise. As it turned out, we never had to cancel but it always nagged at me we should have been given the choice. They should not have switched from a b-to-b to Collectors after we booked without our knowledge, IMO.[/B][/QUOTE]
As you booked B2B cruises, not a Collector's Cruise, I wonder if HAL wouldn't revert to the original status and allow you to cancel one leg if the need arose. It's a simple administrative measure, both to convert the booking to a Collector's and to revert to a B2B, so I'd think that HAL would be amenable. Worth checking with HAL, because if the answer is yes, you'd have the benefit of that slight fare reduction coupled with the flexibility of being able to cancel a segment if necessary.

[lisakoivu]

When are you going? At the moment, for August, cheaper to start in Montreal - I'm not sure why.

We're from London Ontario. We're going in August. We're taking VIA to Montreal the day before, which we think will be relaxing and enjoyable. After the cruise, we got a super cheap porter air flight back to Toronto and will take VIA back to London. Just thought as a fellow canuck I'd share.

[Fouremco]

[quote name='lisakoivu']When are you going? At the moment, for August, cheaper to start in Montreal - I'm not sure why.

We're from London Ontario. We're going in August. We're taking VIA to Montreal the day before, which we think will be relaxing and enjoyable. After the cruise, we got a super cheap porter air flight back to Toronto and will take VIA back to London. Just thought as a fellow canuck I'd share.[/QUOTE]
Great idea! Not from Ottawa, but from Toronto, London and other cities a similar distance away.