Princess transfer Montral to Quebec.

[hunt182644]

Has anyone had flown into Montral via E Z air had a Princess transfer from airport to hotel? Then transfer from hotel to Quebec next morning  in order to board the ship. Any pros or cons appreciated, also which hotel did they put you in and were you given a choice. If you so desire cost of transfer and hotel would be appreciated.

[san diego sue]

We flew into Montreal, EZ air, Hotel package. Picked up and brought to Hotel. Next day we all boarded the buses to Quebec and  to board the ship. Here is what I didn't like. The buses to take us to Quebec

were coming from Quebec with passengers from the ship that now were staying at our hotel post cruise. Well, the buses didn't arrive till about noon. The bus trip felt really long, a few hours. By the time we got to Quebec and boarded, the day was almost gone for doing anything. We were glad we had an over night and had the next day for sight seeing. This was in October of 2018.

[ladysail2]

The time travel between Montreal and Quebec is 3 hours, so your bus travel would have felt like that at least. How long were you expecting to be on the bus?  Perhaps knowing that you had the next day to explore, the transfer people didn’t rush things. 

[lx200gps]

6 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

We flew into Montreal, EZ air, Hotel package. Picked up and brought to Hotel. Next day we all boarded the buses to Quebec and  to board the ship. Here is what I didn't like. The buses to take us to Quebec

were coming from Quebec with passengers from the ship that now were staying at our hotel post cruise. Well, the buses didn't arrive till about noon. The bus trip felt really long, a few hours. By the time we got to Quebec and boarded, the day was almost gone for doing anything. We were glad we had an over night and had the next day for sight seeing. This was in October of 2018.

Montrealer here, and have driven that very route many times to ski north of Quebec City. The drive is a long and very boring three hours either through forest or farm country depending on which side the of St Lawrence river the bus driver takes to get to his destination. If the bus is actually bringing pax FROM the ship back to Montreal, then taking embarking pax all the way up to Quebec City, then as Sue points out, you'd be arriving  at the ship quite late in the boarding process. At least given the fact that it's a formal Princess transfer, you can be safely assured Princess will probably hold the ship for you in case your bus is delayed.

[AstoriaPreppy]

The better choice is to do this on your own and take VIA Rail from Montreal to Quebec City. 

 

Book a hotel near the Montreal train station. Take the 9 am train that gets to Quebec City around 12:15 pm. Walk your bags 10 minute to the cruise port (or take a cab). VIA Rail fares start at around $35 if you book early. We booked Business Class which was $70ish pp. 

[san diego sue]

2 minutes ago, ladysail2 said:

The time travel between Montreal and Quebec is 3 hours, so your bus travel would have felt like that at least. How long were you expecting to be on the bus?  Perhaps knowing that you had the next day to explore, the transfer people didn’t rush things. 

I knew in advance it was a long bus ride. However, I didn't think we would be picked up that late in the day. Our Itinerary said two days in Quebec and day one wasn't much. Still it was a great cruise. We actually got an extra day in Quebec(day 3) because it started to snow and the next port was cancelled   because of heavy snow there. It was the first time my husband had ever seen snow falling .

The extra day in Quebec , didn't see anyone actually leaving the ship even though we could have done it. Freezing cold temps and snow.

[ladysail2]

1 minute ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

The better choice is to do this on your own and take VIA Rail from Montreal to Quebec City. 

 

Book a hotel near the Montreal train station. Take the 9 am train that gets to Quebec City around 12:15 pm. Walk your bags 10 minute to the cruise port (or take a cab). VIA Rail fares start at around $35 if you book early. We booked Business Class which was $70ish pp. 

That’s what you and I would do because we’re familiar with VIA rail and its routes and schedules. I often take the train to Dorval for flights .  But the OP is from San Diego and wanted the security of Princess providing the service. Now that they’ve experienced the routine, they may do as you suggested next time.

I’m waiting for Amtrak to resume service from Montreal to NYC.

[ladysail2]

2 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

I knew in advance it was a long bus ride. However, I didn't think we would be picked up that late in the day. Our Itinerary said two days in Quebec and day one wasn't much. Still it was a great cruise. We actually got an extra day in Quebec(day 3) because it started to snow and the next port was cancelled   because of heavy snow there. It was the first time my husband had ever seen snow falling .

The extra day in Quebec , didn't see anyone actually leaving the ship even though we could have done it. Freezing cold temps and snow.

I’m glad you enjoyed Quebec and your cruise. Freezing temperatures?  That’s relative, LOL. So, the temperature  was about 0F??  That’s freezing to us!!   We Canadians like to tease about the weather, so don’t get me wrong.  I hope you enjoyed your time in Canada and want to come back.  I spent about 3 days in San Diego before a tour, and loved both your city and the weather!

[skynight]

1 hour ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

The better choice is to do this on your own and take VIA Rail from Montreal to Quebec City. 

 

Book a hotel near the Montreal train station. Take the 9 am train that gets to Quebec City around 12:15 pm. Walk your bags 10 minute to the cruise port (or take a cab). VIA Rail fares start at around $35 if you book early. We booked Business Class which was $70ish pp. 

We took this cruise a few years ago. Some passengers we met on board did exactly this and were pleased. The train station in Quebec city is close to the pier.

[Coral]

2 hours ago, san diego sue said:

I knew in advance it was a long bus ride. However, I didn't think we would be picked up that late in the day. Our Itinerary said two days in Quebec and day one wasn't much. Still it was a great cruise. We actually got an extra day in Quebec(day 3) because it started to snow and the next port was cancelled   because of heavy snow there. It was the first time my husband had ever seen snow falling .

The extra day in Quebec , didn't see anyone actually leaving the ship even though we could have done it. Freezing cold temps and snow.

I think I embarked on the ship when you got off! I want to say 2009 or so? We spent our entire pre-cruise stay at the Fairmont! Never saw Quebec City.

[AstoriaPreppy]

4 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

That’s what you and I would do because we’re familiar with VIA rail and its routes and schedules. I often take the train to Dorval for flights .  But the OP is from San Diego and wanted the security of Princess providing the service. Now that they’ve experienced the routine, they may do as you suggested next time.

You make a great point about each person having their own level of comfort navigating unknown places. For context, I once took a public bus from Tokyo Disneyland to the Yokohama transit station, and then a cab to the pier (on the industrial side of the bay) to board a Celebrity Cruise. That's my level of travel comfort pre-cruise, but it's certainly not everyone's.

 

Separately, I'd advocate actually doing/seeing something in Montreal if you're flying in there, as it's completely different from Quebec City.

 

[thinfool]

With an adventure in mind we flew to Montreal, then the VIA rail (train) to QC...then a first ever Airbnb...it was fabulous.  And then we did Uber to old town QC for sightseeing (old QC is directy below the Fairmont).

On the sail day we again did a Uber to the ship...and like others here, found our next stop was cancelled due to snow (Saguenay).  The whole cruise was cold until we passed Norfolk on the way to Ft Lauderdale.  Still we had great times in Sydney and Halifax.  Bar Harbor was cancelled, too...and even NYC was nasty because of rain, cold NYC rain.  ugh.

Still, we enjoyed QC as it was new to us.  The old town is nicely kept with a nice variety of food, and other shops to keep the wives happy with shopping.

If it is important it was our first medallion voyage on the Royal.  Definitely not a fan of the Royal/Regal class ships.

 

 

[san diego sue]

8 minutes ago, thinfool said:

With an adventure in mind we flew to Montreal, then the VIA rail (train) to QC...then a first ever Airbnb...it was fabulous.  And then we did Uber to old town QC for sightseeing (old QC is directy below the Fairmont).

On the sail day we again did a Uber to the ship...and like others here, found our next stop was cancelled due to snow (Saguenay).  The whole cruise was cold until we passed Norfolk on the way to Ft Lauderdale.  Still we had great times in Sydney and Halifax.  Bar Harbor was cancelled, too...and even NYC was nasty because of rain, cold NYC rain.  ugh.

Still, we enjoyed QC as it was new to us.  The old town is nicely kept with a nice variety of food, and other shops to keep the wives happy with shopping.

If it is important it was our first medallion voyage on the Royal.  Definitely not a fan of the Royal/Regal class ships.

 

 

That had to be the same cruise we were on in 2018 Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale on the Royal Princess.If you remember, even Boston had rain on and off. In NYC we went to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty, pouring rain. I loved the Canadian ports even the weather didn't bother us.

[hunt182644]

Thanks to all who replied to my inquiry, this will help us decide if we fly into Montral or Quebec. Was there a choice for hotels given to you by Princess?