Winters in NZ

The meal plan also includes gratuity.

The Norwegian Dawn sailed from Quebec City, heading for Tampa, one week before the devastation of Hurricane Sandy on NYC and New Jersey.

Manhattan had originally been one of our ports, but as a result of the hurricane   we docked in Boston on Halloween with an overnight.

Many passengers had come prepared for the festivities, bringing costumes and decorating their doors too.

Most of the crew were also in the spirit of October 31, with great artistry and design in their costumes, including  the splendid festive efforts by the  waiting staff in the MDR.

We spent the evening by taking the subway into Cambridge  admiring costumed  trick or treaters as well as some beautiful residential Halloween decorations . A great Halloween for us back then !

12 hours ago, kazu said:

 

You’re kidding right?  You forgot the 😉 

I will wear a tuxedo , only to fit in with  Antarctica's penguins.😉

19 hours ago, T8NCruise said:

Comments like this were so predictable as soon as the announcement was made.  Here we go again with the sniping at Canada.  Yawn.

Canada deserves to be the recipient of any sniping directed its way as  Canadian  decisions have been politically motivated ,  politicians being  interested in eventual voters who  can be either won or lost in the long term.

On 11/25/2020 at 4:05 PM, daisy-mae said:

I was most enthusiastic about responding to the survey sent to my email address yesterday.

However, as the first question relating to my location only gave three options: "United States, Australia, UK", I was unable to continue.

 

Just wondering if any fellow Canucks had the same frustrating experience?

I received it as well, with only those 3 countries listed that you mention but  I am not interested in jumping through hoops. Not frustrated. Simply pressed delete, then had a latte.

Having been to Charleston  South Carolina on 2 separate cruises, it is such a delight with its combination of superb historical architecture and friendly,  helping folks.

North America has about 40 000 traffic deaths yearly....and apparently we continue driving our vehicles.

Initially I had said. " No way to cruises "......but I  can become ill anywhere. Just use common sense, stay safe and enjoy life.

4 hours ago, cb at sea said:

Just carry hand sanitizer and don't touch your face (eyes, nose or mouth) until you've used your purell!

A very good suggestion that you have presented.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a strongly worded letter to the company that makes one of these hand " sanitizers " regarding its claim that it can prevent viral diseases like influenza, Ebola and others.

Cleaning one's hands thoroughly seems to be a reasonable option, but what to do about door knobs, grocery carts , etc. create their own pitfalls.

Perhaps carrying around a lucky teddy bear or a four-leaf-clover is the future.

On 9/21/2019 at 6:19 PM, christinand said:

Arrgh. Live and learn. It is the day before my cruise so too late to change now. Too be honest i have some sleeping pills so will probably just drug myself to sleep.

Live And Learn indeed. We always book inside cabins....budget-minded being the euphemism for " cheap " and we always bring earplugs if the venue dictates the circumstances. Sleeping pills is not an option for us.

1 hour ago, Stpatsirish said:

If you are flying to Toronto and do not want to drive to Niagara Falls then you are looking at the train or trying to find a bus day trip. 

I completely agree with your suggestions. Greyhound  gets you there too. A bus tour gets you to the highlights, and of course you don't have to worry about parking, etc.

Driving to Niagara Falls from Toronto requires that you drive on the Queen Elizabeth Way, the Q.E.W., which is extremely busy. Much better to take a bus or train.

We rented a car for the day while in Niagara Falls, to also enable us to visit beautiful Niagara-on the -Lake which is worth a visit.

Forget about driving across the bridge into New York State....the border is clogged with vacationers , freight trucks and Canadians heading into Niagara Falls NY for shopping bargains. You would be wasting too much valuable time sitting in line-ups.

We were in Westmark Hotels in Whitehorse, Dawson City, Fairbanks, and Anchorage and of course we were at The Denali Lodge.

I love eating BIG meals, thus the meal plan was a great idea for us.  

The expensive items on the menu such as porterhouse and rib-eye steak, prime rib, and Alaskan crab were my favorites.

Large salads and HUGE desserts were much appreciated.

Gratuities / Taxes were included in the meal.

A smaller sized menu was served aboard the Dome Train .

Having the restaurants in the hotels and close to the Denali Lodge made it more convenient for us and saved us time .

Buffet breakfasts were delicious with many varieties of food and plentiful.

The tour guide gave us printed info regarding gratuities for the bus drivers.

We were the only folks on our tour who had purchased the meal plan.

5 hours ago, catl331 said:

But hotel rooms are included in the C-T packages, so you'd be paying double.  Also bus drop-off/pick-up points are at package hotels so you'd have the inconvenience of getting yourself from/to those places with your luggage.

 I agree with you 100 %.

On our recent Nieuw Amsterdam cruise/tour....Whitehorse, Dawson City, Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage,  considering the alternatives and having read a ton of reviews, we have no regrets.

More posh digs always seem more attractive , but we weren't spending the rest of our lives in Westmark hotels.

We had excellent location, cleanliness and very good meals at the  hotels.

 I'm certainIy not a  cheerleader, but I give HAL an A+ based upon the organization, tour leader and educational enrichement of the  whole experience.

3 hours ago, pascal030 said:

Just ask for an earlier disembarkation time i.e. 5.00 AM. You’ll be fine!

We had the same experience 5 years ago, and agree with pascal030.

Once arriving at the Montreal Cruise Ship Terminal, the distance to the VIA train station, located beneath the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, is quite short. 

We have taken pleasant walks previously through the historic Old Montreal in 25 minutes, rolling our luggage,  Cruise Terminal to the VIA train station, if like us, you hate queuing for the taxis.

Or alternatively, take a 3 minute subway ride . 

It took our bus 3 hours travel time, Quebec Cruise Terminal to Montreal. And since it is a weekend, no rush-hour traffic to contend with.

Travelling in the reverse direction, we had ended our cruise, Montreal to Boston about 6 years ago, but here is our experience...….

The bus from South Station to Montreal's bus station ( located above the subway

station ), took 7-8 hours.

Considering the low cost, no hassles about airport lineups, and that you are transported directly to downtown Montreal with its great selection of  hotels is a  viable option to aircraft travel.

Enjoy your travels !   

Saguenay : Wake up early enough so that you will enjoy the view as the ship is in close proximity to the Saguenay River shoreline which is completely forested . Likewise, when leaving Saguenay, eat later to enjoy the splendid view. 

In Saguenay, as you get off the ship take advantage of the float plane ( Air Saguenay ) which will give you a spectacular 15-20 minute flight. We have been to Saguenay twice with HAL Eurodam and last month with NCL Gem.

Unfortunately, the flight price went up quite a bit over the past 4 years...they always sell out early. I noticed that there is also a helicopter pad next to the cruise  welcome-centre which was busy for the whole day too. I did not inquire about the helicopter flight fee.

Residents and school kids dressed in  traditional costume greet passengers as they disembark.

Halifax : Visit the new library downtown, if only to get a great view from the outdoor coffee patio on the top floor. Great view of the harbor.

St John : Visit the indoor City Market. Plenty of neat crafts available.

Arriving in NYC : Same idea as for Saguenay. Get up early to enjoy the view of Brooklyn with a very quick glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge , Manhattan and of course the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. 

Last month, we were aboard the NCL GEM, Canada/New England, NYC to Quebec City.

Visiting the East Coast, one would have expected lobster to be served at some MDR dinner. No lobster. A disappointment.

Prime rib in the MDR was an extremely thin slice of that meat . A disappointment.

Asked for a whole wheat roll in the MDR at dinner, but they can only offer the type in that evening's bread basket presented at dinner Not a disappointment, but makes one wonder.

We have taken 30 cruises ( HAL, PRINCESS,

CELEBRITY ). All have had superb food.

We were aboard the NCL DAWN 6 years ago. Food was much better then, compared to what we had on the GEM in September.

The times ( it appears ), are a-changin'.

My. Edocs Says embarkation at Dalhousie street terminal but the Gem Will be Docked at pier 30 on october 8th (far away from terminal).

Anyone have boarded Ncl on pier 30? Do you need to go first to Dalhousie terminal and then to pier 30 or directly to pier 30 ???

We got off the GEM yesterday at pier 30, and 6 years ago got on the Dawn at pier 30.

The pier is in a large grain-elevator section, just a 10 minute walk behind the lovely train station, Gare du Palais.

The huge tent-like cruise terminal is completely separate from the Cruise terminal on Dalhousie.

It doesn't make any sense that you would go to the terminal on Dalhousie and then board the ship at pier 30.

When we boarded the Dawn 6 years ago, we did so at pier 30.

By the way...…..The GEM was charging $15 for transportation into old Quebec, but you can easily walk into Old Quebec.

The 2 cruise terminals are only a 20 minute walk apart from each other.

We walked to the train station and bought day passes for the city buses.

There is a #800 bus which runs every 10 minutes which brings you to the top of Old Quebec, right by the very modern and large Quebec Hilton. Then you can walk all the way through old Quebec going downhill, rather than the arduous walking of always walking uphill.

We even had time to take the #800 to see the Montmorency Falls, although the falls are not as spectacular this year due to the summer semi-drought.

Plan ahead and use the buses. They are clean and convenient. Peter

Closer than Alexander Keith brewery, is the Garrison Brewery, craft beer, just a 5 minute walk from the Halifax cruise terminal.

Samples last year were 2 bucks apiece....and I get to try it again in September while aboard the Norwegian Gem. Peter

Gem, Manhattan to Quebec City, Sept 8-19.

Wondering re the self disembarkation process info pertaining to Quebec City.

Beginning in Manhattan , we will enter Canada at St John New Brunswick after having left the USA.

I am very capable of solo-portering my luggage, so no issue with that . On other ships/cruiselines, I have seen folks attempt to handle their own luggage, and for many of them that it is a nightmare.

The Gem is in Quebec overnight, so how early would I be permitted to porter my own luggage off the ship ?

Thanks Peter, maybe we will run into each other in September. Do you plan on going to the Meet & Greet?

JellyBean...we will see you at the M & G. Peter

This will be our first cruise aboard the Gem , but we did thoroughly enjoy the only other NCL time we had aboard the Dawn in 2012, Quebec to Tampa......during Hurricane Sandy !

The majority of our other cruises have been with HAL and Celebrity, and quite frankly, I prefer the more casual vibe with NCL.

Not packing any suits, ties or bling for our upcoming Gem cruise, Manhattan to Quebec City, Sept. 8-19. Peter

 

 

Once we were in NCL's control, things worked like a charm.

Nashna...I thoroughly enjoyed your review of the Dawn, as you looked at both the positive and negative elements of your cruise.

You presented an extremely well-detailed presentation of so many aspects of the cruise beginning with the moment of your arrival at the Mass Port parking facility.

We are considering a Quebec City cruise to either Boston or NYC, so your insight is greatly appreciated.

We have also taken a variety of cruises, but only twice aboard NCL.

Thank you for such a superb review ! Peter

Looking for information on shuttle or taxi from Boston airport to cruise terminal. What is estimated cost?

Getting from Logan to the cruise ship terminal is free.

Hop on the grey line which will bring you to South Station, about 10 minutes away.

At South Station, at the same platform, take the grey line headed to Design Centre which is next door to the cruise terminal, less than a 10 minute drive.

I have a lot of simple pleasures and others will have other options.

 

My must dos:

 

Boston: Depending on the cost of the shuttle into town, we'll wander through Quincy Market and the surrounding areas and have lunch ashore. But if the shuttle is not offered or too expensive (sorry Boston, $20 each way is far too much!) we'll just spend the day on the ship watching the planes and the ship traffic -- and maybe considering tossing some tea into the harbor, HaHa.

 

Expensive shuttles are the bane of most cruisers, but in Boston I always walk less than 10 minutes towards the public bus stop, circumventing both shuttles and taxis.

Hopping aboard the SL2 Boston public transit bus, for $1.70 brings you to South Station...a 7 minute ride away.

The SL2, part of the Silver Line, is frequent and such an efficient means of transportation.

You can walk quite easily to Quincy Market from South Station, but why not simply purchase a Transit Day Pass while at South Station, which then alleviates any issues with shuttles and taxis and gets you around Boston quickly....and eventually back to the ship.

On one cruise we went to Harvard, and Quincy Market as well as having a nice guided tour of Fenway ( non-game day ), strolling through the Boston Common and having a beer at Cheers. Even being allowed to sit on the Green Monster, or more aptly pronounced, the Green Monstah at Fenway.

When taking subways, always look for signs which point you towards the elevator. I don't enjoy climbing stairs either.

A little research into transit systems can go a long way into getting one around to many varied locations and this can be applied to Halifax, Quebec City and Montreal as well.