jdaa

I must agree with the original post. We were on the same sailing and were disappointed with the food in both the MDR and the Colonnade. The room service breakfast was inedible, and after two days we didn't bother to order it again.

We've thought the food excellent on all of our previous Seabourn cruises, so this was a big letdown for us. We were told a new executive chef had joined us midway through the cruise, and were hoping the food would improve. Sadly, it did not.

We've always been enthusiastic Seabourn sailors prior to this cruise, but are thinking we'll try a different line next time. Other than the food, our experience was very good.

We were told we were doing Immigration in Bar Harbor (1st US port) and Customs in Boston (US port of debarkation). The explanation was that after leaving Bar Harbor and before arriving in Boston it would be possible to buy something duty-free on ship, for which Customs taxes would be owed in Boston.

For those who had something to declare, Customs forms were available on ship before debarking in Boston. However, if you had nothing to declare, there was no delay whatsoever due to Customs.

We did regular debarkation at Boston, not express.

Does anyone know if the Seabourn ships have added the capability to use shoreside electric power? Eliminates cruise ship pollution while in port, which is becoming a major issue for port cities. Well written Cruise Critic article on the issue:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1214

Having been in port in Saguenay until 11:00PM, I can verify there is absolutely nothing to do at night, and no transportation. HOHO busses stop running at 4:00PM, and rental cars must be turned in by 7:00PM. No taxis in sight in the evening. Other than a couple of restaurants, all of the tiny town (within walking distance) seems to close down by 6:00PM. We generally love late nights in port and try to make the most of them, but I'm not sure why anyone would want to be in port here after dark. Can't imagine why Seabourn made the choice to stay in port so late.

Will try to remember to post feedback of how we like our tour in September.

The tour was itinerary was good, but we wished we had booked a shorter tour. Bar Harbor is beautiful, we wanted more time to explore on our own. I would book the 3 hour tour if I could do it over again.

If anyone else is wondering about this, we disembarked Boston today a bit after 9:00AM. Just walked out, no delay at all at Customs. A very long line for taxis however. We waited in line for about 20 minutes and then called an Uber. He was there long before we would have gotten to the front of the taxi line. (Those who had a porter help with their luggage basically were taken to the front of the taxi line.)

That's right, we did have extra time in Saguenay. But nothing to do at night! The hop-on-hop off bus ends at 4:00, and cars had to be turned in by 7:00PM. Only 3 or 4 restaurants within walking distance of the ship, everything else in town was closed by 6:00. So not a good choice for an 11PM departure!

We were just notified that our departure time for Saguenay has been changed from 5:00 to 11:00PM. Is there anything to do in Saguenay in the evening? My impression is that it is a small community and the nearby National Park is the principal attraction. We were supposed to have a scenic cruising on the Saguenay Fjord as we departed Saguenay. We will now miss the legendary scenery of the fjord, as it will be now be pitch dark when we depart. Not sure why our cruise line thought this a good choice?

We were just notified that our departure time for Saguenay has been changed from 5:00 to 11:00PM. Is there anything to do in Saguenay in the evening? My impression is that it is a small community and the nearby National Park is the principal attraction. We were supposed to have a scenic cruising on the Saguenay Fjord as we departed Saguenay. We will now miss the legendary scenery of the fjord, as it will be now be pitch dark when we depart. Not sure why Seabourn thought this a good choice?

Can anyone comment on their experience clearing Customs in Boston? Did you experience a wait? If so, how long? I realize we may have a completely different experience but knowing what others have encountered would be helpful. Thanks!

I booked Avis for a one way rental from Burlington, Vermont to Montreal. Maybe try them?

Here are some specifics from a few days ago:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8027

I have this exact same question about Customs in Boston. How much "extra" time should we plan on, due to Customs? We're arriving Friday, September 22nd, and we'd like to get off the ship around 9:00 AM or so. Trying to book a tour time, after we check into our hotel.

Thank you Roy for your helpful comments!

I am guessing that you have not used a luggage service when clearing a USA port.

 

In USA ports you have to have the luggage with you to clear USA customs. You can't hand them over to a luggage service until you are outside the terminal area.

 

Just have a porter help you with this.

 

I can't help you with the rest of the questions as we use two other luggage providers.

 

Keith

Yes, you are exactly right. With past cruises we've handled our own luggage when disembarking a USA port. We've only used Luggage Forward in Europe.

We're on a Montreal to Boston itinerary, and have booked Luggage Forward to handle our luggage when leaving the Quest in Boston. The instructions from Luggage Forward say "Please turn your mobile phone on during disembarkation and proceed though customs with your luggage. Our agent will meet you in the customs waiting area".

We've used Luggage Forward several times previously, and in the past have always just put our suitcases in the hallway outside our cabin the last night night of the cruise, and never saw them again until they were delivered to our home post-cruise.

This sounds like it could turn out to be a bit of a hassle, and we're wondering if it wouldn't be almost as easy to just take the luggage with us rather than having it shipped. If anyone has used Luggage Forward when disembarking in Boston, I'd love to hear from you! How did it work out? Did you have to wait on the Luggage Forward representative to arrive? Have any issues in meeting up with them? Thanks for sharing your experience!

Also second the idea of visiting Sanary-sur-Mer.

We were in Bandol earlier this year. We did a long inland trip to Les Baux de Provence and St. Remy de Provence. Almost anything in Provence should be accessible for a day trip as long as you don't mind the 1-2 hour drive... Cassis looked to be a very nice town and our guide mentioned that the Calanque National Parc is gorgeous. We picked up multiple bottles of wine to drink on board. The Bandol area is known for their reds while Cassis is known for white and rose.

As someone who's spent a fair amount of time in the area, I say this is very good advice!

If you want a private wine tour, we did one as a cruise stop from Bandol (with Gaetane) several years ago. She was charming and took us to two beautiful wineries:

http://www.provencewinetours.com/private-tours/

Or if you don't mind driving, cars are easy to rent and the roads are good. We love St Remy and Les Baux.

Thanks! Will contact Seabourn to see if they can track down our missing credits!

I'm expecting an onboard credit from our TA. We just received our final cruise package (the one with luggage tags). In the past, our onboard credits had been listed in the enclosed booklet, but not the case this time. The booklet has a different "look" than in the past, so just wondering if Seabourn still lists OBC's on these documents?

Yes! That is the one, Érablière du Lac-Beauport. Hope you all enjoy as much as we did. I would for sure do it again.

I was looking at going to that same sugar shack on our own. Can you describe your evening there? Would it be good if not part of a tour?

Will try to remember to post feedback of how we like our tour in September.

Thank you for the update!!

Thanks Jan!

Can anyone tell me how long it will take to clear customs in Bar Harbor?

We're scheduled to be in port from 8am to 5pm, and I've booked a private tour for that day to begin at 9:30am. Now I'm wondering if that is too early?? I've just learned that Customs will board in order to clear all passengers before anyone is allowed onshore, and so there could be a substantial delay. (We're in Halifax the day before Bar Harbor.)

Thanks so much!