QM2 in Canada Questions

[Neuhoftraveler]

Fresh off the QM2's mid-December westbound TA crossing -- it was an amazing experience -- we are considering the NY-Quebec-NY voyage next September.  Does the ship tie up alongside in the various ports, or are tenders involved?  The website refers to "possible tender" in Sydney, NS, but is otherwise silent.  The ports involved are Bar Harbor, ME; Corner Brook, NL; Sept-Isles, Quebec City, and Saguenay, Quebec: and Sydney and Halifax, NS.

 

Speaking of the website: I'm finding the new US website almost impossible to use.  The layout is cumbersome beyond belief, It's difficult to drill down to get any detail, and searching for the same info at different times often yields different results;.  I make this observation in hopes that someone at Cunard or its web designer-consultant monitors this board to learn what the customers are saying.

[Underwatr]

Bar Harbor is a tender port. In Halifax the ship ties up and no tenders are required. Those are the only ports on your itinerary that I've visited.

[sogne]

2 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

Fresh off the QM2's mid-December westbound TA crossing -- it was an amazing experience -- we are considering the NY-Quebec-NY voyage next September.  Does the ship tie up alongside in the various ports, or are tenders involved?  The website refers to "possible tender" in Sydney, NS, but is otherwise silent.  The ports involved are Bar Harbor, ME; Corner Brook, NL; Sept-Isles, Quebec City, and Saguenay, Quebec: and Sydney and Halifax, NS.

 

Speaking of the website: I'm finding the new US website almost impossible to use.  The layout is cumbersome beyond belief, It's difficult to drill down to get any detail, and searching for the same info at different times often yields different results;.  I make this observation in hopes that someone at Cunard or its web designer-consultant monitors this board to learn what the customers are saying.

Sydney and Bar Harbour are tender ports  the rest ship will be berthed alongside

[Reuben's 3rd]

Having done QM2's 1st trip to Saguenay, (Quebec City to New York), I can tell you that Quebec City, Saguenay and Halifax are all comfortably docked.  Saguenay built the dock specificly to accomodate QM2 and our welcome was fantastic.  We booked 2nd seating and were glad that we did.  She left at about 5:00 pm.  We stood on the deck as long as there was light.  The trip down the Saguenay River to rejoin the St Lawrence was breathtaking.

[Summergee]

I read somewhere that when we left Saguenay last year 10000 people turned out to see us off. It was the most welcoming place I have ever visited.

[naturelovergirl]

If you have never been to Bar Harbor before, Acadia National Park is a truly GORGEOUS national park.

If I was going there, I would make it a priority to make an excursion into the park.
We loved it.
 

[MCC retired]

8 hours ago, Summergee said:

I read somewhere that when we left Saguenay last year 10000 people turned out to see us off. It was the most welcoming place I have ever visited.

We were onboard that sailing also. 

In almost 40 years of cruising we have never had such a welcome and sendoff as that one was .

[david,Mississauga]

We were on the first call at Saguenay in 2016 and repeated the trip in 2017.  It was quite a day both times. There are many videos available of that first call.

This is one of many. I think the stock photo at the beginning is the Seven Sisters in Geirangerfjord.

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by david,Mississauga

[Summergee]

David, thanks for the post. I had forgotten how everyone surged forward as soon as they were allowed.

[LadyL1]

I have just watched this video, as we are booked on the NY round trip to Canada next year. The 3 days in Quebec City was the main reason for the cruise, but the more I find out about the itinerary the more I look forward to it! All the ports (assuming we make them with tendering) have great appeal.

Thanks for the post David.

[orvil]

We did this cruise.  The experience in Saguenay was other worldly.  The people were extra ordinarily kind and gracious to us.  They made it into a great occasion.  They were so excited to see us.  There were other smaller ships in the port, but it was obvious that the populace was there to see us.  It was quite the holiday.  Even the Captain commented during his noon address that he had never seen anything like it in his years of service.

 

 

 

[candle in the wind]

I too was on the 2016 Quebec to NY and when we left Saguenay there were flags to wave along with chocolates given to us as we got back on board by the lovely people who lived there, and a fly over by the Canadian Air Force. It was a trip to remember, which we repeated in 2018. We are booked again for this year, but in the other direction with different stops. Hello to David who visited my stateroom in a group as part of the CC room visits, when we saw the magnificence of the new Single rooms. 

[david,Mississauga]

On 1/26/2019 at 6:52 PM, candle in the wind said:

I too was on the 2016 Quebec to NY and when we left Saguenay there were flags to wave along with chocolates given to us as we got back on board by the lovely people who lived there, and a fly over by the Canadian Air Force. It was a trip to remember, which we repeated in 2018. We are booked again for this year, but in the other direction with different stops. Hello to David who visited my stateroom in a group as part of the CC room visits, when we saw the magnificence of the new Single rooms. 

 

Thanks for the reminder of our cabin visits. Yes, it was good to see one of the new - and spacious - single rooms.

 

On the inaugural visit to Saguenay there was a presentation in the square near the dock. It was mostly in French and, although I am not bilingual, I got the gist of it. Then mayor Jean Tremblay was very  proud that after 10 years he was able to persuade Cunard to send the QM2 up to his city. Captain Oprey made a speech - in English.  As we docked I noticed a lot of school buses pulling up to a nearby road. We were told that thousands of school children were given the day off. I still have the "Saguenay Queen Mary 2  6 Octobre 2016" flag beside my computer.

 

For the call in 2017 there was a concert by the local symphony orchestra. It may have been a coincidence that it was the day we were there, but it was a pleasant afternoon.  This time we combined two voyages and travelled from Québec to New York then on to Southampton. I would love to do that again.

 

A recommendation for an excursion - the pageant La Fabuleuse which is presented in English on days a cruise ship is in port. It is a most interesting history of the region. It is "lip-synced" with recorded orchestra, but the staging is more elaborate than any opera I have seen.