Two weeks in Canada & New England on the revolutionized Summit: my review with photos

[miched]

Next time in Bar Harbor try the Dog and Pony for their Lobster Roll

 

In the Background is a pint glass to show how large it is 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited October 1, 2019 by miched

[Mack704]

Several years ago, (maybe 6 or 7), DW and I went on a lobster roll quest on a 2 week Canada/New England cruise round trip out of Cape Liberty. We found the best ones, (cold and hot; we split both), were from Neptune Oyster in Boston. 

 

Harvey

[Turtles06]

Our next port was Quebec City  – the highlight of the cruise for us (and, I suspect, many others).  The Summit spent nearly two days there, arriving at about 10 AM on September 15 and departing at 3:30 PM the next day.  Unfortunately, however, there were about half a dozen other ships in QC at the same time, and we drew one of the short straws, docking at wharf 102 – a commercial dock that is a good mile or so from the center of QC’s Lower Town, where there is in fact docking space for several ships, all of which were occupied.   (Captain Matt later explained that ships doing a turnaround in QC are assigned to the docks where there are terminal facilities to handle the disembarking and embarking passengers.  Since we were only on a port call, we were assigned to a dock without them.)

 

Thankfully, this turned out not to be too much of a problem, as Celebrity had paid for shuttle buses to take us (without charge) to and from the ship to the center of the Lower Town.  The buses ran pretty much continuously during the day, and we found the waits to be minimal.  So the main downside of being at wharf 102 was that, at night, you couldn’t just walk off the ship right into the Lower Town and have dinner, or see the city lit up, etc.  You’d have to take the shuttle.

 

The sail-in to QC took us right past Old Quebec; be sure you are on the starboard side for the iconic view of the Chateau Frontenac and the Old City walls. 

 

 

Once the Summit had docked and we were cleared to go ashore, we disembarked and joined a relatively short line for a shuttle bus.   The wonderful driver gave us a quick history of the city; he was good enough to be a tour guide.

 

 

Within minutes, we were in the Lower Town.  The shuttle dropped us very close to the funicular and the “Breakneck Stairs” to the Upper Town.  With all those ships in port, and it being a Sunday as well, the city was a zoo and the line for the funicular was quite long.

 

 

Looking at that line, and the very small capacity of the cars, we decided to walk up the “Breakneck Stairs.”  This involved climbing up several flights of steep stairs, then a steep street, and then more steep stairs.  It was not as bad as I thought it would be from the descriptions I’d read, it and was quite exhilarating to make it up under our own power.  A good feeling of accomplishment!   (The shuttle bus driver had explicitly discouraged the folks on our bus from walking up.  I know he meant well considering the “senior” demographics of the people on this cruise – in which I include my wife and myself!) 

 

 

 

 

At the top of the Stairs, you are rewarded with this view:

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, Mack704 said:

Several years ago, (maybe 6 or 7), DW and I went on a lobster roll quest on a 2 week Canada/New England cruise round trip out of Cape Liberty. We found the best ones, (cold and hot; we split both), were from Neptune Oyster in Boston. 

 

Harvey

Yes!  They're very good, but I preferred the cold version.  Tough to get in there.

[upwarduk]

Looking forward to your report of your time in Quebec City. We were there 3 years ago on Azamara Quest.

I was very surprised to learn that Queen Victoria’s father had been a commander in the army there. That’s what I like about travelling, I am continually learning.. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

SO glad when I did this cruise on Summit that we were able to dock downtown and that there weren't other ships there.  Great city!

[Mack704]

5 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Yes!  They're very good, but I preferred the cold version.  Tough to get in there.

 

When we went, it must have been a hidden gem. We had no trouble getting a table. However, a couple of years ago, we advised some friends to go and the wait was so long, they gave up and never made it inside. By the way, we loved the hot as well as the cold. Yum yum!

[Turtles06]

We spent the entire afternoon walking and walking all over the Upper Town, taking in the wonderful sights.  Quebec City is very do-able on your own; we had brought a walking tour map with us, so we not only had a good route but descriptions of what we were seeing along the way.   Soon after we’d climbed to the Upper Town, the sun came out.  (It spent the afternoon playing hide and seek.  We even had some rain.) The sky was beautiful as we strolled the Dufferin Terrace.

 

 

We found Quebec City to be totally charming; not surprisingly, it felt as though we were in a small town in France.  We took a break for lunch and found a place making delicious baguette sandwiches (just as in France!).   And pastries (just as in France!).

 

 

One of my favorite buildings was the majestic Parliament Building (home to the Quebec National Assembly), with architecture similar to that of the Louvre, and located just outside the Old City walls.  (This is a long uphill walk from the Chateau Frontenac.) 

 

 

 

 

In front of the Parliament Building is a lovely fountain that once stood in Bordeaux, France --  the Fontaine de Tourny – built in the 19^th Century, and presented in 2007 as a gift to Quebec City by the Simons department stores to help celebrate the City’s 400^th anniversary. 

 

 

In front of the fountain is a commemorative plaque containing a beautiful poem by Marie Laberge, embracing the diversity of Quebec's population.  I found it moving and uplifting. 

 

  

(photos by turtles06)

Edited October 1, 2019 by Turtles06

[hurwitz5]

We were on the September 8 sailing with you.  We would do it again, as we live in New Jersey and it was an easy trip to and from the port.  We loved the newly renovated Summit.  We had a big round mirror over the desk, and enjoyed the lamps on the night tables that each had 2 outlets (good for plugging in cell phone, etc.).  We had an inside cabin (a GTY) and was very satisfied with our midship location on deck 2.  We had late dining - 8:15 pm; we headed to dinner after the 7:00 pm show every night. We found the MDR food to be good to very good, with the beef being especially tasty and tender.  We enjoyed almost every show, except for the first night’s comedian.  The local husband/wife act from Montreal was quirky and very enjoyable.  The one negative was that there is no indoor movie theater.  The weather was too cool for outdoor viewing - especially at night.  There is no game room, but we were allowed to play Mah Jong in Blu during the afternoon.  We also found tables in the buffet area, in the late afternoon (3:00 - 5:30 pm), where we played cards with friends.  The ports were interesting and the weather was good, so all in all a wonderful cruise.

[mchell810]

It's been about 20 years since I've been in Quebec City.  Your photos have brought back lovely memories of a very happy time.  Thank you.

[Turtles06]

This is the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame, in the Upper Town.  Fairly plain on the outside, but quite the opposite inside.

 

 

 

Quebec City Hall:

 

 

And a few more Upper Town photos:

 

 

 

 

Looking down at the Lower Town, the yellow umbrellas at the lower right are where the shuttle buses left us off; you can see the elevation gain to the Upper Town:

 

 

By early evening, we were getting fairly tired, things were closing, and so we walked down the long hill towards the Chateau and took the now no-wait funicular back to the Lower Town, walked around a bit, and headed back to the Summit, exhausted, but in a good way!

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[finny2]

7 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Thankfully, this turned out not to be too much of a problem, as Celebrity had paid for shuttle buses to take us (without charge) to and from the ship to the center of the Lower Town.  The buses ran pretty much continuously during the day, and we found the waits to be minimal.  So the main downside of being at wharf 102 was that, at night, you couldn’t just walk off the ship right into the Lower Town and have dinner, or see the city lit up, etc.  You’d have to take the shuttle.

Did you notice if any any of these buses were wheelchair accessible?

[hcat]

Still following this top notch review.  Outstanding photography!

thanks again.....

hcat

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, finny2 said:

Did you notice if any any of these buses were wheelchair accessible?

 

They had smaller, accessible mini-buses/vans. No worries! 

[Turtles06]

32 minutes ago, hcat said:

Still following this top notch review.  Outstanding photography!

thanks again.....

hcat

 

Thank you, I really appreciate your very kind words! 

[bunzini]

Loving this review!  We leave on the same trip on Saturday.  I have written down many of your suggestions so this has been wonderful to follow!

[aml3679]

You have a wonderful review.

 

It is making me homesick since we moved from New Hampshire to Florida 2 years ago.

 

Our 2 daughters live in Stonington, Maine and Colchester, Vermont.

 

Love Maine lobster.  Our son-in-law is a lobster fisherman out of Stonington.  The #1 lobster fishing port in the nation.

 

Sorry about the tasteless lobster, they probably over cooked it.

 

Just before we moved, we spent a long weekend in Quebec City.  We loved it.  We will not get back to New England for another year.

 

Thanks again.

[Turtles06]

16 hours ago, bunzini said:

Loving this review!  We leave on the same trip on Saturday.  I have written down many of your suggestions so this has been wonderful to follow!

 

Thank you so much! Life is intervening, so if I don't finish here before you leave, please feel free to ask any questions about things I might not yet have addressed.

 

I hope you have a great cruise!  I think the colors should be glorious for you.

[Turtles06]

The next morning in Quebec City, with all the all-aboard set for 2:45 PM and the last shuttle from the Lower Town leaving at 2:30, we got up early and boarded a bus.  The main thing that we hadn’t had the time to do the prior afternoon in the Upper Town was tour the Citadel.  So we took the funicular to the Upper Town (there was no line at that hour) to save time (and our legs 😃), and walked uphill to the entrance to the Citadel, a fort in the shape of a star located on Cap Diamant, high above the St. Lawrence River.   

 

The Citadel is home to the Royal 22d Regiment,  the only French-speaking army regiment in Canada.  Because the Citadel is an active military installation, and the official home of the Governor General of Canada, you are not permitted to walk around on your own, but must take a guided tour.  Our guide was terrific – as we walked around the fortress, she told us about the history of the Citadel, the buildings, the regiment, and more (including why a white goat is their mascot).  It was fascinating, and we also had some great views over the Old City. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having finished our tour, we took the funicular down to the Lower Town, dedicating the rest of our time to seeing that part of Old Quebec.  I was also on a mission to eat two things.  The first was poutine, a dish that originated in Quebec and that is now popular in Atlantic Canada as well.

 

We found what looked like a good lunch spot, and I ordered the classic poutine Quebecoise: fries, gravy, and cheese curds.  It sounds disgusting, doesn’t it?  It was actually surprisingly good, although I’m not quite sure what function the cheese curds serve.  (Maybe they are the meal’s healthy protein.  😉)

 

 

Next, for dessert, I was determined to find the local BeaverTails shop, called Queues de Castor in Quebec.   These are a Canadian fried dough pastry that are hand-stretched into the shape of beaver tails, spread with various toppings of your choice, and served warm.   We found the shop (not far from where the shuttle bus had let us off, as it turned out), and I ordered a chocolate hazelnut.  It was incredibly delicious!!  My wife had passed on this (as she had passed on the poutine), but when she took a bite of my BeaverTail, she agreed that it was wonderful, and so she insisted that we later track down BeaverTails in Sydney and Halifax as well.  YUM!     (Let me assure you that we do NOT eat this way at home! 😂)

 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[jcpc]

Great review.  I am really enjoying it.  I have never heard of the Beaver Tails.....but it looks delicious.  I'm very familiar with Poutine - my brother owns a restaurant in Burlington VT and gets loads of Canadian tourists in for lunch/dinner.  Poutine is a staple on his menu!

 

It looks to me as if Quebec is a "walking" city so anyone with mobility issues should be aware.  Am I correct in my assessment?

 

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by jcpc

[Turtles06]

Now well-fed, we spent our remaining time walking through the Lower Town.   On either end are a couple of trompe l'oeil full-wall murals.   They are truly fantastic, and the three-dimensional illusions are amazing.

 

This is the mural near the Place Royale:

 

 

 

 

And this is the mural along the Petit-Champlain:

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[Turtles06]

26 minutes ago, jcpc said:

It looks to me as if Quebec is a "walking" city so anyone with mobility issues should be aware.  Am I correct in my assessment?

 

I do think it's very much a "walking" city, though of course there are cabs and Uber.  But I think overall it would be a challenge for folks with mobility issues.  It's hilly (obviously), some of the streets are cobblestones, etc.   

[CruisinRoxy]

On 9/26/2019 at 1:34 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Alleged designers who care nothing about function.

Maybe they don't use silverware? Or eat?

Turtles06 - 

You are cracking me up you're so hilarious!

Enjoying because we will be on Summit in Feb 2020 out of San Juan.

[JennVT]

46 minutes ago, jcpc said:

Great review.  I am really enjoying it.  I have never heard of the Beaver Tails.....but it looks delicious.  I'm very familiar with Poutine - my brother owns a restaurant in Burlington VT and gets loads of Canadian tourists in for lunch/dinner.  Poutine is a staple on his menu!

 

It looks to me as if Quebec is a "walking" city so anyone with mobility issues should be aware.  Am I correct in my assessment?

 

 

Which restaurant? I'm often up that way for meetings and in need of a good place to eat.

[CruisinRoxy]

On 9/29/2019 at 11:01 AM, Turtles06 said:

Farewell, Bar Harbor.

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

So sorry about your Cadillac Mountain view!  It can be gorgeous.   We were on a road trip a few weeks ago and stayed in the beautiful Bar Harbor Inn that you took pictures of.  It was delightful and we could watch at least 1 cruise ship, sometimes 2, every day from our room.   Did not see the Summit however, too bad.  You are right about the Blueberry Pie.  It seems like every single restaurant and diner has a version.  Maine blueberry pies are the best.  Hands down.  So enjoyable to read the review of a Happy Cruiser enjoying.