Airport transport from Montreal Airport either/or Quebec City Airport to ship?

[Crombie1145]

Looking at flights/airports from Texas for the Caribbean Princess New England/Canada cruise departing Quebec City.  Flights to Montreal appear less expensive and with fewer connections than flying into Quebec City.  Does Princess provide transfers from the Montreal Airport to the ship? 

[AstoriaPreppy]

As far as I know, they only sporadically offer a transfer at disembarkation. 

 

The best way to get between Montreal and Quebec City (if not flying) is by VIA Rail. What I've done before is spend a night in Montreal, and then hop on the train to Quebec City to board a cruise. The VIA Rail depot in Quebec City is a 10 minute walk from the cruise port (and it's downhill). 

[NavyVeteran]

Princess does not offer a stand-alone transfer from Montreal airport.

 

However, Princess does offer a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay in Montreal. The hotel stay includes transfer from the Montreal airport to the hotel and bus transfer from the hotel to the ship the next day.

 

You can book you own hotel in Montreal and all of the transfers yourself if you want instead of using Princess. I have compared, and you can definitely save some money by doing so. Also, you can take the train from Montreal to Quebec first class, which would definitely be more comfortable than the Princess bus.

 

I will be staying one night in Montreal before my cruise from Quebec City this fall. I found that I can just about pay for the transfers and hotel for what I save on the flight. I haven't yet decided whether to use the Princess hotel and transfers or a directly booked hotel and the train. It's primarily not a cost decision. DW and I would both definitely prefer the train to the bus transfer. However, DW has mobility issues and I'm recovering from some heart surgery. The Princess hotel includes all transfers and all luggage handling. We would have to handle our own luggage from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the train, and from the train to the ship if we made our own arrangements. With our current mobility issues, I'm currently leaning towards letting Princess handle everything including the luggage. If we were both more mobile, I would definitely be looking at making our own arrangements and taking the train.

 

I won't be making the final decision until a couple of weeks before final payment for the cruise. I've booked the hotel (with transfers) with Princess (cancellable with no penalty until final payment) and I've booked a hotel directly (no deposit (fully cancellable with no penalty until a couple of days in advance) in case I decide to go that way. I haven't booked the train, since the train tickets are not fully refundable.

[Texter2]

6 hours ago, Crombie1145 said:

Looking at flights/airports from Texas for the Caribbean Princess New England/Canada cruise departing Quebec City.  Flights to Montreal appear less expensive and with fewer connections than flying into Quebec City.  Does Princess provide transfers from the Montreal Airport to the ship? 

Crombie1145, you might want to join the roll call for this cruise. There is a lot of great information on transportation and hotels there. I got an award ticket to Quebec from Orlando for 10,000 miles (a steal). 

 

Not currently from Texas, but lived there for 33 years! 

 

Teri

[cr8tiv1]

On 3/23/2022 at 5:50 PM, NavyVeteran said:

Princess does not offer a stand-alone transfer from Montreal airport.

 

However, Princess does offer a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay in Montreal. The hotel stay includes transfer from the Montreal airport to the hotel and bus transfer from the hotel to the ship the next day.

 

You can book you own hotel in Montreal and all of the transfers yourself if you want instead of using Princess. I have compared, and you can definitely save some money by doing so. Also, you can take the train from Montreal to Quebec first class, which would definitely be more comfortable than the Princess bus.

 

I will be staying one night in Montreal before my cruise from Quebec City this fall. I found that I can just about pay for the transfers and hotel for what I save on the flight. I haven't yet decided whether to use the Princess hotel and transfers or a directly booked hotel and the train. It's primarily not a cost decision. DW and I would both definitely prefer the train to the bus transfer. However, DW has mobility issues and I'm recovering from some heart surgery. The Princess hotel includes all transfers and all luggage handling. We would have to handle our own luggage from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the train, and from the train to the ship if we made our own arrangements. With our current mobility issues, I'm currently leaning towards letting Princess handle everything including the luggage. If we were both more mobile, I would definitely be looking at making our own arrangements and taking the train.

 

I won't be making the final decision until a couple of weeks before final payment for the cruise. I've booked the hotel (with transfers) with Princess (cancellable with no penalty until final payment) and I've booked a hotel directly (no deposit (fully cancellable with no penalty until a couple of days in advance) in case I decide to go that way. I haven't booked the train, since the train tickets are not fully refundable.

 

Just got off the phone with VIA RAIL.  Not as exciting as I thought rail travel would be.

 

I put in a call to VIA Rail.   888-842-7245

 

Here’s the information Rebecca shared with me:

 

ONLY train service from Montreal to Quebec. (Although 4 times a day).

Fare is Economy/$50/no changes

Economy Plus/$152/changes allowed/pay the difference

 

No baggage car.  

No charge for luggage.  

Will have assistance in getting large bag (50 pounds) on train (stowed in same car).  

One carry on.

 

"We" might have to look into a limousine service from Montreal to Quebec.  Party Bus time!

[kiwimum]

Last year, October, we took the train from Montreal to Quebec.   Booked Business Class at a great price.   Luggage was stowed in the same carriage, beverages, snacks and dinner included.   Only disappointment was half the trip was in darkness.   No Business Class available on earlier trains.   
Cab from hotel to station in Montreal, walked earlier in the day but decided with construction and uneven payments cab was the way to go.  Quebec hotel was one block from train station and a couple of blocks from port.   We walked.

Would I do it again, in heart beat but earlier train.

[HotRoot]

We have reserved a rental car and plan on driving from the Montreal airport to a Quebec City hotel with free parking.  The next morning we will drive to the waterfall.  Then return the car to the Quebec City airport.  Taxi or Uber to the port.  Cost of the rental car is something like $50 US.  Price quoted is in Canadian.  I rounded for US.  We do not cruise until October but can let you know how it worked out.

[matamanoa]

I hope you all realize that Quebec City is almost a three hour drive from Montreal.

[HotRoot]

Sure do.  We have two homes.  Ten hour drive between.  We do it all the time.  Three hours is very easy for us.

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, HotRoot said:

Cost of the rental car is something like $50 US.  Price quoted is in Canadian.  I rounded for US

You got a great deal on that!