Saguenay Port Car Rental

[racingraysswimmom]

Anybody with experience booking rental cars near the Saguenay Port?  Tried to find information about National Car at the cruise pavilion.  Are the cars brought to the cruise location and from which National office did you book?

 

Or.....did anyone rent from Enterprise~ again which location is closest to the cruise port.  It is confusing because the port really isn't in Saguenay by La Baie.

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.  (I tried calling National toll free Canada number and they were just as confused)

[GTJ]

Do double-check your understanding of the geography of this area. The port is, in fact, in the center of the secteur La Baie within the Ville de Saguenay. The city itself was formed in 2002 by the consolidation of Ville de Chicoutimi, Ville de Jonquière, and Ville de La Baie (consolidation has been common throughout the province). Despite the corporate consolidation, each secteur retains its former city character. There is no single central city in "Saguenay" as the term is really descriptive of the entire region. So the port is commonly referred to as being in La Baie, though it is within the consolidated Ville de Saguenay. Yes, it can be a bit confusing.

 

I have been to Saguenay several times--more so by railroad and bus than by cruise vessel--and I have always traveled around the area by reasonably good and comprehensive public transportation system (Société de transport du Saguenay). I also note the limited ferry system (Navettes maritimes du Fjord: ferries depart La Baie daily at 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., returning to La Baie at 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. I have not had any experiences with rental vehicles in La Baie, but I see the reviews are not all that encouraging. As to the only rental agency in La Baie, Enterprise location d'autos at 73, rue Joseph-Gagné nord, one reviewer wrote: "There should be a shuttle service from the port to the rental car station. After our first call, it was said that someone would pick us up in 5-10 minutes. After 45 minutes we called again and they said they would be right away. Others were waiting with us and after 2 hours !!! We gave up on several calls from us, the other family and the local tourist information office. This stole a vacation day from us! We are more than angry and disappointed. The rental car station is only 9 minutes away by car, but there was no other way to get there on site. To want to hang around here for so long is an immeasurable cheek! Unfortunately I couldn't give 0 stars ..." Alas, no bus to the rental agency. On foot, it is about 3.5 km, so if they can't get the car to you at the port, you could walk there in just over half an hour (no need to wait two hours or "waste" the entire day!). Hopefully they will do better for you.

[racingraysswimmom]

I am grateful GTC for your though answer.

 

Wow ~ that isn't encouraging at all.  I might have to rethink my strategy in Saguenay.

Thank you for giving me the heads-up.

[GTJ]

Also, French is very strong in this area, with 98.9 percent having French as mother tongue. Not much English is spoken (most common in tourist areas and younger people looking to do business outside Québec), so it is very useful to know French when visiting. It have have made the above-recounted traveler's experience worst, being in a foreign country, not speaking the language, knowing the customs, or even the way around. I remember one time, having stayed overnight in what was then still the separate Ville de Jonquière, going to the bus terminal to buy a somewhat complicated ticket to the ferry terminal at Saint-Siméon (I had a train to catch on the south shore of the Fleuve Saint-Laurent at Rivière-du-Loup). The ticket agent feigned ignorance of English, and not being fluent in French, I repeated my ticket request in Spanish, a language with which I am more fluent and also romance language like French. The ticket agent, perhaps a bit surprised, putting together the request from the English and Spanish, and realizing that I was an American and not from Ontario (many people from Québec like Americans better than Ontarians), she then became quite helpful in writing the bus ticket for me. My most recent stay, in the secteur Chicoutimi, I don't think any English was spoken to me other than, perhaps, at the hotel. Don't be afraid to make it known, "Bonjour . . . je suis américain . . . je ne parle pas français (or " . . . je parle seulement un peu le français"). Just a little bit in French like that goes a long way!

[racingraysswimmom]

Thank you for the hints.  I'll try to brush up on some key phrases in French.  I appreciate all your helpful hints and taking the time to post an answer.

 

Jan

[racingraysswimmom]

Update to my question:

 

I Found the National Car Rental in Saguenay Port Location!!

To rent a car email this address:  sarajane.talbot@gmail.com   Tell her Jan from Cruise Critic gave you her information.

Mid-size car 75$

Small SUV 89$

Standard SUV 125$

Mini-van (7 or 8 pass) 175$

Insurance (if needed) 25$ with a deductible of 500$ 

Canadian Dollars

[crucero05]

On 5/3/2022 at 1:44 PM, racingraysswimmom said:

Update to my question:

 

I Found the National Car Rental in Saguenay Port Location!!

To rent a car email this address:  sarajane.talbot@gmail.com   Tell her Jan from Cruise Critic gave you her information.

Mid-size car 75$

Small SUV 89$

Standard SUV 125$

Mini-van (7 or 8 pass) 175$

Insurance (if needed) 25$ with a deductible of 500$ 

Canadian Dollars

 

[RachelG]

Has anyone actually been successful in renting a car at the port recently?  I tried to go through the National website, but it makes no mention of being able to rent at the port.

[travelite]

On 9/5/2022 at 3:32 PM, RachelG said:

Has anyone actually been successful in renting a car at the port recently?  I tried to go through the National website, but it makes no mention of being able to rent at the port.

I tired to rent a car there in October 2019.  I was arriving by cruise ship and was requesting a reservation weeks in advance. The rental company was very kind and gave me lots of information about the area, roads, driving time, etc..  I must have been on the phone with this extremely helpful agent for well over a half hour.  After the lengthy conversation, I didn't reserve a car.   Early September is the end of their tourist/visitor season.  Many services are greatly cut back or eliminated at that time.  I am a seasoned traveler and prefer independent experiences, but always consider safety first.  Renting a car at this time of the, year, in this port with limited services, for me was not a wise choice especially given a strict ship's sailing time.

THis is a wonderful, welcoming port.  There is a visitor center in the port terminal that you can contact in advance.  When a ship comes in, the local people come out and make the port area like a festival for the entire day.  I had a fantastic day surrounded by and mingling with the local people,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RachelG]

On 9/7/2022 at 12:48 AM, travelite said:

I tired to rent a car there in October 2019.  I was arriving by cruise ship and was requesting a reservation weeks in advance. The rental company was very kind and gave me lots of information about the area, roads, driving time, etc..  I must have been on the phone with this extremely helpful agent for well over a half hour.  After the lengthy conversation, I didn't reserve a car.   Early September is the end of their tourist/visitor season.  Many services are greatly cut back or eliminated at that time.  I am a seasoned traveler and prefer independent experiences, but always consider safety first.  Renting a car at this time of the, year, in this port with limited services, for me was not a wise choice especially given a strict ship's sailing time.

THis is a wonderful, welcoming port.  There is a visitor center in the port terminal that you can contact in advance.  When a ship comes in, the local people come out and make the port area like a festival for the entire day.  I had a fantastic day surrounded by and mingling with the local people,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have kind of decided the same.  We will do a ship’s “hiking” tour (more like a casual stroll) in the morning then for the afternoon, I have found a trail which looks good, that we can access from the port.

[racingraysswimmom]

On 9/5/2022 at 2:32 PM, RachelG said:

Has anyone actually been successful in renting a car at the port recently?  I tried to go through the National website, but it makes no mention of being able to rent at the port.

That is why I posted who to contact for the National Car rental at the Port.

 

I Found the National Car Rental in Saguenay Port Location!!

To rent a car email this address:  sarajane.talbot@gmail.com   Tell her Jan from Cruise Critic gave you her information.

[kluv2cruz]

Rachel does the trail from the port have a name so I can find it? On AllTrails?

[ddaz]

On 9/10/2022 at 4:39 PM, racingraysswimmom said:

I Found the National Car Rental in Saguenay Port Location!!

To rent a car email this address:  sarajane.talbot@gmail.com   Tell her Jan from Cruise Critic gave you her information.

 

Howdy Jan

 

Do you pick the rental cars up right at the port? 

 

And yes, this contact information is correct.  Received a reply in less than 10 minutes.  Thank you so very much for posting this information.

 

ddaz

[racingraysswimmom]

On 3/21/2023 at 2:36 PM, ddaz said:

 

Howdy Jan

 

Do you pick the rental cars up right at the port? 

 

And yes, this contact information is correct.  Received a reply in less than 10 minutes.  Thank you so very much for posting this information.

 

ddaz

YES you pick up right at the Port.  Very easy.  Go INSIDE the building and you will get directed to area to pick up your reservation papers and they get car for you and take you to the car.

[ddaz]

On 3/31/2023 at 12:38 PM, racingraysswimmom said:

YES you pick up right at the Port.  Very easy.

 

Thanks for the response!

[cadoocrazy]

So it sounds like ddaz and Jan (racingrayswimmom) have successfully rented from the La Baie cruise port location of National. I see from their posts that ddaz drove out to the fjord park for a hike, with apparently no issue on the drive/return.

 

For those who have rented from the La Baie port location of National, how was the experience of actually driving around the area? Any places that felt a bit too dicey road-wise (thinking Cabot Trail), or perhaps too far for a comfortable return? In general, while the actual renting process went smoothly, was renting a car and driving around the area something that you enjoyed and would recommend/do again?

Edited June 20, 2023 by cadoocrazy

[GTJ]

11 hours ago, cadoocrazy said:

Any places that felt a bit too dicey road-wise . . . ?

What does "dicey" mean?

[cadoocrazy]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

What does "dicey" mean?

Dicey means risky or unpredictable. In the context of the question, it would describe a twisty, undulating road, or perhaps a less-improved road surface like gravel or packed dirt, that a local may be comfortable driving on, but a cruise tourist such as myself would probably try to avoid.

[GTJ]

I have never heard this type of question asked, and seeming to be so unusual I was not certain I understood . . . I thought it might have had something to do with personal security. The clarification is helpful. This is a long-settled area, and the roads are generally well-traveled. There are mountains, but not as rough as the Canadian Rockies in the west. Perhaps you could find a back road that is unpaved, but more generally this is not a third-world country with poor roads.

[cadoocrazy]

On 6/20/2023 at 5:30 PM, cadoocrazy said:

For those who have rented from the La Baie port location of National, how was the experience of actually driving around the area? In general, was renting a car and driving around the area something that you enjoyed and would recommend?

Anyone have such experience they’d like to share?

[CruiseNC1111]

La Baie cruise port location is PERMANENTLY CLOSED in 2024.  I had sent a request to National asking when they would be opening for the season, and they responded that the location is permanently closed.  They may have a location in Chicoutimi however the one that used to be right next to the cruise port is no longer open.

Edited March 26 by CruiseNC1111