Saguenay River after Quebec City?

[cruising diva]

I am booked on a cruise that has Saguenay River listed after Quebec City and am thinking of switching to a cruise that lists" sea day" after Quebec City.Is there more than one way to leave Q.C or do you always cruise the Saguenay River? Thank you in advance.

[Steamboatin]

I am booked on a cruise that has Saguenay River listed after Quebec City and am thinking of switching to a cruise that lists" sea day" after Quebec City.Is there more than one way to leave Q.C or do you always cruise the Saguenay River? Thank you in advance.

 

 

The short answer is yes as you can just cruise down the St. Lawerence to the ocean. The Saquenay River empties into the St. Lawerence River.

 

Now what the individual cruise lines do you have to do your own research on each one's itineraries.

[Ephraim]

I am booked on a cruise that has Saguenay River listed after Quebec City and am thinking of switching to a cruise that lists" sea day" after Quebec City.Is there more than one way to leave Q.C or do you always cruise the Saguenay River? Thank you in advance.

 

I wouldn't miss the Saguenay river for all the money in the world!

 

The Saguenay river is actually a detour that the ship does and it is a sea day. The reason the ships go into the Saguenay are two-fold. Firstly, it's an amazingly beautiful fjord. Secondly the Saguenay empties into the St. Lawrence river and therefore brings abundant krill, which attracts the whales. So at the mouth of the Saguenay river you will find many different types of whales from Blue to Minke, Fin and Beluga whales.

 

Here is a Google Map showing you the route from Quebec to Baie-Ste-Catherine where the mouth of the Saguenay river is. From that area forward, the whales are (from mid-May) and the are especially abundant around the opening of the Saguenay river. We went on a whale watching expedition from there two years ago.

 

There are already reports of a Blue whale with a calf in the Gaspe area of Quebec. Only 15 calves have been reported in Quebec since 1979. Closer to Riviere du Loup there are also Humpbacks and Harbour Porpoise.

 

To see more information about the whales, check out http://www.whales-online.net

 

Incidentally, the St. Lawrence river is fresh water at Quebec City. It becomes and estuary only from the L'isle d'Orleans. (Lil d'Orle-on)

[senator6]

Ephriam,

Thanks once again for such helpful information, Last year when we were on the Maasdam we traveled on the Saguenay river, I agree that it is beautiful but the weather was poor and we did not see any wildlife, I will now know to keep an eye out when we do our June cruise.

[Ephraim]

Ephriam,

Thanks once again for such helpful information, Last year when we were on the Maasdam we travelled on the Saguenay river, I agree that it is beautiful but the weather was poor and we did not see any wildlife, I will now know to keep an eye out when we do our June cruise.

 

From about Riviere du Loup on you should actually start to see whales and other wildlife. They are exceedingly abundant around the mouth of the river, where the krill are deposited. We went on the special smaller boats out of Baie Ste. Catherine and it was spectacular. The baby Belugas were actually sleeping on the top of the water. Quite amazing.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we did the Saguenay River a couple of years ago we didn't see any whales.

 

Have 2 more chances this year. Might get lucky.

[Ephraim]

Not IN the Saguenay, at the mouth of the Saguenay, where it meets the St. Lawrence river (Baie Ste. Catherine is one one side of the fjord and Tadoussac is on the other. And from the mouth all the way down until the Gaspe peninsula. (Incidentally, if you saw the movie Hotel New Hampshire, the hotel itself is the Hotel Tadoussac, which you will be able to clearly see from the ship as you pay by the village.)

 

The Saguenay cruising is to see and enjoy the fjords, which is the last 100 km of the Saguenay river leading to the St. Lawrence river.

 

The mouth of the Saguenay where it meets the St. Lawrence river is a national park in Canada called the Saguenay-St. Lawrence marine park. The website for the park is at http://www.parcmarin.qc.ca/

[cruising diva]

Thank you for all the information. Our cruise will be mid October and will we be able to see whales that time of year?

[Ephraim]

They are usually there until the end of October. The closer you are to the mouth of the Saguenay, the longer they stay. They usually leave the St. Lawrence estuary earlier (from what I have read).