Canadian Empress

[LHT28]

Has anyone sailed with ST. LAWRENCE CRUISE LINES on the Canadian Empress?

 

It does cruises in the St Lawrence river

[LHT28]

Anyone??? :(

[ldove123]

We've booked this ship for a cruise the first week in July. I, too, would welcome any information from past cruisers.

 

the one member review on this site was very helpful, but I'd love to hear from any others.

[LHT28]

Did you talk to them regarding cabin location or anything else?

I know the cabins are very small compared to cruise ships

 

We were looking at May so I will report back if we go.

Waiting the the new brochure

 

Lyn

[LHT28]

We booked for May 23rd so will report back with photos ;)

[LHT28]

We are back!

The cruise was ok

We had booked cabin #35 with the double bed ...we ended up moving to cabin #7 but be warned there is some kind of pump underneath & it cycles on/off in the wee hours.

If you are an early riser (5 am) it may not bother you.;)

 

I did a review but it may take a few weeks to be posted in the review section

I posted in TA

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g154992-i1060-k2836342-l18498606-Canadian_Empress_Review-Kingston_Ontario.html

Pictures at

http://travel.webshots.com/album/572730907NutgrK

 

Any questions??

 

Lyn

[ldove123]

We just returned from 5 nights/6 days on the Canadian Empress.

 

Overall, it was a delightful trip. We sailed from Kingston to Ottawa, stopping also in Montreal for the afternoon.

 

The boat was at half capacity, 30 instead of the capacity of 60. This, of course, was an added attraction, in that the ship is relatively small. On our 2 rainy days when we were kept inside, the small numbers made a huge difference. It also meant that we had one sitting for meals, instead of two, and provided many extra deck chairs.

 

As noted in earlier reviews, the passengers are older, almost all retired. My husband and I were among the few still working. The range of passengers represented a broad spectrum of interests, geography and economic background. We had a very successful real estate developer, several retired foreign service officers, a fireman, and a Swiss businessman. All were very interesting and conversation at meals was stimulating and provocative, always a great addition to a cruise of any type.

 

The food was excellent. Our last cruise was on Cunard's Queen Mary 2. We thought the food on the Empress was much better than the Queen. Steak, prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, excellent fresh fish. Joe the cook really excelled in breads and pastries -- apple pie to die for!

 

The tours were fine. The Saint Lawrence itself was the attraction and there are not a lot of opportunities for unusual tours. They were interesting but not the reason to take the trip.

 

The rooms are indeed small. Five nights was about right. Much more and it would not be fun, but, as it was, we looked on it as a "camping" experience and made the most of the two bunks, sink and "pump toilets". The crew was extremely hard-working. Everything was kept up and very clean.

 

Overall, it was delightful trip, largely due to the beautiful scenery, good food, and delightful companions. Worth the time and the money.

[LHT28]

The food was excellent. Our last cruise was on Cunard's Queen Mary 2. We thought the food on the Empress was much better than the Queen. Steak, prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, excellent fresh fish. Joe the cook really excelled in breads and pastries -- apple pie to die for!

 

Well if we do another cruise we will make sure Joe is the Chef

We had Mike & the food was not all that great.

 

What cabin did you book?

 

Lyn

[ldove123]

The ship has two complete hospitality crews who alternate so a passenger may get a different chef, etc. One of the deck crew told us "off the record" that Joe was "the best." Certainly lived up to high standards.

 

We were in cabin 17 -- very small, of course, but no complaints as we knew what to expect. The scenery was so great that we really didn't mind all the concessions of such a small ship.

 

One point of interest: in our six days on the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, we saw TWO "salties". The captain said that seaway traffic is at an all-time low. Result of the economy but also of the change in the type and size of ocean-going ships who no longer fit in the locks.

[LHT28]

The ship has two complete hospitality crews who alternate so a passenger may get a different chef, etc. One of the deck crew told us "off the record" that Joe was "the best." Certainly lived up to high standards.

 

We were in cabin 17 --

 

One point of interest: in our six days on the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, we saw TWO "salties".

 

Yes I know about the crew they do 2 cruises or 10-14 days then rotate.

Well I can tell you the cook we had was not good at all...the fish was always dry & overcooked except one night it was not cooked through still cold in centre.

We had the owners on board & surprised of the quality of the food since they own a restaurant in town also.

Friends we met onboard were in 17 also ..said it was fine.

 

What is a Saltie?

We did a few lake freighters in our trip and a few sail boats.

Who was the CD?

We had Marc he was excellent, the nightly entertainment was very good also.

 

We may do another cruise with them next year maybe to Ottawa but will certainly check who the chef is before booking ;)

 

Lyn