Montreal now a major ‘turnaround’ location for eastern voyages
We’re coming up on what is arguably the best time to visit the Canadian Maritimes. The bulk of Canada and New England cruises operate from late August until late October, and while some purely concentrate on the eastern seaboard, there are plenty of Canada and New England voyages that depart from and arrive from the beautiful city of Montreal.
Over the past few years, Montreal has become a major “turnaround” port for Eastern Canada — that is, a port where passengers from one voyage disembark, while another group of guests embarks for the next cruise. The city also has a swanky new cruise terminal to welcome visitors, with Holland America Line’s (cruise.center/holland) Maasdam being the first to dock at the terminal when it opened in June. The 1,258-guest ship has been a staunch favourite on the East Coast for years, regularly operating week-long cruises between Montreal and Boston.
This year, Maasdam is joined by her sister, Veendam, and fleetmate Rotterdam in offering cruises that explore Quebec, the St. Lawrence River and the Canadian Maritimes. Holland America will be making seven departures from Montreal alone this year between Sept. 1 and Oct. 14. These are fantastic voyages, and Holland America knows this region well. Holland America is the only “big ship” line to actually offer cruises departing from Montreal, though it’s worth noting that other big ship lines, such as Celebrity, Norwegian and Princess Cruises offer departures from Quebec City.
Luxury lines Seabourn (cruise. center/seabourn) and Silversea (cruise.center/silversea) both offer voyages departing from Montreal this fall. Seabourn sends its 450-guest Seabourn Quest on a 10-day voyage between Montreal and Boston that offers port calls in Quebec City, Saguenay (Que.), BaieComeau (Que.), Gaspé (Que.), Charlottetown, Halifax, and Bar Harbor (Maine). Departing on Sept. 12 and Oct. 2, these two voyages are supplemented by a third sailing on Oct. 22 — a oneoff voyage from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Silversea, meanwhile, brings its brand-new, 596-guest Silver Muse to town on Sept. 28, for its inaugural visit to the city. Silver Muse will set sail that evening for Halifax before cruising the eastern seaboard of the United States, with visits to Portland (Maine), Boston, New York, Norfolk (Va.), and Savannah (Ga.), before arriving in Fort Lauderdale.
Some cool things about Silver Muse’s first visit to Montreal: you can sail on a special seven-day voyage from St. John’s, N.L., to Montreal on Sept. 21; or pick up the ship in Montreal for a quick five-day jaunt down to Boston as part of her longer sailing to Fort Lauderdale. Silversea’s elegant 382-guest Silver Whisper also returns this year for a series of 11-day voyages between Montreal and New York.
Also on the list of new-andnoteworthy ships offering turnaround days in Montreal is Viking Ocean Cruises’ (cruise. center/vikingsea) new Viking Sky, which was just christened in June in Norway. She’ll head across the Atlantic from Bergen, Norway to Montreal on a soldout 15-day In the Wake of the Vikings transatlantic crossing — though the same voyage on her sister, Viking Sea, still has some staterooms available on her Sept. 17 departure from Bergen.
Passengers arriving and departing from Montreal’s new cruise terminal will find plenty to enjoy right at the pier, thanks to the Port’s new History of Ships exhibition that opened to the public in July.
Models of ships of all kinds, along with information on the history of shipping in Montreal and Quebec, and the history of the Port of Montreal, are showcased in this unique space located on the cruise terminal’s second floor.
“We are delighted to help Montrealers, and visitors, discover the Port of Montreal’s rich history through this exhibition for free,” said Sylvie Vachon, president and chief executive of the Montreal Port Authority.
“History of Ships aims to raise interest in our city’s maritime heritage and to showcase the benefits and value brought by the Port of Montreal. The year 2017 is a great opportunity to remember the bonds uniting the destinies of the Port, the City of Montreal and Canada.”
Taking a fall cruise doesn’t have to involve long flights and far-flung embarkation ports. These fall Canada and New England sailings from Quebec are great opportunities to explore the unique cities and maritime culture that exist right in our own backyard.
Happy cruising.
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