We are taking the June 16 Navigator cruise, the reverse of yours, and am wondering if you've made any decisions about excursions now that they are posted on the RSSC site. I've done some port research but was waiting to see what the ship offered as opposed to making independent arrangements. Any opinions?

Thanks for your input.

Kathy - funny, you should ask that. I just went by the RSSC site tonight and was looking at them. (is that a cosmic coincidence or what??) I'm still trying to decide myself but definitely thinking about walking the Freedom Trail in Boston (whether by ship excursion or just doing it on our own) and visiting Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor (again, whether on our own or as part of the ship). Need to figure out where I'm going to get a lobster roll in Bar Harbor as well. Quebec, I'm totally lost on at this point. We'll probably do our own thing in Halifax and Sydney - nothing's really jumping out at us.

What about you?

Masaki

Well, on the subject of Quebec City, Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre & Montmorency Falls is a very pretty drive down the St. Lawrence river as I remember it. St. Anne is a catholic shrine, dedicated to Mary's mother--thousands of people claim to be healed there.

On the other hand, the trip to Ile d'Orleans looks interesting too, although I have never been there.

Old Quebec is one of the oldest cities in N.A. and one of the most "european" in flavour. Great for just wandering, although watch out for tourist traps--it attracts millions of tourists every year, and there are lots of restauranteurs out to get your money!

Acadia National Park, by the way, is awesome. Lucky you!

Thanks for the tips, Wendy! Quebec has so many options, I'm lost at this point. But glad to hear that Montmorency Falls is well worth while.

Masaki

Thanks Wendy! Any suggestions for Montreal? We will be there about 24 hrs pre-cruise, staying in Vieux Montreal. Should we just wander around there and maybe take a tour bus to see the rest f the city?

Masaki,
Did Ngaire send you her report from last year's cruise? Very helpful! Also you can call 800-Bonjour and get info from Quebec Tourism re Quebec City and Montreal; very helpful. Reviewed options with hubby yesterday and at this point, will probably do several ship's. Sydney is the 1 we have no idea; the all day to the Lakes sounds best, but he really doesn't want to spend whole day bus riding/walking. We are not nearly as young as you!

Definitely will do Acadia, weather permitting and probably Peggy's Cove in Halifax. A friend went there last yr, said it's beautiful! Maybe the Duck also. If you go to CC Ports of Call, Canada, there is a 3 page post from a Halifax resident offerings lots of info and links.

Do you plan to post from the ship? (says she wanting all the info she can get!)

Didn't mean to be so longwinded!

Hi "another Kathy",

Well, I'm no expert on Montreal, even tho' I was born there. You know, it's hard to imagine taking a tour of a place like that so close to home.

The area of the city south of the "mountain", and McGill University, is very nice, with lots of shopping and restaurants. St. Catherine's street is really the main street of Montreal. Mont Royal itself (the mountain), is a great park, with views of the city from the top.

Nice restaurants all over the place, in the above area, and to the east, and then down to vieux Montreal (which is more touristy, but nice.)

Montreal is known for "smoked meat", which is like pastrami, but slightly different. Try, if you have time, to seek out a delicatessen like Schwartz's or "The Main" or Ben's (apparently in that order--Ben's is a tourist instititution, definitely downscale and apparently not quite as good these days as the other places.)

It's also a great place for bagels--which are very distinctive in Montreal. Up here we fight about it--Montrealers are known for looking down their noses at Torontonians, and hockey comes first, but then bagels.

Oh, and don't forget to try for your tax refunds when you go home:

www.canadiantaxrefund.com

I do have Ngaire's report and read it but don't remember details any more. Probably need to bust it out again. Wendy's description of "smoked meat" intrigues me - I'm a big fan of pastrami so would want to try it -- too bad we're flying out so quickly.

I'm planning on posting from the ship - all these reports I've been reading has fired me up to try it myself!

Masaki

Sorry, that phone # is 877 Bonjour (266-5687) for Quebec Tourism. Can't trust this memory! They included a Tax Refund form which I didn't know about before.

Thanks for your help Wendy!

Thank you Masaki! You KNOW I will be eagerly awaiting your posts about the ship, ports, etc. :app:

Kathy - and if you come up with any other good ideas for excursions before then, please let me know!

BTW, have you thought about Boston? We're thinking about walking the Freedom Trail but trying to figure out the difference between doing a tour on our own (90 minutes) or the Radisson walking tour (3-1/2 hours!!!) Not sure what the difference is.

Masaki

Late last night (yes I have FAR too much time on my hands,) I discovered a HAL Roll Call on CC titled Maasdam May 9, author wwinfl91, which has many links for NY, Boston, etc. if you go to pg.2. I'm assuming more will be added as the cruise goes to Montreal. If I didn't have such primitive computer skills, maybe I would know how to transfer them here, but I don't. Can't answer about the Boston walk, unless they walk REALLLY slowly or the guide goes into great depth! Will report any new finds... :)

Hi Masaki,

Did you find the HAL thread I referred to? He has now added a long list of Halifax links.

Kathy - looking at it. There's a LOT of research here. Wow. A little overwhelming, actually ....

Masaki

Masaki...I'm sure the differences in time for the Freedom Trail walk have to do with operating a group tour rather than two active individuals (like YOU and Amanda) doing it at your own pace. When you think of the logistics of gathering the group - doing transportation to starting point and then just keeping that number together and offering "rest stops" along the way, it quickly adds to the total time.

You will love walking in Boston - so much to do!You can definitely do it on your own.

Margo - that is true and I hadn't thought about that. Hmmm. Maybe I will book this on our own after all. :) Thanks for the input!

Masaki

On the subject of "Au Pied de Cochon" (from our local paper today, the Toronto Star)--

The owner is "...known to local critics as the enfant terrible of the Montreal food scene."

He has taken to producing an upscale version of poutine, which is Quebec's signature dish: chips (fries), topped with grated chedder cheese curds, and then slathered with gravy (it's really great, a once-a-year indulgence for me when I go up to my cottage in Ottawa.)

But he's putting foie gras in it--nouvelle poutine. Voila! So, if you can afford a hit of cholesterol, there you are.

Wendy,
Have read about poutine, but can't quite imagine the combination, never mind with foie gras! Do you have to eat it rather quickly so it doesn't become a soggy mess??

Masaki,

Have you received your travel schedule yet? Just wondering if you have to dash to the airport when you leave the ship..

Well, it is a soggy mess, that's part of the deal, at least when I've eaten it. Tastes great, though!

Wendy - reminds me of the home fries that I used to eat in upstate NY when I lived there. Great stuff, but really was a heart attack on a plate. And now, foie gras?? That's just asking for trouble ... :)

Kathy - haven't received anything yet for our cruise. I would LOVE to know how they're planning on flying us in and out. (sigh) Aren't we supposed to be receiving our tickets and such about 60 days out?

Masaki

Masaki wher are you in Hawaii?

Masaki,
I think docs come 3-4 weeks prior, but thought you might have the air info anyway. We're doing own air. There are some advantages to living in ATL; non-stop ATL-Montreal and of course return from NY!

Claudia - we're on Oahu, on the west side of the island. :)

Kathy - nope, no news yet. I keep peeking in the mailbox hoping to find something but not yet. 3-4 wks .... means another week or so?

Masaki

Masaki,
The fellow on the HAL Roll Call has added links for Quebec and Montreal.

Kathy - ack! Too much information! :)

Masaki

I agree! I've read too much and probably haven't retained half of it! :rolleyes:

Kathy - this is easily the least prepared I've been so far for a cruise. I think part of it is that the cruise still feels quite a bit away and part of it is that I'm more in a let's-see-what-happens mode at this point than a let's-preplan-everything mode. Also part of it is that one of the big pulls for me is the ship and RSSC itself so I'm planning on trying to enjoy it as much as possible and soak it all in.

Masaki

Masaki, I think when I speak the language of a port, I am ahead of the game. Don't stress yourself out on planning for this trip. In your profession, you already have enough of it. Save that for when you are in foreign ports where there is just so much you want to do that you need a private driver to get you to the big ones! Get a taxi armed with all the excursion stops from RSSC and get them to take you there. I think I learned this from Ngaire. Often, she will recommend the ship's tours, but usually it is fun to do it yourself.

Good reminder, Masaki, since we're both first time RSSC cruisers, to enjoy the ship and the whole experience! Maybe since I've not been to any of these ports except NY, I feel like I shouldn't miss anything, but that's not possible anyway! Will "chill" until "doc dance" time! :D

Olivia - I've also been tossing around the idea of doing taxi tours, especially in Bar Harbor and maybe in Quebec. Certainly, Ngaire and other people's posts have made it sound very attractive.

Kathy - oh, trust me, once I get my docs, you'll be one of the first to know ... :)

Masaki

Masaki, I guess it depends on what you want to do with your time, and the availability of good guides.

Are there guides in Quebec that come highly recommended? What sights do you want to take in? It's a pretty compact city, great for walking, but if you want to go up the river, for instance, then it might make sense. Guides can also tell you lots of great stuff that you would never know, so if you don't have a lot of time to study guidebooks, it might be a good bet--I'm sure you would learn lots about Quebec culture quickly! But it really depends on the guide.

As for Bar Harbor, again, what do you want to accomplish? The town itself is tiny, as I remember, but it's the park you probably want to see. Again, if you can get a good guide, then probably it's a good bet. I think I might just rent a car and do the loop. It's beautiful, for sure, but maybe a guide could take you to special places you might not go, and being driven up Cadillac Mountain would be better than having to do it yourself (hair-raising switchbacks).

Wendy - in Bar Harbor, we're considering the park as a must go at this point. So whether we'll do it as part of the ship's tour or hire a taxi on our own or rent a car ... that's the hard part. Otherwise, we'll be walking the town and exploring the sights otherwise. Quebec is another matter - I think we want to go see the waterfall at Canyon Sainte Anne but not sure about other stuff yet.

Masaki

Wendy

I will be attending a conference in Toronto the first part of June. I try to save money by eating off the vendor parties for the most part, but can you suggest a few good restaurants for either lunch or dinner? I will be staying at the Royal Oak.
Also, now that Eaton's is gone, what is a good place to shop or window shop. I was there 30 years ago & remember shopping in an underground area off the Sheraton Hotel by City Hall.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Betty, I don't know the Royal Oak. Do you mean the Royal York? Is that the conference hotel?

Yes, Eaton's is gone, but the Eaton Centre is not. It's a big mall that stretches from Queen north to Dundas, off Yonge St. But the Royal York is further south, a bit of a hike on foot. There's also the "Path", which is underground shopping stretching from there up past the Eaton's Centre.

If you're staying at the Royal York, you're right downtown in the "canyons", so to speak. I don't go down there much, but will think about where one might eat. How much walking do you like to do, and what kinds of food do you like to eat?

Yes, it is the Royal York. I misread my reservation. I will be with a former colleague. We both like to walk, except you do so much walking during the conference from 7 in the morning to about 10 at night, that we are also exhausted at the end of the day.
We like most anything - from a unique deli or cafe, to maybe one nice dinner. I remember eating in an excellent Hugarian cafe before & I know I had to take a cab to get there. Would rather have something closer to the hotel this time.
It sounds like we will be more in a business area than where I stayed before. Don't knock yourself out trying to think of a place, but if something comes to mind, it will be appreciated.
Is there someplace speical that serves a really nice Sunday brunch?

Betty, I haven't forgotten you, but am asking around.

One thing for sure, in June, you should head down to the Harbourfront area for dinner, maybe even for Sunday brunch. The lakeshore is beautiful at that time of year, and there are some interesting places for a meal, and shopping. Best take a cab, since the walk is a bit yucky (Toronto's waterfront is cut off from the city by an elevated expressway), but it's very close, and once you get there, you can wander.

Will get a recommendation or two for you soon.

Betty - When I stay in Toronto, I like Yorkville, just north (I think) of downtown. But for fun dining, why not try Greektown, a few blocks along Danforth (I think), with several Greek restaurants on each block? Even though the restaurants are a little less elegant than those in Chicago's Greektown, they are lots of fun and serve traditional, tasty Greek food. The concierge at the Royal York can tell you about them. It is just a short cab ride to Danforth from your hotel - if you are game for it, it is about a 45 minute walk, at a good pace. As for shopping, I recall a couple of large antiques malls near the waterfront. Wendy, please correct me if I misrecall. I agree with Wendy that it is a bit creepy to walk from downtown to the waterfront because you have to walk a few blocks under freeways. I did it once and then took a cab back into town - of course, I was also carrying a load of stuff from the Tilley store down by the harbour and could not have walked back in any event, even if walking under the freeway was not so creepy. Have fun in Toronto - it's a magnificent city! Cheers, Fred

Fred, right, I'd forgotten about the Tilley store. Good thing to do when shopping here, since it's the flagship store.

I'd say that walking from the Royal York to Greektown is a bit of a plod, though! You could take the subway there in about a half hour, so that tells you how far it is--I certainly wouldn't walk that far--Fred, you must have good feet, and a good map.

There are plenty of great neighbourhoods to try out, if you're game to explore. But Betty, you said you wanted to stay fairly close to your hotel, right? If you want to go further afield, name your poison, so to speak!