Cruise Insider: Sailing the MS Laurent from Montreal to Maine

You make a reservation, but you don’t know what a cruise is really like until you set sail. There are hundreds of ships worldwide, and with new ones launching every day, it’s impossible to know what you’re going to get. Yahoo Travel takes the guessing out of the equation by going onboard some of the world’s most popular vessels.

The pint-sized MS Saint Laurent is a great alternative to larger cruise ships. (Photo: Haimark Line/Facebook)

The Ship: MS Saint Laurent

Background: The MS Saint Laurent is a 15-year-old vessel that was refurbished this year by the Haimark Line. Originally designed for the Great Lakes, she now offers coastal itineraries in Canada and South America, sailing both rivers and sea. I hopped onto its third voyage, a nine-night sail from Montreal, Canada, to Portland, Maine. (This 2015 itinerary will be repeated next year.)

What I Loved: This is a great option for travelers who like the convenience of a vessel nimble enough to slip in and out of major cities, as well as the convenience of sailing between cities with easy-to-access airports.

What Bummed Me Out: Conditions on board are very good, although short of the “luxury” promised in promotional materials. Haimark’s term for the standard is “four-star-plus,” which might be a reach. For example, the L’Occitane bath products, plush towels, and high-quality robes in every cabin were impressive. But I would have preferred Wi-Fi that worked.

At the Cliff Rock bar & grill, passengers can grill their own meats for dinner. (Photo: Haimark Lines)

What’s Included: The tariff covers unlimited wine (I tested that), well liquor and soft drinks, ample food (including snacks and 24-hour room service), port tours, and lecturers. CBS journalist Dan Rather was the keynote speaker on our cruise, and a maritime historian also spoke. Both were big hits with the guests.

Who Sails: The fine-dining menu, amenities, and onboard entertainment are aimed at older passengers. The nightly musicians were “Souljourn,” a duo who define the genre of cruise-ship entertainers. Their cover of “Blurred Lines,” for a full dance-floor of boogieing 70-year-olds with gnashing hips, was sublime.

Related: The Top 7 Cruise Planning Myths… Busted!

The updated cabins on the St. Laurent are lovely and luxurious at every level. (Photo: Haimark Line)

The Staterooms: The quality of the cabins is excellent. In all classes they are good-sized, with high ceilings. The beds are wonderfully comfortable and come with a “pillow menu” for picky sleepers (or those who didn’t test the unlimited wine).

I toured the 10 cabin classes, from the “owner’s suite” down to to “H,” and I have two recommendations. On the higher end, I suggest the “A” cabins, which have interior doors on one side and unobstructed, sea-view portholes on the other. “AA” class is more expensive, because its doors open onto an exterior walkway, which is allegedly a bonus. But the barely-tinted windows are on the same side, and you have staff and passengers passing all day — which means you either have to close the shade to cancel the view, or meet a constant stream of inquiring eyes. A quiet corridor and nobody outside the windows, will be more appealing to many people.

The biggest bargain: the “E” cabins. They are less expensive and have wonderful windows, space, and light, but are lower-priced for being located aft.

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In addition to the bar & grill on the ship’s deck, the dining room is another great place to grab a meal onboard. (Photo: Haimark Line)

The Food: The food in the dining room was plentiful and seemed to get better as the cruise progressed. But everyone’s favorite experience was the “Cliff Rock Grille,” a pop-up dinner café on an outside deck, where passengers grill their own meats on individual rocks heated to 450 degrees.

At Your Service: The ship is still working out some kinks. My “AA” accommodation was advertised as coming with a “butler.” But the only way to contact him was to leave the cabin and go looking, and of course he could never be found. So that meant things like refilling my cabin’s water carafe at the bar, which charged me for the privilege.

Staff also gossiped quite a bit. One waiter silenced our lunch table by telling us his wage was $300 a week.

But there were also many expert individuals, often waiters and bartenders, who made a difference. The captain was a dignified Greek given to grand gestures. One evening, he conducted what appeared to be a sorority pledge ceremony on the dance floor, handing a candle to each of the (many) senior staff — because, he explained, of their specialness.

The similarly expressive cruise director told guests that we left footprints in his heart.

Related: 27 Secrets the Cruise Lines Won’t Tell You

As you cruise along the scenic St. Lawrence river, you’ll make stops to explore historic Quebec City, Halifax, St. John, and more. (Photo: iStock)

The Weather: Canadian weather in June can be unpredictable. The first day was 87 degrees and humid. But after that, the weather was often gray and cold — sometimes very cold. Several nights we sat out on deck, at the bar or for dinner, enshrouded in blankets. That did not diminish our good time — and we had a very good time. But huddling under blankets won’t be what everyone wants in a summer cruise, especially older travelers.

Port Excursions: Every day, except one at sea, we explored a destination between Montreal and Portland: Quebec City and Gaspé in Quebec province; Prince Edward Island; Halifax and Yarmouth in Nova Scotia; St John in New Brunswick, and Bar Harbor, Maine.

Each stop was delightful. (Except Prince Edward Island, where we spent two rainy hours at the tedious Anne of Green Gables house, as the captives of a coach guide who sang.)

But, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, rocked. Those people are crazy hospitable. They behave like they go home every night to a waiting government agent, who will tie them to a kitchen chair and slap them if they’re not nice to tourists.

Charming and friendly Yarmouth, Nova Scotia was an unexpected highlight of the trip. (Photo: Gunter Marx/Gunter Marx Photography/Corbis)

On our walking tour, a middle-aged woman in a red Dodge Charger pulled over from traffic to yell, “Welcome to Yarmouth! I hope you have a good time!”

We passed the school (which was holding a Hawaiian costume day, despite the chilly weather) just as it was letting out and were swarmed by 10-year-olds in grass skirts and board shorts, all asking if we were enjoying our visit.

It was a memorable moment on a wonderful cruise aboard a charming ship.

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