Journey along the St. Lawrence

Overview

As you cruise downriver in the safety and comfort of the Canadian Empress, you will experience the numerous attractions and extraordinary scenery of Upper Canada and the Thousand Islands. As your journey continues east into the province of Quebec, you will see and experience the cultural divide between English Canada and French Canada.

Quebec City, Canada’s showpiece, provides the venue for the end of your river cruise. Here you can experience the world charm and grace of “Old” Europe. You will encounter Quebec City’s unparalleled joie de vivre (love of life) found nowhere else in North America. Enjoy Old Quebec (the only walled city in North America) with its massive ramparts still bolstering the Plains of Abraham; and behold the imperial green-roofed towers of the legendary Chateau Frontenac.

Inclusions

6 nights onboard Canadian Empress

Captain's Welcome Reception

Complimentary chocolate and liqueurs

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner onboard

Guided tours of the 1000 Islands Heritage Museum & 1000 Islands Boat Museum

View and learn about Boldt Castle on Heart Island & Singer Castle on Dark Island

Guided tour at Fulford Mansion

Guided tour at Fort Wellington

Guided tour at the Aquatarium

Guided wagon tour to Upper Canada Village

Guided motorcoach tour of Montreal

Port of Montreal harbour tour (at Captain’s discretion)

Itinerary

Download Itinerary Expand All

Sail Onboard St. Lawrence Cruise Lines - The Canadian Empress

The Canadian Empress is a grand ship with a warm and friendly personality, and the size and design of the vessel serves to enhance the intimacy of river cruising. The exterior of the ship emulates the classic steamboats of the Victorian era, while the interior is a mix of charming early heritage style, with brass handrails and ornate metal ceilings, and contemporary fashion. This classic riverboat style is combined with modern technology to provide all of the safety, comfort, and amenities expected by today's travellers. All staterooms are above the waterline and include daily maid service.

*Note: The Canadian Empress is only equipped with stairs between decks. Persons with mobility issues should enquire with reservations staff about stateroom accessibility and potential accommodations.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Onboard St. Lawrence Cruise Lines - The Canadian Empress

Credit: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Day 1 Kingston

Begin your journey with pre-boarding on Crawford Dock in Kingston, followed by passenger boarding. Experience the Captain's Welcome Reception in the Grand Saloon. Depart from Kingston toward the 1000 Islands Anchorage. Later, enjoy a peaceful evening by strolling the outer decks under a canopy of stars and amidst the charm of a thousand islands.

Overnight onboard the Canadian Empress.

Dinner

Credit: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Day 2 Kingston Gananoque Brockville

Embark on an exploration of the 1000 Islands, Wanderer’s Channel, and Admiralty Group of Islands, making your way to Gananoque, Ontario. Upon arrival, disembark for guided tours of the 1000 Islands Heritage Museum and 1000 Islands Boat Museum. Depart Gananoque and cruise along the U.S. side of the river, marveling at Boldt Castle on Heart Island and Singer Castle on Dark Island. Arrive at Brockville and embark on a guided tour of Fulford Mansion. Return to the Canadian Empress for a delightful dinner. In the evening, unwind and appreciate the serenity of Brockville’s waterfront. Enjoy evening entertainment and lounge services aboard the ship.

Overnight onboard the Canadian Empress.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

1000 Islands Heritage Museum | Credit: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Day 3 Brockville Prescott Morrisburg

Embark on a morning adventure with a bus journey to the Aquatarium for a guided tour. After the exploration, return to the ship and set sail for Prescott, Ontario. Upon arrival, delve into history with a guided tour at Fort Wellington. Depart Prescott and continue the voyage to Morrisburg, where the ship docks at Crysler Park Marina by 1800. Enjoy a serene evening as you relax and stroll the marina and grounds. Cap off the day with evening entertainment and lounge services aboard the ship.

Overnight onboard the Canadian Empress.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Fort Wellington | Credit: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Day 4 Morrisburg Les Coteaux

Embark on a unique adventure as you depart by a horse-drawn wagon to Upper Canada Village, where an open-air guided tour awaits. After the tour, enjoy some free time to explore the Village at your own pace. By noon, transportation returns, and the journey continues from Crysler Park to Coteau Landing, Quebec. Cruise through the picturesque Eisenhower and Snell Locks. As the Canadian Empress arrives at Coteau Landing, enjoy a leisurely evening with free time to relax or take a stroll along the park and old canal. Wrap up the day with evening entertainment and lounge services on board.

Overnight onboard the Canadian Empress.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Upper Canada Village | Credit: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Day 5 Les Coteaux Port of Montreal

Set sail from Coteau Landing toward the vibrant Port of Montreal, navigating through the scenic Beauharnois Locks into Lake St. Louis. Experience the approach to Montreal, passing through Cote Ste. Catherine and St. Lambert locks, followed by a captivating Port of Montreal harbor tour (subject to Captain’s discretion). Arriving at the historic Old Port of Montreal in the afternoon, for a guided Motorcoach Tour of Montreal. Enjoy the evening at your leisure, immersing yourself in Montreal's unique charm after dinner. The night continues with late evening entertainment and lounge services on board.

Overnight onboard the Canadian Empress.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Canadian Empress | Credit: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Day 6 Montreal Trois Riviéres

Embark on an adventure from Montreal to Trois Riviéres, Quebec. Explore the city with a brief tour and choose between visiting the Shrine at Cap de la Madeleine or the Borealis Industrial Museum. Return to the Canadian Empress in the late afternoon. Later, enjoy Celebration Night, filled with entertaining delights.

Overnight onboard the Canadian Empress.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Credit: St. Lawrence Cruise Lines

Day 7 Trois Riviéres Quebec City

Embark on an early morning journey from Trois Riviéres. Enjoy lunch onboard and experience the scenic approach to Quebec City, cruising past Montmorency Falls. Arrive in Quebec City and disembark at Louise Basin for farewells.

Breakfast, Lunch

Montmorency Falls | Credit: Gabriel Tovar

Additional information

2024 Dates

May - 27
June - 12
July - 11
August - 12, 31
September - 26

The Canadian Connection Cruise is also available in the reverse route. Please contact our dedicated Sales Team to enquire about the available package dates below:

June - 2, 18
July - 17
August - 18
September - 6
October - 2

All times mentioned in the itinerary are approximate. This itinerary is subject to change without notice or incurring obligation. Currents, weather and seaway traffic may be a modifying factor.

Excluded

International airfares and taxes
Domestic airfares and taxes, unless otherwise specified in our holiday package
Visa expenses, processing and issuance fees
Meals other than as specified in our holiday package
Travel Insurance or expenses of a personal nature (mini-bar, phone call, laundry, etc.),
Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, porters, hotel, restaurant or boat staff, etc.
Or any other travel expense that has not been included in our holiday package

FAQs

Who are Entire Travel Group?

Welcome to Entire Travel Group. We offer exceptional travel experiences across our extensive range of Entire Holiday Packages, Entire Group Journeys, Entire Rail Journeys, and Entire Cruise Journeys. With our industry-leading Peace of Mind Booking Plan, you can Book Now with flexibility and confidence.

Entire Travel Group is celebrating over 50 years of passionately delivering unique and memorable travel experiences. We are an Australian, family-owned, award-winning business with a friendly team ready to match your expectations to the perfect holiday experience.

Entire Travel Group used to be known by the individual brands shown in the footer of the website. The company has not changed, but we have amalgamated under one brand - Entire Travel Group.

For more details please visit - About Us | Entire Travel Group

Is Entire Travel Group Australian owned and operated?

Entire Travel Group is proudly Australian family owned and operated and as it stands today represents 50 years of experience, progress, and evolution. We proudly support the community with our long-term commitment to many important charity organisations. We were awarded the best operator in our class at the most recent National Travel Industry Awards.

Is Entire Travel Group industry accredited?

Entire Travel Group is both ATAS and CATO Accredited. ATAS is actively administered by the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA). The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) is the trade association representing the land supply sector of the Australian Travel Industry.

Does Entire Travel Group have industry awards?

Entire Travel Group was honoured at the 2023 National Travel Industry Awards with Most Oustanding Wholesaler - Product / Service.

As our team works tirelessly to deliver exceptional holiday experiences, it was exciting to have this acknowledged with the highest recognition. The award is also a testament to the quality of our partners around the globe, and we take this opportunity to thank them for their tremendous support of our customers.

Are the Entire Travel Group holiday packages exclusive?

In some cases, we are the sole representative in Australia for the overseas travel operator. In other circumstances the product developed has been exclusively built for Entire Travel Group and can’t be found elsewhere.

What’s unique about Entire Travel Group Holiday Packages?

They are not group tours with set departures - they are pre-designed, purpose built, independent holiday packages full of unique and memorable experiences.
Our holiday packages have been exclusively built for us in collaboration with our handpicked suppliers, who also offer full on-ground support for the clients.
We are offering unique travel experiences which cannot be found elsewhere.
Many packages include our “Freedom of Choice” options which allow you to tailor the holiday experience. Like a sommelier matching wine to a meal, we have used our experience to carefully select and offer the right experiences in each location.
They include our Peace of Mind Booking Plan.
A wide selection of our packages are compliant with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Covid Safe Travels.

Our motto for Independent Holiday Packages is start your holiday when and with who you want!

Our Independent Holiday Packages are NOT group tours with set departure dates. Group Tours have specific set departure dates, and of course, you are travelling with unknown passengers in a coach. These tours are great for certain travellers and there are many reputable tour operators providing a wide range of options around the world.

At Entire Travel Group, our focus is Independent Holiday Packages. Available daily, they are pre-designed, purpose built, packaged itineraries full of memorable experiences delivered by our hand-picked local partners.

Our holidays suit every demographic, from couples to singles, to retirees to families and everyone else in between.

Why travel with Entire Travel Group?

Of Entire Travel Group's attributes, we have settled on "When Experience Matters" as the quality we believe adds the most value to our customers. We have the experience to ensure your itinerary makes the dream holiday possible. Our continually enhanced technology allows our team to provide a quality customer service experience, and our partnerships with outstanding operators ensure we are confident of the on-ground experience for our customers.

For more details please visit - About Us | Entire Travel Group

How does the Peace of Mind Booking Plan work?

Our Peace of Mind Booking Plan allows you to book with confidence in the new international travel environment. With low deposits, a cooling off period and a flexibility period where you can cancel and rebook later, we really do have you covered.

For more details please visit - Peace of Mind Booking Plan | Entire Travel Group

Is there a cooling-off period?

Look for packages with our Peace of Mind Booking Plan logo on the website.

We understand that occasionally plans may change, so we give you the confidence to proceed with a cooling off period.
You may cancel for any reason within 7 days, where you will receive a 100% refund of your $100 per person deposit.

For more details please visit - Peace of Mind Booking Plan | Entire Travel Group

What is Freedom of Choice?

At Entire Travel Group we understand that our customers have their own personal tastes and interests - so throughout our packages look for “Freedom of Choice” which gives you the ability to tailor your holiday from the various experiences offered on selected days. Like a sommelier matching wine to a meal, we have used our experience to carefully select and offer the right experiences in each location.

The Freedom of Choice options are included in the package price, and the price remains the same regardless of the choice you make on each day.

Our Freedom of Choice program offers flexibility, by allowing you to choose from different options on pre-selected days in the itinerary.

Our per person price includes one tour on each Freedom of Choice day in the itinerary.
The price of the package remains the same regardless of the choice you make on each day.

For more details please visit - Freedom of Choice | Entire Travel Group

What is Book Now?

Book Now offers you the ability to make a reservation on our website for Holiday Packages that include our Peace of Mind Booking Plan. But it’s not just a static offer – you have complete flexibility from travel dates, passenger numbers, single supplements, room upgrades, optional extras, flexible booking terms and more.

Our team will contact our overseas suppliers and confirm all arrangements.
A Confirmation from our reservation system will be sent in the coming days.
The Booking Number on this confirmation supersedes the website reference.

What forms of payment can be used at Entire Travel Group?

To confirm a booking using our on-line Book Now process, a credit card must be used to pay the refundable deposit.
For additional payments on the booking, Entire Travel Group supports bank transfer, credit card, TravelPay B2B, PaymentGate.
For further details please visit our Payments page.

How secure is the Entire Travel Group's on-line payment portal?

Entire Travel Group have partnered with TravelPay to ensure secure on-line credit card payments.
TravelPay is a level 1 PCI DSS compliant, which gives you peace of mind that your payment card data is in safe hands.
Entire Travel Group does not store any credit card information.

For more details please visit - Security and Compliance - TravelPay

Can you book my international airfares?

On some Islands Holiday Packages (e.g. Fiji), it is practical to include flights, so where we have done this it is indicated by the plane icon.

However, on the majority of our Holiday Packages, we do not include international flights.

We found that many customers may prefer to:

Travel on a specific airline of their choice
Have the flexibility to book flights with Frequent Flyer points
Select flight dates that may be different to our Holiday Package start/end dates
Use a Travel Credit already held with the airline
Use their travel agent for this service

We are able to assist with flights on any Holiday Package, so please just notify us during the Book Now process or contact our team.

Should I take travel insurance?

Travel insurance is strongly recommended. During the Book Now process please confirm you require assistance, and our team will be in contact with you.

What should I do before travelling?

Before you travel it is your responsibility to ensure you have the appropriate documentation including visas. If you are travelling on a passport other than Australian or New Zealand, you will require a permit to re-enter Australia. It is your responsibility as the traveller and/or travel booker to meet all government entry requirements.

For more information please visit - Before you travel | Entire Travel Group

How does a Travel Agent make a booking?

Please visit the Entire Travel Group's Agent Portal. We are here to support our industry partners with a range of informative updates, marketing collateral for campaigns and a reward & recognition program.

How do I start a Booking?

On any page that has Book Now simply follow the booking process.
You must select the Travel Agent tick box and provide correct details.
To confirm a booking only the refundable deposit is required.
An agency credit card must be used for this initial payment.

How do I contact Entire Travel Group?

For more information please visit - Contact us | Entire Travel Group

Journey along the St. Lawrence (Tour code: 13091)

Highlights

Overview

Inclusions

Itinerary