My wife and I were on a cruise onboard the Sea Princess which stopped at Ville de Saguenay on Wednesday September 20, 2006.
When booking the cruise we noted Port Saguenay was included in the itinerary however we were not at all familiar with the area and had no idea what to expect, other than a small community.
On arrival at the pier we were greeted with a live band and a reception with local artists and vendors. Also, there was a tourist information desk where we picked up a couple of local maps. On leaving the pier we were pleasantly surprised to see individuals stationed at street corners providing information and directions to visitors.
After exploring the immediate area around town we proceeded to walk towards La Baie. During this walk we noticed residents appeared genuinely happy to see us visiting and would often waive form windows or yards.
After exploring the La Baie area we decided to attempt to use the local bus to return to the pier. We went into the tourist information office and asked, in English, about the bus. Unfortunately we do not speak French. Immediately the two people in the office consulted the local bus schedule, provided us with the departure times, bus number and advised the fare. When we asked where we could catch this bus both individuals promptly left the office, walked down the street to read the sign at the bus stop and then provided clear directions to the location we could catch the bus. We were very impressed with this level of assistance.
At the pier we were impressed with the local vendors and artists who were helpful and not aggressively selling.
As the Sea Princess pulled anchor it appeared to us that a good portion of the community had come to the waterfront to see us leave.
The remaining part of the day sailing down the Saguenay River was also quite impressive.
We wished to take the time and write to you about our experience in Ville de Saguenay as we were very impressed with the hospilitiaty shown to us by everyone we encountered. We are left with the impression the community welcomed visitors. We are from Victoria British Columbia and can only hope tourists to this city were treated as well.
Thank you for a very pleasant visit.
D. & K. Karr