VacationGuy

Just tested positive for covid-19 after returning from the biggest fiasco of a vacation from NCL aboard the Breakaway's Mediterranean cruise. I plan on writing a detailed review of the many other issues that we had to deal with, but thought a quick note about this might save others form a similar fate...even thought it's too late for those onboard now. I guess it's true that the only thing that cultures germs better than a laboratory is a giant mass of people being herded from from place to place around a ship at sea. The staff was always busy cleaning, but since the pandemic is "over" I'm guessing that the current practices fall somewhat short on the sanitizing front. One might think that an industry known for outbreaks of disease would strive to have working soap dispensers in the public lavatories, but that seems far from the case. I would estimate that over 50% of the ones I tried to use were either empty or not working properly, and some rest rooms with multiple dispensers had none that worked. Hope this helps someone avoid the same fate.

SailBad is correct about the #4/5 overlap...I was working from memory and should have checked the map. You want to take the #3 bus from the Village Green, at Thunder Hole you can switch to a #4 to Jordan Pond, and THEN take the #5 from there which will get you back to the Village Green.

Northeast Harbor is picturesque, but when you have limited time to get back on a ship you have to pick things to leave out. Acadia/Bar Harbor area is impossible to cover in a short time, and it's unfortunate you have to allow 1/2 hour for the final leg of the #5 route to get back to the Village Green.

The whole area would take a few days to fully appreciate, considering the fact that some places like Thunder Hole need to be seen at very specific times!

I believe that there are 38 seats on the bus and that they allow around 8 people to stand as long as they are behind a line on the floor. There are also a couple of places in the park that more than one bus stops. Jordan's Pond is one of them and if you stop there for the popovers (a ritual from what I understand, but they get very busy!) you can switch to a different bus. Another tip, though, is that you will probably pick up a bus at the Village Green which is very close to the tender pier but not all buses stop there so be careful. I recommend you stop at visitor information first (a couple of blocks up the road from the pier) which opens at 10(?) to pick up a map, schedule and park ticket. The guy there was extremely helpful!

If you take the #5 bus from the village green I would recommend you switch to the #4 loop road bus at Jordan's Pond to see other areas of the park. The #5 goes on to Seal Harbor which is just a beach without much to see and then heads into another area outside the park before turning back. The #4 will take you to Thunder Hole, with or without the tide!

Please check the Island Explorer maps to verify the route numbers and stops!

Just a word of caution, but the Island Explorer busses can be full during busy times. They run every 30 minutes but two in a row were full and we ended up going in the opposite direction just to ensure we got a seat and a ride back to the Village Green. Missed out on seeing Thunder Hole but there was no tidal action at the time anyway.

We were just in Acadia National Park a week ago and it was crazy just before the July 4th holiday. People parking up and down the roads made it almost impassable at times with large sections basically becoming one lane roads. Be sure to watch your time and you may have to pass on some parts of the park. Cadillac mountain access is closed if too many people are on the mountain.