Susan in Maine

Yes, it's worth a visit. The LL Bean campus in Freeport has more than one building. There are some interesting things in the flagship store, including a small trout pond wrapping around the main staircase, a big aquarium with a small bubble underneath that children can stand in and see the fish, and two stuffed moose who died when their antlers got stuck together. I have been to LL Bean stores in other places, and they don't compare at all to the one in Freeport. It's 96,000+ square feet over multiple levels. Until Covid hit, Bean's was open 24/7/365 and had no locks on its doors. Furthermore, Freeport has lots of outlet stores and several wonderful local restaurants. If it were me, I would rather wander around the Old Port in Portland, but if you're into shopping or really want to see the Bean's flagship store, Freeport is definitely worth it. I hope this is a little more helpful!

Yes.

Sure I'd be interested in talking to them, depending on the publication.

It is the one in Glace Bay.

Has anyone done this? Is it worth it? Thanks

We've sailed out of Cape Liberty twice, and never had a problem finding a space in the garage. You just pull up by the ship, leave your big luggage with the porters, drive next door to the garage and park. We live in Maine and drive as far as southern CT the night before and then it's an easy 2 hour drive to the pier. It's one of my favorite ports to sail from because it's so easy peasy to park there.

I get incredibly motion sick. (I can make myself car sick in stop and go traffic) I start taking meclizine the night before I get on the ship. It will not help you if you are already sea sick - dramamine is better for that. I then take it every night at bedtime. I also take dramamine with me as well, just in case. I've successfully sailed thru a hurricane and a major blizzard without any problems. It is MUCH less expensive to get the generic meclizine online than Bonine at your local store. Usually you can get 200 tablets for the cost of 8.

Most of the above are open for lunch AND dinner. Prepare your daughter - you'll be served a whole lobster, which if you're not used to it can be kinda strange if you've never experienced it. IMHO, sucking the meat out of the legs is my favorite. A lot of locals eat lobster in this order: legs, claws and knuckles, tail last. If you've never had a fresh lobster, you are in for a treat! Great options all!

We're from Maine and drive right to the pier and park there. Really easy peasy!

Oh PLEASE! What has limiting cruise ship stops has to do with discrimination? This post is purely pejorative. If it's because we want to protect our towns and our environment, we will do it! Nobody cares who is on the ship - we only care about the impact that cruise ship has. Bar Harbor is a tiny little town with fewer than 6000 year round residents. Adacia already gets about 4 Million (!) visitors a year, with about 2.6M in July - September alone. Dumping 3000 - 4000 people all at once in a small downtown is tough to absorb. Moreover, the tourist season is very short - basically from July 4th to Labor Day. Additionally, cruise ships are notorious polluters, and all MDI (Mount Desert Island) has is its natural beauty. While the cruise ships add to the economy, it's incremental rather than critical. I applaud Bar Harbor for taking some control over its destiny given that it has none over Acadia. As to Portland: Portland is very much a working waterfront, with several islands where people live year round. The Old Port is a delightful area right on the waterfront with delightful shops and amazing restaurants and brew pubs. But it's also very cramped with narrow streets, some of which are one way. The city needs to protect the waterfront, and too many cruise ships make that difficult. Cruise ships are a few a year - the working waterfront is a few a year. Maine is a spectacularly beautiful place, and we need tourism dollars - don't get me wrong. But the above rant is exactly why we need to be careful of our lifestyle and our environment. Unlike many of the cruise ports in the Caribbean and Alaska where the entire economy is based on cruise ship passengers, they are a tiny percentage of our tourism dollars. When people "from away" start trying to dictate to us how to conduct our business, it's a problem.

Hmmmm.......Last November on the Magic, I watched SNF, MNF, and TNF all up on deck! It was a wonderful way to enjoy the night AND the football. Hope my September cruise on the Magic out of NYC to Canada will carry some of the games.

We're only 56 days out from our Sept 17 cruise to Canada on the Magic. One of our ports still doesn't have any shore excursions - Sydney. Any ideas why that might be and if they still might add some? Thanks!

We did the Chef's Table on Magic last November. I was not particularly impressed, and neither was my daughter. It really depends on how much of a foodie you are back home. If you haven't had the opportunity to try a variety of foods, you may really enjoy it. Several of the others who were with us on the same night thought it was amazing, but us - not so much, especially for the money. However - the bacon ice cream is AMAZING!

Boots, no. Shoes and socks, yes. Sweatshirt - definitely yes. It's the time of year that it could be mid-to-upper 70's during the day and 40's at night. If it's misty/foggy/damp it will feel REALLY cold. Plan on lots of layers One other thing - the ocean water up here is REALLY cold!

4:00 pm is the time the ship leaves anchor in Bar Harbor, the "all aboard time". Your itinerary is pushing it. I'm not sure why you are dismissing Cadillac Mountain. It's the first place the sun touches in the US. If it's a good day, the view is spectacular!!! Sand Beach is no big deal, I suspect you will be a bit disappointed. Thunder Hole is pretty amazing, but it's always really crowded as there isn't much space. If you do go to Thunder Hole, go to your right and walk on the rocks. Within about 5 minutes you'll feel like you are all alone!

I just answered this question in another post. Unless seeing LL Bean's flagship store(s) is on your bucket list, Portland has way more to offer IMHO. I've lived in Maine my whole life (so far) and I pretty much only go to Freeport to go to Bean's (as we locals call it)

I live in Maine, and as said above, unless visiting LL Bean's flagship store(s) is on your bucket list, I'd stay in Portland. There are some good restaurants in Freeport, but Portland is considered a foodie mecca. The rest of Freeport is your basic outlet town, but spread out. There are lots of wonderful independent little local shops within walking distance. There are great restaurants everywhere. One of my favs has always been DiMillo's on the Water. It's a converted car ferry and pretty nice. Every seat has a view of the waterfront. There are ferries to take to some of the islands in Casco Bay, a wonderful art museum, and the Victorian Mansion all within walking distance as well. If there is anything specific you'd like to know about Portland, just ask!

Those are for stops in Bar Harbor - which is at least a 3 - 3 1/2 drive north of Portland.

We are on the September 17 Magic cruise to Canada. Currently there are NO excursions for our stop in Sydney, Cape Breton. There are only 30 total excursions for the other to ports as well (St. John New Brunswick and Halifax Nova Scotia). Doesn't seem like very many for a ship that could have 4000+ passengers. Anyone have any ideas about this?

I live in Maine and have cruised out of Bayonne twice. We drive to the port as it's SO much easier than relying on any other form of transportation. We drive to Southern CT the day before the cruise, stay in a hotel and have an easy <2 hour drive to the pier the morning of the cruise. We don't have to worry about shlepping luggage or train/bus/plane luggage limitations. The best part is how easy it is getting home. Walk off the ship with your luggage, get your car and drive. We are on the road by 8:30 AM

You CAN only buy the drinks package for one person, but you have to prove that the second person cannot drink. You need a note from a doctor saying that they have health or other reasons that they can't drink - i.e. certain health issues. I believe you can only do this once you are on board. I checked into this because my 24YO daughter is intellectually disabled and has several health issues.

thanks everyone!

Does anyone know if AARP is still selling these gift cards? I bought several before our cruise in November and saved 10% on my on board costs. Thanks!

By that late in October the foliage is pretty much gone. It also can be quite cold, and depending on the year, there can be snow. If you really want to see the beauty of the Northeast, I'd go no later than the first week of October.

We were on the Anthem in April and the food was pretty lackluster. Some of the dishes in the MDR were just.....strange. Beef stroganoff in a very dark sauce with dill pickles on top? Chicken Cordon Bleu paired with french fries (who does that?) English trifle that was just awful. Before everyone flames me, this is what my friend and I experienced. The service in the MDR was exceptional and our server was very quick to notice if he thought we didn't like what we had and brought something else. "life is too short to eat food you don't like" We were on the Anthem in April 2019 pre-pandemic and had a very different experience. The food I had on Carnival Magic in November was at least as good, if not better. It was very disappointing as my friend and I only get to cruise every three years or so.