question about boston harbor

[kosoffj]

taking the dawn out of boston at the end of august (been on the dawn 4 times so comfortable with the ship) - coming from philly and though we have cruised many times - our first outta boston harbor.

 

flying southwest into logan - planned on flying in the morning of (35 minute flight) - is that ok? we typically fly in the night before for FL, but for nyc we went day of and would like to do the same here...

 

how far is the port from logan? what is the best way to get there - taxi?

 

thanks all!

[yoyocruiser]

The Dawn leaves on a Friday so you will be dealing with traffic in Boston to some degree if you fly in that morning. The airport should be a 10 minute taxi ride, but traffic is unrpedictable and could be as much as 30. Approximate cost would be like $25. You can also take the Silver Line which is part of commuter rail (but is actually a bus that stops at each terminal and you can actually go to MBTA Silver Line and download the schedule) You can take the Silver Line to the World Trade Center and conceivably you could walk from that point (but with luggage not sure if that would make sense)--or take it to South Station and from there there are guarantted taxis out front. Or there is a water taxi you can take over to the harbor area and from there take a taxi. But all told--probably with your luggage it would make msot sense to take a taxi.

 

Regarding flying in the day of sailing--I really can't say. I mean it is indeed a short flight and honestly I can't imagine if you left in the AM that you could not get there by the time of departure (or two hours before of course) but I will say that a few weeks ago there were thunderstorms that grounded a lot of planes for many hours. Now is that likely? Not really. But you are taking some level of risk by coming in that day.

 

But in terms of your basic question--the airport is closeby and it should not be difficult to get from there to the cruise ship. Just be aware it is a Friday and things will be busier than you might expect on a Saturday or a Sunday.

[LizG12]

The silverline stops at the Black Falcon Pier. You'll have to switch from the Silverline 1 (airport route) to the Silverline 2 (Pier trade). I think you can switch at the World Trade center, if not, definitely at South Station.

[yoyocruiser]

Oh great tip, I didn't know that.

[cruiser1955a]

You should be fine flying in same morning. They start boarding 11:15 - 11:30, and the earlier you get there, the less wait you'll have boarding.

Logan is only a 5-10 minute cab ride (probably only a couple of miles). Don't know how much $ they charge. You might find public transportation, but taxi would be more convenient.

Airport & Cruise terminal are close to many Boston tourist sites (Fanuel hall market, Freedom Trail, etc.) if you have time to kill before boarding. Not walking distance, but short cab ride.

[FuninWB]

Considering the number and severity of the thunderstorms we have been having in Massachusetts this summer, I would give serious thought to coming in the day before. My niece was grounded by these storms trying to fly to Seattle for her Alaska cruise. Luckily, she left a day early. Just a thought. In all probability, things will go smoothly, but you can never be sure..

[cruiser1955a]

Major T-storms are most likely to occur here in June/July (just as in Philly) due to sudden changes from extreme humidity, to cool dry air moving in. I wouldn't be too concerned about late August. They also tend to hit mid to late afternoon, when the extreme heat & humidity cause them to bubble up. Not too likely to get one in the morning, in late August. However.......we are talking about Mother Nature, and Murphy's Law.

[searoses]

we flew 48min to nyc from maine in june. first flight cancelled. would have missed the boat if we weren't going a day early. ANYTHING can happen....

[dadatsea]

I have sailed out of Boston 2x and it is a very easy trip from Logan to the Black Falcon Pier as LizG12 said. The Silver line is very user friendly and has racks to accomodate suitcases Other than FLL to Port Everglades it is one of my favorite towns to fly in and get to the pier v-e-r-y-inexpensively and is very safe and quick. Having said that BE SURE you watch the weather if coming in the day of your cruise. I have been very lucky as I have made this connection twice but I work for an airline so I know to really beware flying in the day of a cruise..Have a great time.DAD:)

[138east]

The silverline stops at the Black Falcon Pier. You'll have to switch from the Silverline 1 (airport route) to the Silverline 2 (Pier trade). I think you can switch at the World Trade center, if not, definitely at South Station.

 

You can definitely switch at the World Trade Center and IMO it's a bit easier. You get off the bus, take the escalator up to the concourse, and then you can walk down the stairs or take the elevator down to the platform on the other side of the tracks. All this is visible so you can't get confused or lost. On the other side you take the SL2 to Black Falcon. It's really as easy as taking any rental car bus at the airport. The Silver Line buses were designed with airport travelers and luggage in mind - low step and luggage racks on the Logan buses. Usually these buses are relatively uncrowded.

[kosoffj]

might look into a cheap hotel at logan and just fly in the night before. we are a 10 minute taxi from the airport in philly, so if we fly in - worst worst case we could hop in our car - boat leaves at 4 - i assume that means we need to be on by 2 - it would be tight but we could do it......

 

any recs on easy hotels?

 

traveling with 2 small kids (1,5) so as much as i like public transit, we will probably cab it :)

[138east]

The "cheap" Logan hotels are located in Saugus, Revere, and Chelsea (and they're not so cheap). This takes you away from the port so a cab back to the port will be more expensive unless you take the hotel shuttle back to the airport to get a cab. What exact date would you need a hotel?

[kosoffj]

thanks again!

 

went with the thursday night flight, jsut wasn;t worth the risk (if it were nyc where it is a 90 minute drive its fine but this is more like 5ish hours)

 

138east - we are flying up the 25th of august - looked on exoedia - hotels didn;t look terrible, will also check priceline

 

looking forward to seeing boston (we are staying on the way back for a few nights) hsven;t been since i was a teen:)

[138east]

I'm not seeing much on Hotwire that leaps out at me. What is your price range?