Norovirus595 Posted October 4, 2018 #1 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Subject says it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailBadtheSinner Posted October 4, 2018 #2 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Yes, do a tour. That is the only way to see ANP. I would suggest using an independent tour company, such as Oli's Trolley or Acadia National Park Tours. You could hike or rent bikes but you would be limited at what you would see. SBtS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norovirus595 Posted October 4, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Thanks for the response. I'm not a hardcore hiker, but was looking forward to some quiet solitude in the park. Is that possible with the tour option? I was a little concerned that there are only 3 fifteen minute stops in a 2.5 hour tour. Seems like that's more for people to snap some photos than to let you do any exploring on foot, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailBadtheSinner Posted October 5, 2018 #4 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Thanks for the response. I'm not a hardcore hiker, but was looking forward to some quiet solitude in the park. Is that possible with the tour option? I was a little concerned that there are only 3 fifteen minute stops in a 2.5 hour tour. Seems like that's more for people to snap some photos than to let you do any exploring on foot, right? That's the problem with the tours, 15 minutes per stop does not give you enough time to do your own exploring. You can get a 4 hour.tour by Oli's that provides 30 minute per stop, better than 15 minutes but it still may not be what you want. Not sure when your cruise is, but in season, there is a free public bus service (Island Explorer) which has routes that include ANP. It is HOHO with designated stops, and it runs frequently. The down side is that there is no tour guide providing commentary and you have to work the schedules for what you want to see. SBtS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted October 5, 2018 #5 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Subject says it all. We went on our own ,BIG mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norovirus595 Posted October 5, 2018 Author #6 Share Posted October 5, 2018 We went on our own ,BIG mistake. What happened?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christinampl Posted October 17, 2018 #7 Share Posted October 17, 2018 On 10/4/2018 at 10:09 PM, lenquixote66 said: Subject says it all. We went on our own ,BIG mistake. Why was it a mistake for you? We are considering renting a car so we can go as we please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitemare Posted October 18, 2018 #8 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Yes. Answer says it all. I mean, since you aren't telling us what you are hoping to get out of a tour as opposed to what, a self drive? Hike? Bike ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacher_91 Posted October 18, 2018 #9 Share Posted October 18, 2018 When the Mr. and I visited Bar Harbor, we did both Oli's Trolley and the Island Explorer. Granted we were staying in Bar Harbor, so we had more time. I think if I wanted to spend time hiking on a cruise stop, I'd either rent a car or take the Island Explorer. Both would give you flexibility with the car being the most flexible choice of all. Good luck with your planning. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
138east Posted October 18, 2018 #10 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Be careful with the car rental. There are no car rental locations in Bar Harbor. They are all in Camden, Bangor or Ellsworth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted October 19, 2018 #11 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Closest rental is at the airport, half hour away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnKY Posted October 27, 2018 #12 Share Posted October 27, 2018 If you haven't gone already, take a look at The Natural History Center. Great tour and will be customized. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLCruzer Posted October 30, 2018 #13 Share Posted October 30, 2018 On 10/4/2018 at 3:01 PM, Norovirus595 said: Subject says it all. I did a bicycle tour of Acadia National Park that was organized through the cruise ship and it was one of the highlights of our Fall Colors cruise to New England & Canada. The ride was long enough to be interesting but not too long to be exhausting. Some pictures attached below. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bets1 Posted December 19, 2018 #14 Share Posted December 19, 2018 Trying to plan this trip for August 2019. What is the weather like in August? We will be there from 7AM -6PM. This bike ride sounds fun. Were there any steep hills? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrcar09 Posted January 10, 2019 #15 Share Posted January 10, 2019 On 12/19/2018 at 2:20 PM, 1bets1 said: Trying to plan this trip for August 2019. What is the weather like in August? We will be there from 7AM -6PM. This bike ride sounds fun. Were there any steep hills? July and August are usually Maine's warmest weather with the least chance of rain. With that said, it can be humid at times and that can spark thunderstorms. Day time temperatures will likely range from 70-90 degrees. As for the bike ride, I'm not sure about that specific tour but in general the carriage trails are fairly flat. There will be some elevation change but nothing too crazy. I usually see family groups with everything ranging from young kids to senior citizens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bets1 Posted January 10, 2019 #16 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Thank you. I still didn't book this yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trivia addict Posted January 31, 2019 #17 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Absolutely agree that you should not rent a car in Bar Harbor. Not only is the rental at the airport at least 1/2 hour away, but you will wait very long for the van to pick you up for the ride to the facility and then will wait again to return when you return the car. We did it 2 years ago, and it was a nightmare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antmaril Posted February 1, 2019 #18 Share Posted February 1, 2019 We took an Oli’s Trolley tour to Acadia National Park. I can highly recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counsdr Posted February 7, 2019 #19 Share Posted February 7, 2019 On 12/19/2018 at 2:20 PM, 1bets1 said: Trying to plan this trip for August 2019. What is the weather like in August? We will be there from 7AM -6PM. This bike ride sounds fun. Were there any steep hills? Are you still going in August 2019? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bets1 Posted February 7, 2019 #20 Share Posted February 7, 2019 We did not book it get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny AZ Girl Posted March 6, 2019 #21 Share Posted March 6, 2019 We are booked on Ollie's Trolley for our October cruise. Since my Photobook is my biggest souvenir of any cruise we are looking forward to some great photo opportunities and also some great fall colors. The 4 hour tour looks like it will be perfect for our needs, but may not provide enough time for hikers. If I wanted to get out there for some more physical activities the bike tour mentioned above through the ship would probably be my choice for the best balance of time in the activity in the limited time frame offered by a port stop - especially a tendered port stop. While I love my cruise vacations, the very nature of cruising provides limits that you don't run into while on a land vacation. An organized tour often helps minimize those limits, depending on what you want to do in each stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now