Sailing to Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor

[FloridaGram]

Has anyone sailed to these ports? What I would like to know is if there are taxis at the port or tour companies that you can take your own excursion without booking through the cruise line?  In the Caribbean there are plenty but I don't know anything about sailing to these US ports. Thank you

[pc_load_letter]

Yes, all locations will have tour companies. Boston and Portland have hop on hop off buses. Great way to see the lighthouse in Portland. Same for Boston. Just be mindful of your time in Boston. VERY easy to lose track of time and we've almost missed our return boarding when we spent too much time at Cheers. 

 

Bar Harbor has tours but there is not much to see outside of Acadia. But yes, there are tour companies there to take you to view spots etc.

[shipgeeks]

Portland has so much to see and do within walking distance that there is no need to take a taxi or tour anywhere else.  Some posts here from the past few months have lots of info.

[Rubyfisch]

I live in Boston (and used to live walking distance to the cruiseport). You might have better luck with Lyft or Uber than with a cab in Boston, but all are available. Olde Towne Trolley is the most prevalent hop on hop off bus, and they have a stop near the cruiseport (although you may want to double check for your sailing date). Harpoon Brewery is very close to the port and a fun visit, as well.

[Nitemare]

I'd book something in Bar Harbor in advance as there aren't a ton of options locally and they might be sold out

[beach spring]

Since we had already visited Acadia, we chose to just walk Bar Harbor, May 28, Zaandam.  After tendering in, we visited many shops and had refreshments in a large, and evidently quite popular, ice cream shop.  The blueberry ice cream and blueberry pie were delicious!  Also, a large bookstore, Sherman's, whose business card claims Maine's Oldest Bookstores, plural because there are others elsewhere.

Best of all, since it was a Sunday, there was an arts and crafts show in the Village Green.  Very tempting to spend $ there!    Finally, the vista from the harbor is quite pleasant.  If you need to do a tour, do it; otherwise, just walk around the town!

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by beach spring

[SuiteTraveler]

Last year we were on a Princess New England/Canada cruise and there was unfortunately a hurricane coming up the East Coast, so our Captain skipped Newport and Bar Harbor. He was doing the right thing for the ship and all aboard and we didn't mind him skipping ports since we had a whole week on land planned after the cruise anyway, so we were not really going to miss much.  From that standpoint it was easy to manage the skipped ports as the ship cancelled their own excursions and refunded them.  So what I would say is whatever you choose to do, just be aware, a hurricane could come along and ports could be skipped.  Its is easy to get a taxi at the Port of Boston.  We took a taxi from the Port of Boston to the train station and the train to Salem on one cruise. The train arrives adjacent to the tourist area in Salem and its is very walkable so we really enjoyed our visit there and the train runs frequently, so it was easy to get back to Boston and take a taxi back to our ship.  For Bar Harbor - it is very small and there are restaurants and shops adjacent to where the tender arrives, so you can just walk around or take a tour and then walk around.  We went shopping on our own, had a lobster and blueberry pie lunch at a restaurant, then went on our ship tour of Acadia National Park in the afternoon where we had blueberry lemonade and saw all the key points of interest in the park.  It was all great!  Portland is another town you can walk around.  You can print a map off the internet and plan your day or just let it happen as you experience it!  Very quaint and artsy!

 

 

[LHT28]

7 hours ago, Hugh Janus said:

Rent your own vehicle from Acadia GEM and explore Bar Harbor at your own pace!

At those prices   No thanks

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

At those prices   No thanks

I read through the FAQs, and there's even more costs involved. One must both purchase insurance at additional cost, and obtain a license to operate these vehicles. Getting a license for one of these things would likely be time consuming. Renting either a pedal bicycle or an e-bike would seem to be better options, given that neither insurance nor licensure are required.

[Two from Virginia]

On 6/6/2023 at 11:34 AM, Rubyfisch said:

I live in Boston (and used to live walking distance to the cruiseport). You might have better luck with Lyft or Uber than with a cab in Boston, but all are available. Olde Towne Trolley is the most prevalent hop on hop off bus, and they have a stop near the cruiseport (although you may want to double check for your sailing date). Harpoon Brewery is very close to the port and a fun visit, as well.

What is the best means of transportation from the cruise port to Boston airport besides ship transfer?  Is the cost comparable to what the cruise line charges $29 pp?

[Rubyfisch]

10 minutes ago, Two from Virginia said:

What is the best means of transportation from the cruise port to Boston airport besides ship transfer?  Is the cost comparable to what the cruise line charges $29 pp?

You can take the Silver Line for free from Logan Airport. Depending on the amount of stuff you have, you could walk from Silver Line Way about 15 minutes (hard with lots of luggage) or take it all the way to South Station and switch to the SL2 to go out to Dry Dock at the Design Center. That's about a five minute walk. 

 

There are also water taxis - I haven't taken them, but it's another option.

[Two from Virginia]

7 minutes ago, Rubyfisch said:

You can take the Silver Line for free from Logan Airport. Depending on the amount of stuff you have, you could walk from Silver Line Way about 15 minutes (hard with lots of luggage) or take it all the way to South Station and switch to the SL2 to go out to Dry Dock at the Design Center. That's about a five minute walk. 

 

There are also water taxis - I haven't taken them, but it's another option.

Thanks for responding.  Have you ever used taxis?  Any recommendations as we will have a suitcase each and 2 carryon (total 4)?

[Rubyfisch]

Yes - taxis are definitely an option and in some ways the easiest (sorry - I thought you were asking about just public transit). There is a cab line at each terminal (just follow the signs after getting your bags). If you are on JetBlue, it's a bit of a hike, but otherwise it's just outside baggage claim. To my apartment (before the pandemic) it was about $25. The cruise port is about the same distance, so it should be the same. Lyft and Uber could be cheaper or more expensive. They pick up in the Central Garage, so further away than the cabs for anyone other the JetBlue.

 

Not sure when you're sailing, but they are doing roadwork in July and August (and on weekends thereafter) that makes the traffic around the airport unpleasant. The Silver Line bypasses some of that, but not all of it. That obviously can increase the cost and time associated with everything.

[Zuluboudreaux]

Any restaurant recommendations on finding whole lobster in Portland?

[CruiserFromMaine]

Portland Lobster is very good with outdoor seating. Everyone has their favorite place, though. Lots of people like Luke’s Lobster. Both are within easy walking distance of the terminal and right on the harbor. 

[mets123]

On 6/29/2023 at 12:03 PM, Zuluboudreaux said:

Any restaurant recommendations on finding whole lobster in Portland?

Try Becky's. It's an old fashioned, nothing fancy diner about a half mile from the cruise port on the water.

[Tsi2quick]

Do you need reservations for Becky's or Portland Lobster or just walk up type of places?

[CruiserFromMaine]

You can just walk up. I don’t think they take reservations. 

[Haljo1935]

Aligned Bar Harbor is very walkable with excellent food choices. All the times we've been there, including last year 1 week after Hurricane Fiona, the weather more than cooperated - we were blessed with blue skies and gentle breeze so walking was nice.

You can easily walk down to the bridge trail and cross over to Bar Island if it's low tide. We have been there at low tide and walked about mid way out, but I'm a chicken, so we haven't walked all the way over. It's very pretty either way. And free.

https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-bar-island-trail.htm