Flynn Cruiseport Boston, Hotel Questions & the Emerald Princess

[Sweetrosie]

We finally booked. After much searching, we booked AB&B for our 3 night pre cruise.  Was about 500 cheaper than hotels which now gives us room to watch the Redsox!!  Bonus is that it's on the blue line.

[wallyj]

10 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

We also booked through Princess EZair. If the price drops after final payment will they adjust it? We are on the 17 day cruise to Greenland. This is our longest cruise ever! 

If you have booked the ‘flexible’ air, you pay for your EZAir reservation at final payment but have until 45 days before flight OR start of cruise WHICHEVER is earliest, to either cancel or make changes at no charge, then penalty/fees will apply. When you go into manage my flights, it will show this ‘date’.

 

There is no automatic adjustment, you have to check yourself and make change if fare drops, if you have problems, check your travel summary for the en route delay number and EZAir is available 24/7 via this number.

Edited May 29 by wallyj

[mom2griff]

On 5/29/2024 at 4:19 AM, slidemaster5 said:

If you are staying in Boston a few days here is something I have previously posted on a roll call for a late August Princess cruise:

 

Boston

 

In General

Climate/crowds: Labor Day weekend expect 75-80 degrees weather. Don't be surprised if it is humid since we do have hot humid summers here but usually cooler on the water. Boston is similar in size to Atlanta. Like other historical cities you will see modern buildings surrounding colonial era sites. The cruise terminal is at least two miles from downtown and other sites so you will want to Uber/Taxi unless you book an excursion.

 

Restaurants

I can only give generalities. Seafood is a specialty here but there is variety:

(1) If you are going to Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market located downtown you can try the little eateries in Faneuil Hall.

(2) The North End (Little Italy) area will have the best Italian restaurants. This area is about a 1/4 mile or so Northeast from downtown. 

(3) Chinatown will have various Asian cuisine (obviously).  This area is directly south of downtown (south of Essex Street).

(4) Newbury Street (see below) will have a large number of eateries mixed with the stores. This is in Back Bay which is west of downtown (west of Public Garden / Boston Commons).

 

Excursions

Can't opine much since I am not a Boston expert. The Red Sox are on the road so the full Fenway Park tour would be available. The Salem trip is going to take up the entire day and I would only recommend it if you really into that subject. Research to determine if you want to go on your own versus excursion. The HOHO trolley runs a good route, just remember that you may have to wait for a trolley with space on it so you may want to minimize your "hops". Also, remember to leave a time cushion to get a ride back unless you are able to run that two-mile or so journey to the port. 

 

Points of Interest

The Duck Boats are popular here as they are in other major cities. The ride is about 80 minutes. If you want to buy your own tickets you will have to monitor as the date approaches (I don't think you can book far in advance). 

 

Faneuil Hall (food) and Quincy Market (shops) are popular tourist attractions in downtown. Look at the website to see if it appeals to you. That area is a popular gathering spot, and you can walk Boston Commons (10 minutes away) and see other sights from there. 

 

If you like sports - the Fenway Park tour is available in the Back Bay area.

 

Shopping includes Copley Square and the nearby Newbury Street. Newbury Street is locally called "Rodeo Drive of the East". (We have been to Rodeo Drive, so I intend to compare on this visit). This is a one mile stretch of stores, boutiques, and eateries housed in historical brownstones in the Back Bay area.

 

The Freedom Trail runs a total of 2.5 miles and has 16 stops. Several of these stops are outside sites but many are historical buildings that you can visit. The Trail runs through Faneuil Hall (stop #9 going south to north) and the stops in this area (#1 to #8) are close together since they are in the historic downtown. The trail is marked by a red line or red brick in the middle of the sidewalk. 

 

Hope you all enjoy Boston. My wife and I plan to Uber to the west side of Newbury Street and sightsee. We have been to Copley Square often but never walked Newbury Street.

 

Thank you for all of that info. DH and I have been to Boston a few times and have done the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, Duck boats, and the Fenway Tour and Red Sox games. I definitely recommend the Fenway Tour! DH is a DIEHARD (!!!) Red Sox fan, and I'm trying to convince him to go to the game on the 13th, but he has to see how the timing pans out in seeing his mom. Maybe I'll go without him. I'm not a huge baseball fan but I do love going to games in person. (wink, wink, j/k). 😄 

[latebuyer]

I thought the date i’m going is expensive but it seems its expensive all around. I’m travelling solo and am staying in 4 bed dorm at hi hostel one night. People will disagree but its only one night and hi hostel has good reputation. I’m canadian and i’m not paying 900.00 for 2 nights in boston so best alternative. Just a note someone mentioned the art gallery in another forum and they have the biggest selection of monet paintings outside france!

[mina]

We are going on the august Greenland cruise and got a nice hotel, the seaport hotel, for about 250 a night through Hotwire.   There are also Hotwire offers for around 150 plus a night near the airport.   Issue is you have to pay in full and Non refundable if you have to cancel.  

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 5/29/2024 at 12:15 PM, wallyj said:

If you have booked the ‘flexible’ air, you pay for your EZAir reservation at final payment but have until 45 days before flight OR start of cruise WHICHEVER is earliest, to either cancel or make changes at no charge, then penalty/fees will apply. When you go into manage my flights, it will show this ‘date’.

 

There is no automatic adjustment, you have to check yourself and make change if fare drops, if you have problems, check your travel summary for the en route delay number and EZAir is available 24/7 via this number.

Thank you! I was wondering where to find the phone number, and now I know. Hopefully we will have no delays, but you never know. Thanks again! 

[Sweetrosie]

On 5/30/2024 at 8:30 AM, mom2griff said:

 

Thank you for all of that info. DH and I have been to Boston a few times and have done the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, Duck boats, and the Fenway Tour and Red Sox games. I definitely recommend the Fenway Tour! DH is a DIEHARD (!!!) Red Sox fan, and I'm trying to convince him to go to the game on the 13th, but he has to see how the timing pans out in seeing his mom. Maybe I'll go without him. I'm not a huge baseball fan but I do love going to games in person. (wink, wink, j/k). 😄 

The 13th?  Arnt we sailing the 11th?  Ahh perhaps ur not on emerald..

Edited June 1 by Sweetrosie

[EDVM96]

21 minutes ago, Sweetrosie said:

The 13th?  Arnt we sailing the 11th?  Ahh perhaps ur not on emerald..

It's July 13th I think. Emerald 7-Day Canada & New England sails Sun, July 14th.

Sat 13 Jul 2024 Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox.

 

Edited June 1 by EDVM96

[Sweetrosie]

2 hours ago, EDVM96 said:

It's July 13th I think. Emerald 7-Day Canada & New England sails Sun, July 14th.

Sat 13 Jul 2024 Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox.

 

We r Aug 11.  Going to watch Houston Astros..   enjoy!!!

 

[mom2griff]

13 hours ago, EDVM96 said:

It's July 13th I think. Emerald 7-Day Canada & New England sails Sun, July 14th.

Sat 13 Jul 2024 Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox.

 

Yep--this is correct. Sorry for any confusion. 🙂 

[Samkitty1]

On 5/25/2024 at 2:49 AM, MsSoCalCruiser said:

This will be our first time in Boston. Those of you who know the area can you please help? What is the best hotel to stay at near the cruiseport? We probably won’t be landing until the wee hours of the morning. We have no idea where to stay and really don’t even know if this is the correct Cruiseport. I looked on the travel summary, and it said that the port information was not available at this time. We need to purchase flights, but I am so confused at this point. Please help if you can. 

 

We can fly in the day before and land around 1:00 AM or we can fly nonstop and arrive the day of our cruise around 11:00 AM. What would you do? 
 

We are excited to cruise on the Emerald Princess. I know that she is older and I hope she is in good share, without a lot of plumbing and maintenance issues. Do those of you that love her have any tips or suggestions? What are your favorite areas? 

 

Thank you so much for your helpful replies.

Hi there and welcome to Boston...it's a great city, and the cruise port is close to the city and the air port. If you decide to fly in the day of the cruise, there is an easy way to get to the cruiseport if you can handle your luggage...

The cruise terminal in Boston is just across the harbor from Logan Airport...and the local public transportation offers a service called the Silver Line, which runs between the airport, South station(local transit hub) and the Cruise port. The silver line has luggage racks and also stops at many of the hotels  in the "Seaport" area of Boston, which is very close to the cruise terminal 

One way fare $2.10 cash or Charly Card, going to the airport, and free going from the airport or one of the stops on the way to south station.....much cheaper than a taxi or uber, and sometimes faster. 

These are hybrid bus/subway vehicles with luggage racks, The SL1 stops at all the terminals at Logan. 

You can check the schedules to see if it would work for you, and also see how to pay the fare if you choose this option

 

Here is the route for the SL2 from the pier to Boston South Station 

https://www.mbta.com/schedules/742/line

 

here is the link for the SL1 South Station to Logan Airport

https://mticket.mbtace.com/schedules/741/line?schedule_direction[direction_id]=1

 

Here is the link for the Flynn Cruise Port   https://www.massport.com/flynn-cruiseport

 

From the  Flynn Cruiseport Website 

From South Station

If you are coming from South Station (located roughly a mile from the cruise terminal, and also a stop on the MBTA’s Red Line underground subway system), you will need to get on an SL2 bus and get off at the Dry Dock Avenue stop. The cruise terminal is on Black Falcon Avenue, across from the Design Center.

From Boston Logan International Airport

If you are coming from Boston Logan you will need to board an SL1 bus at one of Boston Logan’s four passenger terminals (no fee on the bus departing Boston Logan). You will get off at Silver Line Way (located behind the Manual Life building), cross over from the inbound side to the outbound side track, and get on an SL2 bus (fee required; please visit MBTA Fare Info for rates). Once on the SL2 bus, you will then get off at the Dry Dock Avenue stop. The cruise terminal is on Black Falcon Avenue, across from the Design Center.

 

If you arrive the night before the cruise, a hotel in the seaport district between south station and the cruise port would be a good location, although it would not be cheap.  If you are only staying the night, you may consider staying at the airport...There is an embassy suites at Logan airport that get's good reviews, so you may find a good rate there. I havent' stayed at any of the hotels in the area because I live local, so I can't recommend a specific one first hand, 

I hope that this helps

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=seaport+area+hotels+boston+ma&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

 

 

 

Edited June 1 by Samkitty1
add more info

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 6/1/2024 at 12:54 PM, Samkitty1 said:

Hi there and welcome to Boston...it's a great city, and the cruise port is close to the city and the air port. If you decide to fly in the day of the cruise, there is an easy way to get to the cruiseport if you can handle your luggage...

The cruise terminal in Boston is just across the harbor from Logan Airport...and the local public transportation offers a service called the Silver Line, which runs between the airport, South station(local transit hub) and the Cruise port. The silver line has luggage racks and also stops at many of the hotels  in the "Seaport" area of Boston, which is very close to the cruise terminal 

One way fare $2.10 cash or Charly Card, going to the airport, and free going from the airport or one of the stops on the way to south station.....much cheaper than a taxi or uber, and sometimes faster. 

These are hybrid bus/subway vehicles with luggage racks, The SL1 stops at all the terminals at Logan. 

You can check the schedules to see if it would work for you, and also see how to pay the fare if you choose this option

 

Here is the route for the SL2 from the pier to Boston South Station 

https://www.mbta.com/schedules/742/line

 

here is the link for the SL1 South Station to Logan Airport

https://mticket.mbtace.com/schedules/741/line?schedule_direction[direction_id]=1

 

Here is the link for the Flynn Cruise Port   https://www.massport.com/flynn-cruiseport

 

From the  Flynn Cruiseport Website 

From South Station

If you are coming from South Station (located roughly a mile from the cruise terminal, and also a stop on the MBTA’s Red Line underground subway system), you will need to get on an SL2 bus and get off at the Dry Dock Avenue stop. The cruise terminal is on Black Falcon Avenue, across from the Design Center.

From Boston Logan International Airport

If you are coming from Boston Logan you will need to board an SL1 bus at one of Boston Logan’s four passenger terminals (no fee on the bus departing Boston Logan). You will get off at Silver Line Way (located behind the Manual Life building), cross over from the inbound side to the outbound side track, and get on an SL2 bus (fee required; please visit MBTA Fare Info for rates). Once on the SL2 bus, you will then get off at the Dry Dock Avenue stop. The cruise terminal is on Black Falcon Avenue, across from the Design Center.

 

If you arrive the night before the cruise, a hotel in the seaport district between south station and the cruise port would be a good location, although it would not be cheap.  If you are only staying the night, you may consider staying at the airport...There is an embassy suites at Logan airport that get's good reviews, so you may find a good rate there. I havent' stayed at any of the hotels in the area because I live local, so I can't recommend a specific one first hand, 

I hope that this helps

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=seaport+area+hotels+boston+ma&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

 

 

 

Thank you. We have decided to stay in the Seaport district. 😊

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 5/26/2024 at 9:21 AM, slidemaster5 said:

The Hampton Inn Boston Seaport is at the cruise terminal. The cruise terminal address is 1 Black Falcon Drive if you want to see how far a certain hotel is (walkability). As discussed above you may want to stay at the airport and just Uber over the next day. Nothing is cheap in Boston.

 

Always fly day before. 

Thank you. We are flying in the day before and have booked the Hampton Inn Boston Seaport. You are 100% correct, it wasn’t cheap.