Boston - USS Constitution

[Tom O.]

I will have one day in Boston, I plan to do the Freedom Walk. I also wanted to visit the USS Constitution, but I noticed it was on the other side of the river from the Freedom Walk area. Is there something like a water taxi that will take you over to where the Consitution is? If so where do I find it?

[judynorth]

The Beantown Trolley goes there on its circuit of the city sights. (Sites, also)

[Cruise Lover Kathy]

I agree--Beantown Trolley was a great way to see Boston. We went out to the Constitution first but had the Trolley driver commenting on what we passed. The tour of the Constitution was good too, and not too expensive. Do try to go early in the day to avoid the lines.

Then we took the trolley back around, saw part of MIT etc and then got off and did our walking. We are going back on the QM2 this October and I am looking forward to seeing more of the Freedom Trail and maybe some of the neighborhoods in the area.

[Tom O.]

Thanks Judy and Kathy, this was very helpful. I will give the Beantown Trolley a try.

[judynorth]

We will be there Sept. 26 and plan to use the Beantown Tolley. I will be sure to let everyone know how it works out as soon as we get back.

[wwinfl91]

What we did on our one day port stop in Boston was take the cruise ship transportation to the area around Faneuil Hall (also know as Quincy Marketplace) and then catch the Beantown trolley to the Constitution right away. We got there relatively early, given we had to wait until the ship cleared customs and the two bus trips, and only had about 15-20 minute wait for the below deck tour. You can board the ship almost immediately if all you want to do is walk on the upper deck but you must take the tour to go to the first gun deck. You will have to go through a security checkpoint including an x-ray machine or at least they were making everyone do it when we were there. When the tour starts they chase everyone off the upper deck and off the ship and then the tour boards and has time on the upper deck before going below. Then you come back up to the upper deck and can stay there while they allow the other people to come on board who are just seeing the upper deck. The beantown trolley ticket also included a harbor tour that does a stop at the ship but I would suggest using it to ride back to town rather than waiting for it to get to the ship as the land trolleys run more often.

 

This was one of the big things I wanted to see when we took the cruise and we researched this method as the best way of doing it.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[wwinfl91]

If you elect to wait and ride the trolley back they go along the sites of the Freedom trail and you can get off at any of the stops and start walking the trail at that point. That is what we did but we didn't make the whole trail as we both got a little tired (it wa 90+ the day we were there) and decided to do the harbor tour and then go back to the ship after we finished it and wandered about Quincy Marketplace for awhile.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[cynbar]

Old Ironsides is in Charlestown (part of the city of Boston) -- if you want a break, there is a restaurant close by called Tavern on the Water. It has a fantastic view of the Boston skyline, is fairly casual, and is a great place for a drink or chowder or fresh fish&chips. Alternatively, you will have only a short trip over the bridge to the North End of Boston, a great Italian neighborhood with outstanding restaurants and pastry shops. Boston is really a wonderful place to sample some of the local cuisine --- lots of lobster, fresh fish, chowder, and pretty much every kind of ethnic food there is.

[walsky]

The Beantown Trolley sounds great for getting around Boston, but I noticed it is not offered or mentioned by Princess. Can you get it near the ship?

[Huebie]

The Beantown Trolley sounds great for getting around Boston, but I noticed it is not offered or mentioned by Princess. Can you get it near the ship?

 

I tried emailing the company that runs the Beantown Trolley to see if they have any transportation from the cruise ship harbor, and it's been frustrating. They keep replying by asking for a specific address for the cruise harbor which I don't have. I've given them the name Black Falcon Harbor and the area of town where it's located, but they seem to be clueless. I read on a board somewhere that they may be at the harbor in the fall foliage season. Does anyone know about this?

 

We've used the hop on/hop off tours in other cities, and they're a great way to see the city at your leisure. We'll be renting a car in some other ports, but in Boston I would think we'd spend more time looking for parking places than actually seeing sights.

[Huebie]

I just called BrushHill Tours who runs Beantown Trolleys. They said there will be trolleys at the cruise terminal and just to look for them.

[walsky]

Thank you, Hubie. The phone # that I came up with was disconnected

[Parrot Mom]

Just got off a ship Sunday and only saw taxis and bus that will take you to I believe Quincy Market.. it maybe that Beantown Trolley will be there for tours arranged by the ship.. But I highly, highly recommend you go on a Duck Tour...even as a native born I can't believe how much fun it is...

[Tom O.]

Just got off a ship Sunday and only saw taxis and bus that will take you to I believe Quincy Market.. [\quote]

 

I think that you commence a Beantown Trolley trip at Quincy Market, so maybe that bus would work.

[judynorth]

We just got back yesterday. We had planned to take the Beantown Trolley in Boston but found CityView first. There is a booth in the main terminal at South Station (the local bus and subway system). We caught the Silverline 2 (SL2) bus to South Station ($1.25pp). There is a stop at the end of the pier (turn right out of the cruise terminal to catch the bus). Then we went across the street to the main terminal at South Station and bought our tickets (senior and AAA discounts and it cost $27pp). As far as we could tell, all the trolleys are about the same. When we were done, we rode the trolley back to South Station and caught the SL2 back to the Black Falcon pier. Everyone was very helpful in Boston. The ship's shuttle to Boston was $12 round trip so the bus was much cheaper and quite easy to do. It was also an interesting experience. Be aware that some things don't open until 10 or later. We toured the Constitution (a stop on the trolley tour) but it wasn't open when we went there the first time. It opens at 10:30. The harbor cruise that is included in the trolley fare doesn't start until 10:30 either. We weren't able to make that. By the time that we did the other things it was getting too late to do it. If you start the tour early, you might want to walk to Quincy Market from the 1st stop (short walk) and then come back to stop one and take the first harbor cruise at 10:30. After the cruise go to the Constitution (stop 4) and tour that. Then do the rest of the tour getting on and off as you want. Be sure to see the public garden at stop 6. It is a quiet and restful where you can recharge your batteries after a busy day. You can then walk through Boston Common and catch the trolley at stop 7. Go to stop 8 at South Station and catch the bus back to the ship. They run every 10 minutes or so. A good place for lunch is Quincy Market. Have a great trip!

[Parrot Mom]

Delighted you had a great time in Boston.. I hope the weather was perfect for you...and we Bostonians that you might have stopped helped you.. If you ended your Freedom Trail walk in the North End..I hope you had a chance to see and partake in some of the best Italian food.. with this area being still an ethnic enclave of italian restaurants, bakeries, pasta and butcher shops..

[judynorth]

Delighted you had a great time in Boston.. I hope the weather was perfect for you...and we Bostonians that you might have stopped helped you.. If you ended your Freedom Trail walk in the North End..I hope you had a chance to see and partake in some of the best Italian food.. with this area being still an ethnic enclave of italian restaurants, bakeries, pasta and butcher shops..

 

We didn't have time to do most of the things that we wanted to do. There is just so much to see and do in Boston. It definitely demands another, longer visit.

[Parrot Mom]

As a Bostonian I often take Boston for granted. Friends who stopped in Boston made several comments that took me aback...one is that it is graffiti free... never thought of that.. and that people were helpful.. Boston is known as a walking city... The Boston Commons and Public Gardens I was told by somebody in the UK are the largest areas in a city anywhere that have been untouched by construction Unlike Toronto that we visited many years ago old buildings are revered.. inside they maybe artist lofts and expensive and I mean very expensive condos.. but we try not to tear down. this is a reason why many people are doing pre-cruises in Boston...especially the historical part and on my part the theatres and restaurants.. Come Back.. so much more to see

[sboh]

Tom O.-

My family and I walked the Freedon Trail from Boston Common to the U.S.S. Constitution in the summer of 2005. You can just walk to the Constitution-there is a bridge over the river that the trail follows. It was very easy to do. The tours of the ship were free, the only difference was if you wanted to see below deck you had a short wait and went on as a group. I would recommend this. We were there in the summer (the week after the Fourth of July) and only waited about 15 minutes.

[klauer]

I used to work at the Charlestown Navy Yard as a NPS park ranger, and we always recommended the water shuttle to get back and forth. It costs $1.50 (just pay as you board the boat), and leaves Boston (Long Wharf/Aquarium area) every half hour on the hour, and the Navy Yard every half hour on the quarter hour. It is very reliable, and you avoid the traffic (or a chilly or hot walk) on the bridge. There is inside and outside seating available.

 

You can get more information on the mbta.com website.