Best of Boston, Lexington, Concord Tour

[e050377]

I tried the New England board, but haven't gotten a reply. I thought I'd try here.

 

Has anyone done this tour? I'd really like to know if it was enjoyable and how lunch was. It's a long tour and I'm curious as to if it got boring. We love history and this seems to be a great ft for us. Any reviews?? Thanks

[mii]

I tried the New England board, but haven't gotten a reply. I thought I'd try here.

 

Has anyone done this tour? I'd really like to know if it was enjoyable and how lunch was. It's a long tour and I'm curious as to if it got boring. We love history and this seems to be a great ft for us. Any reviews?? Thanks

 

I do not know if this helps or not but when I went to Canada/New england on a cruise two years ago i asked the same thing and got no answers. We ended up not taking it but if history is your thing just go ahead and do it. Have fun on the cruise. I love the Canada/New England cruises.

 

marilyn

[Sportsmaniac38]

I've lived in mass all my life and without a doubt there is a ton of history hear. I would probably reccomend the boston duck tours if you can get on it. That will take you all over the city on land and on the river. The amphibus(sp?) boats are old WWII boats so its a neat experiance. If you cant get on that tour just stay in Boston. There is SO MUCH history in boston. Unfortinately cause I live in mass I dont take advantage of these tours. You really cant go wrong with whatever you do around here. If you end up staying in Boston for the day I would stick around Quincy Market/fanuel Hall. ALso you could follow the freedom trail which is a red line painted on the ground. It's a self guiding walking tour and takes you through most of the important areas of Boston.

 

Good luck.

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

Boston really is a great city. Having lived here, like the previous poster said I dont take advantage of the tours, but have done the duck tour which is really cool. Concord and Lexington are a short ride from Boston and there is some great stuff from the revolutionary war. Both of these towns are nice suburban areas but Boston really is the best and it is worth spending a whole day there, if not a week.

[e050377]

Thank you for the answers. Boston seems to be the hardest place to find info for, especially when arriving by cruise ship. I've heard it is easy to navigate, so will probably try it on our own.

[ellbon]

I spent 21 years in Boston. One year after flying in I did the Duck tour. it was great.. I got to see places in Boston that I loved growing up.

 

I would do that on your own.. find out about a fenway park tour.. that i never done and wished i had. Walk thru the Public Gardens and then do as the above psoter said -follow the red line. alos you can buy lunch at fenal Hall- even wih al lthe sit down places I like walking thru the hall and getitng fried Clams or whatever you like.

i agree you need a week here..go back one day and do the JFK libray or soemthing big like that.

[janetz]

Thank you for the answers. Boston seems to be the hardest place to find info for, especially when arriving by cruise ship. I've heard it is easy to navigate, so will probably try it on our own.

 

 

 

Google Boston. There is alot of information. :)

[psklak]

:) As stated above, the City of Boston is worth staying in for the day. I have lived on the North Shore of Boston all my life (too many years to say). I have worked in Boston and Cambridge and have yet to see everything.:o

 

My suggestion is to determine what you are interested in. I agree with the DuckTours - great fun and you see a lot. You could also get a one-day subway pass (MBTA.com). The "T" gets you all over town and there are personnel in each station who will help you get around.

 

If you're into people watching, street performers, etc..........Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market is for you! Also great food stands!!!! Try the Boston Chipyard for the BEST cookies around!:D

 

History is everywhere you turn. It's like - Wow! Here's where the Boston Massacre was. Gee, the Old North Church where they hung the lanterns for Paul Revere!

 

If you opt for Lexington Concord tour, I'm sure you'll have a great time. It's beautiful country and obviously has great historical significance. I've done it and feel it's worthwhile. The drive there is BORING, BORING, BORING!!!! But, once you reach the area, it's really nice.

 

I'm not sure what other tours are offered, but I will put in a plug for the North Shore. Marblehead - home of the painting "Spirit of '76" at Abbott Hall; Salem - Home the the witches trials in the late 1600's; Beverly - birthplace of the American Navy (although this is contested by Marblehead).

 

Whatever you do, Boston and surrounding areas won't disappoint. Have fun.

[chasetf]

I tried the New England board, but haven't gotten a reply. I thought I'd try here.

 

Has anyone done this tour? I'd really like to know if it was enjoyable and how lunch was. It's a long tour and I'm curious as to if it got boring. We love history and this seems to be a great ft for us. Any reviews?? Thanks

We did a New England / Canada cruise, but unfortunately missed our Boston port because of weather. I have traveled on business extensively to the Boston area, took time to see much of the area and looked forward to taking my wife there.... but it didn't happen on that trip. We will make there sometime.

 

But.... I preface it because my choice for a tour would have been similar. I have been to Lexington and Concord and think it would be well worth the time and effort to see the outlying areas. There is so much to see and do, but if you enjoy historical sites, then I would say go.....:)

 

Have a great cruise. ;)

[e050377]

I am thankful to everyone for their advice. I think they do have a tour that goes to Marblehead and Salem, and we were considering that one too. We are traveling with my Gram and after talking with her again I think public transportation might be a bit difficult. She can walk for awhile, but too much would tire her out. I am definitely thinking we need to take a tour or try and navigate by taxi. That way we could have at the door drop off/pick up. Not sure if taxis are readily available because Boston does have great subway/bus services.

 

Does anyone know of an independent tour guide? that could work well for us too.

 

Thanks again to all for your advice and help.

[jrw]

We did the Canada/NE cruise last October and originally booked this tour. However, hubby is from north of Boston and we decided to stay on the ship & explore because we hadn't had much time to do so. I emailed someone from our cruise who took that tour & will let you know what response I get about it.

 

Note, we LOVE the north shore area and the Salem trip Princess offers would be really nice. We had done everything on it previously on our own, so we didn't bother...but many people commented that they enjoyed that tour.

 

-- Renée

[ellbon]

stay in boston. thee is way to much to do i nhte city ti waste a day drving anywhere. i seen it al and it was fun but not worth that long drive..

[e050377]

I would be very interested in what your friends thought of the tour. Thanks for going to the trouble.

 

I asked my group about Salem, but they didn't seem interested. Our other option is the Kennedy Library and Peacefield excursion. This sounds promising and we might be able to piggyback it with a city highlights tour.

 

Unless we can hire someone privately exploring Boston proper on our own won't work for us with my Gram.

 

Thanks for all the responses. You guys have great ideas and info.

[Grego]

Our intentions is to do one of the Eastern Seaboard cruises next Fall and we certainly will be monitoring this thread to learn more.

[kman48]

We took the subject tour last Fall, offered by =X= Constellation, and enjoyed it very much. We had a good stop in Boston, the lunch was good despite the need to serve a large number of people within a short time.

 

There was not really all that much to see in either Concord or Lexington, themselves, but the locations were very scenic and for history buffs, there was a very powerful sense of being in places where great things had happened.

 

Kman

[hotmike98]

Since you are travelling with gram, I can't really recommend doing it on your own by rental car, public transport, or cab. Cabs are expensive in Boston unless you are limiting yourself to Gov't Center and the North End. Boston is not that easy to navigate. The old story is that the streets were laid out following ancient paths created by cows! Many streets don't have clearly visible signs, and if you ask for directions you usually get, " Go to this or that square or circle, and then to such and such a circle"--if you don't know where each of these are, you'll get hoeplessly lost. People double park everywhere, clogging the streets. Parking is difficult to find and not cheap. The public transportation lines are laid out to get people to work sites, which are not always near tourist highlights.

 

I lived in Boston while in law school, loved the area, and think Lexington and Concord are worth seeing, but they are like 35 miles outside Boston, and parts of the beutiful countryside have been built over. Anyway, my vote would be that in your circumstance, the tour is probably worth doing. Do you get any free time in Boston after the tour. Great places to eat, browse around Fanueil Hall.

[suz1607]

Boston, Lexington and Concord tour was great! We did it last year. I do not remember about the lunch but I do remember we said that we would do that same tour again or just come to the area and stay a few days.

Hope this helps.

[jrw]

I would be very interested in what your friends thought of the tour. Thanks for going to the trouble.

 

I'm waiting on a response to the email I sent & will post again when I hear back. Wanted to at least give you an update (I didn't forget).

[e050377]

Thanks everyone.

[jrw]

I'm waiting on a response to the email I sent & will post again when I hear back. Wanted to at least give you an update (I didn't forget).

 

 

I finally got an email from our cruise friends who did the Boston, Lexington, Concord tour. Here is the reply:

We had a lovely tour, some on the bus and some walking and ate at the oyster house, and saw statues and churches and it was nice. I would recommend it for Boston.

I hope that is helpful.

-- Renée

[e050377]

Thank you so much for contacting your friends and posting their answer. It has definitely helped with my decision.