Boston trolley tours

[KelJ]

Old Town Trolley? Are they the best?

They're wonderful, but I don't know if they're the best as I have nothing to compare them to! Yes, you can board at the stop near Quincy Market. That is their stop #1. If you don't buy tickets ahead of time, you can buy them at stop #1.

[K8sMom]

I have used Old Town Trolley in Boston and really enjoyed it. You can buy tickets on line at a discounted price. http://www.trolleytours.com

Stop # 5 is also near Quincy Market, only a block away, and you also get a free ticket to the Old State House Museum at Stop # 5 with your trolley tour ticket.

[c breeze]

We had planned to use Old Town Trolly to see Boston in three weeks, when our ship docks there. I was very excited about using the trolly to get around, however... now I am looking at our time in port 12:30 PM - 8 PM, and checking the trolly hours of operation, which are 9 AM - 5 PM, and I am a bit concerned. Generally, all pasengers with ship's tour excursions are permitted to disembark first, and then when they are all off the ship, others are permitted off. This means that we may not get off the ship until well after 1 PM and by the time we get on the trolly, it could be after 2 PM, even if there are no delays. The tour is 1 1/2 hous if you do not get off, but our intention was to get off and see a few things along the way. If the trolly stops running at 5 PM, (and taking into consideration the Boston traffic), shoudl we even consider this as an option? Any ideas?

[sopo pirates]

We had planned to use Old Town Trolly to see Boston in three weeks, when our ship docks there. I was very excited about using the trolly to get around, however... now I am looking at our time in port 12:30 PM - 8 PM, and checking the trolly hours of operation, which are 9 AM - 5 PM, and I am a bit concerned. Generally, all pasengers with ship's tour excursions are permitted to disembark first, and then when they are all off the ship, others are permitted off. This means that we may not get off the ship until well after 1 PM and by the time we get on the trolly, it could be after 2 PM, even if there are no delays. The tour is 1 1/2 hous if you do not get off, but our intention was to get off and see a few things along the way. If the trolly stops running at 5 PM, (and taking into consideration the Boston traffic), shoudl we even consider this as an option? Any ideas?

 

c breeze, you've got some interesting questions / comments. If I were you, I'd contact the trolley company directly to get clarification. Good luck with planning your day in Boston.

[April2986]

We just got back from our cruise. We took the Old Town Trolley Tour in Boston. Unfortunately we had to be back on the ship by 3:30 so it didn't give us much time. It says that Stop #16 is only 1/2 mile from the terminal but that is not true. It's more like 1 mile and it was very hot the day we were there. We did print out our Eticket and the driver took us to Stop #1 Quincy Market immediately. We did a harbor cruise and then lunch and some shopping at Quincy Market. By then it was time to head back. We got back on the trolley and made a complete loop around back to stop 16 which took approximately 1 1/2 hours. Our driver (Peppermint Patty) was just great and took us right to the terminal so that we didn't have the long walk back. Others on our ship asked their driver to take them to the terminal but he said that he couldn't:confused: If you have the time Old Town is a good option. There is just so much to see in Boston. A few of our fellow passengers hired a cab right at the terminal for a certain price and he took them just to the places that they wanted to see. He even waited while they had lunch.

 

We really enjoyed Boston but just didn't have enough time there.

[April2986]

We just got back from our cruise. We took the Old Town Trolley Tour in Boston. Unfortunately we had to be back on the ship by 3:30 so it didn't give us much time. It says that Stop #16 is only 1/2 mile from the terminal but that is not true. It's more like 1 mile and it was very hot the day we were there. We did print out our Eticket and the driver took us to Stop #1 Quincy Market immediately. We did a harbor cruise and then lunch and some shopping at Quincy Market. By then it was time to head back. We got back on the trolley and made a complete loop around back to stop 16 which took approximately 1 1/2 hours. Our driver (Peppermint Patty) was just great and took us right to the terminal so that we didn't have the long walk back. Others on our ship asked their driver to take them to the terminal but he said that he couldn't:confused: If you have the time Old Town is a good option. There is just so much to see in Boston. A few of our fellow passengers hired a cab right at the terminal for a certain price and he took them just to the places that they wanted to see. He even waited while they had lunch.

 

We really enjoyed Boston but just didn't have enough time there.

[April2986]

Sorry about the double posts.

 

Mary

[DOJO466]

I can only imagine what the cab might have cost to be "chauffered" around town and waiting for lunch:confused: It is a shame that the cruise ships that stop in Boston are only there for a very short time as it is such a wonderful city. Back to the Original Poster...I prefer Old Town to Bean Town trolley. Enjoy the City...you'll want to come back.

[April2986]

I can only imagine what the cab might have cost to be "chauffered" around town and waiting for lunch:confused: It is a shame that the cruise ships that stop in Boston are only there for a very short time as it is such a wonderful city. Back to the Original Poster...I prefer Old Town to Bean Town trolley. Enjoy the City...you'll want to come back.

The cab costs the 4 people $78.00.

[4evrwild]

Great info on this thread but we are also going to be in Boston from 12:30 till the evening and were wondering if it's worth the ticket price for the trolley. Sound like we might have enough time to ride around --- maybe make one stop, then head back to the ship.

 

Anyone else have a solution to the problem? Other suggestions?

 

Ruth :confused:

[Sue's Mom]

Ruth - here is the link which may help if you have not seen it already.

http://www.trolleytours.com/boston/trolley-tours-for-cruise-guests.asp

[Cheryl H]

Question - Does each driver expect a tip? I don't mind tipping a tour guide. However, if we'll be on several different trolleys as a result of hopping on and off, I'm not sure about tipping all of them? What does everybody else do?

 

Thanks!

[Sue's Mom]

This was one item that we did not enjoy - not anybody's fault but our own.

 

Firstly, it is quite a long walk from Black Falcon terminal to the end of the port road, where we correctly turned right to get to the Westin. That took about 20 mins. We were not strolling but were going as fast as we reasonable could without breaking into a run. We completely missed the Westin and ended up getting on the trolley at South Station, miles down the road. I reckon the reason we missed the Westin was because the side of the building is on the road with no identifying signs on the side that we saw.

 

We had e-tickets and boarded the trolley with no problem. At stop 1 we left the trolley but were told by the ticket booth that we had no need - we could have stayed on board. I think there was a guy stamping the tickets on board the trolley but my memory is now a bit of a haze on that point.

 

We boarded another trolley (after standing in line for about 20 mins). Our driver seemed to be in more of a hurry that the first driver and, as I was sitting on top nearest the road, I was unable to hear most of the commentary due to, amongst other things, the loudness of the engine.

 

Now my DH is the sort of person who likes to be back at the ship in p-l-e-n-t-y of time and so by the time we got back to the Westin, without alighting anywere, I was really fed up (everything considered) and we simply got a cab back to the ship. It was a complete waste of a day.

 

Overall, the problem with our cruise was that there was almost always at least one other cruise ship in port (usually a large Princess ship) and the various "tour providers" (like Old Town Trolley), were simply not geared up for the numbers.

 

About tips, a tip is expected each time you get off.

[CaribbeanBound]

Updating a good old thread...

It appears Old Town Trolley now has a new stop 16A which literally stops in front of the pier when a cruise ship is in port.

http://www.trolleytours.com/boston/massport-cruise-ship-terminal.asp

[Jfultz81]

Yep, 16A is just a block away from the cruise terminal. We just did the trolley tour on 8/31... I would highly recommend it! It was super easy to use and we hardly waited for another one when we got off at a stop. The narrators/drivers were great. We easily got back to the ship with plenty of time!

[CaribbeanBound]

Thank you for the confirmation and reassurance.

 

Since you were just there can you answer a few more questions?

1. Is the stop literally across the street once you exit the terminal building?

2. Did you use the same trolley as the ship's tour or a different trolley (I know it's the same company either way)

3. Did you buy your ticket ahead of time?

4. Where there any especially good stops you recommend?

5. What time did the first trolley arrive? Our ship gets in at 8am.

[138east]

I wasn't just there, but the trolley web site says they run 9 to 5. I would call them to ask. For the ship's tour you have to look closely at the description. The tour I looked at was just a trolley ride around for 1 hour and 40 minutes - not hop on hop off. My guess is that they would send a special trolley for just that excursion.

[Excited to go crusing]

I am going to print this thread out we will be in Boston on our NE cruise next month, so I will be booking this tour online. Thanks for all the tips.

[travelbig]

You can order the map/brochure for Old Town Trolley and it will be mailed to you. Go to "contact us" on the web site and request one. Much easier to read then the map on line and it shows exactly where stop 16A is.

[CaribbeanBound]

Ok, here's the deal...

 

Old Town Trolley Tours tours also has a deal with the cruise ship. Those tours affiliated with the Cruise Ship are a separate non-stop tour of the city. The guests taking that tour will be picked up at the cruise ship terminal.

 

For those cruisers who wish to take the standard tour of the city which includes a free pass to the Old State House Museum as well as hop-on hop-off privileges throughout the day, they have a special stop 16A on the map.

 

http://www.trolleytours.com/boston/massport-cruise-ship-terminal.asp

 

Here are the directions from the Black Falcon Cruise Ship Terminal to that stop. They pick up there about every 20 minutes throughout the day from 9am-5pm.

 

When you disembark you will go into the terminal and walk out Gate B. Turn left and follow the path to Drydock Avenue. Cross Drydock, turn left and walk past First Trade Union Bank and Dunkin’ Donuts. At the end of that building cross Harbor Street and go to the bus stop labeled “Drydock Avenue”.

 

Tickets can be bought online for $32.40 ($29.70 over age 60) which represents a 10% discount. http://www.trolleytours.com/boston/rates-and-reservations.asp

[Jfultz81]

Since you were just there can you answer a few more questions?

1. Is the stop literally across the street once you exit the terminal building?

 

See above post.. its about a block, block and a half.. since they just started the 16A stop, not all of the drivers know where to stop, but you'll see them and they'll stop for you.

 

2. Did you use the same trolley as the ship's tour or a different trolley (I know it's the same company either way)

 

We bought the tickets from their website.. we aren't big on ship's excursions, too pricey compared to what you can do independently.

 

3. Did you buy your ticket ahead of time?

 

Yes, we bought online and had no problems. You do get off at stop #1 and have them validate your ticket. The trolley has a special cruise ship loop that picks you up and takes you to stop #1, which is where you catch the normal tour. Then you return to the spot where they pick up for the cruise ship loop and head back to the ship. When we were there, the regular tour ended at 5, but the cruise ship loop lasted an hour longer. I'd check with the drivers when you get there.

 

4. Where there any especially good stops you recommend?

 

We thought stop #5 was better for Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market than #1.. its also at the Old State House, so you can go there (get in free with Trolley Ticket, plus 10% off gift shop items). We also got off at stop #7 to visit Cheers and walk through the Public Garden. If we had had more time, we would have loved to get off at stop #13 and walk around the gorgeous houses and shops in Beacon Hill. There was just too much to see and do.. we can't wait to return!

 

 

5. What time did the first trolley arrive? Our ship gets in at 8am.

 

Trolley tours start at 9. I would call to verify they get to 16A at 9. Our ship didn't get in until 10, so they were already running.

[jasperdog]

We had a port stop in Boston a couple weeks ago. We booked Old Town Trolley online (it saved a few dollars per person to book online). The reason I chose Old Town was they had a stop (number 16) reasonably close to the Black Falcon cruise terminal. Stop 16 is at the Westin Hotel, which was about a ten-minute walk from the terminal.

 

There are 17 stops altogether with Old Town. We were allowed to get on at Stop 16 because we had prepurchased etickets. If you do not prepurchase, you have to get yourself to Stop 1 (the aquarium stop that you mentioned) and buy your tickets there before you can board a trolley.

 

We rode from Stop 16 to Stop 1 and had to get off there to get our etickets stamped. We then could hop on and hop off all day. While at stop 1, we added a 45-minute harbor tour for $7 per person, which was well worth it. The cruises run every hour, and you go whenever you want. You are not assigned a certain time.

 

The drivers/guides on the Old Town Trolleys are extremely knowledgeable and very funny. I would highly recommend Old Town Trolley Trours.

 

The aquarium is very nice and is certainly not just for children. Also, be sure to walk around Quincy Market (across the street from Stop 1).

 

At the end of the day, we got off at the Westin at Stop 16, where we had started. It was a very warm day and we were tired, so we took a cab to the pier (cost less than $6). Cabs are plentiful at the Westin.

I second your recommendation. My wife did not have a very good experience with them. She wrote a note explaining why(boisterous passengers), along with her receipt, and received a full refund.