Acadia park tour

[judeg]

Will be in Bar Harbor in September and have been told to definately do Cadillac Mountain and Jordan House Pond for popover's- am trying not to do the ships tour so that we get a 'locals' feel of the place, but am having difficulty finding a tour that takes in both places- can anyone help please?:confused:

[cornish gal]

Hallo there,

We are also going to be in Bar Harbour on P&O Aurora, We have booked a 2and half hour tour of the Acadia National at 10.00 and plan to have lunch in Bar Harbour. see link

 

http://www.acadiatours.com/

CG

[SailBadtheSinner]

I’ve looked at :

Acadia National Park Tours (provided by cornish gal) http://www.acadiatours.com/

And

Oli’s Trolley tours (the other Acadia Park tour company) http://www.acadiaislandtours.com/index.html

 

Only Acadia National Park Tours has listed a scheduled stop at Jordan Pond House Restaurant. So my suggestion is that if the stop at JPHR is not long enough for you to seat down and leisurely enjoy a popover(s) then plan on coming back to JPHR after your tour is over. To do that, after the tour, walk to the Bar Harbor Town Green and board the route #5 outbound free bus, Island Explorer http://www.exploreacadia.com/route5.htm . The bus runs every 30 minutes on the quarter hour; travel time is 20 minutes. Have a meal and popover, and then board an IE bus that is returning to BH. The meals I have had there were as good as their excellent popovers :D.

 

There is some risk :eek: in this plan – an accident blocking the park road or bus breakdown could hinder your return to the cruise ship which I assumed is leaving at 5:00pm when I ran the numbers..

 

BTW, I think you should e-mail each tour company and ask if they stop at JPHR and the length of any stop there.

 

[newcruiser551951]

So what exactly is a popover? :)

[SailBadtheSinner]

newcruiser551951 wrote: ....What is a Popover?...

 

you're joking, right :rolleyes: ?

 

there is a good explanation and history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popover with a picture

 

[newcruiser551951]

newcruiser551951 wrote: ....What is a Popover?...

 

you're joking, right :rolleyes: ?

 

there is a good explanation and history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popover with a picture

 

Nope, I wasn't joking. I didn't have a clue as to what a popover was.... No popovers in Florida. Thanks for the information and soooooo looking forward to trying one.

[SailBadtheSinner]

newcruiser551951 wrote: ....No popovers in Florida...

Thanks, I learn something new every day.

 

And

 

you are in for a treat.

[tidenik]

Will be in Bar Harbor in September and have been told to definately do Cadillac Mountain and Jordan House Pond for popover's- am trying not to do the ships tour so that we get a 'locals' feel of the place, but am having difficulty finding a tour that takes in both places- can anyone help please?:confused:

 

I try to avoid ship excursions too. I prefer what I call the" Columbus style" visiting a place I've never been before and exploring it as much as possible on my own without paying for a tour. Last fall i came ashore at Bar Harbor and thanks to the couple sitting in front of me ..who had been to BH before ...they suggested I follow them to the free LL Bean bus to Acadia Park ..well anyway I followed these kind folks ...took the free bus (catch it at the Village Square ..a 10 minute walk from the dock) to Acadia. They give you a nice map on the bus of the park, hiking trails. And they will let you off where you want and pick you up wherever they can pull over. I believe the bus runs every half hour. no park entrance fees. I hiked along the sea for a couple of hours then caught the bus back to BH. Even if hiking is not your thing you can get off at viewpoints of your choice. The drivers are very knowledgable of the area and helpful. Have a great time on your cruise.

[hello]

That is a great suggestion!

[Jan_In_Maine]

I'm not sure if I would just do the bus if I only had one day in Bar Harbor. I think to really understand a lot of the history/flora/fauna etc a tour would be the way to go. But to each their own.

 

After getting off the tender one will be near a small park - at the top of the park is a new bathroom building that is now under construction. There is a sign that says it has been built with fees collected from cruise ships - It is a lovely building and blends in nicely with the town.

 

Weather is beautiful here now - with leaves on the trees .... saw lots of turkeys in Bar Harbor and of course plenty of deer. Last weekend FOA (friends of Acadia) spent the weekend picking up trash along the road that comes onto the island (amazing what collects over the summer/winter). Jan

[Snoofer]

How many miles is it from getting the bus to getting to Acadia park?

[Jan_In_Maine]

Maybe this bus schedule for the island will hep you determine when and where to pick up the bus http://www.exploreacadia.com/routefinder.htm

[Snoofer]

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see on the map how far it is from where you get off the cruise ship to the entrance to Acadia. Is it the same bus that tours you through the park or do you take a different bus/tour once you get to the park? I'm not clear on that point.:confused:

[Jan_In_Maine]

I'm really not an expert - I believe that the loop road is 20 miles. So many of the different loops are within the park - I think the best would be to decide what you want to see in the park - I believe that the bus does not go up the mountain, but it will take you to sand beach, thunder hole, etc.

 

Hopefully Sail Bad will show up - he seems to understand the bus system very well

[SailBadtheSinner]

Hi Jan - how are you & thanks for the plug.

 

I'll try for the answer. If you look at each route map on the link Jan provided, only 4 of the routes (3,4,5,8) go into ANP. The remaining routes service the surrounding areas (Campgrounds, BH hotel/motel, Southwest Harbor).

 

My estimate of the distance from the tender dock to closest park road is about 2 miles. Once you board an Island Explorer bus you will stay on that bus until reach your destination. Of course, you could stay on the bus for the return ride. Remember that this is not a tour bus, but free public transportation for MDI.

 

As I looked at the route map, I noticed that it appears that they have changed route #4 (Loop Road) so that it starts and ends at the Visitor's Center and does not stop (or visit) the BH Village Green. The map is supported by the printed schedule. This is a new wriggle which will require anyone who wants to do the Loop Road to take a route #1 to the Visitors Center and there change buses to a route #4 bus. Or take a route #3 or #5 bus into the park and transfer to a #4 bus at a common point and then do the reverse on the way back. Whew :eek:!

 

I don't know if I answered Snoofer's question so keep asking and we'll eventually get it right :D.

 

 

SBtS

 

[Snoofer]

Sailbadthesinner...

 

Yes, that answers at least one big question I had which was if I take the bus from the cruise port/dock, how far would it be to get to ANP. Thank you! So, in other words, it is very feasible to go there on your own instead of with the organized ship tour? I think that is the main thing I wanted to know. I had no idea how far the park was from the dock. From what you are saying, it is 2 miles?

 

O.K. - bear with me here... "Island Explorer" - is that the name of what you get on before you get to the park? AND... what does "MDI" stand for?

 

Since the terms/names are unfamiliar to me - I might have more questions... but I think I'm starting to get it! ;) Thanks bunches.

[Jan_In_Maine]

I'll try to answer a little bit.

 

Island Explorer is the name of the buses on MDI. MDI is Mount Desert Island (Desert is either pronounced as a very dry place or as something sweet that one eats after supper).

 

Remember that a lot of MDI is part of Acadia National Park and that the loop road within the park is 27 miles long. http://www.acadia.ws/park-loop.htm There are many different areas within the park that you probably would like to see. Such as: If you take the bus and get off at Sand Beach you will have to check the schedule to get back on. Then if you want to go to Thunder Hole - you will have to wait for the bus to take you there get off the bus and spend some time and then get back on the bus to go elsewhere.

 

You might want to decide what you want to see within the park system and then look to see if a bus goes there and the schedule. The bus will not go up Cadillac mountain. http://www.acadiamagic.com/CadillacMountain.html

 

Hope this hasn't made things more muddy ... It is a lovely area. Jan

 

PS - the following website shows Acadia National Park on the Island - Everything that is in a blue color is part of the National Park - It does show the different areas that you might want more information about .... The dark black route is the 27 mile Loop Road. http://www.acadiamagic.com/Park.html

[Snoofer]

Jan in Maine... Thank you... Good information! I will look at all of it very carefully to absorb the information. It's hard to go to an area you have never been before and get a good picture of how to get around, etc. This helps a lot!;)

[CrusinAgain]

We took Oli's Trolley's last October and did stop at the Jordon House but it was only for about 20 minutes. I think both tours were short at Jordon House as the other tour, the green bus was there for the same amount of time. Apparently, the other place Oli's normally stops at was nothing to see so they changed it. We went for the fall color but we were too late.

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, I'm headed for the Canada/New England cruise in mid October, just want to thank you guys for all the info that you been givin out. Taking notes as I read up on what to do.

 

Virginia

[SaylorGirl]

We took Oli's Trolley's last October and did stop at the Jordon House but it was only for about 20 minutes. I think both tours were short at Jordon House as the other tour, the green bus was there for the same amount of time. Apparently, the other place Oli's normally stops at was nothing to see so they changed it. We went for the fall color but we were too late.

 

When in October did you sail? The first time we took a cruise in this area it was late September and the trees were still green!! This time we sail on October 24th and it will probably be too late . . .

[CrusinAgain]

When in October did you sail? The first time we took a cruise in this area it was late September and the trees were still green!! This time we sail on October 24th and it will probably be too late . . .

 

We left Oct. 17th from NY and Bar Harbor was Oct. 20th last year. Its a great time to shop at Bar Harbor since most stores were closing up for the winter offering 50 percent off. We are anxious to stop there again this October but will not need to see Acadia Park again.

[smitty3000]

Hey, is there anything to do around where the tender drops us off. We

are suppose to get into Bar Harbor at 7 AM and our first tour with Oli's

Trolley does not star until 10. Anything close by we might like to see. I try to fill every minute when we are in port. Hate to miss out on something.

Thanks for the info.:)

[CrusinAgain]

Hey, is there anything to do around where the tender drops us off. We

are suppose to get into Bar Harbor at 7 AM and our first tour with Oli's

Trolley does not star until 10. Anything close by we might like to see. I try to fill every minute when we are in port. Hate to miss out on something.

Thanks for the info.:)

 

Last year our time in this port was short - 7-4 but it is a tender port so in all actuality there won't be that much time before the trolley as you need to get that tender pass and then stop off and get a ticket at Oli's even if you paid online they still require you to stop at their office. We stood outside the trolley's about 9:45 amongst the crowd until the drivers got there. It was a sold out tour but we got a good seat by being there early. I didn't see much going on in town as the stores were just opening when our tour began. You could walk around the quaint town if you do get there early and see where you would want to eat lunch after the tour and shop. Its a small town so it doesn't take long to cover it. There is a live webcam online of it. Just google it.

[SailBadtheSinner]

smitty3000 asked: .... is there anything to do around where the tender drops us off....

 

I would suggest you do the Bar Harbor Shore Path: http://www.acadiamagic.com/ShorePath.html

As you reach the street when leaving the tender dock, turn left and start walking and you will find the path. Look for this

and walk between it and the water.

 

SBtS