Planning NE ports, please help!

[ETaylor1015]

Hello, my husband and I are going on our first NE cruise Sept 22 on the anthem of the seas. We just booked yesterday so not a lot of time to plan. We are in our mid 30's, like to see as much as possible , and don't like group tours if we can avoid them. Here are our ports with my questions I have and recommendations we need. Please share your thoughts! We are from south Florida and have never been to New England !

Please keep in mind we want to whale watch in one of these places. Which one is best?? Also want best places to eat lobster!

1st stop

Boston: thinking maybe renting bikes? Open to suggestions. In port 7:00 am-7pm

 

Portland Maine: 8 am-5pm thinking of renting car and driving to lighthouses (bug light, spring point, Portland headlight, and kennybunkport ) can this all be done in that time frame? Where is th most convienent place to rent a car from the port?

 

Bar Harbour- 7 am-6 pm. We want to see all the best of Acadia park. Is that the best thing to do here ? What are the must see stops ? We are open to biking or hiking if that's a good way. Should we use the island explorer free bus or rent a car ?

 

Halifax Nova Scotia 7 am-5pm -is Peggy's cove worth it if we see all the Portland lighthouses? What else is fun to do here? Should we rent a car or take a bus? Easiest place to rent from? Whale watching here?

 

St John New Brunswick - what's the easiest way to get to reversing Rapids and sea caves? Are these must see's? Can you still take a boat in the Rapids? Couldn't find it.

 

Thanks for your help!!

[ETaylor1015]

Is anyone there?

[JPH814]

Give it time - it has only been 2 hours.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[ETaylor1015]

I know! Just wanted to make sure my post went through ! New to this site and I couldn't find it!

[1025cruise]

Well, you can do a whale watch in Boston. Probably Portland as well.

 

For Bar Harbor, forget the idea of renting a car. There are no car rentals in Bar Harbor. I like Ollie's trolley, but it is not a hop on/hop off, so might not be what you want.

 

In terms of lobster, Portland and Bar Harbor will have good lobster. In Bar Harbor, Stewman's is right by the tender dock. Boston also has lobster.

 

Can't answer anything about the Canadian ports.

[SailBadtheSinner]

For Bar Harbor, the proper spelling is Harbor. You should do a tour of Acadia National Park with Oli's Trolley or Acadia National Park Tours. The tour should include the Park Loop Road and the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

 

The Island Explorer is public transportation for getting around ANP and to nearby communities. IE is a public bus, and not a tour bus, plus it does not go to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. After 8/31, IE runs on a reduced schedule.

 

As for a car rental in Bar Harbor, there is none. The closest agency is located at the at the Hancock County/Bar Harbor Airport, and is about 12 miles from the tender dock.

 

There is whale watching available, but you will have to fit it in with an other tours you take.

 

As for hiking and biking there are numerous hiking trails in ANP. For biking, you can rent bikes in BH and ride them on the Carriage Roads that criss cross ANP.

 

With everything you showed interest in doing, I think you should rank them and zero in on whatever is ranked 1 & 2, JMHO; and then come back for specific questions.

 

 

SBtS

[jaja]

If you are into hiking....the best way to see Peggy's cove and surrounding area is E.A.R.T.H Expeditions...Halifax.(they are highly rated on Expedia)..it really was a good tour..for those in shape to walk/climb a bit...We found them thru a fellow M&G cruiser..and it was a good buy....

[chengkp75]

The only really convenient car rental to the pier in Portland is Enterprise. If you are going to be there on Sunday, however, you need to call the local agency to arrange an after hours drop off. You can't do this online, and they close at 1pm on Sunday.

 

You can see all the lighthouses mentioned, including Kennebunkport, in the time frame if you are judicious. I would start by driving down to Kennebunk first and then catching the others on the way back. Route 1 can be bad that time of year with leaf peepers, so the Interstate may be a better bet, but its toll. You could also take in the Portland Observatory on Munjoy Hill, with great views across Casco Bay.

 

An alternative to lighthouses would be the Casco Bay Lines "mailboat run" which leaves at 10am, and takes about 3.5-4.5 hours (depends on cargo volume). This boat is the lifeline of the 6 islands that are part of Portland, and the Captain usually gives a talk about each island while the crew unloads the cargo for the islanders. It will take you out to Cliff Island, where the next land you'll see to the East is Ireland.

[Giantfan13]

Hello, my husband and I are going on our first NE cruise Sept 22 on the anthem of the seas. We just booked yesterday so not a lot of time to plan. We are in our mid 30's, like to see as much as possible , and don't like group tours if we can avoid them. Here are our ports with my questions I have and recommendations we need. Please share your thoughts! We are from south Florida and have never been to New England !

Please keep in mind we want to whale watch in one of these places. Which one is best?? Also want best places to eat lobster!

1st stop

Boston: thinking maybe renting bikes? Open to suggestions. In port 7:00 am-7pm

 

Portland Maine: 8 am-5pm thinking of renting car and driving to lighthouses (bug light, spring point, Portland headlight, and kennybunkport ) can this all be done in that time frame? Where is th most convienent place to rent a car from the port?

 

Bar Harbour- 7 am-6 pm. We want to see all the best of Acadia park. Is that the best thing to do here ? What are the must see stops ? We are open to biking or hiking if that's a good way. Should we use the island explorer free bus or rent a car ?

 

Halifax Nova Scotia 7 am-5pm -is Peggy's cove worth it if we see all the Portland lighthouses? What else is fun to do here? Should we rent a car or take a bus? Easiest place to rent from? Whale watching here?

 

St John New Brunswick - what's the easiest way to get to reversing Rapids and sea caves? Are these must see's? Can you still take a boat in the Rapids? Couldn't find it.

 

Thanks for your help!!

 

In Portland, renting a car is a very good idea. There are about 5 lighthouses in and around the Portland area, all within an easy drive. You should be able to make it to Kennebunkport also. A nice town for lunch and just wandering around.

 

Bar Harbor-if you want to get to the summit of Cadillac Mt, you need to either hike it or take the tour from Ollie's. Depending on the weather, a trip to the top of Cadillac Mt will be spectacular or immersed in clouds or fog.

Another option in Bar Harbor, when the tide is low, you can walk along the ocean floor to Bar Island, a small island about 1/4 mile from Bar Harbor. When the tide is high it is under 30 feet of water, but at low tide, the walk is great.

 

Peggy's Cove is completely different from the Portland Head Light. It is an old, much smaller light house and in a very small quaint town of Peggy's Cove. The drive there is great also. If you are a light house person, you won't want to miss it.

 

As for the reversing rapids, personally, I don't know what all the fuss is about. You have to be there basically at the exact time the water flows from one direction to the other and really, I found it no big deal at all.

 

 

A few pixs to help you decide

 

The Portland Head Light

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/Maine/IMG_3892_zps17c690b5.jpg

 

Peggy's Cove light house

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/canada/canada/IMG_4561_zpsd4kh8ysa.jpg

 

Walk to Bar Island

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/Maine/IMG_3473_zpsea7cec03.jpg

 

Acadia Park (view from Thunder Hole)

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/Maine/IMG_3504_zpsa965157b.jpg

 

Village of Peggy's Cove

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/canada/canada/IMG_4578_zpsbddz3ool.jpg

 

Cheers

 

Len

Edited August 15, 2016 by Giantfan13

[SailBadtheSinner]

Hello, my husband and I are ......

Please keep in mind we want to whale watch in one of these places. Which one is best?? Also want best places to eat lobster!

.......

 

 

Since I didn't address this in my first post, here is my thoughts on getting the best lobster in Bar Harbor.

 

JMHO, every restaurant in Bar Harbor & Maine knows how to cook a lobster, so you can't use cooking as a selection criteria. Everyone wants the freshest lobster they can get, but every restaurant in BH most likely purchases their lobsters from the local lobstermen's coop, and the lobster is fresh. The only exception I can think of is that the restaurant has a dedicated lobsterman and boat.You maybe able to select a restaurant that has the freshest lobster.

 

That gets us to the selection of sides. Maybe you want particular sides and select the restaurant that offers them.

 

Finally, you select the restaurant based on the atmosphere. A traditional restaurant vs outdoor seating at picnic tables.

 

Someone mentioned Stewman's (Bar Harbor location) which is a good choice, but I don't think you could go wrong in any BH restaurant.

 

JMHO

 

SBtS

[ETaylor1015]

Thanks everyone! These are some helpful tips!

Is the Trolly tour in bar harbor something that can be booked last minute depending on the weather ? It sounds like it may not be worth going to top of Cadillac mountain in fog? How long does the Trolly tour take? The low tide the day we are in bar harbor is at 2:00 pm. Would we have time to visit some of Acadia park in the morning and walk the sea floor at 2:00 pm and make it back to the ship by 5:30pm ? How far is the sea floor walk from the ship and how much time do we need? If we need to do an alternative of the Trolly to get back for sea floor in time , what would be another option to see the park? Does uber run in bar harbor , and how far is Acadia from cruise port?

 

Finally , is late September even season to see the whales? If we went from Boston would we likely see them?

[drneal]

I usually like to go on my own excursions as well....

....BUT you may want to consider doing a whale watching tour through the ship.

I went on a whale watching boat in Bar Harbor and one of the engines broke down. It took twice as long to return as it did to go out.

On a ship tour they would wait for the group to return or make other arrangements for you to meet up with the ship.

All aboard is usually 1/2 hour earlier than the stated departure time.

Also it might take 1/2 hour before they let you disembark, so if your ship gets in at 7 AM don't count on starting to disembark much before 7:30.

Tenders may take longer.

In Halifax I'm going to Peggy's Cove lighthouse and then to Lunenburg,http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/741 about 80 min from Halifax.

If you are new to this site you should check out your "Roll call" where you can meet other people from your cruise.

Often times people are looking to share a private van/tour for up to 6 people.

Finally, if your going whale watching in Oct bring a hat and gloves.

[maryann ns]

Here is a previous post about Halifax:

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g154976-i327-k8118123-One_day_cruise-Halifax_Halifax_Regional_Municipality_Nova_Scotia.html#63960510

[138east]

Boston - I personally wouldn't recommend bikes in downtown Boston - narrow uneven streets that can become clogged and from what I've seen over the years, downright dangerous to bike on. Then you have to find a place to park and secure your bike. Way too stressful for me.

 

What are you interested in? A lot of folks walk the Freedom Trail. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org Others ride the Hoho buses. Some folks go to Fenway Park or Sam Adams Brewery. Many folks wander Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market to eat, shop, and people watch.

 

There is also the Museum of Science, the Aquarium, and the duck tour.

 

What I often suggest is to take a cab first to Charlestown ($16) and do the museum (opens 9 am) and see the ship (opens at 10:00 am). Then take the MBTA water taxi ($4/pp) to Long Wharf. If you want to see the North End, walk into the area and pick up the Freedom Trail to walk backwards to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market. Otherwise just walk from the dock directly into FH/QM. Continue walking backwards on the trail to the Boston Common. At Park St you can get the Red Line T train direction Braintree or Ashmont, ride two stops to South Station, do the free transfer to the Silver Line within the station, and take the SL2 bus back to Black Falcon Terminal $2.75/pp. IMO this plan maximizes what you get to see and eliminates a lot of what I consider the boring walking plus you get an inexpensive mini harbor cruise.

[MathLady123]

Bostonian here - I agree with 138east - don't rent a bike in Boston! Go by foot and walk the Freedom Trail instead - many sights are free! Plus being on foot will give you the ability to browse shops and other items of interest along the way. Also know that there is ALWAYS a breeze, so you may want a sweater too, especially at the end of September. No Name Seafood restaurant is a great place for lunch :)

[chengkp75]

Bostonian here - I agree with 138east - don't rent a bike in Boston! Go by foot and walk the Freedom Trail instead - many sights are free! Plus being on foot will give you the ability to browse shops and other items of interest along the way. Also know that there is ALWAYS a breeze, so you may want a sweater too, especially at the end of September. No Name Seafood restaurant is a great place for lunch :)

 

My son lives on Mass Ave, and one thing I love about Boston is that you can walk almost anywhere in a short time.

 

I would take the taxi to Charlestown, see the Navy yard and Constitution, then work the Freedom Trail backwards to the Common, or stop at Quincy Market, and then cab back to ship. Plenty and plenty of fine eateries along the way for lunch or dinner.

 

And, yeah, driving in Boston is a contact sport, I don't think my life insurance would cover biking there. :p

Edited August 15, 2016 by chengkp75

[SailBadtheSinner]

Thanks everyone! These are some helpful tips!

Is the Trolly tour in bar harbor something that can be booked last minute depending on the weather ? It sounds like it may not be worth going to top of Cadillac mountain in fog? How long does the Trolly tour take? The low tide the day we are in bar harbor is at 2:00 pm. Would we have time to visit some of Acadia park in the morning and walk the sea floor at 2:00 pm and make it back to the ship by 5:30pm ? How far is the sea floor walk from the ship and how much time do we need? If we need to do an alternative of the Trolly to get back for sea floor in time , what would be another option to see the park? Does uber run in bar harbor , and how far is Acadia from cruise port?

 

Finally , is late September even season to see the whales? If we went from Boston would we likely see them?

 

 

You can walk up and book the tour, but there would be a chance that you would be shut out. There is another tour company the offers similar tours; see my first post.

 

If the fog is heavy in the AM, hope that it burns off for a PM visit to the summit.

 

The Cadillac Mountain tour is for 1 hour; there is also a 2½ hour tour that includes the Park Loop Rd and the Summit of Cadillac Mountain.

 

You wrote you wanted to see some of Acadia National Park and then do the low tide walk to Bar Island. What are your plans to see some of ANP? There is a window to do the walk, about 1 hour before and after low tide. For Bar Island, when I was there a few years ago, the trail on the island was over grown, and I couldn't see anything.

 

The distance from the tender dock to the start of the walk is less than a ½ mile and should take about 7 minutes.

 

An entrance to ANP is about 2 miles, and will take about 7 minutes to get there by bus. There is no cruise port, but there is a tender dock with a ramp to the street.

 

I don't know anything about Uber, but I doubt it.

 

Other options for seeing ANP would be a taxi tour or the Island Explorer.

 

As for whale watching, I think it is still in season for the Gulf of Maine.

 

 

SBtS

Edited August 15, 2016 by SailBadtheSinner
speling

[Cornishpastyman1]

Hello, my husband and I are going on our first NE cruise Sept 22 on the anthem of the seas. We just booked yesterday so not a lot of time to plan. We are in our mid 30's, like to see as much as possible , and don't like group tours if we can avoid them. Here are our ports with my questions I have and recommendations we need.

 

Boston: thinking maybe renting bikes? Open to suggestions. In port 7:00 am-7pm

 

Bar Harbour- 7 am-6 pm. We want to see all the best of Acadia park. Is that the best thing to do here ? What are the must see stops ? We are open to biking or hiking if that's a good way. Should we use the island explorer free bus or rent a car ?

 

Halifax Nova Scotia 7 am-5pm -is Peggy's cove worth it if we see all the Portland lighthouses? What else is fun to do here? Should we rent a car or take a bus? Easiest place to rent from? Whale watching here?

 

 

Thanks for your help!!

 

If it's any interest the Atlantic Canada & New England link in my signature below has the videos of what I did at those 3 ports. All the best, Tony

[bbigg]

was wondering if any one could give some info on fenway park tour? Should we book through our ship(Carnival) or do the trip on our own? thanks

[pamssanity]

I've been to Boston at least a dozen times. My suggestion for the first timer would be the hop on hop off. You definitely want to do the Freedom Trail and Fanuielle hall. Along the freedom trail you'll pass a small cemetery where the original mother goose is buried.

[chengkp75]

was wondering if any one could give some info on fenway park tour? Should we book through our ship(Carnival) or do the trip on our own? thanks

 

Probably depends on what else you want to do in Boston. The ship excursion is $70pp, and takes 3.5 hours. The public Fenway tour is $18 and is only an hour long, and I don't think the ship tour is any longer in the ballpark, its a "scenic drive" through Boston. A cab to Fenway is less than $30 (split between your party). I would cab to Fenway, first tour is at 9 am, then walk to the Common (10 minutes) and start the Freedom Trail.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I'm going to many of the same places you're going to, and have been to a number of them already. Here's info that might help, although of course it's just one person's opinion:

 

You seem to be a lighthouse nut like me (seen over 450 of them so far!). In Bar Harbor I'm trying to resist driving my husband crazy by planning something other than lighthouse stuff, but it's hard. For example, for less than $100 and an hour or so you can see a number of lighthouses from the air. That may be too expensive or scary for some, but if that interests you, there are two companies that that offer that in Bar Harbor. They pick you up near the tender spot and take you to the airport for the trip. You can cancel easily if you want/need to. There's also a boat tour by Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company that goes by 4 lighthouses at 9:30, 3 hours, $45, 1-888-WHALES-4.

 

By the way, if someone could tell me how much time I'll need to walk over to Bar Island and back, that would be appreciated. I know I have to go according to the tide schedule, but can't figure out how long the walk itself might be. It's also a little disconcerting to hear that the view isn't so great from over there. Len, thanks for the picture - looks like a long walk.

 

I've read that on Oli's Trolley, you have to shoot through windows. Is that true? I personally think that the area of Southwest Harbor is a lovely place to be - but of course harder to get to, and farther away than some of the other places in Acadia. My advice, too: Watch the timing on the Explorer bus in late fall. Also, I think it ends Columbus Day or the day after.

 

In Saint Martin, we're planning to go to the caves, but the timing is such that we'll only get to look from a distance and not go in. Oh well, still sounds worthwhile to me. It appears to be 45 to 55 minutes from Saint John and the car rental place near the port. We'll also check out the Fundy Trail near by.

 

Can't help much with Boston. Lots of things to do, though. I found a car rental place not too far from the port, plus two Zipcar rentals close by. If we rent something, we would go out of the city, though. There is bus/subway transportation that gets you to the historic sights, or an expensive (to me, anyway) water taxi from the cruise port.

 

In Halifax, if you haven't been to Peggy's Cove, it's a little over-visited but worthwhile. It's easy to rent a car and drive. We did that about 10 years ago. This year we're doing something different, but I would say it's a nice thing to do. See Tomsportguides.com for more ideas on Halifax, though - Titanic cemetery and other places in the city itself are worthwhile. We may drive to Lunenburg, but it may be farther than you want to go. Peggy's Cove is a little closer. In any case, we'll probably rent a car from Hertz, 1099 Marginal Road, not far from the port.

 

We've been to Portland before, so I'd like to get out more and do something different, however, I think you'd be able to do the lighthouses you mentioned in a day. The mailboat tour someone mentioned sounds good, too. In Portland, I struggled to find a car rental place close to the port, but decided on the Enterprise rental location about a mile and a half from the port. Be aware, though, that I was told they pick up all their cruise passengers at a particular time (on our day 9 AM) and take them to the rental place to sign contracts and get cars. It doesn't sound like it will be a quick process if a lot of people on your ship decide to rent cars.

 

I would google tomsportguides and look at his guides. I know he covers Bar Harbor, Halifax, Saint John, Newport, NYC, Saguenay, Corner Brook and Quebec.

[ETaylor1015]

Hi "I want to live over the sea"! You give some great tips! I read that Olies trolley stops at the special views for 15 minutes each for pictures. The 2.5 hour tour seems to take you to all the hot spots. Can anyone comment if a bar harbor whale cruise at 9:30 am and the oli trolley tour at 2:00 seems reasonable to do in one day at port ?

 

Is the town of St John nice to spend a day in? It seems like the reversing Rapids is pretty close by? What else is nice to do ? I got the feeling the sea caves are overrated , I saw something like them in Hawaii . Is this a wrong impression or a must see at low tide?

 

You raise a good point regarding the rental place in Portland. I too am reserved at enterprise. They said they would come pick me up but didn't say anything about waiting on other cruise passengers. Maybe we should take an uber or taxi and beat the crowd and be there waiting at 9:00 when they open!

 

I reserved a car in Halifax at budget in the same area as enterprise.

 

Still waiting to see if anyone knows if there is a big difference in seeing whales in one port vs another ?

[ETaylor1015]

Boston - I personally wouldn't recommend bikes in downtown Boston - narrow uneven streets that can become clogged and from what I've seen over the years, downright dangerous to bike on. Then you have to find a place to park and secure your bike. Way too stressful for me.

 

What are you interested in? A lot of folks walk the Freedom Trail. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org Others ride the Hoho buses. Some folks go to Fenway Park or Sam Adams Brewery. Many folks wander Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market to eat, shop, and people watch.

 

There is also the Museum of Science, the Aquarium, and the duck tour.

 

What I often suggest is to take a cab first to Charlestown ($16) and do the museum (opens 9 am) and see the ship (opens at 10:00 am). Then take the MBTA water taxi ($4/pp) to Long Wharf. If you want to see the North End, walk into the area and pick up the Freedom Trail to walk backwards to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market. Otherwise just walk from the dock directly into FH/QM. Continue walking backwards on the trail to the Boston Common. At Park St you can get the Red Line T train direction Braintree or Ashmont, ride two stops to South Station, do the free transfer to the Silver Line within the station, and take the SL2 bus back to Black Falcon Terminal $2.75/pp. IMO this plan maximizes what you get to see and eliminates a lot of what I consider the boring walking plus you get an inexpensive mini harbor cruise.

 

I just saw this! It's just what I need for Boston ! Thanks !

[ETaylor1015]

If you are into hiking....the best way to see Peggy's cove and surrounding area is E.A.R.T.H Expeditions...Halifax.(they are highly rated on Expedia)..it really was a good tour..for those in shape to walk/climb a bit...We found them thru a fellow M&G cruiser..and it was a good buy....

 

If we rent a car to go to Peggy's cove , could we do the hike ourselves ?