Portland ~what to do on our own?

I love Fort Williams and think it's more than just a photo opportunity but I'm from there so I could be biased. The Eastern Prom is lovely and Duck Fat is very popular! If you do go out to Cape Elizabeth (where Fort Williams is... about 15-20 mins from the Port...) I'd also go to Two Lights State Park. Rocky cliffs and big waves, cliff walks, and another light house. Plus... the Lobster Shack which is probably the most beautiful place to eat a Lobster in the a world... I think I can safely say that without starting a big debate.. (google image?) That being said... I totally understand about not being able to relax when stressed about timing. It's close, but still a car drive away.

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This ^^^^ seriously. I got the best shots from the ship! And we went there on our tour. It's on the port side as you sail in. I wasn't expecting it. I'm always up and out on our balcony coming into port!

 

We did the Portland by Land and Sea through Carnival and we enjoyed it. We had plenty of time after for walking along Commercial St.

 

The sea part was a sail on a schooner and it was lovely. We also sailed by the lighthouse. The company is Windjammer Sails. A 2 hour sail is $44 pp. It docked not far from the ship

 

You can purchase on their website portlandschooner.com

 

We would have checked out the Narrow Gauge RR but we did so much walking in Boston and DH had sore feet [emoji849]

 

There is a lovely park near there with great views. And also the Portland Observatory - you can go to the top. Kind of hard to tell how far it is on the map. We passed it on the bus part of the tour but didn't stop.

 

I had my lobster roll at Boone's with some good craft beer- close to the ship. Lots of shops, restaurants and bars along Commercial St

 

We loved Portland!

 

 

 

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We have a port side balcony this summer and are super excited about the idea of seeing the lighthouse from our room. Do you remember by any chance how early it would be? Would an hour before scheduled arrival be enough? Or earlier? Thanks!

Do any shops open early when the cruise ship is in port? We arrive at 7am. I plan on going to Holy Donut. Is there anything to do before 10am? The Victoria Mansion opens at 10am.

Holy Donut a perfect early starting spot.

We have a port side balcony this summer and are super excited about the idea of seeing the lighthouse from our room. Do you remember by any chance how early it would be? Would an hour before scheduled arrival be enough? Or earlier? Thanks!

An hour before docking would be plenty of time. You can probably get a good shot of Ram Island Ledge Light, which is basically a lighthouse on a tide washed rock in the middle of the bay.

OK I hate getting up early, but I think I'll have to take Chengkp75's suggestions for photos of the lighthouse. Got to write it in my notes!

Reading through all of this, I had an idea and I'm not sure if it exists. I'll cross check on TripAdvisor. Anyone know if there is a "Brewery Tour"? Might be fun for my mom and I to experience several of the local craft beers. Maybe she'll find something other than Guinness that won't give her the belches! LOL It would be something different since she's been to Portland before. Then everyone on the ship can laugh at us as we stagger back laughing our fool heads off. :)

We have a port side balcony this summer and are super excited about the idea of seeing the lighthouse from our room. Do you remember by any chance how early it would be? Would an hour before scheduled arrival be enough? Or earlier? Thanks!

It was around sun up, which was around 6am

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Portland is a great craft brewery town. Shipyard Brewing is close to the terminal, and does a tour and tasting. There are not real tours of breweries, but you could catch a cab out to the Riverside Industrial area where there are Foundation, Austin Street, and Allagash breweries. Bissell Brothers is over at Thompson Point, along with a winery and a distillery. The Great Lost Bear is a bar that has over 70 craft beers on tap, some of which, like Sam Adams craft brews, are sold nowhere else in New England.

Thanks all, these tips are great!!

The Maine Brew Bus offers a tour - it's located at 79 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101. They offer a 3 hour tour incorporating 3 breweries and a savoury pie baked locally (to soak up some of the alcohol). Find them at themainebrewbus.com

It was around sun up, which was around 6am

 

 

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Thanks so much for the info!

An hour before docking would be plenty of time. You can probably get a good shot of Ram Island Ledge Light, which is basically a lighthouse on a tide washed rock in the middle of the bay.

Thanks so much for the info!

Thanks so much for all the info! Starting to plan for my June cruise...

Another thing I recently learned about is the Portland Fire Engine Co, that gives a tour of the entire Portland peninsula (the downtown area) in a vintage fire engine. Takes about an hour, $24, $22 seniors. I haven't tried it, but sounds good.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful advice.

Thanks Chengkp - I've booked the fire engine tour; looks really good !!

Another thing I recently learned about is the Portland Fire Engine Co, that gives a tour of the entire Portland peninsula (the downtown area) in a vintage fire engine. Takes about an hour, $24, $22 seniors. I haven't tried it, but sounds good.

I found this on Trip Advisor and I think my mom and I are going to do this. Relatively cheap and something unique. Thanks Cheng.

Thanks Chengkp - I've booked the fire engine tour; looks really good !!

Come back and post your experience please. My mom and I are going to do this in Sept. 2019. Hopefully it will still be doing tours then!

Come back and post your experience please. My mom and I are going to do this in Sept. 2019. Hopefully it will still be doing tours then!

will do; not going until September this year though.....can't come quick enough!! :cool::cool:

This ^^^^ seriously. I got the best shots from the ship! And we went there on our tour. It's on the port side as you sail in. I wasn't expecting it. I'm always up and out on our balcony coming into port!

We are due into port at 7am, so how early do we need to be up to not miss it? We have port side balconies, but the wife (and my mother) may prefer to go up on deck.

We are due into port at 7am, so how early do we need to be up to not miss it? We have port side balconies, but the wife (and my mother) may prefer to go up on deck.

Scroll back to the previous page, posts around the end of Jan, and the question is answered there. Looks like people were saying about 1 hr before arrival.

Scroll back to the previous page, posts around the end of Jan, and the question is answered there. Looks like people were saying about 1 hr before arrival.

Reading while working. Guess I missed it.

These threads can be hard to follow sometimes!