Boston shuttle information

[mii]

We will be going on a cruise to Canada/New England and one of the stops is Boston. As I understand there are different cruise lines that have a shuttle that would take you to downtown Boston around the Fanueil Hall area. Does anybody know if Celebrity is one of those lines. Thanks

 

Marilyn

[crazidude1400]

I would suggest using an MBTA bus or train/trolley or the MBTA bus. We acutally call it the "T". The fares are pretty good, and you can switch from line to line, bus to bus.

 

www.mbta.com is the website, with maps and all.

 

 

We will be going on a cruise to Canada/New England and one of the stops is Boston. As I understand there are different cruise lines that have a shuttle that would take you to downtown Boston around the Fanueil Hall area. Does anybody know if Celebrity is one of those lines. Thanks

 

Marilyn

[mii]

Thanks crazi for the info.

 

Marilyn

[02143]

I'm not sure if your destination is Faneuil Hall or you're asking about shuttles that go there so you can then head somewhere else, but I'll answer for the first case.

 

The T is not ideal for a tourist to get from the cruise ship terminal to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, although it's good for other places.

 

The Silver Line is a glorified bus that picks up at the Black Falcon terminal and takes you to South Station, which is on the Red Line. I believe the fare is $1.25 and you can get a transfer to the subway.

 

Faneuil Hall is between State and Aquarium T stops, so taking the T there would involve at least one transfer in addition to South Station to cover not that great of a distance. I would see what cab fares are like from the cruise terminal to FH, because someone on the cruise staff should know, it's one of Boston's biggest tourist destinations. If it sounds pricy, take the silver line to South Station and either take a cab from there or, if you're in good health and up for it, walk north along the water front until you reach the Aquarium which is across a patch of land from FH/QM.

 

If you're going elsewhere in Boston, the T is good. If you have any questions, post them here.

[mii]

02134: Thanks for the help. I guess I really want to ask when we get off of the ship , I had read somewhere where there are shuttles that would take passengers to the for example Fanueil Hall or the general area. Then I would probably take a trolley tour around the city and end up back at Fanuiel Hall. Is that possible. The cruise ship does have trolley tours but you just stay on and don't get off. I want to get off at Fanueil Hall area and spend some time there. In your opinion is the duck tours worth it. It sounds like fun but then I do not know if they also stop in the Hall area. Any information that you can give me would be of help. If not we will take a cab.

 

Marilyn

[02143]

Aha. Well, living in Boston, I'm going to defer to anyone else on what type of shuttle transportation is available when you get off the ship. It's not a place someone goes to unless you're boarding a cruise, so I wouldn't have any experience, but perhaps someone else who has docked in Boston can say.

 

The duck tours are a lot of fun and a unique way to see the city. They're especially good if you have kids because some of the drivers are real personalities who have honed their act. However, they are not stop-and-go tours, but a complete trip that lets you off where you start. The loading areas are at the Museum of Science and on the southern side of the Prudential Center. Neither one is close to Faneuil Hall or the cruise terminal. I would also check the prices beforehand, because they are more expensive than your average tour. Also, you might look into reserving a time slot before you leave. I don't know how it works, but since they are so popular, you might get to town and find out that first duck with an open seat doesn't leave until 3:30 PM because everything else has filled up. Note that if you decide to take the ducks that leave from the Museum of Science, avoid the T because they've closed the tracks north of North Station and you'd have to mess with a shuttle bus.

 

You can easily do both a duck tour and Faneuil Hall in the same day. Boston is a compact city. You can budget time to stop in Faneuil Hall on your way back to the ship and then cab it from there to the ship terminal.

 

I was going to look up some Boston trolley tours on Google, but my Internet has inexplicably slowed down. I'm sorry.

[Nitemare]

Link to Black Falcon Terminal Shuttle Info Scroll down for shuttle to town info. A little pricey, IMHO. A cab would make much more sense to me, especially if you're 2 or more people.

[mii]

Thanks so much for the info. I think I have a pretty good idea of what is out there. I have researched the trolley companies so I will just take my pick. Again thanks so much.

 

Marilyn

[Bonnie&Rob]

I spent today playing 'tourist' in Boston, and can tell you that the "city view" trolley is not the best one. We bought a package for $28.00, which include entry to the NE Aquarium and the trolley tour. You could also select the Constitution harbor tour instead of the aquarium. I've been on others that I considered better than what 'city view' had to offer. Just my opinion..

 

There are several trolley tour companies in Boston. Most offer to drop you off at various points throughout the city, and you can hop back on again to continue the tour. We got off at the USS Constitution for instance, where pretty much all the exhibits are free. It's pretty impressive to be on "Old Ironsides". After spending an hour there, we got back on the the trolley to continue through the city.

 

You can get more information about the city at http://www.gobostoncard.com/?engine=adwords!3999&keyword=*go+boston+card*&match_type= While the one day package at goboston is not that great a deal (again, my opinion), there are some good links to the different attractions including pricing information.

 

All in all, Boston has some great history and attractions. Remember to wear comfortable shoes, as it is a walking city. For instance, the Freedom Trail is great, but is 3 1/2 miles long. It's best to do some research and pick what is important to you. If you want to see the public transportation, link to mbta.com, which has the subway maps.

[02143]

It's a pleasure to do what I can to help welcome a visitor to Boston. I first came here as a tourist with my parents. I liked it so much that I moved here as soon as I could--11 years ago.

[crazidude1400]

Here is more adivce. Don't try renting a car. Sorry to say, but driving in the city of boston, is not a pleasent experience. The blinker, is not a standard feature in cars sold in MA....be careful.

[mii]

Thank you, thank you everyone for all of the info on Boston. I have always wanted to see Boston and since I have just one day I really do want to make the most of my time there. Again thanks so much.

 

Marilyn

[CruisingChick]

The duck tours are a lot of fun and a unique way to see the city. They're especially good if you have kids because some of the drivers are real personalities who have honed their act.

 

You can easily do both a duck tour and Faneuil Hall in the same day. Boston is a compact city. You can budget time to stop in Faneuil Hall on your way back to the ship and then cab it from there to the ship terminal.

 

 

We did the duck tour in 2000 when we stopped in Boston on our cruise it was terrific and the driver did let the kids drive "the duck." We just did another duck tour in Ketchikan but the Boston one was much better.

 

We were lucky we stayed in Boston overnight so we had one evening and an entire day there.

 

We did do Faneuil hall and the Walking Tour (went to Paul Revere's House) the next day.

 

There should be a shuttle from the cruise terminal to downtown. I haven't been in 5 years, but I assume they would still provide one.

 

Anne Maria