One port day in Boston - what to do?

[sansterre]

We have a port day in Boston the end of May as we return from Bermuda and before leaving on a 7 day cruise to Montreal. It has been 20 years since we were last in Boston. Is there a great little excursion for 5 or 6 hours recommended? Suggestions please.

[138east]

We have a port day in Boston the end of May as we return from Bermuda and before leaving on a 7 day cruise to Montreal. It has been 20 years since we were last in Boston. Is there a great little excursion for 5 or 6 hours recommended? Suggestions please.

Is HAL offering any excursions on your turnaround day? Boston is very much a DIY city where folks ride the Hoho bus, walk the Freedom Trail, or make their own arrangements to go on Fenway Park tours, to Harvard Square, or to the JFK Museum.

[Keith1010]

You could look at the excursions offered as recommended.

 

Last time we were there we had a taxi take us to the start of Freedom Trail and with a map and the way they mark the sidewalk/street we walked it on our own and enjoyed a nice walk.

 

Keith

[mskaufman]

The HOHO bus works well and you can time it for as short as long as you need.

[Grant2000]

The Boston Cruise Port is located quite a distance from downtown Boston. Unless you take a tour or catch a cab/bus, it's not easy to get to town from the terminal. There is, however, a bus stop for the hop-on hop-off bus located right near the cruise terminal, that is very convenient for passengers.

 

https://cruiseports.ca/america/boston.html

[138east]

The cruise terminal (Black Falcon Terminal) is located 2 miles from the Park Street T station, which is right near the start of the Freedom Trail, and about 2 miles from Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market. The Silver Line SL2 bus stops right at the cruise terminal to take you to South Station for a free transfer to the Red Line to go 2 stops to Park St for $2.75/pp. Uber from the Cruise Terminal to Faneuil Hall area should be $7-10.

http://www.drruewilson.com/MBTA_map.pdf

 

This is not right at the port, but is also not 'quite a distance'.

[sansterre]

The ship offers tours on the way to the airport, but nothing for those of us continuing our travel on the ship. Our son and wife will be disembarking and staying in Boston for the weekend so that further complicates things. I'm thinking the HOHO bus may be the best for us. We could board the HOHO while the others are getting their luggage and taking it to where they are staying. Hopefully we can meet up again for a late lunch or a drink in Boston.:confused:

[sansterre]

of course, Uber will come in handy......as well as cell phones!

[138east]

What hotel are your son and wife staying at? You might want to consider cabbing in town with them, but it really depends on where they are going. There is one other ship docked - Crystal Asuka2 with a potential of 960 people, most of whom may be Japanese, so my instincts are telling me that the Hoho may not be picking up at Black Falcon pier that day.

[Ashland]

We recently did the HOHO for our port stop in Boston...easy walk to get on....and once we did no one on our particular HOHO wanted to HO.....as we ended up having the most amazing driver...Michaelangelo (sp. ?).....If you're lucky enough to get him you'll understand why...enjoy.:D:D

[138east]

We recently did the HOHO for our port stop in Boston...easy walk to get on....and once we did no one on our particular HOHO wanted to HO.....as we ended up having the most amazing driver...Michaelangelo (sp. ?).....If you're lucky enough to get him you'll understand why...enjoy.:D:D

The OP is in Boston for a turnaround day, not a port day. They need to verify with the Hoho company that the trolleys are picking up on Black Falcon Avenue at the cruiseport. Otherwise the Hoho connector route picks up at the Westin or near the Seaport Hotel on Northern Avenue, both of which are a 4-6 block walk from Black Falcon Terminal.

[Ashland]

The OP is in Boston for a turnaround day, not a port day. They need to verify with the Hoho company that the trolleys are picking up on Black Falcon Avenue at the cruiseport. Otherwise the Hoho connector route picks up at the Westin or near the Seaport Hotel on Northern Avenue, both of which are a 4-6 block walk from Black Falcon Terminal.

Well...so sorry...I as well as a few other poster's commented about the HOHO and referred to an easy walk to get on....obviously not the expert you are.

[Cruisingmarmi]

138East: My husband and I will be in Boston on Tues 9/25 from 8-7. I made reservations for the free walking tour of part of Freedom Trail for 11AM. It's about 2 hours. We plan to take Silverline Bus there. I'd like to see Boston Common, Public Garden & Swan Boats, Faneuil Hall, Cheers Bar. Is this all possible? I've read about the water taxi to Charlestown for Old Ironsides/Bunker Hill, which sounds neat, but doing know how to fit it in since We'll be downtown 1st for tour and not at port to catch water taxi. I also read about a "Charlie Card" for all day transport on T trains, bus, and ferry. Would this be cheaper for us?

 

You were so helpful to me last year with info on stay/park/cruise in Bayonne! We're using our same hotel this year. Thank you in advance for your advice.

 

Marty

[138east]

138East: My husband and I will be in Boston on Tues 9/25 from 8-7. I made reservations for the free walking tour of part of Freedom Trail for 11AM. It's about 2 hours. We plan to take Silverline Bus there. I'd like to see Boston Common, Public Garden & Swan Boats, Faneuil Hall, Cheers Bar. Is this all possible? I've read about the water taxi to Charlestown for Old Ironsides/Bunker Hill, which sounds neat, but doing know how to fit it in since We'll be downtown 1st for tour and not at port to catch water taxi. I also read about a "Charlie Card" for all day transport on T trains, bus, and ferry. Would this be cheaper for us?

 

You were so helpful to me last year with info on stay/park/cruise in Bayonne! We're using our same hotel this year. Thank you in advance for your advice.

 

Marty

 

It looks like the walking tour starts at the Boston Common and ends at Faneuil Hall. To get to the Boston Common you take the Silver Line from Black Falcon to South Station and do the free transfer to the Red Line direction Alewife and go 2 stops to Park St.

 

I don't think a one day pass will work for you because you won't be taking enough rides. They are $12 and can only be purchased at certain locations. However, you should be able to get a Plastic Charlie card at Park St Station so that you can reduce your fare to $2.25 per trip. You will have to pay $2.75 when you get on the Silver Line for your first ride. https://www.mbta.com/fares/charliecard

 

The Boston Common, Swan boats, Cheers, and the Public Garden are all clustered together. Your tour will end at Faneuil Hall, so everything you have listed is doable and actually well clustered in a relatively small area.

[Cruisingmarmi]

Thanks, Carol! I've been reading more and getting a better idea of the layout of the city. Not sure we'll make it to the USS Constitution. This is our next to last port on a 21 day trip and we will be tired. We may be better to take our time and enjoy the area we're in. Thanks again for your prompt reply. Your directions and info are a wonderful help to so many! Marty

[Pmorton3360]

I headed to Fenway. It is something to see. Then took subway to Boston Common and on to Cheers. All fun. Then walked some of Freedom trail and to port. Took water taxi close to ship but still a hike. Maybe too much, but saw what I wanted.

 

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[Ought To Be Cruising]

It looks like the walking tour starts at the Boston Common and ends at Faneuil Hall. To get to the Boston Common you take the Silver Line from Black Falcon to South Station and do the free transfer to the Red Line direction Alewife and go 2 stops to Park St.

 

I don't think a one day pass will work for you because you won't be taking enough rides. They are $12 and can only be purchased at certain locations. However, you should be able to get a Plastic Charlie card at Park St Station so that you can reduce your fare to $2.25 per trip. You will have to pay $2.75 when you get on the Silver Line for your first ride. https://www.mbta.com/fares/charliecard

 

The Boston Common, Swan boats, Cheers, and the Public Garden are all clustered together. Your tour will end at Faneuil Hall, so everything you have listed is doable and actually well clustered in a relatively small area.

Carol, in your opinion which is the better HOHO ?Old Town Trolley or City View?

Thanks,

Judi

[138east]

Carol, in your opinion which is the better HOHO ?Old Town Trolley or City View?

Thanks,

Judi

I've never been on either Trolley, but I've watched them scoot around downtown for years.

 

Old Town Trolley has a connector route that picks up in the seaport District, but Citiview does not, so you have to get yourselves to South Station (not a big deal - Silver Line bus stops at the pier - $2.75/pp) The Old Town Trolley has a more extensive route than the Citiview Trolley.

 

What exact date would you be doing this? What is your ship? Are you going to spend the entire day hopping on and off or do you just want to ride around and get a feel for Boston?

[nelblu]

I've never been on either Trolley, but I've watched them scoot around downtown for years.

 

Old Town Trolley has a connector route that picks up in the seaport District, but Citiview does not, so you have to get yourselves to South Station (not a big deal - Silver Line bus stops at the pier - $2.75/pp) The Old Town Trolley has a more extensive route than the Citiview Trolley.

 

What exact date would you be doing this? What is your ship? Are you going to spend the entire day hopping on and off or do you just want to ride around and get a feel for Boston?

 

If I may impose on you, we will be in Boston on August 25th. Sailing the Anthem and interested in hop on/off trolley. I guess you would recommend "Old Town Trolley"

 

How far is the stop from the dock/pier. Can you buy tickets on board. Most of the time we will stay on the trolley as my wife has some difficulty walking.

 

Also, does it stop near "Little Italy".

 

Thanks,

[descal13]

 

Also, does it stop near "Little Italy".

 

Thanks,

 

There is no “Little Italy” in Boston, and no one would know what you were talking about if you were to ask where it is. The place you are looking for is referred to as “The North End.” It is very close to Quincy Market, just across the Rose Kennedy Greenway. OTT does have a North End stop. There is a list of stops for OTT on this site: https://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/boston/boston-old-town-trolley-tour_22042

The food there is great. If you only want to hit there for a cappucino and desert, go to Modern Pastry for a “Lobsta” tail, hand-filled cannoli or the best tiramisu in Boston. I would suggest getting an on-the-go lunch at Quincy Market, then dessert in the North End. Depending on the day you are there, Italian saint’s festivals and street fairs occur frequently. Also, see the wicked skinny house there. The waterfront and Greenway are nice strolls to try to walk off that cannoli. While you are in Boston, absolutely do not miss the Swanboats in the Public Garden.

Edited July 1, 2018 by descal13
Added info

[138east]

If I may impose on you, we will be in Boston on August 25th. Sailing the Anthem and interested in hop on/off trolley. I guess you would recommend "Old Town Trolley"

 

How far is the stop from the dock/pier. Can you buy tickets on board. Most of the time we will stay on the trolley as my wife has some difficulty walking.

 

Also, does it stop near "Little Italy".

 

Thanks,

 

Here's the Old Town Trooley map - https://www.trolleytours.com/boston/map

 

Coming out of the terminal you would walk to your left to the Trolley stop at the end of the block. The Trolley would take you to Stop 1 where you get off, buy your tickets, and transfer to the main Trolley route to take the complete ride around. Stop 2 is the North End for access to "Little Italy".

 

If your wife has mobility issues I'd take the full ride first. If the Trolley is very busy, folks have reported not being able to get on it again easily. If you get off in the North End the second time around, you could easily and inexpensively Uber back to Stop 1 to get the connector Trolley back to the port (there have not been reports of backups on the connector Trolley route).

[DaveOKC]

Here's the Old Town Trooley map - https://www.trolleytours.com/boston/map

 

Coming out of the terminal you would walk to your left to the Trolley stop at the end of the block. The Trolley would take you to Stop 1 where you get off, buy your tickets, and transfer to the main Trolley route to take the complete ride around. Stop 2 is the North End for access to "Little Italy".

 

If your wife has mobility issues I'd take the full ride first. If the Trolley is very busy, folks have reported not being able to get on it again easily. If you get off in the North End the second time around, you could easily and inexpensively Uber back to Stop 1 to get the connector Trolley back to the port (there have not been reports of backups on the connector Trolley route).

 

Could you take the Old Town Trolley connector route to Stop 1, go to the Aquarium and then afterwards go back to stop 1 and get our tickets then for the route?

[cruisingmimi]

Here are a couple of websites that have some interesting history of Boston's North End/Little Italy.

 

https://boston.cbslocal.com/guide/a-guide-to-bostons-little-italy-the-north-end/

 

https://freetoursbyfoot.com/self-guided-tour-north-end-little-italy/

 

Old Town Trolleys Stop #2 is North End (also refers to this stop as "Little Italy". It will stop at Commercial Street and you can walk to Paul Revere House (a teeny tiny house lol) and Christopher Columbus Park, etc. You can walk to different restaurants, etc. if you are food shopping. My son-in-law loves Ernesto's Pizza on Salem St. You probably can get your tickets onboard.

 

We have done both Old Town Trolley and CityView, Old Town has more stops. Has 19 stops and you can get on/off whenever you want. You can purchase your tickets online and save a few $$$ also.

 

BTW, when ships are in port Old Town trolleys does pick up at the port (stop 18A).

Massport/Black Falcon Cruise Ship Terminal

 

11 Drydock Ave, Boston, MA 02210, USAExit the cruise terminal, turn left and go to the end of the parking lot; you'll see a white tent there.

 

If your cruise ship is selling tickets onboard this will be a drive only tour. If you want to get on/off then purchase your tickets online or at tent at Black Falcon. I would suggest buying online to save time when you dock. You will have plenty of time for sightseeing.

 

 

There are lots of souvenir vendors located at Fanueil Hall. The trolleys have dedicated stops indicated by signs on sidewalks and this is where you wait for pickup. It is "usually" 20-30 min. wait to re-board the trolley. Bear in mind that it is summer and Boston will be very busy.

 

 

Hope you have a great cruise. It is nice and easy cruising out of Black falcon.