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Car rental for day trip from Bar Harbor to Bangor


DogLover
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After an extensive Google search, it seems the closest car rental to the port in Bar Harbor is at the airport about 30 mins away (and Enterprise does offer pick up service.) Just wondering how feasible it would be to rent a car, drive to Bangor & back, and drop off the car. This would be on Thursday, September 12th 2019 when the Celebrity Summit will call on Bar Harbor 7am to 5pm. Curious how bad traffic would be to facilitate this side trip. I realize Bar Harbor is a tender port and there will also be another ship, the Zuiderdam, calling that day.

 

In case anyone is wondering, although there are no doubt wonderful options to visit in the area, we'd like to get over to Bangor Police Department to meet the international sensation, DOJ (Duck of Justice.) Although it might seem silly to some, we are a law enforcement family and would really like the chance to visit BPD. Respectful replies, please.

 

Many thanks!

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Far be it from me to comment on spending 3 hours driving two lane blacktop to see a duck, but to each his/her own. It's two lane rural road all the way, probably 35-45 mph the whole way, there may be construction delays (limited time in the year to get road repairs done), and in September there could be a good number of leaf peepers driving to/from Acadia National Park, so traffic could be slow.

 

And, you do know that he's dead and stuffed, right?

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Far be it from me to comment on spending 3 hours driving two lane blacktop to see a duck, but to each his/her own. It's two lane rural road all the way, probably 35-45 mph the whole way, there may be construction delays (limited time in the year to get road repairs done), and in September there could be a good number of leaf peepers driving to/from Acadia National Park, so traffic could be slow.

Thank you for this information. I failed to state that we were hoping to include some scenic stops along the way and back. However, given your insight regarding roads and traffic, it seems to be risky.

 

"And, you do know that he's dead and stuffed, right?" Yes sir, we do.

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Appreciate your reply, CruiserFromMaine.

 

I posted on TripAdvisor as well and received a very positive, helpful reply from a Bar Harbor local, also a DOJ loyalist. I haven't entirely ruled out the day trip just yet. And yes, I do plan to contact BPD in advance although I'm not sure an escort would be protocol for a selfie with the Duck ;)

 

In the interest of clarification to others who might read this post and wonder "why on earth would someone drive to see a stuffed duck," it's not just about the duck. It's about the Thin Blue Line, a connection with first responders anywhere in the world. You don't have to "get it" but please respect it.

 

"Keep your hands to yourself, leave other people's things alone, and be kind to one another." Lt. Tim Cotton, Bangor PD

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Personally, if you want to spend the entire time in Bar Harbor in a car going to Bangor, that's your choice. While I personally would skip it, if its what you want to do, so be it.

 

You've already identified the first problem with the plan. In order to get a rental car, you need to get to the airport, which is 30 minutes away. I would check with Enterprise to make sure they will pick you up first. Also getting back to the port might be an issue.

 

Second, from Bar Harbor, with no traffic, its roughly an hour and a half drive to Bangor.

 

My opinion is there is plenty to see in Bar Harbor and Acadia Park that I would rather spend the time there, versus the entire time in port driving back and forth.

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Strongly agree with many that posted above to the OP's plans. Sorry but the chances of missing the ship and spending your time doing this is a bit puzzling...regardless of your reasons. :eek:

 

Best of luck if you decide this is absolutely what you intend to do.

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While it’s risky, I think it is also doable in the 10 hours you have.

 

If it were me, I would just plan for the worst case scenario and carry our passports and an overnight bag. If we miss the ship for whatever reason, we’d have until the 15th to get ourselves to Quebec to rejoin the Summit to enjoy the rest of the cruise. (I would also have trip insurance to cover the transportation and lodging) Hopefully, this wouldn’t happen, but planning reduces the anxiety.

 

Seems like a good opportunity to cross this off the bucket list. Anyways, you have almost a year to figure out what you’re gonna do.

 

 

 

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Edited by crooooze
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While it’s risky, I think it is also doable in the 10 hours you have.

 

If it were me, I would just plan for the worst case scenario and carry our passports and an overnight bag. If we miss the ship for whatever reason, we’d have until the 15th to get ourselves to Quebec to rejoin the Summit to enjoy the rest of the cruise. (I would also have trip insurance to cover the transportation and lodging) Hopefully, this wouldn’t happen, but planning reduces the anxiety.

 

Seems like a good opportunity to cross this off the bucket list. Anyways, you have almost a year to figure out what you’re gonna do.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Would love to know if trip insurance would cover this considering it was through fault of your own choosing that you missed the ship ?

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@1025cruise: As mentioned in my original post, the ship will call on Bar Harbor from 7am to 5pm (10hours.) That said, I realize this is a tender port so "usable" time is actually less than 10 hours.

 

@Ashland: We have not definitely decided to do anything - at this point gathering information to determine if our plan would be feasible. Thanks for your input. (P.S. What a great cruise the May 28th Ireland/Iceland sailing was!)

.

@crooooze: Appreciate your insightful response. The reason we are fully assessing this is exactly because the ship is two days at sea after the Bar Harbor port of call, and the next stop is Quebec City. We always carry our passports in a port where we've arranged our own excursion or plans for the "just in case" scenario. We also cover our trips with insurance although as others have mentioned, I would doubt insurance coverage applies if one were to miss the ship in this instance. And yes, we do have almost a year to figure it out.

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@1025cruise: As mentioned in my original post, the ship will call on Bar Harbor from 7am to 5pm (10hours.) That said, I realize this is a tender port so "usable" time is actually less than 10 hours.

 

@Ashland: We have not definitely decided to do anything - at this point gathering information to determine if our plan would be feasible. Thanks for your input. (P.S. What a great cruise the May 28th Ireland/Iceland sailing was!)

.

@crooooze: Appreciate your insightful response. The reason we are fully assessing this is exactly because the ship is two days at sea after the Bar Harbor port of call, and the next stop is Quebec City. We always carry our passports in a port where we've arranged our own excursion or plans for the "just in case" scenario. We also cover our trips with insurance although as others have mentioned, I would doubt insurance coverage applies if one were to miss the ship in this instance. And yes, we do have almost a year to figure it out.

Yes...that May 28th itinerary was just amazing !!

 

Best of luck with whatever works best for you...and enjoy it !

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