Top Ship Tour in Boston for History Buff?

[rmzlvacationers]

We are aboard the Grandeur in September for a New England/Canada cruise. My husband and son really love history tours. We are looking into two different ones thru the cruise line--Best of Boston, Lexington and Concord OR Roads of Revolution: In the Footsteps of Paul Revere.

 

Anyone ever done either of these? the first one includes lunch and the second stops at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. We are fine with either of these. Really just looking for the one whose tour is longer in Concord and Lexington than the other tour.

[Turtles06]

Since you are asking about two Royal Caribbean shore excursions, if you haven't done so already, you should also ask your question in the Royal Caribbean forum, where you have an audience of Royal Caribbean cruisers.  Please keep in mind, though, that you are not likely in any forum to find someone who has taken BOTH of those shore excursions and could thus answer your specific comparative questions.  I would call the Royal shorex desk and ask them; if they don't know the details, they can and should obtain them from the local vendor they have contracted with to provide those tours.  (It is not an unreasonable request.)

 

Since the cruise lines do use local tour providers, I will note our experience last fall in Boston taking a Celebrity tour that included stops at Lexington and Concord (and the Old North Bridge), a walk through some of Harvard, a lunch stop (at our expense) at Faneuil Hall,  an inside visit to the Old North Church, and a drive through Boston before we returned to the ship.  (We are not big fans of ship's tours, but our itinerary changed at the last minute, throwing our original Boston plans awry.)   

 

I am not 100% positive of the name of that tour, but looking now at Celebrity's web site, I see a shorex called "The Roads of Revolution: in the Footsteps of Paul Revere," the description of which sounds very much like what we did (except I think that the description of our tour specifically mentioned visiting Harvard).  This may well be the same tour you are contemplating, by the same vendor (remember that Celebrity and Royal are owned by the same company, and may well contract with the same local tour suppliers).  

 

Our stop at Lexington was fairly brief -- if you are expecting a battlefield, that's not what is there.  The stop was at Lexington Common, the small green where the skirmish took place.  The stop at Concord was longer, as we walked across the Old North Bridge.  Returning to Boston, our guide took us around Harvard for a bit (longer than I would have liked), then we were left on our own for lunch at Faneuil Hall for about an hour.  (I've been to Faneuil Hall several times; imho it's a crowded, unpleasant place teeming with tourists.)  After lunch, we visited the Old North Church, walked up the street, then were driven around Boston (which was very nice) before returning to the ship.

 

Looking at Celebrity's web site now, I see another shorex called "The Best of Boston, Lexington and Concord" (with lunch at the Union Oyster House) that sounds like the other tour you are looking at.  Obviously, I did not take that tour, but since they both start out the same -- with visits to Lexington and Concord -- the time spent at those places may well be the same.  Again, you should ask this of Royal.

 

Like your husband and son, I enjoy history tours as well.  Here are a few things to consider: only the "Footsteps of Paul Revere Tour" (on Celebrity) mentions a visit to the Old North Church -- does the tour description on Royal include that (and not on the "Best of" tour)?  If so, I would think that would be important to people interested in the history.  Also, a sit down lunch  ("Best of Boston') may be more of a time suck than one would want on a tour, but that's your call of course.

 

The value of any tour is so dependent on the guide (which is why I'm not a big fan of ship's tours, as I think the chance of getting a bad guide is greater).  Our guide, unfortunately, was not very good.  She had a good deal of knowledge of the history, but was terrible in communicating it -- she was very flat, no excitement or enthusiasm in what she was talking about (which sort of made you stop listening after a while).  Whichever tour you choose, I hope you get a better guide!  

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

Edited January 20, 2019 by Turtles06

[chengkp75]

I've never been a fan of recommending for folks on a limited time in Boston to spend a half hour each way out to Lexington and Concord, where there really isn't a lot to see.  There is plenty of history right in Boston to fill a port call.  My suggestion is to cab/Uber to Charlestown to see the Bunker Hill museum, and primarily to see Old Ironsides at the Navy Yard.  Then either walk back to the North End, or take a water taxi back, and start walking the Freedom Trail in reverse, ending at the Boston Common.  You will see the Old North Church, Revere's house, old cemeteries from the 17th and 18th century, and if you go upstairs in Faneuil Hall, you can visit the museum of the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Mass", the oldest chartered military organization in North America, and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world.

 

Dine in the North End, there is a virtually unlimited number of restaurants there, have a snack in Quincy Market (I agree it is a bit touristy), or eat at the Union Oyster House, the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the US.  Have a drink at the Bell in Hand Tavern around since 1795.  Try the Sam Adams "Boston Brick Red" beer, sold only within the limits of Boston.

 

Also within the North End, I believe on Commercial Street is the plaque memorializing the deaths in the "Molasses Flood", when, 100 years ago this month, a storage tank with 2.3 million gallons of molasses broke open and a wave of molasses swept through the North End at 35 mph, killing 21 and injuring 150, destroying elevated tracks and buildings in its path.  This led to the first class action lawsuit in history.

 

Back in Charlestown (if you take the Freedom Trail in the "normal" direction), is the Warren Tavern, the oldest tavern in Mass.

[1025cruise]

Skip the cruise tour. Take the Silver Line (pick up at pier) to South Station, then take the Red Line to Park Street. Get up to the street and there is the start of the Freedom Trail. Walk it. Just follow the red brick line. By lunch time, you should be at Faneuil Hall, where there is a large food court where everyone can get something for themselves (or dine in a restaurant if you wish). Then keep going. 

[rmzlvacationers]

Thank you all for your awesome answers. Turtles : both tours you talk about do sound just like the two I was asking about. I will take your advice and both post on RC forum and call RC to possibly get more details. We are leaning towards the on without the lunch since we agree it probably will take up so much time. 

 

Cheng and 1025: I probably should have mentioned that we have done this cruise previously and spent the day walking the entire Freedom Trail. The husband and son LOVED it. Wanted something different this time. We didn’t however get to tour the US Constitution ship due to its closure that day and will have to miss it this time if we decide to do the ship tour. If we just do something on our own that day we will definitely tour the ships but need to find other things also to add in. Don’t really want to visit the marketplace very long, was ok but not really our thing. 

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, rmzlvacationers said:

Thank you all for your awesome answers. Turtles : both tours you talk about do sound just like the two I was asking about. I will take your advice and both post on RC forum and call RC to possibly get more details. We are leaning towards the on without the lunch since we agree it probably will take up so much time. 

 

Cheng and 1025: I probably should have mentioned that we have done this cruise previously and spent the day walking the entire Freedom Trail. The husband and son LOVED it. Wanted something different this time. We didn’t however get to tour the US Constitution ship due to its closure that day and will have to miss it this time if we decide to do the ship tour. If we just do something on our own that day we will definitely tour the ships but need to find other things also to add in. Don’t really want to visit the marketplace very long, was ok but not really our thing. 

Kennedy Library is great, you can take a Red Line from South Station to there, and cabs are waiting.  Mass General Hospital has a museum of their medical firsts.  Fort Independence on Castle Island in Southie is a 9 minute car ride or 40 minute walk from the cruise terminal.  Great views of  Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay, and south towards UMass Boston and the Kennedy Library.  And if its real history you want, take the Fenway Park tour.  

[dutchclogs]

@rmzl  We are on Grandeur in July. We  generally prefer to tour independently. For info,  I've just called Brush Hill Tours to ask if they are the suppliers of the Royal ship's excursions. They are not.  They did offer a 'special' deal of pickup at the pier but catch was wanted 35 pax!   It's our first visit to Boston so I'd quite like a guided tour with not too much walking (hoping for a good guide !) .  As matter of interest, how long did it take to disembark in Boston?

 

@Turtles thank you the info -- it can be difficult to get reviews of ships excursions so it's much appreciated. ETA : Am curious, did you have an extended walk around Havard or was this by bus stopping at particular places?

 

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by dutchclogs

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, dutchclogs said:

We  generally prefer to tour independently. For info,  I've just called Brush Hill Tours to ask if they are the suppliers of the Royal ship's excursions. They are not.  They did offer a 'special' deal of pickup at the pier but catch was wanted 35 pax! 

 

35 pax!  I would do a ship's tour rather than that, sheesh!

 

5 hours ago, dutchclogs said:

@Turtles thank you the info -- it can be difficult to get reviews of ships excursions so it's much appreciated. ETA : Am curious, did you have an extended walk around Havard or was this by bus stopping at particular places?

 

The bus dropped us off about a block from one of the entrance gates to Harvard.  We walked into Harvard Yard, and then into the quad where the Library is, and then back to the bus.  It wasn't extensive walking, more like a lot of standing around in both quads while the guide told us about Harvard's history and about the buildings we were seeing.  Unfortunately, guides can't use any audio amplification at Harvard and our guide had no ability to project her voice or speak loudly, so I really couldn't hear her.  (And by then, I'd pretty much tuned her out anyway for the reasons I mentioned earlier.) 

[1025cruise]

Just don't try to pahk the cah in Hahvahd yahd.