Maine Coast and Harbors Cruise

[SteelMagnolia9]

Hello - I am booked on the Maine Coast and Harbors Cruise in July. Looking for any information, suggestions, recommended excursions, etc. from anyone who has been on this cruise. I have made final payment and booked the pre-cruise package for one night (pricey, but close in price to similar hotels in July near the waterfront).

 

Also, I am flying in two days early (in case of flight issues) so I will hopefully have a full day before the cruise to see the sights in Portland. Staying at a close to the airport hotel the first night. I appreciate any recommendations you may have of points of interest that you enjoyed in the city.

 

Thank you!

[babyboomer46]

Hello!  We've done the Maine Coast cruise and really loved Portland.  You might want to consider a one-day car rental so you can drive around this beautiful city and local area. I would especially recommend visiting the Portland Head Lighthouse.  Don't know if they have resumed inside visits.  So much to see in the area!  Hope you have a lovely cruise!

[ctjon]

I live in the Portland area -  the actual light house tower is only open 1 day a year as is for other lighthouses in Maine.  The attached buildings./ museum etc. is open.

Rather than renting a car there are plenty of tour vehicles that include that light house and others and other sites in the area.

[SteelMagnolia9]

Thank you babyboomer46 and ctjon.

[chengkp75]

I think one of the best things about cruising into Portland is to get up early, and get some nice photos of Portland Head Light from the sea, a perspective that is rarely seen in photos of the light.

 

As for intown things to see.  There is the Museum of Art (with a nice Wyeth collection), the Victoria Mansion, Longfellow House, Portland Observatory for views out over Casco Bay, the Narrow Gauge Railway, shops and incredible restaurants (a nationally known top 10 "foodie" town), breweries and distilleries with their tasting rooms.  Then there are schooner cruises and the Mailboat Run on the Casco Bay Ferry to see the islands of the Bay.  The East End beach in town isn't much, but there are Crescent Beach State Park, and Kettle Cove (right next door), that are about a 20 minute drive from the airport.

 

I would recommend the Grill Room, the Oyster Room at Boone's, Street & Co, Scales, Petite Jacqueline and Fore Street for dinners.  Duckfat, Nosh, and Kings Head for lunch.  Becky's Diner and Miss Portland Diner for breakfast/brunch.  Luke's for lobster, or Portland Lobster Co for lobster "in the rough" (picnic tables).

[PlanoTim]

On 4/6/2023 at 6:46 AM, chengkp75 said:

I think one of the best things about cruising into Portland is to get up early, and get some nice photos of Portland Head Light from the sea, a perspective that is rarely seen in photos of the light.

 

As for intown things to see.  There is the Museum of Art (with a nice Wyeth collection), the Victoria Mansion, Longfellow House, Portland Observatory for views out over Casco Bay, the Narrow Gauge Railway, shops and incredible restaurants (a nationally known top 10 "foodie" town), breweries and distilleries with their tasting rooms.  Then there are schooner cruises and the Mailboat Run on the Casco Bay Ferry to see the islands of the Bay.  The East End beach in town isn't much, but there are Crescent Beach State Park, and Kettle Cove (right next door), that are about a 20 minute drive from the airport.

 

I would recommend the Grill Room, the Oyster Room at Boone's, Street & Co, Scales, Petite Jacqueline and Fore Street for dinners.  Duckfat, Nosh, and Kings Head for lunch.  Becky's Diner and Miss Portland Diner for breakfast/brunch.  Luke's for lobster, or Portland Lobster Co for lobster "in the rough" (picnic tables).

I agree with chengkp75. Portland is a great foodie town.  Street & Co and Fore Street are a couple of our favorites, too.  Becky's Diner is good for lunch as is Gilbert’s Chowder House.  We like J’s Oyster too.  Allagash Brewing usually has a food truck for good lobster rolls and good beer.

 

Maine Brews Cruise has some fun excursion-type offerings like walk, talk, & taste tours and brewery/spirit tasting tours.

 

There is so much to do in and around Portland.  A sail on the wooden schooners is fun.  There are also lobster boat excursions that can be interesting.  Taking the ferry to Peaks Island and renting bikes for a couple hours is a nice way to spend some time.  In addition to Crescent Beach mentioned above, we also like Higgins Beach and Pine Point Beach (might need a car).

 

If you have a car and like shopping, Freeport is just 20 miles north.  The patio at Jameson Tavern (right by LL Bean) is a nice place for lunch.

 

If you like zany (overpriced, IMHO) museums, then the International Cryptozoology Museum may be for you.  Trust me, it is like no other. 👽  Thankfully it has a brewery on one side of it and a distillery on the other. 😜

 

I hope you enjoy your visit.

[SteelMagnolia9]

Thank you chengkp75 and PlanoTim. I’m getting very excited for my ACL cruise in Maine this July!

[ctjon]

I live in the Portland area - we are already seeing cruise ship as the "season" has started.   You will enjoy your trip

[SteelMagnolia9]

I am leaving Thursday for Portland. Hoping my flight are on schedule as I have two plane changes getting there. Friday will be my day to explore Portland - thanks everyone again for the suggestions - and Saturday the cruise begins. This will be #10 for me, so the next one will be complementary. I am considering the Napa/California cruise for that one. Does anyone know if the complementary cruise has a limit on the number of days? I’ll return after my cruise with a brief review.

[jebhoward3]

7 days for the complementary cruise, but you can apply it to a longer cruise as my husband and I are doing and you pay for the additional days.

[SteelMagnolia9]

jebhoward3, thank you!

[travelbuds]

Curious what excursions ACL offers at Bar Harbor. Are there independent excursions that can be done without renting a car? Thanks.

[Joanandjoe]

What was offered yesterday were four tours, one of which (the nature cruise) was canceled due to fog.  They also have Acadia National Park exploration, La Rochelle Mansion, and a lobster fishing and seal watching cruise.  This is a tender port, and excursions get priority.  That may not leave time for independent tours.

[Host Jazzbeau]

If you've never been to Bar Harbor before, I would recommend the Acadia National Park excursion.  Bar Harbor town is pretty honky-tonk now, no longer a quaint New England port.  But the national park is still as beautiful as God made it (and John D. Rockefeller preserved it).

[travelbuds]

4 hours ago, Joanandjoe said:

...  They also have Acadia National Park exploration........This is a tender port, and excursions get priority.  That may not leave time for independent tours.

Is there a limit to number of passengers allowed on this excursion? How far in advance is the sign-up? Thanks.

[travelbuds]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

If you've never been to Bar Harbor before, I would recommend the Acadia National Park excursion.

Sounds like that is the one to do. Thanks. We have never been to New England. We will be starting off in Bangor and wondering if there is enough to do there if we came in an extra day or two early. Will look at trip advisor dot com to help us out.

[Host Jazzbeau]

40 minutes ago, travelbuds said:

Sounds like that is the one to do. Thanks. We have never been to New England. We will be starting off in Bangor and wondering if there is enough to do there if we came in an extra day or two early. Will look at trip advisor dot com to help us out.

There may be more there than I know, but to me Bangor is just the last stop on the way up.  We have stopped for dinner there, and I can recommend Blaze for steak and gastropub ambience.  [They also have a location in Bar Harbor – but hey, in BH you want a lobsta roll!]

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, travelbuds said:

Is there a limit to number of passengers allowed on this excursion? How far in advance is the sign-up? Thanks.

If the cruise line excursion sells out, you should be able to book Oli's Trolley on your own.