Boston - Old Town Trolley Tours

[debbiek]

We will be stopping in Boston in early October. How close is the trolley stop to the cruise port and can you buy tickets on site? Has anyone walked from the cruise port to the downtown area and how far was it? What are some must places that are a must see? Thanks

[Ashland]

There is a ticket booth selling tickets just outside the port terminal... and the trolly is right there or at least there was last time we were there. As far as walking downtown...no...our ship offered a shuttle round trip to near the Quincey Market.

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, debbiek said:

We will be stopping in Boston in early October. How close is the trolley stop to the cruise port and can you buy tickets on site? Has anyone walked from the cruise port to the downtown area and how far was it? What are some must places that are a must see? Thanks

 

I have never heard of anyone from all our previous sailings walked to downtown.

 

It is a long 2 mile walk and about 45 minutes.

 

I suggest to reserve your energy for all the other sites to see. 

 

Normal shuttles from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to the Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market are the best bet.

 

Some of the sites we've seen is Faneuil Hall, Boston Commons, Public Gardens, many small historical cemeteries, some of the Freedom Trail, Old State House to name a few.. 

 

You should write to the Boston Chamber of Commerce for a Visitors Guide to Boston

[Nitemare]

I've done that walk dozens of times.  On a hot day you can mostly do it right along the Harbor and the air is refreshing and the views of the airport and ships is fantastic.  Lots of shops and restaurants en route to check out, too.

[Natitude61]

On 5/18/2023 at 9:44 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

 

I have never heard of anyone from all our previous sailings walked to downtown.

 

It is a long 2 mile walk and about 45 minutes.

 

I suggest to reserve your energy for all the other sites to see. 

 

Normal shuttles from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to the Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market are the best bet.

 

Some of the sites we've seen is Faneuil Hall, Boston Commons, Public Gardens, many small historical cemeteries, some of the Freedom Trail, Old State House to name a few.. 

 

You should write to the Boston Chamber of Commerce for a Visitors Guide to Boston

Are these shuttles offered by the cruise lines as an excursion or are they just booked at the terminal? Don’t see an option for the shuttle on our Royal Caribbean stop…

[Ashland]

2 hours ago, Natitude61 said:

Are these shuttles offered by the cruise lines as an excursion or are they just booked at the terminal? Don’t see an option for the shuttle on our Royal Caribbean stop…

The ship will provide a shuttle from the dock roundtrip into the town of Sitka. 

When you get off the shuttle you'll see someone selling the excursion/tour to the Fortress of the Bear and the Raptor Center. This is a private company and has nothing to do with the cruise line. 

[Natitude61]

9 minutes ago, Ashland said:

The ship will provide a shuttle from the dock roundtrip into the town of Sitka. 

When you get off the shuttle you'll see someone selling the excursion/tour to the Fortress of the Bear and the Raptor Center. This is a private company and has nothing to do with the cruise line. 

Don’t think we’ll get back to the ship in time if we shuttle from Boston to Sitka 😂 😂 

[Nitemare]

13 hours ago, Natitude61 said:

Are these shuttles offered by the cruise lines as an excursion or are they just booked at the terminal? Don’t see an option for the shuttle on our Royal Caribbean stop…

depends on the cruise and cruiseline.  No hard and fast rule.  Call your travel agent or the cruiseline and ask if there will be a shuttle. Or check your Roll call.  Or hope for a shuttle but have a Plan B ready in case there isn't one.

[princeton123211]

6 hours ago, Nitemare said:

Or hope for a shuttle but have a Plan B ready in case there isn't one.

Which honestly isn't the end of the world-- its a very short cab or Uber over to the main historic core of Boston so not a huge deal if a shuttle doesn't materialize. 

 

Since it was mentioned above, as a day visitor where time is a precious resource, I would not recommend walking either to or from the cruise terminal to downtown. It isn't dangerous (like it used to be years ago) but it's also nothing super worthwhile or historic. A bunch of newer high-rises, hotels, chain restaurants, etc. Gone are a lot of the old gems-- if I could only go to Anthony's Pier 4 one more time!

 

It's a nice enough walk, and one I would most likely do quite often if I still lived there, but not a great use of time for someone in Boston for the day who would like to cover the historic main attractions. 

 

[Ashland]

18 hours ago, Natitude61 said:

Don’t think we’ll get back to the ship in time if we shuttle from Boston to Sitka 😂 😂 

My bad...sorry obviously wrong port. I had Sitka on my senior mind.😳

[cleophus12]

I'm sorry.  I'm very confused about the shuttles.  Is there a recommended shuttle company?  Can you book them in advance?  What is the fare from the port to Boston Common?

[princeton123211]

13 minutes ago, cleophus12 said:

I'm sorry.  I'm very confused about the shuttles.  Is there a recommended shuttle company?  Can you book them in advance?  What is the fare from the port to Boston Common?

There are no regular shuttles. Cruise lines will occasionally provide shuttles for their passengers as a free benefit. There is also public transport in the form of the Silver Line SL2 bus line which will take you as far as South Station which is then walkable to downtown sights. 

 

Easiest and fastest way, if there is no cruise line provided shuttle, would be to just take an Uber. 

[mets123]

Last fall, Royal didn't offer the shuttle. And Old Town Trolley wasn't allowed in. I had to take a taxi to Fanuil Hall.

[Ashland]

19 hours ago, mets123 said:

Last fall, Royal didn't offer the shuttle. And Old Town Trolley wasn't allowed in. I had to take a taxi to Fanuil Hall.

Hoping RCI will offer the shuttle to near Quincey Market...We'll be there in October and have used it before...such a nice option roundtrip.

[Nitemare]

It isn't a long walk to the Silver Line transit that takes you to South Station where you are on the Greenway and right up against the downtown Harborwalk.

[Cheryl H]

We did Old Town Trolley and had 2 day passes and used it to get around prior to our cruise, but the bad part about  using them on your port day in Boston is that the the trolley stops at 5pm.  So you would have to get a cab or lift back to the ship at whatever stop you were at when the trolley service ends.  The stops we enjoyed were the Old Statehouse, and the USS Constitution and John Cassin.  Also near the USS Constitution is Warren Tavern which we had a great lunch of fish and chips.  Bunker Hill is near there too.   Also the Old North Church is nice to tour, but the trolley doesn't let you off near it, you have to walk to it.  About the only thing we toured in Boston that we felt disappointed was Paul Revere's house.....it only had 1 piece of furniture that was said to have been his.  The rest of the furnishings were not related to him.  Hope this helps.  That would be nice if the cruise line does run a shuttle for you. 

[Tall22]

On 5/29/2023 at 9:43 PM, Ashland said:

Hoping RCI will offer the shuttle to near Quincey Market...We'll be there in October and have used it before...such a nice option roundtrip.

For our cruise at the end of August, RCI is offering an "excursion", Boston on Your Own, a ride from the ship to "central Boston". You are then on your own and you will meet back four hours later for a ride back to the ship. All for the low, low price of $64.99 each. Sounds like the days of free or low-cost shuttles are over. You can do the hop on-hop off for about $5 more and get transportation around the city as well.

[princeton123211]

5 hours ago, Tall22 said:

a ride from the ship to "central Boston". You are then on your own and you will meet back four hours later for a ride back to the ship. All for the low, low price of $64.99 each

You do realize that this is a 10 minute ride that will cost you $12 in an Uber for up to 4 people? This is one of the most egregious cruise ship scams I've ever heard of. 

[Tall22]

4 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

You do realize that this is a 10 minute ride that will cost you $12 in an Uber for up to 4 people? This is one of the most egregious cruise ship scams I've ever heard of. 

Exactly! I hope you didn't think I was promoting that "excursion"!

[Ashland]

11 hours ago, Tall22 said:

For our cruise at the end of August, RCI is offering an "excursion", Boston on Your Own, a ride from the ship to "central Boston". You are then on your own and you will meet back four hours later for a ride back to the ship. All for the low, low price of $64.99 each. Sounds like the days of free or low-cost shuttles are over. You can do the hop on-hop off for about $5 more and get transportation around the city as well.

I've found that many times the type of shuttle (I was referring to above) offered by RCI isn't advertised and have only found out about them once onboard. This has certainly been the case with our last port stop in Boston as well as several other ports when RCI is docked either in an industrial area or far from the city center. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Ashland

[Tall22]

5 hours ago, Ashland said:

I've found that many times the type of shuttle (I was referring to above) offered by RCI isn't advertised and have only found out about them once onboard. This has certainly been the case with our last port stop in Boston as well as several other ports when RCI is docked either in an industrial area or far from the city center. 

How did you learn that a shuttle was available? I have taken several RCI cruises and never knew of one. I am feeling that I missed out! 😀 I have felt blessed when there was a shuttle from the ship to the end of the dock!😅

[Ashland]

6 hours ago, Tall22 said:

How did you learn that a shuttle was available? I have taken several RCI cruises and never knew of one. I am feeling that I missed out! 😀 I have felt blessed when there was a shuttle from the ship to the end of the dock!😅

It was noted each time in the Cruise Compass and our concierge's have also made a point to let his guests know details of each port stop that might be helpful.

 

We've also seen that some people only seemed to find out as they exited the ship. So always a good idea to check.

 

The most recent time this has happened was our September cruise to Alaska when RCI docked very far out in Juneau. First time this has happened to us at this particular port.

[tring]

We will be in Boston for two days in September, though may be a late disembarkation the first day as our UK ship will need to clear US immigration there.  I understand our cruise line provide a shuttle buses to near Quincy Market, which will be free for us as we have paid a full cruise fare, (not guarantee rate).

 

Is it worth taking the Old Town Trolley for one day to use as a narrated tour of Boston, or are various places easy to get to once in the city?  We are thinking of doing the Freedom Walk independently, but not sure what else are good things to do in Boston.

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by tring

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, tring said:

We will be in Boston for two days in September, though may be a late disembarkation the first day as our UK ship will need to clear US immigration there.  I understand our cruise line provide a shuttle buses to near Quincy Market, which will be free for us as we have paid a full cruise fare, (not guarantee rate).

 

Is it worth taking the Old Town Trolley for one day to use as a narrated tour of Boston, or are various places easy to get to once in the city?  We are thinking of doing the Freedom Walk independently, but not sure what else are good things to do in Boston.

 

Yes...the trolley (HOHO) is a great option...we loved it !!

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, tring said:

Is it worth taking the Old Town Trolley for one day to use as a narrated tour of Boston, or are various places easy to get to once in the city?  We are thinking of doing the Freedom Walk independently, but not sure what else are good things to do in Boston.

There will definitely be some redundancies with the Old Town Trolley and Freedom Trail. I would only use the Trolley if you or someone in your party had difficulty walking distances that include some small/medium hills and uneven surfaces (like cobblestone and brick).

 

The Trolley will take you deeper into Back Bay and through the Seaport District (South Boston) where the Freedom Trail won't. Back Bay is flat, very walkable, and mostly shopping (not easily experienced from a bus). The Seaport District is mainly restaurants/nightlife with very little historical value. 

 

If walking isn't an issue, Boston is an amazingly walkable city and a lot of major sights are close to each other. The Freedom Trail is much better experienced on foot as you will have the ability to stop along the way at your own pace vs doing a drive by or waiting for the next bus. If your ship didn't provide the complimentary shuttle to Quincy Market then I would say it could be worth it as the Trolley does stop at the cruise pier (and would solve that transportation issue) but since you do have the shuttle, and if you can walk it, I think you'll have a more enjoyable time doing so.