Tendering in Bar Harbor

[shiner6]

For those of you who have taken a cruise to Bar Harbor recently, how was the tendering handled? Were you pleased with process? How long is the wait if you don't book an excursion through HAL? We will be on The Zuiderdam soon and I was wondering if we will make our 10am excursion on time?  I have been looking forward to this town for a very long time and am very excited. I know it is touristy, but can you recommend a great casual restaurant for Lobster (of course) within walking distance of the terminal please.  Thanks in advance!

Edited August 9 by shiner6
grammar

[Rubyfisch]

I've done it on Zuiderdam and Volendam. On Zuiderdam, we had a ship excursion. The tendering was behind and we got ashore later than we were supposed to, but it was fine. On Volendam, we waited nearly an hour for our tender number to get called. It was running about 45 minutes to an hour from collecting the tickets to getting on the tender. It's a short tender ride over. I think as long as you have a tender ticket by 8 am (assuming a 7 am port call), you will likely be fine.

 

Which sailing are you on? We are heading out on Zuiderdam in just over two weeks.

[shiner6]

43 minutes ago, Rubyfisch said:

I've done it on Zuiderdam and Volendam. On Zuiderdam, we had a ship excursion. The tendering was behind and we got ashore later than we were supposed to, but it was fine. On Volendam, we waited nearly an hour for our tender number to get called. It was running about 45 minutes to an hour from collecting the tickets to getting on the tender. It's a short tender ride over. I think as long as you have a tender ticket by 8 am (assuming a 7 am port call), you will likely be fine.

 

Which sailing are you on? We are heading out on Zuiderdam in just over two weeks.

We are on that cruise. Could you recommend a restaurant in Bar Harbor?

Edited August 9 by shiner6

[NantahalaCruiser]

We were on the Volendam this May.  Had to be in town by 9:30 for a 10:00 independent tour.  Got in town before 9.

[Haljo1935]

6 hours ago, shiner6 said:

We are on that cruise. Could you recommend a restaurant in Bar Harbor?

https://thetravelinlobster.com/

Very casual place - my sister liked. I don't eat seafood, so I don't have a vote.

 

https://bhlobster.com/

And DH liked this place.

 

Right across the street from where the tender docks, are a couple more traditional places. We did not eat at the restaurant closest to the tender dock.

Edited August 9 by Haljo1935
Additional comment

[smokesmom]

11 hours ago, shiner6 said:

For those of you who have taken a cruise to Bar Harbor recently, how was the tendering handled? Were you pleased with process? How long is the wait if you don't book an excursion through HAL? We will be on The Zuiderdam soon and I was wondering if we will make our 10am excursion on time?  I have been looking forward to this town for a very long time and am very excited. I know it is touristy, but can you recommend a great casual restaurant for Lobster (of course) within walking distance of the terminal please.  Thanks in advance!

We enjoyed a great lobster roll at the Side Street Cafe. Not too far from the terminal. 

 

Just an FYI. The last time we were in Bar Harbor it was also a Sunday. A number of restaurants were either closed or didn't open until noon so the ones that were open earlier were very crowded. Also, the last tender was either 2:00 or 2:30 (I don't quite remember) so some people reported being rushed to get through their meal. 

[*Miss G*]

We had a very nice lunch on the patio at Stewmans Lobster Pound. It is a short walk from the tender dock and has a great view of the waterfront and ship.

 

Stewmans Lobster Pound

[tupper10]

We were on the Zuiderdam on the June 29th cruise.  The issue with Bar Harbor was that US customs had every person show passport and ship ID.  If you didn't have a HAL excursion you were given any number and for us we didn't get cleared until after 12 PM, and we weren't in the last group.    Many people missed their private excursions due to this. I believe if you had a HAL one you got priority and were off much quicker than the rest of us.  So if you are coming in from a foreign port keep this in mind.  

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, tupper10 said:

We were on the Zuiderdam on the June 29th cruise.  The issue with Bar Harbor was that US customs had every person show passport and ship ID.  If you didn't have a HAL excursion you were given any number and for us we didn't get cleared until after 12 PM, and we weren't in the last group.    Many people missed their private excursions due to this. I believe if you had a HAL one you got priority and were off much quicker than the rest of us.  So if you are coming in from a foreign port keep this in mind.  

Was this the first US port after leaving Canada? Cruises departing Boston and stopping in Bar Harbor on their way North shouldn't experience this problem.

[tupper10]

26 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Was this the first US port after leaving Canada? Cruises departing Boston and stopping in Bar Harbor on their way North shouldn't experience this problem.

 I did say that this only applied if you are coming in from a foreign port - so no I don't think if you are going from the US to Bar Harbor this will impact you.

[shiner6]

1 hour ago, tupper10 said:

 I did say that this only applied if you are coming in from a foreign port - so no I don't think if you are going from the US to Bar Harbor this will impact you.

I received a notice from HAL, explaining "not to arrive to the cruise terminal earlier than our assigned time due to the Coast guard inspection". Does this apply because the ship is coming to Boston from Europe? 

[tupper10]

16 minutes ago, shiner6 said:

I received a notice from HAL, explaining "not to arrive to the cruise terminal earlier than our assigned time due to the Coast guard inspection". Does this apply because the ship is coming to Boston from Europe? 

I assume that is correct but others have commented on this who are taking the same cruise as you.  I suggest you look at your roll call for more information.  

[shiner6]

1 hour ago, tupper10 said:

I assume that is correct but others have commented on this who are taking the same cruise as you.  I suggest you look at your roll call for more information.  

I just checked my roll call again and did not see any info on this. Perhaps you saw something on a different one?

[Hlitner]

I am wondering how they will even go to Bar Harbor, given the recent cruise ship ban.  Here is a link to an article on the subject:

It’s Official: Council Enacts Cruise Ship Disembarkation Rules – Bar Harbor Story

 

The residents of Bar Harbor, have long been trying to limit (or eliminate) cruise ships coming to their town.  I have no clue as to whether there are further court appeals that will delay the restriction.

 

Hank

[chengkp75]

4 hours ago, shiner6 said:

I received a notice from HAL, explaining "not to arrive to the cruise terminal earlier than our assigned time due to the Coast guard inspection". Does this apply because the ship is coming to Boston from Europe? 

The USCG tries to inspect all foreign flag cruise ships that call at US ports twice a year, but this is not always possible (schedule, USCG budget).  As a "port state control" agency (representing the port nation), USCG inspects all foreign flag ships, regardless of type, on a random basis.  Yes, if this is the first cruise to a US port after the ship has been away from the US for a while, USCG will generally try to inspect.  There may also be a USPH inspection, but they try to do these separately, so maybe next cruise.  USCG inspections are known in advance, USPH inspections are unannounced.

Edited August 9 by chengkp75

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am wondering how they will even go to Bar Harbor, given the recent cruise ship ban.  Here is a link to an article on the subject:

It’s Official: Council Enacts Cruise Ship Disembarkation Rules – Bar Harbor Story

 

The residents of Bar Harbor, have long been trying to limit (or eliminate) cruise ships coming to their town.  I have no clue as to whether there are further court appeals that will delay the restriction.

 

Hank

This all depends on when HAL made the reservation for the port call.  If it was made prior to Nov '22, then the ship can still call at Bar Harbor, but if it was made after Nov '22 (when the town council passed the limitation), then only the smaller ships can call.

Edited August 9 by chengkp75

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This all depends on when HAL made the reservation for the port call.  If it was made prior to Nov '22, then the ship can still call at Bar Harbor, but if it was made after Nov '22 (when the town council passed the limitation), then only the smaller ships can call.

And so the anti-cruise ship trend continues to grow, world-wide.  That 1000 person restriction favors the small luxury ships (we love those vessels) as well as the R ships of Oceania and Azamara.  I have previously posted that as both avid cruisers and land travelers, these bans/restrictions do cause us to have mixed emotions.  I do not like what large cruise ships (and we do cruise on some of those ships) does to small, charming, communities.  We have chatted with several locals in Key West (who all voted against cruise ships in their city) and do "get it."  

 

While some folks see this pictures of the huge mega ships and say "Wow,"  many others say something like "Oh NO."  I think that those huge vessels have contributed to turning many communities, around the world, against cruise ships.  It also does not help, that many on those ships will book overpriced cruise ship excursions, which are of little benefit to the locals, and have the added factor of keeping cruisers together in larger groups (also seen as a big negative by locals).  While folks may not have an issue with 1 or 2 couples walking through their community, browsing in the shops, eating lunch, etc. they do not like seeing large groups being led around (like cattle) who spend little money (other than at "recommended" places).  

 

We live in a cruise port (Puerto Vallarta) for part of the year, and see (almost on a daily basis) both the cruisers on large groups excursions as well as those just off on their own.  The large groups will sometimes block the sidewalks (as they stop to listen to their guides), crowd into a "recommended store," and do little to help the local economy.  Consider that many who port at Puerto Vallarta (our winter home) will simply take an excursion to Las Caletas (or other similar places) which do not benefit the local economy (other than the tour operator, Vallarta Adventures).  When advising folks here on CC, we urge visitors to PV to simply go into town (via bus or taxi) and enjoy themselves.  But many fellow cruisers are obviously uncomfortable doing their own thing and I guess we have to accept that this is part of our North American culture.

 

I know I should get off my soapbox, but we always do our best to encourage fellow cruisers to do their own thing, eat nice meals ashore, etc.  In April, we were in Santorini (another place that is being ruined by too many cruisers) and could barely move through Oia.  It was the same in Riomaggiore, where once could barely move because of large groups clogging passageways as they listened to their guides.    It was not so much the number of folks, but the fact that many of those folks were being herded in groups ("follow the bouncing sign) through narrow sidewalks.  The group stops, and it becomes sidewalk gridlock.  Those of us who love cruising need to do more to encourage locals to want our presence, not to dread our visits.

 

Hank

[Fouremco]

30 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I do not like what large cruise ships (and we do cruise on some of those ships) does to small, charming, communities. 

Agreed. In 2015, we sailed Boston to Montreal on the Maasdam, and the following year visited the Caribbean on one of Koningdam's first cruises. Going from the fleet's smallest to its largest ship, the impact on smaller communities was quite noticeable. 

[Hlitner]

50 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Agreed. In 2015, we sailed Boston to Montreal on the Maasdam, and the following year visited the Caribbean on one of Koningdam's first cruises. Going from the fleet's smallest to its largest ship, the impact on smaller communities was quite noticeable. 

And consider that the Koningsdam is not even a large ship, by today's standards.  Other lines have ships carrying more than twice as many passengers, with more being built every day.  We once visited a port in Greenland, that had a population of about 1000.  Our ship had 3600!  The locals were not welcoming (most stayed inside) and it was like being in a ghost town.  Even the local cafe/bar was not open during our daytime visit.  Some friends stopped in a tiny fish store and asked the owner "what kind of fish is this?"  The owner responded, "give me $5 and I will answer your question."  Bottom line was that nobody in that small Greenland town wanted visitors.

 

Hank