Tendering in Bar Harbor

[EGG]

Is Bar Harbor a port where there is competition for tender tickets?

If so, do you have any tips for a Celebrity cruiser.

 

We are not planning an excursion and we are usually early birds.

 

Thanks in advance.

[CEV426]

If you are going to BH via CANADA, there are customs issues. Custom officials board the ship, you form a line, with ID, the you can get tender tickets with the stamp from the officials. It's a pain, but it did run smoothly and quickly.

[judynorth]

Is Bar Harbor a port where there is competition for tender tickets?

If so, do you have any tips for a Celebrity cruiser.

 

We are not planning an excursion and we are usually early birds.

 

If you don't take an excursion in Bar Harbor, you are missing some really beautiful scenery. Acadia National Park is beautiful. We took a private tour with At Your Service Taxi (4 of us) and toured the town and the park. It was the prettiest scenery of the entire trip. The view from Cadillac Mountain is unbelievable. Of course, we had perfect weather.

[EGG]

Just back from a wonderful cruise on the Constellation and I will answer my own question. Bar Harbor was the port after Boston so there were no immigration issues. We were up early, but did not rush. When we were ready we went down to the theater and they gave us ticket 3 to board immediately. As we boarded, I saw there was another tender loading at the other end of the ship. People were getting on in a steady stream. I was thinking that those people must have been on ships excursions and had been told to meet someplace else.

 

The tender got to Bar Harbor at 9:00. We purchased our tickets for Oli's Trolly (we had made reservations on line), and walked around until it was time to board for the 10:00 tour. There were additional tours to the ones advertised on the website. They had a 10, 10:30, 1 and 1:30. Comparing this tour to the ones made by the ship excursions, the 2.5 hour tour was pretty similar. We made three 15 minute stops at Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole, and Jonathan Pond House. It was a great tour.

 

Bar Harbor was a great port.

[judynorth]

EGG, I am so glad to hear that you decided to take a tour in Bar Harbor. The town itself is charming but Acadia is spectacular and not to be missed. How were the colors there? We were too early for much color but were you too late? I imagine that Acadia would be pretty no matter what the season though.

 

I hope that the rest of your cruise was wonderful too.

[mii]

Egg we were on the Constellation the cruise before you and we also took the Oli's Trolley (2 1/2 hr) one and did all of the same stops. During our time there the colors were beautiful. All sorts of red, golds, yellows, absolutely spectacular. Acadia National Park is really beautiful. This was our second time in Bar Harbor and the first time just walked the town, but this time most of our roll call people took Oli's and we had a great, great time. We really had great color and weasther throughout most of our trip. The weather in Quebec was cold, overcast and very windy but we took a bus excursion to the Countyside of Quebec and the colors were in all reds. Very nice. Hope you had a good time on your cruise. I know we did.

 

Marilyn

[EGG]

Marilyn,

 

I saw your cruise critic group had enough people for a group rate. How did that work out? Were you able to all get off the ship on time and meet to pay?

 

I was not able to get enough interest in from my group, but maybe otheres would be interested in your experience.

 

Ellen

[Bluesdude]

We made three 15 minute stops at Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole, and Jonathan Pond House. It was a great tour.

 

Bar Harbor was a great port.

 

I assume you meant the Jordon Pond House....a Restaurant on the beautiful Jordon Pond......Tea and Popovers????

[agabbymama]

Just back from a wonderful cruise on the Constellation and I will answer my own question. Bar Harbor was the port after Boston so there were no immigration issues. We were up early, but did not rush. When we were ready we went down to the theater and they gave us ticket 3 to board immediately. As we boarded, I saw there was another tender loading at the other end of the ship. People were getting on in a steady stream. I was thinking that those people must have been on ships excursions and had been told to meet someplace else.

 

The tender got to Bar Harbor at 9:00. We purchased our tickets for Oli's Trolly (we had made reservations on line), and walked around until it was time to board for the 10:00 tour. There were additional tours to the ones advertised on the website. They had a 10, 10:30, 1 and 1:30. Comparing this tour to the ones made by the ship excursions, the 2.5 hour tour was pretty similar. We made three 15 minute stops at Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole, and Jonathan Pond House. It was a great tour.

 

Bar Harbor was a great port.

 

Egg, I was so happy to read you had no trouble tendering in Bar Harbor. It was the one disaster of our cruise on Constellation. I had booked a tour through the ship so was told to meet in the Show theater at 9:30 for a 10:30 tour. When we arrived, the line wound all the way around the theater and you couldn't find the end of the line. People were milling and wandering everywhere. People that had booked tours at 9:30 were cutting into line because they were afraid they weren't going to make it on time. There was one gal calling out times, and one other person seated at a table passing out tender tickets. The announcer finally said if you had a 9:30 tour to come forward NOW, then she did the same thing again for the 10:30 tour group. Thus making it necessary to cut in front of folks. People were really getting agitated and rowdy. It was utter chaos. They didn't have two locations for the tendering on our cruise. We all went to the same area, but if you had booked a tour there was a guide to take you there, and make sure you got on the tender, not just make your way on your own. But no-one really told us where to go once on land. We saw the bus and assumed it was our tour, so went up to it and asked. As I said, UTTER CHAOS in Bar Harbor. Sounds like they maybe got their act together.

 

Did you not stop in Portland between Boston and Bar Harbor?

 

We were 9/24 sailing and didn't have much color in NYC, Boston, or Portland. A little at Acadia National Park, but a little more at each port as we headed North, St. Johns New Brunswick, Halifax, and finally Quebec. We saw the most color in the hills around Quebec on Sunday 10/1. I'm from Michigan originally, so no stranger to autumn foliage, but it still amazes me.

 

Glad you had a good trip.:p

[EGG]

Bluesdude -Yes, I meant the Jordon Pond House. Too much information for me to remember.

 

On our cruise, we stopped at Portland on the way back from Canada. Immigration had to look at our passports and this caused long lines. Celebrity tried to keep the lines down by giving everyone a time to leave. However, they spread the times to 12:30. I have to admit, we are earlybirds and we had no patience to wait until the 11:45 time they gave us. We lined up at 9:00. Once immigration arrived at 9:30, the lines moved quickly. There was a line for excursions and another if you were on your own. We were off the ship by 10:00.

[agabbymama]

Bluesdude -Yes, I meant the Jordon Pond House. Too much information for me to remember.

 

On our cruise, we stopped at Portland on the way back from Canada. Immigration had to look at our passports and this caused long lines. Celebrity tried to keep the lines down by giving everyone a time to leave. However, they spread the times to 12:30. I have to admit, we are earlybirds and we had no patience to wait until the 11:45 time they gave us. We lined up at 9:00. Once immigration arrived at 9:30, the lines moved quickly. There was a line for excursions and another if you were on your own. We were off the ship by 10:00.

 

EGG,

 

We were supposed to stop at St. Johns New Brunswick on our way Southbound, but when we boarded in Cape Liberty, they were passing out 3x5 cards with a new itinerary. We made all our stops going Northbound, Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, St. Johns, Halifax and Quebect, so when we left Quebec, we went to the Saguenay River but cruised for three days straight back to Cape Liberty. I find three days at sea a little boring for me. By Wednesday afternoon, I was climbing the walls. I had read, played cards, shopped, walked the ship and packed until there was just nothing left to do. Glad you had a good trip.:)

[mii]

Marilyn,

 

I saw your cruise critic group had enough people for a group rate. How did that work out? Were you able to all get off the ship on time and meet to pay?

 

I was not able to get enough interest in from my group, but maybe otheres would be interested in your experience.

 

Ellen

 

No it did not work out. There was quite a few of us and were not able to get off at the same time. We tried though but hey we all eventually got on the trolley and had a great, great time.

 

Marilyn