4 Days in Boston Before New England/Canada Cruise October 11, 2008

[scurveydog]

My wife and I will be sailing Royal Caribbean- Jewel of the Seas out of Boston this Fall stopping in Bar Harbor, Portland, Halifax & St Johns. We selected October 11-18 in the hope of seeing some pretty foliage. We are flying in on Tuesday the 7th and I need some advice for the pre-cruise 4 days in Boston. I have been to Boston on business but my wife has not been to any of the New England States.

 

We want to do a bunch of the cool tourist things in Boston and we understand that a car is unnecessary at best and, more likely, an expensive pain. We plan to cab it from the airport and walk or take the T to get around in the city. Which brings me to my first question... What are some good hotel values in the city which will allow us to walk or ride mass transit to go do a bunch of the cool things. I know it won't be a bargain but is it possible to find a nice place for $200/night or so??? (surrounding areas like Cambridge are ok- doesn't have to be Boston proper)

 

Second question: We are thinking about taking one of the days, renting a car and driving through VT & NH on a day trip. Is the best bet to go back to the airport to rent or is there a rental location off-site from the airport and accessible by mass transit or short cab ride? Any suggestions for how to spend such a day that would take us into VT & NH?-- Or how NOT to spend that day?

 

We love seafood, theatre. art museums, ethnic food, live music, history (but a little goes a long way for DW), beautiful scenery, and fine dining. Any suggestions for these things as well as places to eat???

 

Finally, from what port does RCI sail? Is it a long way off or fairly close to airport & downtown.

[soccermommy]

First of all, welcome to Boston! It's really hard to say which hotels will have the best rates, we get a lot of "leaf peepers" and maybe the Sox will be in the World Series, though I'm not sure if that will be in the same time frame....Anyway, public transportation in the city is pretty good, so getting around will not be a problem. The port is at the Black Falcon terminal which is in South Boston, and not hard to get to by cab, or the Silver Line. Kind of depends on where your hotel is....speaking of which, try Hotels.com... anything near the Common, Copley or the Waterfront will be accessible, but might be pricey. There are some nice hotels in Cambridge, which also is a good place to walk around, especially near Harvard. Don't bother to rent in either city, costs a fortune to park (if you have any luck finding parking!). When we travel, we use Enterprise, they have multiple locations, but the ones at the airport tend to be more expensive, and they do pick you up. As for Vt, that's about a 2-3 hr drive , NH and Maine are closer. Check out south of Boston, i.e. Plymouth ( the Plantation, the rock is just a rock,) or the Cape. The AAA guidebooks are pretty good. Good Luck!

[mollyanne]

My wife and I will be sailing Royal Caribbean- Jewel of the Seas out of Boston this Fall stopping in Bar Harbor, Portland, Halifax & St Johns. We selected October 11-18 in the hope of seeing some pretty foliage. We are flying in on Tuesday the 7th and I need some advice for the pre-cruise 4 days in Boston. I have been to Boston on business but my wife has not been to any of the New England States.

 

We want to do a bunch of the cool tourist things in Boston and we understand that a car is unnecessary at best and, more likely, an expensive pain. We plan to cab it from the airport and walk or take the T to get around in the city. Which brings me to my first question... What are some good hotel values in the city which will allow us to walk or ride mass transit to go do a bunch of the cool things. I know it won't be a bargain but is it possible to find a nice place for $200/night or so??? (surrounding areas like Cambridge are ok- doesn't have to be Boston proper)

 

Second question: We are thinking about taking one of the days, renting a car and driving through VT & NH on a day trip. Is the best bet to go back to the airport to rent or is there a rental location off-site from the airport and accessible by mass transit or short cab ride? Any suggestions for how to spend such a day that would take us into VT & NH?-- Or how NOT to spend that day?

 

We love seafood, theatre. art museums, ethnic food, live music, history (but a little goes a long way for DW), beautiful scenery, and fine dining. Any suggestions for these things as well as places to eat???

 

Finally, from what port does RCI sail? Is it a long way off or fairly close to airport & downtown.

 

Scurveydog:

 

I know a little about Boston hotels because we visit our son there frequently.

 

The problem you may find with your dates is it is "leaf peeper" season and prices take quite a rise after Labor Day. Also, many parents weekends for the college kids jack up the prices like crazy. And during the week you are dealing with the business travelers and once again, high prices.

 

My advice would be to look for a hotel in the Back Bay/Copley area. There will be many places to walk to and you will find a variety of local and chain restaurants. It is also very convenient to take the T from this area as it will mean less train switching.

 

For example, you may find a lower priced hotel in Cambridge but then you spend more time getting FROM there to different parts of the city and it many times will mean taking 2 trains. I know this from personal experience!

 

We were in Boston last weekend and stayed at the InterContinental. We got a great deal on Hotwire about 2 months ahead of time. I would suggest that you might want to check out Hotwire. While the I/C was beautiful it is in an area where there is nothing close by. We had to walk 3 long blocks just for coffee - unless you want to pay $4 per cup at the hotel! (and it wasn't that good!)

 

Other places where I have found great deals are Travelzoo (they publish their specials on Wednesdays) and Hotwire's Travel Ticker (also Wednesday). While regular Hotwire is a "blind" site like Priceline the Travel Ticker part names the hotels up front. You can also use betterbiddingdotcom to pinpoint what the various hotels are and compare icons, etc. Boston is a "small" big city and it is easy to figure out what the hotels are.

 

The cruise ships depart from the Black Falcon terminal - which is in the seaport/trade center area. There are a few hotels near there but a cab ride from Back Bay probably wouldn't be more than $25.

 

One last thought - since you are planning on 4 nights you might consider VRBO - Vacation Rentals by Owner. Many times you will find some outstanding places available for rent and all have kitchens so you can at least make your own breakfast. Eating in Boston is one of my favorite things to do but can get very pricy! I have considered VRBO in the past but we have yet to find the right place for whatever dates we may have needed.

 

Hope this is of some help to you.:)

[138east]

My wife and I will be sailing Royal Caribbean- Jewel of the Seas out of Boston this Fall stopping in Bar Harbor, Portland, Halifax & St Johns. We selected October 11-18 in the hope of seeing some pretty foliage. We are flying in on Tuesday the 7th and I need some advice for the pre-cruise 4 days in Boston. I have been to Boston on business but my wife has not been to any of the New England States.

 

We want to do a bunch of the cool tourist things in Boston and we understand that a car is unnecessary at best and, more likely, an expensive pain. We plan to cab it from the airport and walk or take the T to get around in the city. Which brings me to my first question... What are some good hotel values in the city which will allow us to walk or ride mass transit to go do a bunch of the cool things. I know it won't be a bargain but is it possible to find a nice place for $200/night or so??? (surrounding areas like Cambridge are ok- doesn't have to be Boston proper)

 

Second question: We are thinking about taking one of the days, renting a car and driving through VT & NH on a day trip. Is the best bet to go back to the airport to rent or is there a rental location off-site from the airport and accessible by mass transit or short cab ride? Any suggestions for how to spend such a day that would take us into VT & NH?-- Or how NOT to spend that day?

 

We love seafood, theatre. art museums, ethnic food, live music, history (but a little goes a long way for DW), beautiful scenery, and fine dining. Any suggestions for these things as well as places to eat???

 

Finally, from what port does RCI sail? Is it a long way off or fairly close to airport & downtown.

1) There is a Boston Hotel deal discussed on this thread - second night for the amount of your birth year.

2) You can get rental cars at Rowes Wharf. Check Travelocity to see what rental companies have locations in Boston. The airport is not your only choice.

3) If you want to see fall foliage, you have to be flexible. Fall was very late last year, so for October 7-11 you could have gone way up into Vermont and NH and seen some lovely leaves. You need to find a foliage web site so that you can check where it is best when you are in NE. If the conditions are right, the view at the French King Bridge over the Connecticut river on Route 2 is spectacular. You could take Route 2 west to I91, go north to Brattleboro, and take route 9 to Keene, route 101 back to route 3 (this goes through Peterborough which is supposed to have been the model for "Our Town") and then back to Boston. I'm sure others will have good suggestions as well.

 

4) http://www.boston.com is a good source for things that are happening. Dinner in Chinatown is fun. Legal Seafoods is very popular.

[lovn2liv]

I grew up outside of Boston - and now live in Southern NH

 

In Boston: I don't think you were really asking about the sites to see, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

Freedom Trail in Boston - follows the ride of Paul Revere among other things. If you like history...this is for you. If you are into the Civil War, let me know.

Duck Tours which are a blast. Land/water ferry's that take you to the hot spots of Boston.

Spirit of Boston - Dinner cruise (not as fancy as the cruise ships), but will give you a wonderful harbor view of the skyline of Boston, which is a site to see.

Fanueil Hall - Market Place - fun place to eat and shop for an evening of kicking around - you can even take a horse-drawn carriage ride...

The North End for killer Italian food, and incredible pastries and to top it off cappacinos and espresso...Great area to walk around in during the evening also.

The Theater District if you are into the shows.

 

 

Gloucester Massachusetts is a MUST! (Pronounced Glawstah) (About an hour's drive from Boston.) This is the beautiful sea port that they filmed some of the "Perfect Storm" with George Clooney. The time you are going to be in town, the foliage along the streets are super beautiful. My sister moved to Minnesota, and she always came back during the fall, to make her yearly trip to Gloucester during the fall. Simply beautiful. Great places for seafood too. Brick lined streets and cute, quaint shops and the view of the ocean is so "new england"...plus fudge to just fall over for.

 

I can't say too much about Vermont....I'm sure the drive is beautiful during the foliage season, however, not a lot to do that I experienced. Ben & Jerry's factory? Skiing...which of course isn't possible. There are probably other experts that can help you on that one. I'm at a loss for VT.

 

Maine - Route 1 - Just drive it-liesure coastal drive...quite beautiful...and you can get your Maine Lobstahs...and seafood. Drive up to Ogunquit and take a walk along Marginal Way and eat at the few restaurants on the pier. So pretty.

 

NH - a drive up to Lake Winnipesaukee and take the Mount Washington Ferry which is another dinner cruise, (sorry about the suggestions regarding boats....) but the foliage will be peaking, and this lake is absolutely massive and beautiful during this time of year. There is also Mount Monadnock if you are into hiking in Jaffrey NH.

 

The hotels...I didn't check the days of the week when you were going to be in town, but weekend prices are usually very reasonable. We've gotten prices well below $200. Govt. Center or the seaport area will bring you into the heart of everything. You would probably only need a car if you were taking the drives outside of Boston. You can either walk to many of the places or just hop in a cab. Less than 5 - 15 minutes away from most everything in a cab.

 

I wish you well with your stay here on the NorthEastern Coast.

 

Colleen

[Got2Cruise]

We always stay in the "Back Bay" area of Boston when visiting our daughter. It is within walking distance to the nice shops and restaurants on Newberry Street, there is a main T stop within walking distance which will take you to any place in Boston you need to be within 15 minutes, you can walk to Fenway and Kenmore Sq, and the Charles River. I don't know about getting a room for $200 in October though. October is high season in Boston with all the colleges having parent weekends and the Red Sox in the playoffs. There are nice Hilton's in the 'burbs, but you need a car to get to the hotel and then would have to park in the city at a parking facility.

[royalcruz]

Hi. I just planned a trip to Boston this July, so I will share what I learned in my research, but I haven't personally been there in a long time.

 

It seems that Copley/Back Bay/theatre area is the best for walking around shops, restaurants, & parks. It is in the center of the city.

 

I got a 300 sq ft king room at the Park Plaza Hotel in the Copley area for $139/night, with no hotel service fees. I got this directly through the hotel website under the specials (summer 08 special) and did not have to prepay. The regular rate would have been $239. The cancellation policy is very reasonable. I checked your dates and it would be over $400/night, and they aren't offering any specials yet in October.

 

Here is the most updated info I found, but it can change any day. 4 star Hotels hotwire uses in the Copely area are the Westin and Colonnade. The 3 star is Radisson. They also offer the Intercontinental Hotel (4 1/2 star) in the Quincy/Financial district. There is a 2 star Copley hotel in your price range for your dates, but I don't know which 2 star hotels they use.

 

As for Priceline in the Copley area, they use 4 star: Sheraton, Colonnade, Marriot, Westin. 3 star: Doubletree, Park Plaza, Radisson. Also the Fairmont, but I don't know the star rating. In the Quincy/Financial district:4 stars: Omni, Intercontinental, Onyx, Millenium, Hilton Financial, Nine Zero, Hyatt Regency. 3 star: Holiday Inn Select at Beacon Hill, Club Quarters. 2.5 stars: Residence Inn Boston Harbor.

 

I hope this helps. It looks like you might have to stay outside of the city in October.

[scurveydog]

First of all, welcome to Boston! It's really hard to say which hotels will have the best rates, we get a lot of "leaf peepers" and maybe the Sox will be in the World Series, though I'm not sure if that will be in the same time frame....Anyway, public transportation in the city is pretty good, so getting around will not be a problem. The port is at the Black Falcon terminal which is in South Boston, and not hard to get to by cab, or the Silver Line. Kind of depends on where your hotel is....speaking of which, try Hotels.com... anything near the Common, Copley or the Waterfront will be accessible, but might be pricey. There are some nice hotels in Cambridge, which also is a good place to walk around, especially near Harvard. Don't bother to rent in either city, costs a fortune to park (if you have any luck finding parking!). When we travel, we use Enterprise, they have multiple locations, but the ones at the airport tend to be more expensive, and they do pick you up. As for Vt, that's about a 2-3 hr drive , NH and Maine are closer. Check out south of Boston, i.e. Plymouth ( the Plantation, the rock is just a rock,) or the Cape. The AAA guidebooks are pretty good. Good Luck!

 

Soccermommy. having the rental car company pick us up is a great idea! Thanks for reminding me of this feature!:)

[scurveydog]

Hi. I just planned a trip to Boston this July, so I will share what I learned in my research, but I haven't personally been there in a long time.

 

It seems that Copley/Back Bay/theatre area is the best for walking around shops, restaurants, & parks. It is in the center of the city.

 

I got a 300 sq ft king room at the Park Plaza Hotel in the Copley area for $139/night, with no hotel service fees. I got this directly through the hotel website under the specials (summer 08 special) and did not have to prepay. The regular rate would have been $239. The cancellation policy is very reasonable. I checked your dates and it would be over $400/night, and they aren't offering any specials yet in October.

 

Here is the most updated info I found, but it can change any day. 4 star Hotels hotwire uses in the Copely area are the Westin and Colonnade. The 3 star is Radisson. They also offer the Intercontinental Hotel (4 1/2 star) in the Quincy/Financial district. There is a 2 star Copley hotel in your price range for your dates, but I don't know which 2 star hotels they use.

 

As for Priceline in the Copley area, they use 4 star: Sheraton, Colonnade, Marriot, Westin. 3 star: Doubletree, Park Plaza, Radisson. Also the Fairmont, but I don't know the star rating. In the Quincy/Financial district:4 stars: Omni, Intercontinental, Onyx, Millenium, Hilton Financial, Nine Zero, Hyatt Regency. 3 star: Holiday Inn Select at Beacon Hill, Club Quarters. 2.5 stars: Residence Inn Boston Harbor.

 

I hope this helps. It looks like you might have to stay outside of the city in October.

 

 

Royalcruz,

Thanks for the helpful information. A bunch of research all led me to believe, as you indicated, that I might have to stay outside of the city OR that I would have to pay around $400/night for 4 nights. $369/night was the lowest for anything at all decent in the area where we wanted to be. Before despairing, I decided to use priceline to see if I could get something decent close to the North End and Quincy Market, etc. I searched for a 3-star in Copley Square, Financial District or Waterfront areas, set $180 as the price and...waiting... waiting... finally the bid was accepted at... the Bulfinch Hotel.:eek:

 

Never heard of it!:confused:

 

I thought holy cow, the price is OK but what have I gotten myself into. Over a hundred reviews to look over but most agree on the following: Location- very convenient to most everything including the T;

Price- good value;

Rooms- very small and unusually shaped due to the overall triangular anatomy of the building itself. Little or no room for suitcases.

 

I conclude that we will not be spending much time in our small room anyway since there is so much to see and do in this great city.:D If anyone has any experience with the Bulfinch- or tips like which rooms to try to avoid, please let me know.

[mollyanne]

Royalcruz,

Thanks for the helpful information. A bunch of research all led me to believe, as you indicated, that I might have to stay outside of the city OR that I would have to pay around $400/night for 4 nights. $369/night was the lowest for anything at all decent in the area where we wanted to be. Before despairing, I decided to use priceline to see if I could get something decent close to the North End and Quincy Market, etc. I searched for a 3-star in Copley Square, Financial District or Waterfront areas, set $180 as the price and...waiting... waiting... finally the bid was accepted at... the Bulfinch Hotel.:eek:

 

Never heard of it!:confused:

 

I thought holy cow, the price is OK but what have I gotten myself into. Over a hundred reviews to look over but most agree on the following: Location- very convenient to most everything including the T;

Price- good value;

Rooms- very small and unusually shaped due to the overall triangular anatomy of the building itself. Little or no room for suitcases.

 

I conclude that we will not be spending much time in our small room anyway since there is so much to see and do in this great city.:D If anyone has any experience with the Bulfinch- or tips like which rooms to try to avoid, please let me know.

 

My sister has stayed at the Bullfinch and loved it....

[scurveydog]

My sister has stayed at the Bullfinch and loved it....

 

Thanks for the encouraging report Mollyanne.:)

[royalcruz]

That hotel looks really cool. It has yet to show up on BetterBidding.com. But one other person got it in the last few weeks as posted on BiddingForTravel.com, probably the day after I stopped looking for a hotel, so sorry that I didn't have it on the list. I hope that your room is bigger than a stateroom! Have a great trip!

[scurveydog]

That hotel looks really cool. It has yet to show up on BetterBidding.com. But one other person got it in the last few weeks as posted on BiddingForTravel.com, probably the day after I stopped looking for a hotel, so sorry that I didn't have it on the list. I hope that your room is bigger than a stateroom! Have a great trip!

 

I agree Royalcruz. The more reviews I've read, the better I feel about the hotel. A buddy of mine at work heard me talking about the days in Boston and has offered some of his thoughts on restaurants. Any suggestions from you- or anyone- on can't miss places for B,L or D?

[lannp]

We just spent two days in Boston pre-cruise. We stayed at the Westin Waterfront.

We bought a 1-day Go Boston card and spent the day touring. This also entitled us to a 2-day Beantown Trolley pass which we used the 2nd day before we boarded the ship.

We bought a day pass for the transit system (9.00 each) and we used that all day and traveled on every colour line they had. It was really easy and they have a map of the system on the walls so you can check to make sure you're headed the right way.

[barbarah33]

Hi there, I have been in Massachusetts for over 40 years; about 20 miles northwest of the city. (But I have spent years working in the city itself.) I think you'll be more than fine at The Bullfinch Hotel though I will admit that until you said it and I looked it up I have never heard of it; though I have heard of Flatirons; the restaurant there.

 

You are coming in kind of early for foliage depending on our summer. Last year it was late but I wouldn't expect us to see anything near peak until 10/17 at the earliest. However, you shouldn't worry because you will see some trees at the time you are coming and if you aren't used to it then some of them turning is still really pretty to see and easy to appreciate. (We locals get spoiled I guess and only really enjoy it at peak.)

 

As everyone else has mentioned Boston can be very busy at that time of year. The Red Sox will still be playing, colleges will be back in session and with them come football games - BC and Harvard specifically, the tourists come in to see our leaves, pumpkins and apples, even Salem picks up as we get near Halloween; that whole witch thing. (Not to mention parents weekends which usually fall right around there.) I think renting a car for a day and getting out of the city is a wonderful idea - and I would do it toward the end of your stay as it seems to get more and more crowded as Friday and Saturday get closer and closer. (And that following weekend is Columbus Day.)

 

I agree with lovn2liv in the idea that you could rent your car and head north for day - Cape Ann. (Also a better chance of seeing even more trees turning as they get colder faster up there.) Rockport; a part of Gloucester, is at the very tip and is a quaint area full of stores, cafes, art boutiques, etc., all made for walking and it's literally right on the water. It is a bit touristy but that's not necessarily a bad thing here; many parts of Gloucester that aren't touristy are fishing communities; ever hear of Gortons Seafood, and there isn't too much to see other than fishing boats coming and going.

 

Then you can chose as you leave Rockport/Gloucester which way you would prefer to head back to Boston both of them along the water with some wonderful views and a nice easy drive. You can go the way of Ipswich and Essex - quiet river side of the water, lots of antique stores, home of the fried clam, lots of road side stands for seafood, etc. Or you can aim toward the open ocean and drive through Manchester, Beverly, and Salem: think larger houses, and the Salem witch trials. Either is a nice drive; and NOT full of crazy drivers as you would find in Boston. I can certainly recommend places to eat if this appeals to you via either direction. (Yes, I have a summerhouse up on Cape Ann so this is very familiar territory for me.)

 

We are filled with history around here so I'm afraid your DW could get bored. (Everything here is old; comes with being one of the original colonies.) But in the city walking and using the T are very easy and a great way to get around Boston/Cambridge. I think the ducktours are a wonderful, and not-too-boring or history filled way, to get an overview of the city and you can buy tickets online ahead of time if you that interests you. If you like Italian food I would strongly urge you to try eating dinner in the North End one night; an easy walk from Faneuil Hall or cab ride. The food is some of the best you'll find outside of Italy.

 

I could go on writing all day but that would bore everyone. If you have any specific questions or need any other information let me know and I'll try my best. Enjoy your time here!!:cool: