Advice wanted for Boston please

[cornish gal]

Hallo everyone, I am going on a transatlantic cruise soon- a first trip across 'the pond' and am very excited as you can imagine. I have found these forums a great source of information regarding ports and would really appreciate any tips on getting the best out of Boston in a lim ited time.

 

many thanks

CG

[TheWog]

Freedom Trail is a great way to see a lot. Involves a lot of walking and sometimes on cobblestones. Boston Common/Public Gardens are very nice. They have a swan boat ride in the Public Garden. www.bostonducktours.com will give you a lighthearted tour of the city. U.S.S. Constitution is a neat place to go. Bunker Hill monument as well. Fanieul Hall is a great place to go for a first timer. Union Oyster House or Durgin Park are great places to eat. There are also restaurant places like Cheers, Hard Rock Cafe, etc. Are you intersted in American Baseball? Fenway Park offers tours of the stadium. Are you interested in American Beer? Sam Adams offers tours of the brewery. If you put any of these in Google they will give you more information about each individually. The T is the local mass transit system and is surprisingly efficient in getting you around. www.mbta.com

[138east]

Don't forget the Old Town Trolley (HoHo - hop on hop off) - tour of the city with stops to get off and on. What ship are you sailing and how long do you have in Boston?

[cornish gal]

Thanks for replying.

I am sailing on P&O Aurora and sadly only have one day in Boston. Our interests lay more in history and politics than beer and baseball I'm afraid, but I really just like getting the 'feel' of a place rather than ticking off all the sights, which is all you can really expect from a cruise I think.

After I posted I realised that there were several threads on Boston and I think the HoHo tram sound a really good plan. I have been looking at various websights and maps and wouldbe grateful if anyone can confirm that there is a stop near the cruise berth- Black Falcon I think.

Also is it possible to buy tickets at the time rather than pre-book?

Thanks in anticipation

cg.

[travelbig]

The Old Town Trolley has a new stop - 16A - that is close to where the ship docks at Black Falcon. If you e-mail them (go to contact us on their site) and request a map, it will show you where it is and is easier to read than what is on-line. You will have to get your tickets on-line. You can board at stop 16A with your e-ticket. Tickets are not sold at this stop.

[138east]

If you don't want to buy tickets ahead, you can take the Silver Line bus from the cruise terminal to South Station for $2/pp. There is a trolley booth there. However, I would confirm with the trolley folks that you will be able to buy tickets there the day you are in Boston (Sep 10???).

[MrsTW]

This is the reply I had from Old Town Trolley when I recently enquired about getting on at stop 16A by the cruise terminal........it says that you DON'T need to buy tickets in advance but can get on at this stop.........I hope this info is helpful! :D

 

 

 

 

"You are correct; you would be picking up the trolley at our stop 16A. We start running at approximately 9:05 and run down there until about 6pm.

 

Whether you purchase a ticket on-line or at our stop #1 is completely up to you. It won’t make any difference as far as boarding at 16A because even guests who don’t have tickets are able to board and ride to stop 1 to make their transactions. Either way you will need to see one of our representatives to get your boarding passes which allow you to hop-on and hop-off all day.

 

If you do purchase your tickets on-line you won’t be offered a chance to put in your ride date. That is because those tickets are good for any single day of touring for 6 months after your purchase date. As far as availability of trolleys, we have the largest trolley fleet in Boston and we make every effort to accommodate our guests—even on those days when the city is teeming with tourists. In general we have enough trolleys to leave from each of our 17 stops about every 10-15 minutes throughout the day. And to be perfectly honest the biggest surge of people will occur in the later afternoon when everyone is trying to get back to wherever they left their car!!!! We try to plan for that peak in ridership and suggest to our guests that they keep that fact in mind when making their plans for the day of hopping off."

[cornish gal]

Thank Mrs.TW and others for the very helpful info.

I am very much looking forward to this cruise and hope the weather is kind.

We have had a pretty dreadful summer here in Cornwall and I feel sorry for the holday makers who come here mainly to enjoy the beach.

CG

[Nan1052]

The advantage to buying them in advance online is that you can save a couple of dollars.

[cityguy300]

Thanks for posting that reply from the trolley reps, MrsTW. I've been researching the trolley myself and that info was timely.

 

While I'm all for saving a few bucks, I was also reluctant to buy tickets online in case we couldn't use them as intended on the port day (for whatever reason). I also wasn't clear how we would receive the complimentary guide/map if we didn't order well in advance. So if they'll let you board at stop 16A and pay when you get to stop 1 (honour system?), then that suits me.

[TheWog]

Completely understand. http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/ This website will tell you a bit about Faneuil Hall and what it has to offer. The North End is not far away (5 min walk) and can provide you with a feel for it and some great American History.