Cruising Glacier Bay National Park
Many visitors see Glacier Bay National Park from a cruise ship. This guide will help prepare you for cruise day!
Tag: cruising
Cruise Port Guide: Ketchikan
Ketchikan is the southernmost Alaskan cruise port and the Salmon capitol of the world. This guide is designed to help you plan your perfect port day.
Cruising to Portland, Maine
So, you have one day (or potentially a few hours) to be in Portland? Portland is the major city in Maine, closely followed by Augusta, Bangor and Lewiston/Auburn. That doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to see all the major sites downtown. How much you get to do is heavily dependent on your ideal outing preferences. For instance, if you want to take a tour out of town that will eat up a significant amount of your port time. If you want to shop, eat and experience Portland, you’ll have plenty of time. We will go over a few of those scenarios.
Port Location
Most cruise lines drop passengers off at the Portland Ocean Gateway terminal on the far end of Commercial Street. This makes getting around downtown that much easier, and if you’re taking a cruise line-offered excursion you will be picked up directly outside of the port. If you’re looking to venture outside of downtown Portland you’ll need to catch a cab or an uber. If you’re taking a self guided walking tour you’ll be able to take off right off the ship.
Cruise Line Offered Excursions
I am quite familiar with cruising, and cruise line-created excursions. I recently chose to forgo anything directly booked through our cruise line for our next cruise to Alaska. Why? Because more often than not you are very capable of doing those things in a more time efficient manner and for half the price. Booking directly with your cruise is beneficial if you’re looking for the all-inclusivity of a “one-stop shop” experience. If you’re on a tight budget and willing to adventure, then you would be wise to shop around and see what you can do on your own. Most of the time there are companies familiar with the cruise port that offer tours, and have guarantees to get you back to the boat on time.
I did some research on cruise-offered excursions through Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, who all frequent Portland. I was less than impressed with their offerings for fun. As a native Mainer these adventures are quite average and very expensive for what you’re getting. The most popular ones that I saw were Peak’s Island Lobster Bake, Lighthouses of Maine and Kennebunkport Adventure. While going to Kennebunkport is beautiful, it takes 45 minutes to get there on a good day. The lighthouses that you’ll be shown on your tour are Portland Head Light, Marshall Point, and Bug Light. These are all within 20 minutes of each other. The Peak’s Island Lobster Bake is rather…expensive. If you want a lobster check out any of the restaurants in downtown Portland. If you want to take the ferry over to Peak’s Island on your own you can save about $150.
Adventures You Can Do on Your Own
Peaks Island You can easily take the ferry to Peaks Island on your own. You’ll be able to pick your own ferry times, and travel as you want. As far as things to do on Peak’s Island, it is not as abundant as if you stayed in Portland. The island is a small neighborhood with an ice cream shop, inn, and walking trails. It is a fun trip if you’re looking to explore on foot. I would not recommend bringing a car as the island is small and there will be nowhere for you to park. You can also check out a few of the beaches on the island and tide pool hop.
Shop, Eat, Drink and Adventure Commercial Street is famous for its shops and restaurants. It was once a commercial fishing street that had bars for the fishermen after their long days. It has turned into a tourism area and a bustling street of business. You’ll still be intermingling with the commercial area with the wharfs and boats on one side, and the shops and restaurants up the hill on the other side. You won’t have to go far to find local seafood that will beat your expectations.
Rent bicycles Having a bike opens up your exploration window in Portland. I must note that the cruise port that you will be dropped at is at the bottom of a hill, and businesses are aligned going up the hill. If you’re looking to bike the Greenbelt or cross over the bay to South Portland bikes are a good idea.
Museums There are several great spots to museum hop in Portland, and you won’t need to uber or take a bus from the cruise port. If you have limited mobility you may want to hop an uber but they all are walkable. Some of the best museums are the Portland Museum of Art, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Portland Observatory, Children’s Museum, and the Maine Historical Society and Wadsworth-Longfellow House.
Uber to a Beach The beaches surrounding Portland are a great place to spend a sunny afternoon. There are several ways that you can get to the beaches, but if you are on a limited time schedule ubering will be the fastest and most time efficient option. The closest and most enjoyable beaches are Higgins Beach and Willard Beach, with Crescent, Ferry, and Scarborough Beach being farther away.
Lighthouses Lighthouses are a major attraction in Maine, and there are a few to view in Portland and South Portland. It would be hard to believe that Portland Headlight is actually in Cape Elizabeth. If you have a cheap excursion opportunity that will bus you to all of the lighthouses that may be your best option. If you’re looking to just see Portland Headlight and have a full car of people, ubering could be cheaper. The lighthouses in the local area are Spring Point, Bug Light, Portland Headlight and Ram Island Ledge. Ram Island Ledge is one that you’ll need to view from Portland Headlight on shore.
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Directly outside of the cruise port is the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad museum and the opportunity to take a ride on the train. The trains run frequently on weekends in the summer and sporadically throughout the week.
DIY Brewery Tour You can grab a beer just about anywhere in Portland, but what makes the area quite special is the amount of breweries in the immediate area. You don’t have to pay extra fees to take yourself on an afternoon tour of the pubs.
Things Not To Do
These things on this list are a genuine waste of time if you are on a tight schedule. That is the downfall to cruising, you don’t have time to get into the small things that towns have to offer.
Deering Oaks Park
It is not a lovely little park. In recent years, and even before COVID, Portland has struggled with having enough space for its homeless residents. Unfortunately, this park is where a lot of people reside.
Foodie Tours
Portland is absolutely full of amazing places to eat. I put this on a “not to do” list because if you’re here, reading this, then you’re resourceful. There are so many types of food in Portland that you can easily create your own foodie tour that will cater to your own tastes (and not cost you extra money)
Eastern Promenade
A nice park, and better to sit and have a picnic in than Deering Oaks Park. The view is amazing, but that is about it. There is not much to do here other than admire said view and move on.
The Maine Mall
There are malls everywhere, in every state. Don’t waste your time at this one as it may possibly be the smallest mall you’ve visited depending on where you live.
We hope that our guide to cruising into Portland, Maine helps you on your next adventure! There are plenty of things to see and do in the immediate area surrounding the port, without feeling like you’re in a tourist trap. Happy Sailing!