Thread: Portland, Maine

Capt Larry!

Great to see you over here!

Anyhow, I love Portland Head Light. According to the people there at Cape Elizabeth, Portland Head Light is the most photographed lighthouse in the United States.

I too love lighthouses and that one was really a beauty! I was sooo excited ahead of my cruise to see Portland Head Light and seeing it in person was even better than I thought it would be.

Portland is a great city of much charm and character. I loved Portland Head Light and I also loved Kennebunkport!

Alisa

Did you take the ship's tour or rent a car? Your pictures look great and am more convinced we did the right thing by booking this cruise.

Your help will be great for us on this itinerary.

Jim

I took a ships tour of the Best of Portland and Kennebunkport.

It was a great tour. I loved it. We drove all over Portland, then got on the highway for about a 25 minute drive to Cape Elizabeth to see Portland Headlight. Then it was another 20-30 minutes down to Kennebunkport. Lunch was on our own at Kennebunkport and we had about 1.5-2 hours free on our own there before we came back to Portland.

You know me and lighthouses... cain't hep it!

It appears Alisa they are still offering that tour......hopefully in another year it will still be around........we hope so

can be ideal for many passengers. I live and work here, as well as spend a lot of time recreating in the area. I can always offer suggestions to visitors or other interested folks.

Portland, Maine recently has installed a new ferry, cruise ship and international port terminal. We welcome between 30 and 45 large cruise ships each summer. You can access shore with great ease from most lines. You set foot in the Old Port, and to be honest, may not want to leave.

There are more 4-star restaurants in Portland, ME (per capita) than any other city in North America. Some of the Old Port culinary highlights include Fore Street, Walter's, 555, Gilbert's, Mim's and Flatbread Pizza Company, to name just a few.

Area attractions for cruisers include seal and whale watching, island hopping, shopping in nearby Freeport (not that Portland doesn't have its own great shopping areas). Lobster bakes, windjammer rides and even scuba diving are all possible here in Portland.

Its one of America's most historic cities, with many historic home, museums and mansions to tour while on shore.

I will keep adding some activities and places of interest here. Please let me know if I can ever provide any information to any cruisers coming to the region.

For a little more local information, CLFers are invited to take a peek at PortlandandCascoBay.com, when they have finished reading all there is to read here.

Originally Posted by jstducky

I took a ships tour of the Best of Portland and Kennebunkport.

It was a great tour. I loved it. We drove all over Portland, then got on the highway for about a 25 minute drive to Cape Elizabeth to see Portland Headlight. Then it was another 20-30 minutes down to Kennebunkport. Lunch was on our own at Kennebunkport and we had about 1.5-2 hours free on our own there before we came back to Portland.

Good to know! We are going on the Victory cruise in 38 days and this is one of the tours we signed up for. Originally we were hoping to see some fall foliage but I'm afraid we will be too early. Our friends traveling with us live in California and don't get the change of seasons that are so beautiful to see. But, I'm not disappointed as there will be so many other sights along the way.

Originally Posted by travelin_sue

Good to know! We are going on the Victory cruise in 38 days and this is one of the tours we signed up for. Originally we were hoping to see some fall foliage but I'm afraid we will be too early. Our friends traveling with us live in California and don't get the change of seasons that are so beautiful to see. But, I'm not disappointed as there will be so many other sights along the way.

Things are getting chilly up here in Maine quickly. You never know...you may catch just a little bit of the beginning of the foliage change, depending upon how north your cruise is planning on going.

So glad you have decided to do a New England cruise. Maine is such a wonderful place.

tim