Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
A cruise around Boston Harbor is a unique way to take in the sites around Boston from a different perspective. Visitors wishing to take a dinner cruise can choose from those serving dinner in traditional, sit-down and buffet form. Some Boston dinner cruises also offer entertainment to complete the evening.
Cruises from Boston, Massachusetts depart from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, only 10 minutes from Boston Logan Airport. While numerous cruises include Boston as a port of call, only three cruise lines offer trips which originate in Boston.
Cruises leave from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal at Boston's Cruiseport Boston, the oldest continuously operated port in the western hemisphere. Operated between April and October, the port welcomes more than 100 vessel calls and more than 250,000 passengers. The port is 3 miles from Logan International Airport---about a 10-minute drive. An indoor parking garage costs about $16 per day for ticketed cruise passengers.
While Boston may not be the first port city that comes to mind when planning a cruise vacation, several cruise lines depart from Boston throughout the year for cruises all over the world. For members of the American Automobile Association (AAA), cruises out of Boston can be booked with special AAA discounts. AAA cruises out of Boston travel to various destinations, including the Caribbean, New England and Canada.
Cruising is one of the most popular family vacations. Cruise ships offer family activities all in one place, such as sports on deck, swimming pools, children's activities and entertainment. Cruises also offer camps for kids on board so parents have the freedom to enjoy the adult amenities on board, such as the spa and the lounges. The Port of Boston is home to three cruise lines, all departing Boston for various family-friendly cruises.
While the majority of cruises depart from southern ports on the Atlantic Coast--from the Carolinas to Florida--northern travelers can head to Boston where three major cruise lines offer adventures up and down the coast and across the Atlantic. Day trips along the New England coast, whale watching and excursions to Cape Cod and Nantucket are also available from Boston.
Cruise Boston Harbor on the Fourth of July, culminating with the Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade along the Charles River--the oldest and largest public celebration of the Fourth in the country. The concerts were started in 1929 by conductor Arthur Fiedler and were enhanced with fireworks by philanthropist David Mugar during the bicentennial celebrations in 1976. That celebration holds the world record for the largest crowd to ever attend a classical concert. Fourth of July cruises in Boston Harbor take in views of Boston, Cambridge and Bunker Hill, among many private craft observing America's Independence Day.
Boston is a popular port of call for cruise ships sailing a New England and Canada itinerary. The port also serves as an end point for many transatlantic cruises. Less often, however, is Boston used as a departure point for cruise voyages. Most cruises that do depart from Boston are Bermuda cruises or New England and Canadian sailings, with a few setting sail for Caribbean ports. The Black Hawk Terminal is Boston's cruise port and serves over 200,000 cruise passengers annually.
If you want to cruise from Boston to Bermuda you have only one choice -- Norwegian Cruise Line. In 2009, the line's Norwegian Spirit departs on Fridays between early July and mid-September; in 2010, the Norwegian Spirit will operate between the last two weeks of April and mid-September. The seven-day Bermuda itinerary offers two days at sea and four days at King's Wharf in Bermuda.
Carnival Cruise Lines doesn't offer an online cruise ship tracking service, but at least one independent site offers cruise ship tracking in addition to oceanographic and weather data. Information on the site is gathered by ships around the world in cooperation with the World Meteorological Association.
