Everything was amazing start to finish! So much knowledge and very hands-on. Fun for adults and…read morechildren!

This was the highlight of our trip to Bar Harbor. My husband and I did the 0900 tour with Linda and…read moreCaptain Dan and we had such an incredible and phenomenal time. We sat in the second row in the middle, but no matter where you sit they will make sure to swing the boat around for everyone to see the different wildlife on the water. They do an excellent job of including everyone from kids to adults of all ages, regardless if you sit in the front or the back. We had multiple instances of holding lobsters, banding them, throwing the caught ones back into the water. We were taught about the history of lobstering in Maine and the very many rules that go along with it. There are plenty of educational photos to go along with all the stories and huge amounts of photography opportunities. We were able to do some bird watching, lobstering, and also saw porpoises and seals. Linda and Dan have such a great bond and amazing energy, they truly have a passion for their craft and it truly shows. If you are even remotely considering this tour, just do it already. I will never forget all the joy this day brought us.

When in Bar Harbor, I definitely wanted to do a cruise around the shorelines of Bar Harbor and see…read moreFrenchman Bay, maybe see sea creatures, lighthouses, famous mansions. Well you do see this and more when you go on a nature cruise with Acadian Boat Tours. They have other tours as well like a Puffin or whale watch. We did want to do the Puffin tour but it was filled. I am so glad I got to go in this one. You need a camera, to take lots of pictures.They have drinks and snacks on the boat to purchase. It's clean, you get a narrated tour by professionals. You learn so much you can't come to Bar Harbor and not do it. Highly recommend!

My wife and I went on the nature sightseeing tour. The amount of wildlife we saw was amazing. We…read moresaw Harbor seals. Sea lions, ducks, cormorants, and other creatures. The guides were especially knowledgeable of past residence and present, giving histories of the various houses that you saw along the cliffs. It was quite interesting and truly amazing. I highly recommend this tour if you have a couple of hours to spare.

Kids will enjoy it, but there's really nothing you see here (in a tour that currently costs $250…read morefor a family of 4) that you can't see in the touch tanks at the Dorr Museum at the College of the Atlantic, which has a $5 per person suggested donation. And if you're an animal lover you may be bothered by the manhandling of the sea creatures, especially the fragile sea cucumbers. Guests are encouraged to kiss them and at one point Diver Ed puts one in his mouth. Yes, all the critters are dumped back in the ocean at the end of the trip but whether they survived the encounter seems very questionable to me.

This was a unique, hilarious, educational experience that my 6 & 8 year olds LOVED. Did I get a…read morelobster placed on my head? Yes, yes I did. Did Diver Ed put a sea cucumber's butt in his mouth? Yes, yes he did. Book this experience for your kids and you won't regret it!!

Definitely want to make reservations in advance if you are going on the Sunset Cruise, as it will…read morelikely sell out. The Margaret Todd is impressive: 151' long and weighs 150 tons. Its four red sails make it easily identifiable from Agamont Park/West Street, and also from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Bar Harbor. Depending on where you sit onboard, you may need to be mindful of the crew's hoisting and lowering of the sails. The many buoys and markers identify locations of the lobster traps. There were seals and a few porpoises on the water also. Bags are screened before boarding for alcoholic beverages, which are not allowed to be brought on, but soft drinks and beer & wine are available for purchase. There are many boat tours & excursions to do in Bar Harbor and this one is recommended. The ride was gentle and the views across Frenchman Bay were gorgeous.

Beautiful day for a trip around the harbor, no you don't stay out for the whole 2 hours, but it was…read moreenough for me. Great crew. I do wish they gave you more info about the other mega yachts anchored there, but you can google it and find out. It's a touristy thing, but really, how often do you get to go out on a 4 masted schooner?

Excellent way to see acadia, the harbor, and the islands. Ruth did a wonderful job educating us on…read morethe history of the islands lighthouses and wildlife. Definitely a not to miss event in the fall. I am glad that i had the chance to go out for a three hour trip before the incoming noreaster. Super professional staff and quite an array of different tours to suit everyone.

I would not want to be on this boat if it was 100% full. I think we went on a day that was at 40%…read morecapacity and that was enough people. Crazy people crowded the top deck and spent hours out in the cold...I wouldn't do that. The second deck is kind of stuffy and you have to watch mostly from inside. The first deck is where it's at. If you sit at the windows of the forward section on the Friendship V, there are not benches outside the windows as there are with the back half of the deck. So you get a nice clear view unless someone stands along the rail. Most of your time will be spent cruising. We were out for 3 1/2 hours. We probably spent 45 minutes actually watching whales and other animals. On the way to the boat we grabbed breakfast next door at the Sunrise Cafe to take on the ship and while the reviews were very good, the food and price weren't worth it and they are definitely charging tourist extortion prices. Either get up earlier and go somewhere else or eat at your hotel before hand. If you plan to ride on the top deck you will need to bring all kinds of warm weather clothing. Sitting inside while underway is the way to do it. I was in a t-shirt most of the day and would throw on a light zip up hoodie to go outside when they found a whale or something interesting. But the people who stayed outside had to bundle up quite a bit. It was 75 in Bar Harbor but 55 on the water and even colder when the ship was moving close to 30mph. It covered almost 80 miles during our voyage. By the end most of the people that ran, yes, they literally ran to the top to sit shoulder to shoulder with strangers...they all came inside. I don't think that would have been possible on a more crowded ship. The first thing they spotted was a pod of dolphins. Then the saddest thing happened. We came upon an injured juvenile humpback whale. He couldn't dive and had a huge injury and was practically dying before our eyes. All my life I have been waiting to see a humpback whale and when I finally did it was super sad. They found some fin whales later that kept diving and coming up in groups and that was cool to see. Definitely bring binoculars or rent them. They are $20 to rent and you must leave your ID with them so they know you'll return them at the end. We also got to see some remote lighthouses which had a bald eagle and some seals or walrus hanging out in the water...can't remember which species. You could barely see their shape since they were far away and their color was close to the rocks. I included a picture of the on board menu for snacks and drinks. They are quite reasonable. The bathrooms start off nice and clean and get progressively festival porta-potty like as the voyage progresses....I guess it's hard to not make a mess when the boat was rocking and rock it does! We didn't even have high seas or bad seas and it moves a ton. Bring dramamine or take it before you leave if you think you might need it. Lots of people throwing up on our trip and you can't escape the sound. You're welcome to bring snacks and drinks and I recommend it since you don't know how long you're going to be out. All in all it was a great trip and each one is like drawing cards. The trips after ours saw way better wildlife but you just never know what you're going to see so just take the chance and go. Completely worth it and very reasonably priced at around $90/adult.

Swan's Island Charters is a must do! Our family spent the day with Captain Jason. So much history…read moreand knowledge of the area. The lobster boat was the end to a perfect tour.

Taking a chartered cruise around the waters of Swan's Island Maine with Captain Jason Joyce is a…read moremust-do on your vacation here. We went out for 3 hours one beautiful afternoon and Captain Jason entertained us, educated us, and showed us every special thing there is to see around the shores of the island. We saw bald eagles, harbor seals, and more gorgeous scenery of a beautiful part of Penobscot Bay. Captain Jason's family has been on Swan's Island for over 200 years and he knows every in and out of the area like the back of his hand. Kids will love being on his Lobster boat! It's a family fun adventure and at the conclusion we bought several lobsters off the Fisherman's Co-Op for dinner that just had been pulled out of the Atlantic. Wonderful day of making great memories!

We took the Cat Ferry from Bar Harbor, Maine to Nova Scotia. We preordered tickets months in…read moreadvanced. This is a high-speed car ferry. We were greeted by a wonderful man who checked us in, scanned our passports into the system and helped us place our vehicle in the boarding line. Driving the car onto the ferry was a little scary because you are on an incline that causes your vehicle to roll backwards, plus you cannot see the vehicle in front of you. They loaded 2 floors of vehicles into the back of this ferry. I was amazed. We found a front row table in the Forchu Lounge where we each ordered an adult beverage and just enjoyed the3.5-hour ride to Canada. Walking around the ferry was difficult because we did not have our sea legs. We also got to sit outside at the back of the ferry and watch the waves and feel the wind.

4.5 here....the ferry was really great. From the reservation to getting on, to the actual ride…read more.. There was live entertainment in the Forchu Lounge! There were movies - both a kid friendly and an adult(ish) movie. You could sit out back and watch the massive wake, you could sit inside. Seats were comfortable. The upper vehicle deck attendant was especially nice because I was traveling with animals and she checked on them and found me to tell me they were ok! I've never left them in a car for 3 1/2 hours by themselves on a vessel before... it was a new thing. They did great! (well, apparently, one gets sea sick, I learned , not too bad, but was fine once we landed in Nova Scotia) There was food, although not great and also could not pay with an American Express card. A very common internationally used credit card, also an American ferry/ship, and can't use AMEX?? I booked my ticket with AMEX but couldn't buy food on board with it. That's kinda weird. So I'm knocking off the 1/2 star for that. Although I'm giving a full 5 for the review because this was a convenient and quicker way to get to Nova Scotia. And I'd totally do it again.