Wonderful storytelling and sights, especially for the price I (frankly) expected much less. Our…read moretour narrator and captain were friendly, but not in a weird way. You can tell the care taken to educate and entertain safely -- and there are no bad seats! Our boat was nearly full and everyone on board had a great time and chance to see, hear, and experience everything.

When you can learn and have fun at the same time all while enjoying some fresh sea air on the…read morewater, that's a great day! The captain and crew were so knowledgeable and friendly. Two hours was perfect...and "just enough" of each activity. We came for the lobstering experience but found the seal watching a highlight as well. I was also surprised how affordable the fare was. Bring a little cash for a tip as I guarantee you will want to thank your hosts for an great time!

If you are looking for a mellow boat ride around the harbor, this is a nice cruise to take. It…read moresays that it's a 2 hour cruise but, in total, to include getting on and off the boat, we were only out for about an hour and a half. We went at sunset and it's amazingly beautiful. The staff is obviously a working staff and they get the passengers involved by having us help with lifting the sails (if you'd like to volunteer). That part was fun and it's a lot of arm work. Very safe journey. Do bring a jacket with you because it does get cold on the water.

Over all a great time, hour and a half sunset cruise. The Skipper and crew weee super nice and…read morefriendly. One caution, check the weather forecast before you go and dress in layers. On our trip it started to rain and we got wet, not soaked but just enough to make it uncomfortable. The temperature does drop about 10-15 degrees once you leave the dock. The standing temperature was 68 degrees when we left the dock, with the sun setting, rain and lower temperatures of the bay it got into the mid 50's on the water. So dress accordingly.

We took their Nature Cruise with Kevin and Annalise. Kevin was funny and entertaining, telling us…read morestories of the rich folk who built cottages on the waterfront. Annalise was very knowledgeable and told us about lobstering, showed us seals and bald eagles, and even a shy harbor porpoise. It was a fun 2 hour cruise and much less crowded than the ones at the harbor.

We took the puffin tour: Nice service and crew- gave me ginger chewable when I was sea sick,…read morechecked in frequently to make sure everyone on the boat was doing okay. We saw puffins, seals, and a few porpoises. Pictures do not do it justice Wish the speaker down low were higher- hard to hear while out boating. It is chilly too so make sure to wear pants and a jacket! So fun

Jason took us on a fantastic tour of area lighthouses. He was flexible to choose the ones that we…read morewere hoping to see and, even though the fog was thick at times, we saw everything we wanted. It was also very interesting to hear so much about what being an 8th generation Swan's Island resident means. We hope to go again to visit other lighthouses. Highly recommended!

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.

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.

The family has now been twice and we looked forward to returning and found ourselves even more…read moreentertained and educated than we remembered! The kids ages 4 and 5 were so excited to return as well, and squealed with delight at the experience. From meeting the beautiful, gentle, friendly big Newfoundlands upon boarding to watching the camera trained on Diver Ed and the bottom of the ocean to touching the creatures he brought up and returned to the sea we were treated to being with people who are passionate and detailed about what they do. So inspiring!

Omg great food , long wait but the pier was nice and once we got back in it was a great view nice…read morestaff

This was fun! Would definitely do this again! Got to hold lobsters! Would be great for kids about…read more10+. Great for families. Rachel our guide was very informative. She taught us so much about lobsters. Don our captain was very funny. He told us before we left water was choppy. We might not make it to seal island. We made it. Tour would have been great even without seals.

For my birthday, we joined a whale watching tour in the Gulf of Maine.  We honestly weren't sure…read morewhat to expect but were blown away by getting to see 3 different types of whales (Humpback, Minke, Finback), with multiples of each type and also two blue sharks. The people that led our tour were knowledgeable and friendly and I also appreciated they had food and drinks onboard for sale (and single serve dramamine). We had a hot dog, their ocean gin drink, and a blueberry harbor ale and couldn't have had a better time. Make sure to get there early as the most in demand seats on top of the boat were full after they let the people waiting in line early on the boat. I'd say we got there 30 minutes earlier than needed and got some of the best seats but there weren't many left. There is a shop with good coffee close so you can have one person hold your spot in line while others do that. Dress warmer than you think you need: we ended up wearing long sleeve shirts and pants with jackets and beanies and it wasn't a rough or especially cold day at sea and closer to 70 degrees on land. .

Spent the July 4th weekend in Bar Harbor and we booked this company for the whale watching as well…read moreas for the fireworks on the water. I will start by saying that the staff is absolutely wonderful! Super attentive and polite and was constantly checking on all of the riders. The ride was long but we went to two locations before we finally got a glimpse of one humpback whale- Anthur. The captain did his best to get us as close to the whale as possible without disrupting it and also tried to make sure both sides of the boat got ample time to view. The narrator on the boat had a ton of information to provide which was really cool. It wasn't just about whales, we learned about other sea life and productivity and sustainability as well as about the harbor and Acadia park. It was an experience for sure. I do tend to get a little motion sickness which thankfully I was spared on this trip- but unfortunately it seemed like it was happening all around us where people were just losing it. The staff was quick to react and accommodate those riders with bags, drinks and food. Prepare for the cold because even though it was 80 degrees on land, it was extremely windy and freezing out of the water. They do provide hot chocolate and coffee and snacks on board for purchase, you can also bring food on board as well. We went back out again in the evening for the fireworks- they do a trip out towards the lighthouse and the porcupine islands and again provide lots of information about the islands, sea life, and about the earlier settlers. That part was great- the fireworks (out of their control) was eh. Everyone said Bar Harbor has some of the best fireworks and unfortunately they were super underwhelming. Would I do it again..... probably not, but it was an experience that we enjoyed and have stories to tell.

A must when visiting Bar Harbor!…read more Everything about Oli's is top notch. Ordering our tours was super easy online. Friendly reminders via email were so helpful. We arrived for our first tour super early as we wanted to secure a parking spot (not easy to do in Bar Harbor) and the woman at the Trolley was so kind and make a suggestion to us for how to spend the time before boarding. Our amazing tour guide and driver, Jim, was super personable and interesting, and even helped us find blueberries and took several pictures of my husband and I with the beautiful backdrops of Cadillac Mountain and Jordan's Pond. We had a great bunch on the tour, and can say that this tour was the highlight of our trip. Jim even recommended a great place to eat, and it was so good, we went back again for dinner! But the icing on the cake was again customer service. We booked a second tour for the next day, and woke up to crummy weather, so we decided to head home and skip our tour. As we had passed the cancellation policy time of 24 hours notice, I did not request my money back, but did call and leave a message to let them know we would not be attending, so they wouldn't wait for us. Imaging my surprise when I looked in my email to find they had refunded my money! We would (and will) be touring with them again, and highly recommend them to anyone.

Oli's is a prominent and reliable tour operator in Bar Harbor, and gives narrated tours of Acadia…read moreNational Park and downtown Bar Harbor. We chose the trolley for its old fashioned charm and a more open view, over taking another popular tour by bus given by a different company. I booked a 2.5-hour tour for my family during our cruise stop - the boarding location was super convenient (55 West St.), right by the tendor port at Town Pier, and the check-in process was organized and a breeze. This tour includes 15-minute stops at three of the most popular sites in the park: Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, and top of Cadillac Mountain. The stops are too brief for anything other than a quick walk-through to take some photos, but that was enough for my sight-seeing family. The park is huge so most of the time is spent driving and taking in the occasional breathtaking views along the coastline. The first time I visited this park (a much more thorough and extensive, multi-day trip where we camped inside the park and hiked all the most difficult trails that rewarded us with the most stunning views), the majesty of the landscape continuously awed me. There were fewer such moments on the tour due to the route and time crunch, but we were entertained by the excellent narration and stories about the park and the town by our driver Jim, a very knowledgeable local who's quippy to boot. They also offer a 4-hour tour that includes an extra site (Sieur de Monts Spring), with 30-minute stops at each location instead of 15, and is for age 12+ only. If you want to see Acadia park but are limited on time, don't have a car, don't want to deal with the logistics of planning a park itinerary, are mobility-challenged or don't wish to walk/hike too much, or simply like to enjoy the ride and casually explore the park while listening to some informative stories, I heartily recommend Oli's Trolley for your excursion! They're very professional and well run. Be sure to also check out their excellent gift shop nearby (1 West St.) which has a cute and well-curated selection of merchandise that are reasonably priced. Tickets often sell out early - especially during high tourist season and on days when cruise passengers land - so definitely book well in advance!

Captain Mike was knowledgeable, safety minded and a great tour guide. Thoroughly enjoyed our…read moresunset sail

Wife and I celebrated our anniversary by taking a sunset cruise out with Captain Mike. Mike allows…read moreyou to be as involved as you would like to be, whether that's learning the basics to sailing or sitting up front to enjoy the views! Mike is extremely knowledgeable about the vessel and the surrounding geography. The trip was delightful and scenic, the perfect way to wind down on a Friday.

The unexpected cancellation of the ferry from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia has cost us over $1,000 in…read moreadditional expenses, as we had to hire a driver in the middle of the night to get to Saint John, New Brunswick. The company has offered no compensation or alternative solution to help us reach Nova Scotia, despite the fact that we have multiple Airbnbs booked, transportation arranged, and flights scheduled to depart from there. When I called to ask for assistance, the representative simply said, "Oh well, we run again on Thursday." Today is Monday--waiting three days is not an option for travelers on a tight schedule. If you're counting on this ferry for transportation, be warned: you could be left completely stranded without any support.

This is a very small boat, not what you would expect for a Ferry Ride. That being said, it is a…read morelovely ride over from Bar Harbor to Winter Harbor. You see a lot of islands and even a light house. The crew is amazing. For a small group, the boat is very well staffed! The crew is very knowledgeable and share history and stories. We had two family members with us that have some disabilities. The crew was so hopeful and in a very caring manner. The needed assistance getting on/off and even walking on the docks. The crew made sure they were safe! When you arrive at Winter Harbor, there is a bus waiting to take you on a tour. All included. We didn't take the tour as we were visiting family over in Scoodic. For the price - excellent VALUE! I would highly recommend fitting this into your schedule. Very happy we did take the trip. Convenient location - Bar Harbor Inn dock. Tips - Maine weather changes quickly so make sure you bring or pack layers especially if you plan to take a late boat back. There is no reservation, so you can take any boat over or back, first come, first serve. Very flexible if you find you want to spend more or less time over at Winter Harbor.