When you live in Maine, who thinks about taking boat tours? That's for tourists!! (Lol!!)…read more Seriously, though, we had guests in town, so we thought it'd be fun to charter a boat for the four of us to go up the Penobscot River to Bangor. (At least that was the initial itin.) Me matey, Jay (after some due diligence on boat companies in the Bucksport area) , chose Penobscot Boat Tours as our charter. Jay said the communication(s) with Capt. Jeff Sennett (Owner/Operator) was excellent; his boat was faster/stronger to get us to Bangor and back in the least amount of time; and, the price for a 4-hr charter was less than other quotes. Splendid!! It was a dreary start to Tuesday when we arrived at 11 am with weather not looking promising for a jaunt up to Bangor; windy, rainy and choppy waters on the menu. This daunted us not, though! So, "Gilligan" and the gang (that'd be Mr. and Mrs. Howell, and the Professor), arrived at the Bucksport Marina in good spirits for our "3-hr tour"... er, 4-hr tour at Penobscot Boat Tours! ;) The boat was very cool (as all boats are!), and the Capt. Jeff (our imposing "Skipper" for this tour) made us all feel very welcomed, in good hands, and rarin' to-go!! After some discussion about the weather and tour route, we all agreed to a downriver jaunt for lunch in Belfast, and return to home base. Prior to Belfast, though, we made a special request of our intrepid Capt. (despite the hairy weather that we could see going on upriver) to take us a few miles upriver to where the Marsh River confluences into the Penobscot River. The rough-n-tumble ride was, of course, E-Ticket! (In all honesty, though, the confluence was a bit anticlimactic, but the ride was awesome!) Anyway, we turned around and headed for what was to be drier climes. The weather improved immensely and made for some pretty alluring scenery! Normally, we just drive to Belfast (20 mins) mainly not seeing the water much, behind trees/forests and such. So, seeing the coastline from the water -- seeing all those privileged homes tucked and nestled in splendid nooks and crannies! -- was a totally new POV, that's for sure! Capt. Jeff would slowdown now-and-then to point spots of interest out to us, to see seals basking on rocky shoals, and numerous heads bobbing up-and-down in the middle of the bay was pretty darn awesome!!! When we got to Belfast, Capt. Jeff gave us a suggestion for lunch (which we took and enjoyed), while he waited. The trip back to Bucksport was leisurely and beautiful as the summer sun shone upon our last leg back. The whole experience of seeing the land from the water was just wonderful! We never felt rushed; Capt. Jeff was very generous with his time. It was SO worth the cost and, more so, the experience! We will definitely be chartering another trip in the near future with Penobscot Boat Tours...!!! We all had such a great time...!!! :D

Booked our cruise the day before for a 4-hour trip and had a wonderful time cruising up to Bangor.read more

We went on the very first oyster tasting cruise with Castine Touring and Tapley Oyster Co, and had…read morea fantastic time. The setting is stunning and the oysters are delicious. The experience is low key and relaxed, yet thoughtfully planned and excellent. Cannot think of a better way to spend a little time in this part of Maine.

Such a fun experience! We booked the 45 minute tour m, but I wished we'd booked the 1.5 hour tour…read more We saw seals, bald eagles, and lots of our birds. Our captain and tour guide were very knowledgeable and personable. They even provided binoculars so we could see the wildlife easier. 10 out of 10 recommend!!

We had a great day with Travis on his lobster boat! He was…read moreaccommodating, friendly and knowledgeable and made our three hour charter an incredible time. I look forward to cruising with him again!

From the owner: Buggin ME Boat Tours is an owner run boat charter business. Capt. Travis is a 3rd generation…read morelobsterman. He is licenced and insured with his OUPV (six pack) Capt. License for up to 100 gross tons. There are several packages and options of trips ranging from hauling lobster gear, sightseeing, to Island hopping. Come climb aboard the Sarah B. For an authentic Maine experience. packages Maine experience (4hr hauling traps & nature watch) $575 Mini Maine experience (2hr hauling traps & nature watch) $375 Sunrise or Sunset cruise ( peaceful ride around the bay 1.5hr only at sunrise/set) $210 Around the Cape (relaxing ride seal/ nature) 3hr $440 4hr$520 Island hopping (6hr explore down the bay bring a skiff to access small inhabitated islands, accessibility is limited) $950 Custom $180/hr terms of service to be agreed upon with Buggin' ME.

We had a great time on the sunset cruise. Captain Jack and his crew were amazing. Highly…read morerecommended!

Great sunset cruise in Belfast Bay, Maine. Crew was the best! Very engaging : Captain Jack, Jasper…read moreand Seth ... would highly recommend ! An experience to remember!

What a fabulous fun experience sailing out of Rockport, ME on The Heron. It was the highlight of…read moreour trip. Bonnie did a great job telling us some of the history of the ship and area. Love when the sails are lifted!!! Motor turned off, quiet, smooth ride! So relaxing. It is a beautiful ship. Lots of shinny teak. Delightful with great crew and just a few guests on board. Free parking right by dock. Thank you, Bonnie and Twig for making my sail special. Highly recommend!

One of our favorite things to do when in Rockland is sailing aboard the Schooner Heron. We sailed…read more2x with them in 2020 and the first thing we did when we got back to Rockland this year was to look at the weather and book a trip with them. I picked an afternoon with an expected 14mph wind, so I knew we would sail smartly. I was surprised that Taylor was captaining the boat this trip instead of Twig, but his boat handling was conservative and flawless. Of coarse Bonnie was aboard to do her excellent narration regarding the history of Rockland's lime, timber, ice, shipbuilding and lobster industries and also tell us all about the lighthouse, islands, and seals we saw. Twig and Bonnie's personable adult daughter Rachel was also on board as crew. Bonnie and Rachel handled hoisting, trimming, reefing and tacking the sails as a well-oiled team. We started out conservatively with the fore mast and main mast sails both reefed, but were later able to shake out the reef on the fore mast sail for a little more speed without heeling the boat. We were able to sail near Robinson's Rock and saw that there were several seals sunning them selves there. We sailed midweek on a Thursday and there was lots of room for everybody on board. Taylor and Rachel cheerfully answered my many questions about the boat, the boat's offshore passages to and from the Caribbean each year and about local events. This was the first time sailing for the family seated across from us, but they had a good time. There was another group forward of us that pretty much kept to themselves so I didn't have a chance to chat with them, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves too. I did a bunch of small boat pleasure sailing and medium sized keelboat racing while I was at the University of Texas. I don't own a sailboat so the only sailing I have done since has been on Hobie Wave catamarans at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean. I really enjoy chances to sail on bigger boats like the Schooner Heron. The Schooner Heron sails three trips daily from Rockport Harbor: Private morning sail, an afternoon Educational Eco Tour, and a Happy Hour Sunset Sail. Custom charters are also available on request. There is free parking in the harbor lot. Whether you have sailed before or just want to try it on vacation, I highly recommend sailing on the Schooner Heron as a solo, couple or family activity. You will have fun and be entirely comfortable with the ship and crew. They will treat you right. We're back in Rockland in a couple of weeks and will surely sail with them at least once more before heading back to Texas.

We had the most spectacular experience!!! My boyfriend and I had just visited Trenton, Maine in mid…read moreapril and were discouraged that most activities seemed to be still closed for the winter. We stumbled upon this company's advertisement sign just 4 minutes before pulling into our AirB&B at 2am, and it ended up being the absolute highlight of our trip. We booked a small plane with pilot Neal who was fantastic! He was very well trained, accommodating, highly thorough and informative with all things Maine and sea related, and we explored 12 lighthouses and beautiful remote islands from a breathtaking perspective above. We cannot wait to come back to learn and take in more of the beauty down east Maine has to offer!

We decided to treat ourselves to a private plane flight…read more It was a 30 minute flight all around acadia national park and to a bunch of areas and islands nearby that we hadn't seen yet. Our Pilot Erin was amazing and even let me fly the plane for a few minutes! It was breathtaking and definitely a once in a lifetime adventure.

Wanting to go back!! The last time we went lobster fishing…read morewith Jonathan was one of the best experiences we have EVER had!! It was a lifetime dream of doing this to experience FRESH lobster and it far exceeded our expectations ! WOW Moon Dog excursions was sooooo easy to book, on time, and flexible to our needs/questions! We loved the time on the water and the knowledge of our Captain .....who made it super fun AND successful ! Thanks guys, you have a great team !! We can't wait to come back!

Been out with moon dog excursions several times and always had a great time! Jonathan is a great…read morecaptain and tour guide! Very knowledgeable of the area

We have a new inflatable kayak, we were, Let's say having some issues with it. I found Leslie & Ray…read moreonline & felt it in my bones that this was where we needed to go to get guidance! We arrived unexpectedly & Leslie was a godsend. She had somewhere to be but made the time to show us around & give us some tips. We were there for a good 3hrs & didn't want to leave. It was exactly what we needed! Thank you both!

What a gorgeous spot! We rented kayaks and spent the day in Basin pond. Views are breathtaking and…read morethe owner was so helpful. Water was refreshing and kayaking was easy. Watch carefully for the sign or you may miss it and there is a short walk down a trail to get to the water but totally worth it.

Great products and customer service . Always on time with Kayack delivers and pick ups .read more

My partner and I visited the Acadia area for Labor Day weekend - during COVID so no surprise that…read morethe whole world had also descended upon rural Maine that weekend. We hadn't made any reservations for activities ahead of time, so the morning we decided we wanted to paddleboard, I was a bit nervous in case all the businesses in operation were already booked up. I called 10+ places with no luck, then stumbled upon The Activity Shop's number. Turned out to be our lucky day - The Activity Shop is located ~1 hour outside Acadia, so they didn't seem to be inundated with tourists. The owner (I think), Chris, worked with us on the phone to figure out the details of our reservation - and he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He took the time to explain everything - the best area to paddleboard, when to go to avoid low tide, safety tips, etc. The place he recommended, Blue Hill Harbor, was devoid of other tourists and amazingly gorgeous - we felt like we owned our own slice of paradise. The boards we rented were high-quality. They seem to only offer full-day rentals which can be a bit pricey ($65 per board) but I liked not having the pressure of having to return the boards within a certain amount of time. We played around as long as we wanted and when we were done, we could just leave the boards by the dock and let the Activity Shop know we were done - super easy. Definitely recommend The Activity Shop if you are looking to rent kayaks / canoes / paddleboards near Acadia - a much better experience than the tourist traps in Bar Harbor!

Woody is awesome my wife and I flew in to Bar Harbor Airport i has scheduled a pick by Woody(owner)…read morehe was waiting. Drove to hotel in Bar Harbor at that time scheduled a pickup to return to Airport today he was on time. He kept in touch. He is super friendly and will be using his services again

We took a 3 hour tour with Woody as our guide and it was fantastic.. He showed us more than we ever…read moreanticipated and it was such a great professional job. I would highly recommend him if you are in town looking to get a tour. He really exceeded our expectations