SHORE EXCURSIONS

This well-designed ‘off the beaten track’ excursion will have you navigating the island’s Eastern End rail trail, truly a perfect fit for those adventure lovers looking for their next most memorable experience. The joys of cycle touring is now within easier reach for people of varying fitness levels thanks to the Electric Bicycle. E-bikes give cyclists a helping hand - or push over the hills making cycle tours more leisurely and difficult terrain more manageable. Our tour bus will pick-up ship-side and provide a scenic drive to the cycle depot.

. After an orientation and observed test ride by your guide, you will be ready for your electric-enhanced bicycle riding experience that will boost your pedal power, getting you up and over hilly terrain with ease. Your guided coastal cycle expedition will cross the island combining off-road Rail-Trails, trestle bridges and some shared main road-side routes that explores and uncovers shoreline beaches and gorgeous landscapes. Participants must have intermediate to advance riding skill with the desire for fun and adventure! Arrive in the Old Towne of St. George's and finish tour with return high speed Tender ride to your ship pier at the Royal Naval Dockyard.

Join this tour and travel across the island into Bermuda’s one and only Tom Moore’s Jungle, filled with caves to explore and swimming adventures to take part in. Majestic scenery awaits you as you enter this lush reserve filled with colorful native birds. Enjoy approximately 2 hours here to swim in the caves and marvel at your surroundings. Next, you’ll be treated to lunch at a local restaurant where you can enjoy a complimentary scoop of ice cream before heading to Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve where you’ll have the chance to put your toes in the “Bermudaful” pink sand. This is one of the island’s premier snorkeling locations and you’ll be given the opportunity to snorkel with tropical fish, see coral reefs or just relax on the beach.

Enjoy a carefree and immensely scenic ride on an electric bike from St. George’s to Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve, where you will be free to enjoy the beach as you please.

Departing from the ship pier, enjoy the high-speed tender service across the mouth of the Great Sound before arriving thought the narrow ‘Town Cut’ into St. George’s, settled in 1612. UNESCO has designated St. George’s a World Heritage site as it is an authentic example of an English colonial town in the New World.

After an orientation, instructions and observed test ride by your guide, you will be ready for your electric-enhanced bicycle riding experience. You’ll find the extra boost in your pedal power offered from the bikes allows for an effortless ride over hilly terrain and across bridges to pristine Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve. Once occupied by the U.S. military and later used as a NASA space tracking station, this serene 12-acre reserve is now protected public land that is extraordinarily beautiful.

Before long, you will reach Clearwater Beach, where you will have time to enjoy the lovely coastal setting however you please. You might take a refreshing swim in the shallow waters, stretch out on the sand and enjoy the serenity, and walk to the nearby salt marsh to observe the wildlife. Herons, egrets and kingfishers are abundant, before the return ride back to the St. George’s to meet your return tender back to the ship. Participants must have intermediate to advance riding skill level with the desire for fun and adventure!

Join the “Jolly Roger” Bermuda’s family friendly fishing adventure for an evening of night fishing on the barrier reef. Fish in style aboard a clean, comfortable, fully air conditioned 56’ custom fishing boat. Once onboard, enjoy a sunset ride through Bermuda’s pristine inshore waters to reach the fishing grounds where the fun begins. You'll be provided with light spinning tackle, bait and any instruction you may need to hook into some snappers, triggerfish, jacks or any other of the countless species of nocturnal reef dwellers not visible during the day light hours that abound Bermuda’s waters.

Remember inshore fishing locations mean very little chance of being sea sick. We also have a bar on board offering water, sodas, beer and snacks for purchase. Bring some enthusiasm and a little luck and your Captain and crew will take care of the rest to ensure that you have a memorable and exciting trip! Bermuda supports the catch and release program. Guests who catch fish are unable to take it onboard the ship for health and safety reasons.

Admire the glorious sights of Frenchman Bay while paddling a kayak among the forested Porcupine Islands that lie just offshore. Your tandem kayak will be a breeze to maneuver, especially after a few helpful hints from the guide. Be sure to ask about the amusing mnemonic that makes it easy to remember the names of the five islands within the Porcupine archipelago, each of which has its own distinct features. The coast of Burnt Island looks like charcoal ashes, Long Island is the lengthiest and Bald Island was once deforested for grazing livestock. The guide will also provide enlightening commentary about the local geology, history and wildlife, which is considerable. You can expect to see harbor seals, porpoises, cormorants and bald eagles, whose giant stick nests can be seen high in the trees. Another highlight is viewing the opulent summer “cottages” on Frenchman Bay built by the likes of the Rockefellers, Carnegies and Vanderbilts.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Paddle a tandem kayak among the naturally beautiful Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay.
• Look for seals, porpoises and birds such as majestic bald eagles.
• Pass lavish “cottages” that wealthy industrialists built during the Gilded Age.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Discover the stunning natural beauty and fascinating history of one of America’s most lovely islands. Your walk along the rockbound coast provides the perfect setting for your naturalist guide to introduce you to the wonders of Acadia National Park. As waves crash against granite, you’ll learn about the powerful glacial activity that gave the Maine coast its unique identity, variety of wildlife, flora and fauna that make this such an island paradise. The park also has an interesting history, including the part that John D. Rockefeller played in forming it. You’ll also learn about the lobster industry and the methods used to harvest these delicious crustaceans and Bar Harbor’s Golden Age, when Mount Desert Island was the playground of the world’s wealthy.

OVERVIEW

See how Bar Harbor has changed over time by visiting key landmarks that tell the story, beginning with the Bar Harbor Historical Society. While browsing the intriguing exhibits, you will gain an understanding of the indigenous Wabanaki people, the fabulously rich who built Gilded Age mansions in the late 1880s and how the Fire of 1947 – which burned for nearly a month, often out of control – instigated the rebuilding of the city that stands today. To add texture to the story, you will also see some of the historical buildings that reflect different architectural trends, including the Art Deco-designed Criterion Theatre, the Victorian-style Shore Path Cottage and St. Saviour’s, a 19th-century American Shingle-style church that boasts the largest number of Tiffany stained-glass windows in Maine. Urban oases such as the Village Green and seaside Agamont Park have also been prominent elements in Bar Harbor’s layout, which pays homage to the past while embracing the future.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit landmarks that show how Bar Harbor has evolved over the centuries.
• Delve into Bar Harbor’s fascinating past by browsing the historical society’s museum.
• Recognize how the architectural trends have changed since the opulent Gilded Age.
• See greenspaces that have played important roles in Bar Harbor’s history.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Step aboard a comfortable and stable catamaran for a trip to the northernmost coral reef in the world. Relax on deck while the crew provides informative commentary on the island and the fascinating undersea ecosystem. After a leisurely cruise, you'll find yourself moored in a magical deep blue oasis, bordered by fringe reef on nearly all sides. Here, you'll be given a mask, snorkel, fins, buoyancy vest and instruction on how you may best enjoy this undersea paradise. Immerse yourself in crystal clear waters under the watchful eye of your instructors and explore the great expanses of pristine reef. After snorkeling, the sails will be hoisted (weather permitting) and you can enjoy a relaxing sail back with a complimentary Rum Swizzle. A cash bar is also available.

OVERVIEW

Follow a circuitous road through Mount Desert Island and stop along the way at breathtaking spots that inspired some of America’s most gifted 19th-century landscape painters. The road winds through stunningly beautiful Acadia National Park, which adherents of the Hudson River School art movement painted in a style that Romanticism heavily influenced. Acclaimed artists such as Thomas Cole, Thomas Moran and Frederic Edwin Church were all captivated by the natural wonders, which look much the same today as they did in their time. You will pause at Sieur de Monts Spring, the overlook at dramatic Schooner Head and at serene Jordan Pond, a sheltered glassy lake that ancient glaciers carved out of the landscape. You will also drop by precipitous Otter Cliff and Otter Cove, which offers sweeping views of the sea and inland. At each stop, the guide will provide entertaining anecdotes about the artists that captured these majestic landscapes on canvas.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Drive along the spectacularly scenic Park Loop Road that winds through Acadia National Park.
• Pause at naturally beautiful spots that inspired some of America’s greatest landscape painters.
• Stop at coastal viewpoints, an inland lake and precipitous seaside cliffs.
• Hear enlightening commentary about the artists that painted Mount Desert Island.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Join the “Jolly Roger”, Bermuda’s family friendly inshore fishing specialists and fish in style aboard a clean, comfortable, fully air-conditioned 57 foot custom fishing boat. Once onboard enjoy a scenic ride through Bermuda’s pristine inshore waters to reach your fishing grounds where the fun begins. You’ll be provided with light spinning tackle, bait and any instruction you may need to hook into some snappers, triggerfish, jacks or any other of the countless species that abound Bermuda’s waters. Remember inshore fishing locations mean very little chance of being sea sick. We also have a bar on board offering water, sodas, beer. Bring some enthusiasm and a little luck and your Captain and crew will take care of the rest to ensure that you have a memorable and exciting trip! Bermuda supports the catch and release program. Guests who catch the fish are unable to take it onboard the ship for health and safety reasons. Due to the nature of the tour, guests should be aware that some pitching and motion should be expected on the open water.

After a short shuttle to the beach site and after receiving some safety instructions, you’ll board your stable sit-on-top double kayaks for a fully-guided and narrated shoreline tour. Your guide will pick the best location and tour route where you’ll enjoy views of rocky coastlines, uninhabited islands and beaches. Along the way your guide will point out coastline creatures such as Bermuda long tails, egrets, herons, and various crustaceans. Following your kayak tour you’ll have the opportunity to swim and relax at the beach before your return transportation.

Experience the famous carriage roads of Acadia by bicycle and crisscross some of the most scenic areas of the park. The roads were constructed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. beginning in 1913; upset by a ruling allowing automobiles onto Mount Desert Island, he decided to provide a haven free of any motorized traffic. The roads recently underwent a multi-million dollar refurbishment so they’re in excellent condition for cycling. You’ll be custom fitted with a 24-speed mountain or hybrid bike, designed specifically for hard packed gravel such as you’ll find on the carriage trails. Your professional guide will stop often to offer interpretive information about the island’s history and lore.