The Cruise Port
Most cruise ships calling at Boston and cruise ships embarking from the city use the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. (Some ships, however, berth in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston).
Black Falcon has recently undergone an $11 million renovation and is capable of handling several cruise ships at a time. There are more than 100 vessel calls and some 300,000 passengers pass through each year. The cruise season in Boston runs from late April into October. However, the greatest number of calls occur in September and October when the cruise lines do their Fall foliage cruises. The terminal is located about two miles from the heart of historic Boston. It is possible to walk from the terminal to these points but it is a long walk. Most cruise ships run a shuttle bus into town. There are also taxis outside the terminal. The cruise port also has a parking garage. Until recently, there was not much of interest around the cruise port. However, the area between the cruise port and downtown Boston has seen a construction boom. As a result, there are a number of major hotels and restaurants not far from the cruise port. Black Falcon is located very close to the runways at Logan International Airport so there are good views of from the ships docked at Black Falcon of the planes taking off and landing at Logan. A body of water separates the airport from the cruise terminal. |
Above: Explorer of the Seas arriving at the Black Falcon Terminal.
Below: Eurodam departing from the same terminal. All in Boston: Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Dawn (above); Enchantment of the Seas (left); Crystal Symphony (below left); Silver Whisper, Royal Princess and Eurodam (below).
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Getting AroundHistoric Boston is a very walkable city. In fact, the city has marked out a route called The Freedom Trail with a red line on the sidewalk that connects many of the historic sites.
There are also ways to see the sites in a more relaxed manner. The Boston Duck Tour uses open amphibious vehicles to first tour the streets and then the waters surrounding Boston. The Old Town Trolly does hop-on, hop-off circuits of the historic sites. Several other companies provide more traditional bus tours. The Massachusetts Bay Transpiration Authority ("MBTA") operates public buses, subways. Taxis are regulated by the police department and are usually available at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. |
Cruise destination - Boston, Massachusetts - cruise port and getting around