Amazing!! We did the 3 1/2 hour tour and learned all about the history of the islands, the lobster fishing business, and the local wildlife from our guide Skye. We saw 2 porpoises, harbor seals, and of course puffins (along with many others birds). If you look over the boat, you may see Lion's mane jellyfish (I counted 17 in total!). We also were lucky enough to see a juvenile Bald eagle :) highly recommend! read more

We took the puffin tour: Nice service and crew- gave me ginger chewable when I was sea sick, checked 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 read more

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We took the 3 1/2 hour "Puffins, Lighthouses, and Seabirds" tour. We saw each of the above, as promised, with some bonus Harbor Seals and even a porpoise set for those lucky enough to see them when they surfaced (only twice). I was not one of the lucky, but the tour was phenomenal. It went a bit long, closer to 4 hours, but we saw plenty o' puffins, which was the point. Crew were helpful and friendly. Captain stopped when something was sighted so that we could see it. Perhaps the best seaside spotting tour I've ever taken. If I come back to Bar Harbor, this is the only ride for me! read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Our ship - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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We took the 1hr 1/2 sunset cruise. Truly had the best time. Definitely chilly as the sun goes down and with the wind but it was so beautiful to see Frenchman's bay from the water and especially at sunset. We saw seals on the rocks near egg lighthouse and we saw a few porpoises. Overall the staff were great and very entertaining and enthusiastic about their jobs. Highly recommended ! read more

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We took the puffin and lighthouse tour. It was a smaller boat than what was pictured and the captain seemed to be racing with the waves at high throttle. People were getting sick left and right. We saw the puffins and some seals from a distance. Probably not worth the money for the bit we got to see of them though. But the real problem was how shaky the boat was. If you get sea sick, this is not the cruise for you. The only saving grace was that the two attendants were super nice and helpful. read more

We went on the Puffins, Lighthouses, and Seabirds Cruise. It was the last one of the season, and we were so happy to still see a lot of puffins despite it being a very foggy day, where you could barely see Petit Manan lighthouse. I understand why boats hit islands. The guide told a lot of interesting history about the islands and the lighthouses. Dress warm because it is MUCH colder and windier on the boat! Recommend this tour! read more

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We went on the puffins tour and it was amazing. The crew was great. We got to see lots of puffins as well as other birds. The crew was knowledgeable and kept us informed without being annoying. We got to see a few lighthouses along the way despite the thick fog. This tour started a little earlier than the other tour group. I liked that in addition to the private parking lot. We parked in the lot and then walked down to the boat. We didn't get any refreshments but they have some (cash only) on board. Definitely wear layers and don't forget sunscreen. Please be responsible if you get seasick for the sake of your fellow passengers and the poor crew that has to clean up after you. read more

Wife booked a sunset cruise only to find out the day after that our cruise was the night before.......after a few emails it was sorted and they put us on that days cruise. Staff was extremely knowledgeable and gave some in depth information about the sights not just the standard fare. Sunset was pretty good too. Thanks! read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Sunset - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

We took their Nature Cruise with Kevin and Annalise. Kevin was funny and entertaining, telling us stories 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. read more

Smooth and punctual ride with a beautiful sunset. George and Brandon were knowledgeable and entertaining hosts. Pleasant way to spend the evening. read more

Went out fishing with Acadian Boat Tours and had a fantastic time. The crew was friendly, helpful, and made the whole trip enjoyable. We caught cod, reds, mackerel, and even a hake--and brought 13 keepers home for dinner! It was a perfect mix of fun and productive fishing. Can't beat fresh Maine waters, good company, and a full cooler. Highly recommend it if you're looking for a great fishing trip out of Bar Harbor. read more

The tour guide kept talking the whole time at the highest volume. Wasn't a peaceful or worthwhile experience

We did the Puffin and Lighthouse tour on May 21st. We were on the smaller of the two boats as there were about 20 folks total. It was chilly at first in the bay, then got down-right cold out on the open ocean. To see Puffins, we traveled to Petit Manan Island which is 16 miles from the starting dock. The boat does not get close enough to get any pics with a cell phone, but I'm sure the folks with the massive cameras got some nice pics because we did see Puffins! We had binoculars, which were helpful, but with the boat bobbing up and down so much it was hard to focus. I'm sure this cruise would be fantastic if the winds were calm. The best part to us was the wonderful, informative narration from the crew, and the lighthouses we saw. If you tend to get motion sickness and it's at all windy, take that Dramamine! We would highly recommend this tour. read more

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Great experience and lots of wildlife! Annalise talked us through the lore of the town and history of Acadia National Park, then Grace pointed out lots of harbor porpoises, seals, and bald eagles on the way back. It was rainy but the bottom deck was covered so no problem for the tour. read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

We just got off the Eden Star after a beautiful afternoon cruise. We saw seals, puffins, harbor porpoises, many other bird and 3 light houses, all in addition to the beautiful islands off bar harbor. a special shout out to Carl, the naturalist and tour guide on the boat. He was fantastic, his knowledge and education were great and he has some great historical side stories. I have Taken many tours and this was easily one of the best. You will not regret choosing Acadian Boat Tours read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Came out for the sightseeing tour of the island and some of the smaller islands and WOW. The tour was gorgeous, the weather was not too shabby- came prepared with hat and gloves, the guides were knowledgeable and funny, we saw bald eagles (like 10?! It was kind of wild), seals over by Egg Rock Island, and even a couple harbor porpoises! And seeing all of the lobster traps and learning more about them was so cool as well. 10/10 read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Egg Rock Island lighthouse! - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. The highlight of our trip. We did the 2 hour Nature & Sightseeing cruise and loved every minute of it. It was the right mix of informative tour guide, perfect July weather and great sights. We saw 2 bald eagles (apparently a very rare sighting), seals (common) and porpoises (somewhat rare). We also saw all the cottages, rock formations, light houses, etc. that you would see most days assuming it is not too foggy. I wish I remembered our tour guides name but I do remember she was from Estonia. She was amazing at her job, no other way to describe it. Even she was blown away by all the wildlife we got to see as she said it is not common to get to see everything. A nice slow, relaxing 2-hour cruise for ~$40 pp was our favorite part of our trip! read more

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Came on a sunset nature cruise and the views were amazing! The nice thing about this company is that it's BYOB. So we brought some beers to share on the ride. The staff members were very nice. The speakers downstairs were not loud enough for the engine in the back though so I missed a lot of things they said. You definitely need to get here 30 minutes early if you want a seat on the top deck. We got there 15 minutes before the cruise started and the line was so long and we ended up on the bottom floor. There is parking at the hotel but definitely limited. So get there early! The views were gorgeous! Absolutely recommend doing the sunset cruise because the views are breathtaking. They did a good job of giving you the history and tour of bar harbor and Acadia national park. I would highly recommend doing this boat tour! read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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I can't give this enough stars. We originally thought about doing a seal tour but decided to book the sunset cruise. Weather was perfect, the narrator was great and I don't think we could have seen anything more! From harbor seals, porpoises to a SHARK, we were so impressed with what the tour had to offer. read more

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We attended the sunset cruise tonight, and it was overall a good tour around the area. However, my recommendation to the organizers is that families with constantly crying babies or very loud young children be discouraged from attending. During the entire trip, directly behind us there were three kids between a few months and few years old who were crying, yelling, singing, and kicking us for not less than the full two hours. read more

We decided last minute to book a sunset cruise. So happy we selected Acadian Boat Tours. The boat was comfortable, the crew was helpful and informative, and the views are AMAZING. We cruised the coast, and then we went to an island that had loads of seals on land and in the water. Learned a lot about the area from the narration. The cruise was capped off by an amazing sunset just as the clouds parted. We talked about the cruise the rest of our trip in Maine. Definitely recommend. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed the nature and boat tour we took. The guide was very knowledgeable, informative. It was great seeing eagles and seals. Very chilly out on the water, but we had enough room where you could go down to the enclosed 1st floor to warm up. It was on a weekday/ not crowded. The top seating offers the best view. For better photo ops, sit on the right side (while seated right side). read more

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Our tour on 6/3/25 was really great. We saw lots of wildlife and learned so much about the area and the area's wildlife. And I saw a harbor porpoise! I did, however, find it odd that the tour focused pretty heavily on the area's colonial history and its wealthy stakeholders while never mentioning any native/indigenous history. For a tour focused on nature, I feel that it would make sense to honor (or at least mention) the people who were, historically, most dedicated to conserving and protecting the land and its inhabitants. read more

I come to MDI every summer. It is one of my favorite places in Maine. And, one of my favorite things to do while here is get out on the water. I have done this by taking nature cruises, whale watches, kayaking, going on the mail boat run - well, you get the point. This year, my father was with us and as he is an avid fisherman, I though why not a fishing trip - as that gets me, that's right - on the water!! I found Acadian Tours after another trip was unexpectedly cancelled. Booking online was easy - with real time availability showing. Getting to the dock was easy as well and the best part - FREE and plentiful parking at the hotel where the dock is located. Most other boat tours out oof Bar Harbor involve trying to find parking near the main town pier - which can be a nightmare. We boarded the boat on time and the crew was ready to receive us. There were fishing poles and catch buckets available for all. After a brief tutorial on what to do, the captain took us to sea. The first few stops had little activity, but we finally found a spot where the fish were biting and plentiful. People could keep the fish if they were the right type and size. And the crew even cleaned and packed them to go for you! Props to Eli - he was a great first mate! Now - was this the right fishing trip for my Dad - a lifelong fisherman. Not really. It was very basic fishing. But did we have a good time? Yes! Was the crew and operation top notch? Absolutely. read more

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The sunset cruise is on our to do list every year. This is definitely one of the highlights that we plan into our itinerary. Every year there are new things to see and learn. This year we saw many bald eagles, as well as seals and porpoises. Our guide, Annlisa, has a wealth of knowledge concerning Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, and Frenchman's Bay. She is an amazingly naturalist, and she certainly makes the trip worthwhile. If you're visiting Acadia National Park, do yourself and family a favor, book a cruise, you'll be glad you did! I didn't catch the name of Annalisa's coworker, but he was also very informative. These guys make up the best team in Bar Harbor. Oh yeah, there is free, and hassle free parking! read more

I did the 3 hour fishing trip with my wife and son who was fishing for the first time and we had a great time. The crew and even the captain helped us when we needed it. On our trip, we caught mackeral, cod, and cunner fish. We didn't keep the cod or cunner because they were out of season. They provide catch buckets so that you can put any keepers in the bucket. At the end of the trip, they clean the fish and bag them for you. I recommend this trip if you have kids since the fishing trip targets smaller fish which are easy to reel in. read more

Booked the 1pm your and the weather was fabulous. The guided Greg and Jovin were very knowledgeable and attentive. We saw three bald eagles. Ducks. Lots of seals. The captain took us up along the rocky cliffs for amazing views. We learned a great deal about the animal life as well as history and geology of the area. I wish I had done this boat tour before I drove up Cadillac Summit as I would have had a better idea what I was looking down on. Well worth the price. They sell cans of soda and bottled water and candy bars and chips. No alcohol. Highly recommend. read more

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Sunset cruise was amazing. We were able to bring our dogs on board, which was icing on the cake.

Lena was an excellent, witty tour guide and captain Caitlin kept us all safe and sound! A fantastic way to see some of Maine's best sites, some wildlife (seals, bald eagles, and porpoises), and learn some history about who lived in the houses on the coast. read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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5 stars for service - easy cancellation process (24 hours) and super friendly service.

Went on a puffin/lighthouse cruise and it was fantastic! The naturalists onboard were great storytellers for the duration of the trip. We saw many puffins, gannets, bald eagles, terns, gulls, and other water birds. We also saw some lighthouses. They turned the boat around many times so all could see the birds/seals. We went in July where temperatures on MDI were in the 70s but when you're on the open ocean, it's much cooler and windy so bring a sweatshirt/windbreaker to stay warm. It's sunny too so wear a hat, sunscreen, and shoes with good tread as water does splash on the boat making it slippery when wet. I recommend this trip! read more

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We had such a great time on our sunset cruise! All staff members were so nice and helpful! We learned so much about Maine, Acadia, and the surrounding areas!!! Highly recommended!!! read more

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We chose to go with Acadian Boat Tours because their main competition across town (Bar Harbor Whale Watching Co.) had booked out their entire day to a cruise ship that was docked outside of Bar Harbor (WTF). In the end, I think we had a better experience, so maybe it was a fortunate happenstance. So Acadian is not as conveniently located for tourists as their competitor, but it's not a far drive ... it's like a mile from the main downtown area, so hopefully that wouldn't be too much of a deterrent. One thing to know is that there is a bit of a walk from the area where you park to the area where the boat launches. It's not treacherous but if you have difficulty walking, you will want to leave yourself extra time, and if you have any kind of disability, you will want to talk with the folks about how best to get down to the dock. So the cruise itself was super. We went out on a two-hour sunset cruise, and we were able to sit up on top of the boat for the best views. We got to go by the Egg Island lighthouse (I am pretty sure I got the name of that wrong) and look at the seals sunbathing on the rocks. We saw a bald eagle and were able to marvel at the huge and beautiful houses built into the shoreline. We got a mini nature lesson and history lesson, and our tour guide was super knowledgeable. One thing to say, if you take the sunset cruise, bring layers - it gets really cold up there, with the wind and then once the sun goes down and the temperature drops, it gets really cold. I thought I'd be OK with a sweatshirt, but really wished I had a jacket. They do have a pile of blankets on board, so when they offer you one, take it! Other than that, we had a great time! It's totally a nice way to see Bar Harbor from the water. read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

company cancelled our 8 am fishing charter the night before and didn't send us any warning that they did, so we showed up at 8 just to talk to a rude staff employee and learn our trip was cancelled. here for a trip celebrating my friend if I come back I won't be booking here. read more

We took the Puffin and Lighthouse tour and it was so beautiful. We saw a large number of Puffins, we saw many tours and our tour guide, Carl, named and pointed out each bird we saw and named them all. They told us about all the islands we passed and we learned a lot about Acadia National Park. The trip itself was very choppy. I have never gotten seasick before but I did on this trip. They are VERY accommodating of people getting seasick. Sky, one of the workers walked around checking on people who seemed sick. They had bags in case something happened and free ginger chews to help waive the nausea. We had a lady who unfortunately had an accident all over herself and Sky helped clean her up. A very fun and beautiful tour with an amazing group of people! read more

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We had a private fishing and sight seeing tour with Captain Kelly and she was amazing! It was very foggy at the start but we felt completely safe. She knew her stuff and took us to great fishing spots. Our three kids had a blast and everyone caught great fish. The seals were a favorite as well! read more

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On a last minute flyer, I booked the sunset cruise. Everything was great. They made it very clear that the boats leave just outside town. We were told it would much cooler on the water and dressed accordingly. The boat and the captain were professional but the scenery, the wildlife, and the local culture as explained by our two knowledgeable guides was what really made the trip. In thinking it over though, the ticket interface was easy and they had helpful and friendly staff up top and at the pier to get us aboard. So I guess it was all great! I recommend. read more

One of the best boat tours I've ever done. The crew was phenomenal. The scenery was excellent. We did the 2 hour sight seeing tour. We saw bald eagles and even seals which weren't part of this tour so we had no expectations. The guides were amazing at answering questions and helping people that were sea sick. If you go and the water is rough please take one of their bags. It was a cold and windy day we went. read more

This was the first activity we did on our trip after the Cadillac mountain sunrise and it was the perfect way to start our vacation. I highly recommend everyone going on this tour early on. Our tour guide was full of interesting information about bar harbor, the lobster industry, and the porcupine islands and he had a ton of jokes which was the "blueberry" on top! It was a great way to get a lay of the land and also figure out what else there was to do and see in the area. We saw bald eagles, seals and seal pups, and a few porpoises and well as Egg Rock Lighthouse. Great views and great stories! We booked the tour about two weeks before we arrived. read more

Acadian Boat Tours - Boat - Fishing Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

My husband and I totally enjoyed the lighthouse tour we took today. We should have prepared more for how chilly it was with sea breezes but we sat in side and we were able to stay comfortable. Be sure to bring a coat and hat even if it is warm out because the temperature is quite a bit cooler at sea particular when we sailed in mid October. They sell Dramamine at the ticket office which is good to take 1-2 hours before sailing. I get sea sick and I was happy not to be forced to run to a drug store for it. They have limited snacks and water and coffee are available on board but they only take cash so be prepared. A very pleasant woman takes care of the food galley and works with the customers when the boat is underway. We were able to see four light houses, two bald eagles and half a dozen seals in addition to some of the most amazing landscape and scenery of Acadia National Park and the surrounding area. The amount of wildlife you see just depends on what animals are feeding in the area that day. The narrator had a very good speaking voice and was highly knowledgeable about all the surrounding islands, mountains, beaches and many of the historical homes with great details on how property was first settled and the bought and handled through the generations to donations to Acadia to other charitable land grants. He pointed out any birds, porpoise, seals or other picture worthy sites. He even noted some places that visitors might want to visit that area not on the beaten path. We appreciate his tips since we have been avoiding the crowds of leaf lookers here right now. Time was taken at each lighthouse to give everyone enough time to take pictures. The narrator had detailed stories on the building of each light house, who had lived in them and which were still being lived in or which were still being used in navigation. It has been 35 years since my husband and I visited Bar Harbor last but this boat trip has been the highlight of our vacation! I left these kind folks a tip and I recommend you do, too! read more