This was a great value for all that we learned and saw. We left a sunny, warm day on the dock and a…read morefew minutes off shore ran into fog and mist. Be sure to bring warm (puffer jackets, rain/wind coats, hats) gear--no joke! Danny and Allison were the best hosts on the boat and so kind to the younger kids. Anyone who wanted to be involved in the lobster fishing experience was welcome to join in. We even stayed on the dock afterward to ask our hosts about halibut fishing. We loved the seals and saw their pups. All in 2 hours! Highly recommend the Lulu Lobster Boat!!

Had such a fun time lobstering and banding our catch We even spotted sea lions, eagles, and soaked…read morein some truly stunning coastal views along the way.

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.

Amazing!! We did the 3 1/2 hour tour and learned all about the history of the islands, the lobster…read morefishing 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!

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.

This was a unique, hilarious, educational experience that my 6 & 8 year olds LOVED. Did I get a…read morelobster placed on my head? Yes, yes I did. Did Diver Ed put a sea cucumber's butt in his mouth? Yes, yes he did. Book this experience for your kids and you won't regret it!!

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. .

This whale watching excursion was disappointing. The boat was far too large, making it difficult…read morefor many passengers to get a good view of the whales. Additionally, it took nearly two hours to reach the whale viewing area. The biggest issue was the speed of the boat in rough waters. On the way out, the captain traveled much too fast, causing severe motion sickness for a large portion of the passengers. I would estimate that about 75% of the people onboard became sick. Once we reached the whale area and the boat slowed down, most people began to feel better. Unfortunately, the return trip was just as bad. The boat again traveled at a high speed through rough seas, causing many passengers to become sick for a second time. While seeing the whales was enjoyable, the overall experience was overshadowed by the uncomfortable and unpleasant boat ride.

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.

My fiancé got a work camping job at a place in Bar Harbor, Maine called Oli's Trolley LLC. They…read moreprepaid a rv spot for her for the whole season. My fiance' never signed a contract with Oli's Trolley. She was supposed to work a gift shop all summer but there was just a lot of wierd S#!+ going on at work (plus working nearly full-time) and after making a payment on the campsite, she only was making a couple hundred dollars a week so she quit. We moved out of the campsite and the campground would not reimburse us for the rest of the season and Oli's sent my fiancé an invoice for over $5000. It was literally like indentured servitude and the owner/manager is a real piece of work. We could have fought this because there was no signed contract but we decided to pay it off just to get the wench of our back. I've heard horror stories about work-camping for private businesses and this turned out to be one of those horror stories. Based upon my past experience and now this one, I would only work-camp for a State or National park. Be careful where you work-camp, read the fine print and negotiate a contract that is best for you. And DEFINITELY NEVER work for this company/person! https://olistrolley.com/

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.