In Bar Harbor On Crusie ship June 14 8am-3pm

Hi- We will be in on a cruise ship,and it%26#39;s not for much time. Can you rent a car in town? Will I have enough time to drive the loop in a rental car? My wife is an avid photographer and I fear that if I%26#39;m stuck on a ships/excursion tour bus we%26#39;ll only stop 2 or 3 times and not get many photo opportunities.

I%26#39;ve read about Ollies tour,but it%26#39;s ony fo 2 1/2 hours.

Is this enough time to see the whole loop?

Am I missing something. Is there a better way to see more of the park. Thanks so much

In Bar Harbor On Crusie ship June 14 8am-3pm

There are no auto rental places in Bar Harbor. There are taxi/limo services that might serve your purposes more than would Oli%26#39;s. Your cruise ship ought to have information on the taxi/limo services.

In Bar Harbor On Crusie ship June 14 8am-3pm

You can get on the free Island Explorer bus at the Village Green. Take the bus to the Park Visitor%26#39;s Center. There you can transfer to the bus that circles the Park Loop Road. You can get on and off the bus anywhere you want along the road. If you%26#39;re not at a designated stop, just flag down the next bus. If it%26#39;s a safe place to stop, they will stop and pick you up. This is the best way to make sure you have the time you want at each stop. I would recommend getting off at Sand Beach. There you can walk across the beach, hike the Great Head Trail (awesome photo opportunities), then walk down the Loop Road along the Ocean Trail until you get to Otter Cliffs (it%26#39;s a mile or two). If you%26#39;re not up to long walks, just catch the next bus. After Otter Cliffs, you can ride around to the Jordan Pond House, have popovers and tea on the lawn and then walk around the pond (3 miles - easy walk - more great pictures). Another great spot after Jordan Pond House is Bubble Pond. The only downside to this plan is that the Island Explorer buses don%26#39;t go to the top of Cadillac Mountain and you would probably really enjoy the views from up there. You can always hike up to the top from the Loop Road. The North Face Trail is a moderate trail that%26#39;s not too steep. You would start that trail from the Loop Road before getting to Sand Beach.

Anyway, lots of options.

Also consider renting a bike. You can take the Bicycle Express to the carriage road trail at Eagle Lake and ride around the lake. It%26#39;s about 6 miles around. You can take a longer trip and ride to the Jordan Pond House.

I%26#39;m not at all sure that the Island Explorer will be operating by 14 June---it typically starts operation about the end of third week of June. Their web site doesn%26#39;t seem to be current. I have emailed them and will post their answer.

Good point. I didn%26#39;t see the dates on the top. I was figuring you were on a Sept/Oct cruise.

You could still think about the biking option to see the most of the park and have unlimited time at each location.

Hopefully the buses will be running.

Another option might be for you to take the Ollies tour and then take a boat tour like LuLu%26#39;s Lobster Boat or the Acadia Nature Cruise. Both boat rides are really great and you get to see some great views of the Maine Coastline and both go out to Egg Rock Lighthouse where there are seals and often eagles.