Destination Spotlight

Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park

From the stonewall-lined and tree-covered road leading you into our village, to the sweeping vistas from atop Cadillac Mountain, there is a special mystique to Bar Harbor. Nestled on the east side of Mt. Desert Island, surrounded by Acadia National Park, we have welcomed visitors for over a hundred years. Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park have a wide variety of offerings for visitors. There truly is something for everyone.

 Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States.  Bar Harbor is located at an indigenous seasonal camping site of the Wabanaki Indians who traditionally hunted, fished, and gathered food at Mount Desert Island, Frenchman Bay, and the surrounding area. This town was founded on the east shore of Mount Desert Island, which the Wabanakis knew as Pemetic, meaning "range of mountains" or "mountains seen at a distance." Here they seasonally fished, hunted and gathered not only berries, but also clams and other shellfish. First settled in 1763 by Israel Higgins and John Thomas, the community was incorporated in 1796 as Eden, after Sir Richard Eden, an English statesman. Early industries included fishing, lumbering and shipbuilding. With the best soil on Mount Desert Island, it also developed agriculture.

Acadia National Park , near Bar Harbor comprises 41,000 acres of rock-bound coast on Mount Desert Island, a portion of the Schoodic Peninsula on the mainland, and offshore islands. Here in Acadia National Park you will find granite cliffs side by side with sand and cobblestone beaches. Glacier-carved mountains rise from the sea, cupping deep lakes in their valleys. Here, too, are meadows and marshes and dense evergreen forests. Everywhere the ocean makes its presence felt, whether by sight, sound, or smell. 

Acadia National Park is one of the most visited Parks in the United State. With spectacular panoramas and enchanting natural views it is a must see. Begin you tour passing through the quaint town of Bar Harbor and admire some of the charming Victorian Mansions. Then, along the 27 miles Park Loop Road you will enter the Park and drive along the ocean’s edge passing Sand Beach, Schooner Head Overlook and the High Seas Estate, a lovely mansion built by a wealthy gentleman whose wife perished on the Titanic. Short stop at Thunder Hole for a dramatic view of the ocean swells against the granite cliffs and then continue to the Gulf of Maine for more beautiful views of the off shore islands. Then stop atop the 1530-foot Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on North America’s Eastern seaboard for a breathtaking view of the Porcupine Islands and the sunset.

Much of Acadia National Park's outstanding scenery is the result of glaciers carving through an east-west ridge of granite, leaving mountains separated by valleys. Many glaciers have covered Maine, and the last melted 11,000 years ago. Big blocks of ice were left behind forming lakes and ponds. As the glacier retreated, sea level rose and flooded the valley that is now the only fjord located on the eastern seaboard of the United States, Somes Sound.

Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are most definitely among the must see treasures of the United States.

Family Holidays with Disney

Enjoy the holidays on board the Disney Magic or Wonder on a 6, 7, 8, 10 or 11 night holiday cruise over Christmas or New Years.  Sail the Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean or Mexican Riviera and enjoy ports of call in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Tortola, Key West, Cozumel, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan depending on the itinerary chosen. Celebrate Christmas or ring in the New Year onboard the ships of Disney, as they plot a course to colorful Caribbean or Mexican ports. (Prices starting from $879pp; includes accommodations aboard Magic or Wonder, transfers and meals.)

Canada and New England

Autumn is glorious in Canada and New England and there's just no better way to experience the East Coast's autumn color than onboard a Princess cruise. The sun still shines on the Eastern Seaboard's many seafaring towns and the cool fall air turns the foliage a dazzling crimson and gold. A ten day cruise to Canada and New England uncovers the history and character that started a nation. With the quaint Colonial charm of New England towns and the spectacular Canadian coastline, history is everywhere you look. Discover the very fabric of the cities and towns that are woven with history and experience French Canada's unique flavor and culture.  Follow in the footsteps of our forefathers in cities like Norfolk, Charleston and Boston. Visit the bright lights of New York City. Fall in love with quintessential French Québec City and get charmed by quaint villages from Saint John to Bar Harbor.  (Prices starting from $1399pp; includes accommodations aboard Crown Princess, transfers and meals.)

Pathways of the Pharaohs

Egypt is the gift of the Nile.  Cruise this great river and sail across Lake Nasser to the monumental statues of Ramses II and Nefertari at Abu Simbel on this fabulous 12-day luxury cruisetour on board Viking River Cruises Century Sun.  Enjoy guided tours to the Great Pyramids and Sphinx at Gisa, tour Cairo, the Temples of Luxor and Karnak.  Tour the Aswan High Dam, completed in the 1960s, and the Temple of Kalabsha, which honors the androgynous Nubian sky and sun god Mandulis. Then take a scenic ride on a felucca—a traditional Egyptian wooden sailboat—on the Nile, and visit Philae, a small island used as a priestly retreat. Walk through the Temple of Isis, one of the Nubian monuments that comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  (Starting from $3,398pp; includes select accommodations in ports, transfers, tours, and meals as listed in itinerary.)