Sea Princess Cruises
Sea Princess Cruises
5
About
Discover the treasures of Mount Desert Island’s southern shore on the Sea Princess’s unforgettable scenic nature cruises. Watch seals basking on East Bunker Ledge, see a bald eagle soar overhead, view historic homes, visit the quaint fishing village of Islesford on Little Cranberry Island, and take in the majestic splendor of Somes Sound Fjord’s mountain peaks and rugged shores. Each trip is a unique nature experience.
Mount Desert, Maine
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023

Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Travelers talk about
(350 reviews)
(164 reviews)
(95 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles1,507 reviews
Excellent
1,280
Very good
178
Average
35
Poor
8
Terrible
6

cvm42020
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
We checked out several boat tours based on brochures and websites, and decided on the Sea Princess Cruise. We couldn't have made a better choice! The boat was comfortable and very 'smooth sailing', the tour length was just right, we were able to walk one of the Cranberry Islands. Best of all was the crew. The tour guide had an obvious love for the area, and for sharing it with others. He told us all the landmarks, but also many local stories that made the area come to life. He involved the passengers with questions and anecdotes, and fielded any question with a knowledgeable response. We'll go again if we ever make it to Maine again! Thanks so much for making our visit so memorable!
Written August 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so pleased to hear that you had a good time!
Written September 1, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

KaylaKrest
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
We booked the Sunset Cruise because it was the most affordable boat tour but we were blown out of the water by the amazing experience we had. This boat tour was EASILY worth the price and likely worth two or three times as much money as it costs.
Only notable complaint was that it left the dock before the time it was supposed to (we were told that arriving between 6 and 6:15 was perfect for the tour but we left the dock over 5 minutes before hand)
We got to see a blue heron, seals, porpoises, egret nests with egrets feeding their young, and Dick Wolf's summer home! Dick Wolf's home was by far the least impressive and even that was really cool. This tour is absolutely amazing and I recommend it to anyone and everyone who will listen.
Written August 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Latjr2020
Bristol, CT1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Family
Went with two teens and a 9 year old and it was a good experience. Former park ranger on our morning cruise gave us nonstop information on area culture, lobster fishery, geology, and wildlife. They made sure we had great photo ops, turning boat so all passengers could get pics of seals, etc. Stop on island was neat but would be nice if there was a relationship with a local vendor to greet us and talk about the area or even set up a pre-order lunch, because there’s not much to do there but we still enjoyed the stop. Good value for money. Asked and politely reminded all guests to wear masks during COVID and tried to load/unload by group to minimize contact between parties.
Written July 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We appreciate your positive feedback!
Written August 13, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

dcfamily2018
Falls Church, VA7 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Family
We were cautiously looking forward to this tour and learning a bit more about this part of Maine. When we called to make the reservation, we were told that only 10 people had made reservations, and masks would be required throughout the trip. This was reassuring, so we moved forward with the reservation. When we arrived at the boat, the captain and naturalist requested that others boarding the boat put their masks on. We were a bit unsettled to realize that the boat was at 50% capacity with 30 people on board by the time we set off. During the introduction of the tour, the captain took his mask off while he was talking, setting the standard for many of the customers to remove their masks. The passenger in front of us was sitting next to the sign that said "Masks are required" and was coughing and sneezing throughout the 2.5 hour tour - all without her mask on. We were very stressed by the time we disembarked. This distracted us from the interesting parts of the tour, which included seeing seals in the area and a short visit to Little Cranberry Island.
Written July 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are glad to hear you found the trip interesting. As far as your concerns, we are operating at 50% capacity....so could have as many as 32 people on board. This is our own policy. State mandates would allow us up to 50 people onboard but we are trying to be cautious to keep everyone safe. We do require mask use while onboard the boat. The captain should only remove his mask while maintaining at least 6' from passengers or if needing to communicate (clearly) important safety information. We will look into your concerns and will make sure adjustments are made. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Written July 27, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Shannon G
Gardner, MA25 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
We did the sunset cruise as we had plans throughout the day and the puffin watch cruise was sold out. Our guide was super friendly and knowledgeable and definitely the best part of the experience. The boat went through various areas and we saw mainly very fancy boats and the mansions along the banks. The views were nice. We were hoping to see more wildlife, however, only had a one time view of seals and some birds on bunker island (? I think that what it was called). Wish we did do a little more research as this cruise line was in Northwest harbor, about 15 minute drive from bar harbor. The plus to this was tons of free parking right at the marina. The boat was small, yet provided an intimate experience without out a crowd. The down side is if you want to spend the day in Bar Harbor you have to account for the time to drive somewhere else. I think next time we will spend the extra money for the puffin cruise in the hopes to see more. Otherwise it was a lot of money for a boat trip.
Written August 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bettytower2
Northeast Harbor, ME1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
I live in Northeast Harbor and when I have guests that are seeing Maine for the first time I love to take them on the Sea Princess guided tour. (The 10 am tour has a National Park guide) You haven’t really seen this area until you see it from the water! The National Park rangers give an excellent guided tour describing the wildlife, the geology and also Acadia National Park history. On this tour in addition to seals we spotted 2 bald eagles and 2 osprey nests. We saw the nesting place of the peregrine falcons.

There is a 45 minute stop on the island of Islesford. If you are interested, there is a museum there (also run and staffed by Acadia National Park). You will learn how the people on the island live. Most of the families work at lobster fishing and there is a lot of information about the industry. You can also browse the wares of local artisans along the pier.

From there a cruise up Somes Sound with breathtaking views of summer cottages along the sound.

This is the best value I have found if you would like to really see this beautiful island. It is also great for families with kids.

I will be taking the tour again when I have a visitor in September!

Written July 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the great review and for being such a dedicated repeat customer. We appreciate your support!
Written July 30, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Casey H
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020 • Family
David was a fantastic tour guide; we were very disappointed initially because the fog had really settled in, but the captain and David worked incredibly hard to show us the islands, and David was especially attentive to our children which meant a great deal. We had a great time and were very thankful to see the islands from the water. Such a great perspective!
Written September 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We appreciate your business!
Written November 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Bartley_M_LA
Los Angeles, CA170 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Solo
A great morning trip. We had the loveliest Ranger who had a lot of information about the area, and each island as we went by. Lots of info I wouldn’t know otherwise.

The only thing that I wasn’t so ‘hoorah’ about was the hour stop in Isleworth. On Sunday nothing is opened there, you could go around the boat works museum in 10 mins, and I personally think 30 mins would have been fine, and I would have loved another 30 mins on the boat instead.

It was a crew of 3, about 45 people on the boat, lots of room, the capt made sure we all saw things - including turning the boat around so all sides of the bot could see everything.

I would go again for sure.
Well worth the $35, and remember to tip at the end! It was so worth it!

Oh, there is a breakfast stand in the parking lot called Ted’s. Grab your ticket and then grab a breakfast sandwich and blueberry lemonade for the boat!
Written August 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Road-trippin-family5
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Family
The former park service naturalist who was our afternoon guide had great information presented in a very natural and engaging way. Our cruise was a last minute add-on to our vacation and it was well worth it! The captain of our beautiful boat cruise gave plenty of opportunities for both sides of the boat to see the sights, both natural and wildlife. A nice activity to add in to your trip to give a water view of the area and give your hiking feet a little break.
Written July 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JudySE
Charlotte, NC15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021 • Couples
Enjoyed our informative Acadia National Park afternoon sea cruise thanks to the folks at Sea Princess. Mike, our narrator, made our trip enjoyable with his fun facts and astute observations. A bonus was the time we spent in Isleford visiting the historical museum and talking to the local folks about island living. Dress warm as it’s always cooler while on the water. Even a “little” downpour couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm for this trip!
Written September 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 1,497

Sea Princess Cruises - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)