The ferries are nice. Things run on time and smoothly. The ferries go to several of the islands near the mainland of Portland, it’s also used to transport goods to the islands. There’s a Wyland mural next to where the Peaks Island ferry boards, which was really cool. For tourists, I’d recommend going on a day trip to Peaks Island.

The mailboat trip (I took the noon ferry, 3 hours) was a wonderful thing to do! Sunny clear day, flat calm water, beautiful views, interesting stops where you watch the crew unload things. It was 70 degrees but felt cooler out on the water. I was glad I brought a fleece. Inexpensive and enjoyable.

We ride the nail boat ferry on a 3 hour trip. We made 4-5 stops delivering nail as well as wood for someone building on the island. There were 5 of us! Beautiful day and a great ride. We even took our lunch and had our picnic on the boat. Affordable great trip!

Despite an unseasonably cool spring afternoon, Mom and her 20 something daughters thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon on the water. Our guide Anna shared numerous details about the wartime and settlement history around the bay and many of its islands. The 1:45 hours spent on the cruise was well worth it. For folks preferring a less windy experiece, there's plenty of seating inside.

A terrific and inexpensive way to see the islands and get a feel for what living there is like. Boat was no frills: no food, but plenty of seats and a bathroom. Bring your favorite food. Watching the crew load and unload the cargo is interesting. We saw them deliver a washer and dryer, mail, a lot of Amazon, and a pickup truck.

While there are a ton of Portland Bay touring options, this was the most unique. We took Mail Boat Ferry, which tours around Portland Bay while also dropping off and picking up passengers on the surrounding Islands. It also is the way the mail gets delivered to the islands. The whole ride takes a little less than 3 hours. You buy the tickets the day you want to ride it. It is a commuter ferry, so potentially it could fill up, but we had no issues. It was interesting to watch the mail and deliveries get loaded onto the boat. Initially we sat up front on the Bow. The view is best from there. The Captain narrated as we were passing sights and nearing docks. We learned about some of the islands and the surrounding area. You do pass some lighthouse, but not all, so if that's your priority, there are better choices. Halfway through our ride, it did start to rain. The back of the boat is covered but open, and we stayed dry there while still having a nice view. There is also seating inside, but you can't see nearly as well. About 1/2 through the journey we docked at one island and stayed there for 1/2 hour. You can get off the boat and walk around if you want. There's a small store. Since it was raining we didn't get off, and would have been fine if the boat left sooner. Oh well. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride and recommend it.

You can't go to Portland, Maine and not experience some time out on the water. The Casco Bay Ferry terminal on Commercial street is the spot you want. Right in the heart of the action, just a few blocks from many of the best hotels in the Old Port area and offering lots of rides to the places you want to see. We took the ferry out to Peaks Island one day and took the three hour ferry "Mail Run' another. Both were great trips though we liked the mail run the best because you are out on the water for several hours and you get to see lots of islands and wildlife. We spotted lots of birds and even a dolphin on our ride. Take the earliest ferry at 8am for a less crowded experience. We had the whole front top deck to ourselves for the first two hours. Don't forget to bring some drinks and something to eat because there's no getting off once the ferry leaves the dock. There's a small but clean restroom on the main deck.

A very pleasant and enjoyable time on calm seas. The naration was interesting when one could hear it. The scenery was beautiful as the ship went from stop to stop. One could see the ruins of a shipwreck, nice houses, beautiful mansions asn a few estates while observing people get on and off the ferry.

10 am Mail Run, just 2.5 hours is great fun! Found the perfect blue sky day and really enjoyed this trip. Narrative gave highlights along the way. Perfect for getting out on the water and seeing the beautiful islands off the coast of Maine. Makes me want to explore each island on its own.