Flynn Cruiseport Boston Black Falcon Terminal — Local services in Boston

8/27/251–I wanted to write here before Google removes all the followers—a decision I’m not happy about, but I don’t own Google, so what can I do? Still, I want to thank every single one of you who took the time to click “follow.” This platform is my little corner of the world to practice writing, even though grammar and commas still feel like a jungle I’m learning to explore. Thankfully, ChatGPT is my compass! Right now, I’m on the Majestic Princess, anchored in Halifax until 3:30 p.m. I’m not getting off because I’ve been here before. This is my third summer taking this cruise from Boston, and honestly, I haven’t even stepped off the ship once. Why? Because I like it right here—it’s small, easygoing, with amazing food and lovely people. There are many Asian passengers onboard, and I absolutely love it! I spend sometime staring at Chinese writing all over the ship like it’s an art gallery, missing the days when I was learning Mandarin . There aren’t many children, which makes it peaceful. The arcade is small, though, and they don’t have the shooting game I like. (For the record, I only practice my shooting in arcades—no need to call the coast guard!) My room steward, Dexter, is one of those kind people who quietly make your day better. I don’t know if I’ll continue reviewing on Google Maps after this change, but for now, I’m in Canada, floating on this amazing ship, and I really recommend this cruise for anyone leaving from Boston and near by —it’s hassle-free, no airports or security lines. It’s not the Caribbean, but I’m not a beach lover anyway. Give me cloudy skies and rain over sand between my toes any day. As one old saying goes: “A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.” So maybe that’s why I like the overcast days—they make the sunshine sweeter when it finally comes. And here’s a funny truth about cruising: I’ve eaten more bananas (back on my diet after a few years of hiatus ) than vegetables, I get lost less on this ship than I do in a shopping mall, and I now greet strangers like we’re all distant cousins at a family reunion. Thanks for reading this little update. Life is short, so we might as well laugh, travel, and write about it—even if Google takes away the “followers” button. Book way ahead ( up to 2 years ) cause this ship is always full. And always book thru a travel agent if you book on board give your travel agent credit . Don’t book direct . I know why I say this ! The lines to get on the ship were long… but was it the end of the world? No. Unless you are in a wheelchair or really can’t stand, just stand and wait—it won’t kill you. If you didn’t pay big bucks for VIP treatment, then don’t expect to walk right in like royalty. Travel comes with its own adventures, and sometimes that adventure is… a long line. Like the old saying goes: “Good things come to those who wait, even if they are standing...

If you have a CELEBRITY cruise that is departing from this Teminal, your very best bet is to cancel your cruise and run away. You can thank me later.

I had the very unfortunate experience of sitting in an Uber for 40 minutes. At 41 minutes, I left the Uber and walked, with suitcase the last 0.3 miles... whew. Bizarre traffic with little discernable traffic control.

Once arrived, the scene was pure chaos. The Celebrity luggage folks wanted money to load my suitcase onto a dolly to roll to the ship. I did not give them money for the simple job that they were hired to do.

I paid a BIG price.

The Celebrity attendant stripped all of my identity from my suitcase. This consisted of the Celebrity luggage tag that identified my cabin, a steel engraved tag with all of my contact information that was attached to a suitcase handle with steel wire rope, and a separate Viking leather tag that was bound to the other handle on the suitcase with a steel wire rope.

Needless to say, I wandering the miles hallways of the Celebrity Eclipse at 10:30 PM. No help from Celebrity or the Celebrity Eclipse cabin attendant... their phones consistently rang busy.

I was finally re-united with my suitcase near 11 PM... It was sitting behind the counter at Celebrity Exlipse guest services.

Celebrity Eclipse offered no compensation except their offer of a "free dinner" when I already got free dinners. Duh. Celebrity Eclipse's offical postion, at least to the was Concierge Manager was that my suitcase: 1) was not mishandled and 2) all three identifications "fell off" the suitcase, even the ones connected by steel wire rope.

The moral: if your are using the Boston Celebrity terminal, have a Valium handy, tip the Celebrity baggage handlers heavily, and pray your IDs don't "fall off" like mine.

Or, RUN, as fast as...

What a disaster disembarking. At other US and international cruise ports we've exited the ship to clear customs in a spacious cruise port facility. For some reason Boston or US Customs decided to board what appeared to be just 4-6 officers for 2000+ passengers. While we saw 4 notebook PCs setup for the customs officers, we only saw 2 in use. Fortunately, the officer we saw was friendly and efficient BUT the lines onboard literally wrapped around the boat and plenty of senior and disabled guests were having a very difficult time waiting hours to complete what is usually a simple process - especially for US citizens. SHAME on whoever is in charge of this government operation for giving our amazing country and the great city of Boston a huge black eye. Once we cleared customs there was plenty of space and staff in the cruise port so luggage retrieval took just a few minutes and tons of friendly transportation options were waiting right by...