Portland, Maine cruise port

Portland Head Light, the Old Port and the best lobster roll of your trip.

Portland is the Maine stop on a Canada and New England cruise and the easiest one to do on your own: ships dock at the Ocean Gateway terminal at the foot of India Street, and the cobblestones, brick warehouses and oyster bars of the Old Port start four blocks away. Most cruisers ride out to Portland Head Light, the 1791 lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth that is on every Maine postcard, then come back for a lobster roll on Commercial Street. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Portland from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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DockedOcean Gateway terminal, walk-off, Old Port in 5 minutes

US dollarshome turf: no customs, no roaming, Eastern Time

Late Sep to mid Octfoliage season, 55 to 65F, two ships on busy days

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do Portland

Go out to the lighthouse, eat your way through the Old Port on foot, or take the day trip to Kennebunkport or the Casco Bay islands; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Big excursion

Portland Head Light

Maine’s oldest lighthouse (1791) on the rocks of Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, about 4 miles from the pier; the park is free and the little keeper’s museum is a few dollars
Trolley tours with a 30 minute lighthouse stop run about $55 to $60 and 2 hours; three-lighthouse ship tours are about $70 to $90
On your own, a taxi or Uber is about $20 to $25 each way; the Bite into Maine lobster roll truck parks inside the park in season

Best for: first-timers, photographers, families

On foot

The Old Port and Commercial Street

Walk off the ship, turn left on Commercial Street and you are in the 1800s warehouse district in 5 minutes: Harbor Fish Market, the Custom House Wharf piers and the Exchange Street shops
Lobster roll at Highroller or Eventide’s brown-butter version (about $30 to $35), oysters, a Maine blueberry beer, then the Portland Museum of Art (about $20) up the hill
Free apart from food; the Eastern Promenade trail along the water starts right at the terminal if you want a view instead

Best for: foodies, walkers, short calls

Full day

Kennebunkport or the islands

Kennebunkport is 45 minutes south: Dock Square boutiques, the Bush compound at Walker’s Point and a 50 minute scenic cruise, on a 4.5 to 5 hour ship tour at about $135 to $150
Or stay on the water: Casco Bay Lines ferries leave from Commercial Street for Peaks Island (about $16 round trip in 2026, 17 minutes each way) and the Lucky Catch lobster boat hauls traps from Long Wharf (about $45)
Freeport and the L.L. Bean flagship are 20 miles north, a ship tour or a $40 taxi each way

Best for: repeat visitors, shoppers, long calls

Live from the cruise lines

Portland cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Portland, Maine from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at Portland

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to Portland

Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there; Boston is only 100 miles away so Portland is usually the first or last stop, and New York ships reach it on day 2.

Boston7 night Norwegian, Holland America and Celebrity loops that make Portland the first call, often with Bar Harbor the next day New York (Manhattan)7 to 10 night Canada and New England cruises from Norwegian and Princess with Portland on day 2 New York (Cape Liberty)Royal Caribbean Independence and Vision of the Seas 9 night fall foliage sailings Baltimore9 to 10 night Canada cruises that stop in Portland on the way north Montreal10 to 12 night one-ways down the St. Lawrence that end with Portland and Boston Quebec Cityone-way voyages to New York that call at Portland near the end

In port

Things to do in Portland

The Old Port and the waterfront trail start at the gangway; the lighthouse and everything south need a trolley, a taxi or a ship tour.

Portland Head LightThe 1791 lighthouse on the cliffs of Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, 4 miles from the pier. The park is free (a small parking fee), the keeper’s house museum is a few dollars, and the Bite into Maine truck sells lobster rolls with a view. Taxi about $20 to $25 each way or a 2 hour trolley tour at about $55 to $60.

The Old PortSix blocks of 19th century brick warehouses turned into restaurants, bars and shops between Commercial Street and Congress Street, 5 minutes from the ship. Free to wander; Exchange, Fore and Wharf streets are the heart of it.

Lobster rolls and oystersPortland is the food city of New England: Highroller Lobster Co. and Eventide Oyster Co. (the brown-butter roll) in the Old Port, Harbor Fish Market on the wharf for a cold one, about $30 to $35 a roll as of 2026. Go before noon on two-ship days.

Casco Bay islandsCasco Bay Lines ferries leave from the Maine State Pier next to the terminal; Peaks Island is 17 minutes and about $16 round trip in 2026, with bike rentals and a beach. Check the return times against your all-aboard before you go.

Lucky Catch lobster boatHaul real traps with a working lobsterman on a 90 minute harbor trip from Long Wharf, about $45, a 12 minute walk from the ship; you can buy what you catch and have it cooked next door.

Portland Museum of Art and Victoria MansionWinslow Homer and the Wyeths at the museum (about $20, a 20 minute uphill walk) and the lavish 1860 Victoria Mansion two blocks away (about $20); the best pairing on a wet or cold day.

Eastern PromenadeThe flat waterfront trail starts beside the terminal and runs past the islands view to Fort Allen Park in 10 minutes; free, and the best stretch-your-legs option with the ship in sight.

KennebunkportThe classic Maine resort village 45 minutes south, with Dock Square, the Bush family’s Walker’s Point and a scenic cruise, on a 4.5 to 5 hour ship tour at about $135 to $150; the Seashore Trolley Museum is on the way.

Pick your style

Which lines call at Portland?

Portland gets about 100 calls a year from April to early November, more than 40 of them in September and October alone; these are the lines you will see at Ocean Gateway.

      Norwegian Cruise LineNorwegian Breakaway, Jewel and Pearl on 7 night Boston and New York Canada and New England sailings, the most frequent callerSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Holland America LineZuiderdam and Volendam 7 night Boston loops from May to OctoberSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Royal CaribbeanIndependence of the Seas and Vision of the Seas 9 night fall foliage cruises from the New York areaSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Princess CruisesMajestic, Sapphire, Regal and Caribbean Princess on 7 to 10 night New York sailings, with the last call of the season in NovemberSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Celebrity CruisesCelebrity Silhouette 11 night Boston, Maine and Canada sailings with 11 hour callsSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      CarnivalCarnival Firenze and Sunshine on Canada and New England cruises from the New York area and NorfolkSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Oceania CruisesVista and Sirena on Montreal and New York voyages in September and OctoberSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      VikingViking Mars and sister ships on Canada and New England voyages, spring and fallLive prices
    

Timing

When to go

Portland’s season runs April to early November; summers are warm with morning fog on the harbor, fall color peaks in the second week of October when two ships a day are common, and the last calls come in cold November air.

April to Junehighs 50 to 70F, cool and sometimes foggy until late morning, lilacs in May and only a few ships; a fleece and a rain shell

July to Augusthighs 75 to 80F, the warmest and sunniest stretch, ferry and island days, lobster shacks all open; a handful of calls and no lines at the lighthouse

September to mid Octoberhighs 55 to 68F, crisp and clear, foliage peaking around October 10, more than 40 calls in two months and two ships on the busiest days; book the lighthouse tour early

Late October to Novemberhighs 42 to 52F, bare trees and raw harbor winds, the final Princess calls in the first days of November; dress warm and plan the museum

Good to know

Portland questions we answer every day

Where do cruise ships dock in Portland and how far is it to the Old Port?

Ships dock at the Ocean Gateway terminal at 14 Ocean Gateway Pier, the eastern end of the working waterfront at the foot of India Street, with a visitor information desk inside. The Old Port starts four blocks west along Commercial Street, about a 5 minute walk; the Eastern Promenade trail starts right beside the terminal. A second ship can use the Maine State Pier next door, but when two big ships are in, the second often anchors and tenders to the same spot, which costs 20 to 40 minutes at each end of the day. The city runs a free loop shuttle on big-ship days through the Old Port and up to the Arts District.

How do I get around Portland from the pier?

On foot for the Old Port, the wharves and the waterfront; taxis, Uber and Lyft wait outside the terminal for Portland Head Light (about $20 to $25 each way, 15 minutes) and Freeport. Trolley tours and the amphibious Downeast Duck leave from near Commercial Street, and the Casco Bay ferries from the Maine State Pier next door. There is no transit worth using to the lighthouse on a cruise day.

What currency do I need, and does my phone work?

US dollars, Eastern Time and your own phone plan: Portland is the one stop on a Canada and New England cruise with no exchange rate, no roaming and no customs. Cards work everywhere; a little cash helps at the lobster trucks and the ferry.

Is Portland safe?

Yes. Portland is a small, walkable city and the Old Port and waterfront are busy with locals and visitors all day. The ordinary cautions apply: the cobblestones and wharf planks are slick when wet, the rocks at Portland Head Light are not a place to climb in a swell, and keep an eye on the clock on a tender day.

What is the best excursion, and should I book through the ship?

Portland Head Light is the must, and it is close enough to do on your own by taxi or trolley if your call is 8 hours or more; on a short or tender call, or if you want three lighthouses, take the ship tour so the line guarantees your return. The Old Port needs no tour. Kennebunkport and Freeport are worth the full day only on 10 hour calls, and we book those through the ship.

Do I need a passport?

Portland is a US port, so nothing is needed to go ashore, but every Canada and New England cruise crosses into Canada. On a closed-loop cruise that starts and ends in the same US port (Boston, New York or Baltimore), US citizens can sail with a government photo ID plus an original birth certificate, but we strongly recommend a passport, and Canada can refuse entry to travelers with certain criminal records. One-way cruises that start or end in Quebec City or Montreal require a passport.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a Portland cruise specialist

We know which sailings dock rather than tender and which give you the long Portland day, so call us to check availability and book your Canada and New England cruise. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560