Reviews of Portland Schooner Company (Tourist Attraction)

Ashley Brock

Such an amazing experience!!!! Absolutely must do this in Portland. We took a bottle of wine, a jacket, and loved the views and history of the boat. Even made some friends on board. Would do again and highly recommended. And the staff was super patient with me when I couldn't find the location. Be sure to get there early to find parking :)

manfred bernitz

Very Good Tour

Chelsea Donahue

My sister and I took a sunset cruise on the Bagheera with my 9 year old daughter. It was a first for all of us and we could not have had a more amazing time. The crew was delightful and happy to allow my daughter into the cockpit to learn about the wheel, phrases they use to work the sails, about the gps system and she helped them steer for almost the entire trip. I am so glad we decided to do this and we will absolutely be back next summer. Thank you guys so much! You made my daughters summer for sure.

Cynthia Tobey

They were so friendly and pointed out cool sights. Went by too fast! Highly recommend them.

Brian Donahue

Great

Bob Bickford

Great day trips on classic wooden schooners.

V S

First time doing this and it was an awesome, unforgettable experience. The crew was very nice, they asked for volunteers to help put the sails up which was cool. The weather was perfect and the views were amazing!

Carlos Alberto Escobar Vega

(Translated by Google) A small corner where to fish (Original) Un pequeño rincón donde pescar

Caren DeVoe

Nice afternoon outing to see islands and how people get their supplies

Benjamin Moore

Perfect way to get to know Casco Bay. Try to make the sunset cruises, they are amazing!

John Pentecost

A great experience, but they pack too many people on one boat.

Mike Galvin

An Absolute Gem of an experience. This is the best way to get out on the water! Reasonable prices and Great People.

susan Dusoe

Awesome place to go sailing

Nicolette Perez

Awesome sailing crew!

Bradley

Such a cool experience at the sunset cruise. Be sure to bring rain coats and blankets even in warm days! That and snacks and beer!

Lara Mayer

Went on a sunset sail on the Bagheera and it couldn't have been more perfect. Weather was great and it was a weekday evening so it wasn't crowded at all, we got a nice view of the bay, forts and lighthouses. The captain and Kayla and Kaylie were just the right combination of friendly and professional. The boat itself is beautiful and impeccably kept. It was the perfect way to wrap up our visit to Maine!

Ashley Bishop

Great experience. Being on a boat with history is way better than these massive bench seat ferry’s that do boat tours. This is much better suited for couples and more experienced travelers looking to talk to other travelers and not hear an intercom narration of the view. We did the sunset tour and it was fantastic. Def check the weather first. Sails are dependent on weather, which people seem to forget. Your experience will be impacted by sun, wind, and rain.

John D Robinson

Not bad at all. Simple pleasures

Allison Cole

The crew was awesome and friendly! Highly recommended the sunset ride.

Jules Basmagy

Great experience

Jacqueline Newell

Awful customer service, no respect for locals. I bought a gift certificate at a charity auction and gave it to my parents as a gift. First, the dates were wrong. Minor mishap, no big deal. The months were limited to May, June, September and October to avoid high season and I respect that but When they tried to use it, they were told they can only use it on week days. That was never stated on the item I bought. I contacted them and they apologized and said my parents could go but asked that they not use it on Saturday nights, as that is their big seller. Ok, fine. My mom called and tried to make an appointment at noon on a Sunday. The person said there was space but they would rather sell it because there are 3 cruise ships in town. Are you serious!? Absolutely no respect for the people that live here and want to support local businesses. My mom called again Sunday morning and since no one bought those seats, they could finally go. I will never support this business again.

LESLIE CRAINE

Coast guard approved and an tickets to really play the game

Patricia Courtwright

A wonderful caring crew. I can't recommend this company highly enough

Adam Shick

The Captain and the crew were fantastic! I would highly recommend this.

Owen Saunders

Fun tour kid friendly nice staff and no one is telling g you everything around the ocean like some tours nice quiet

Cora Mumme

My husband and I did the sunset sail in late October. It was a chilly 32 by the time the sun went down, but it was totally worth it! We enjoyed that this wasn't a tour so we could just sit back and enjoy the peacefulness of sailing. We were still able to ask questions to the crew if we had any and they were very knowledgeable and friendly. Since it was so late in the year, there were only 10 passengers and 3 crew members so we were able to move around quite a bit and explore different areas of the sailboat. We loved our cruise and would absolutely recommend anyone to do it!

John Davis

Great experience out on casco bay on the schooner

Susanne W

This was the most appalling experience I've ever had and would rate zero stars if I could. We sailed on the Bagheera on Saturday 8/24 at 1:00 PM. Approximately 20 minutes prior to the end of the trip, the septic tank overflowed, which caused the drain near where we were sitting to spew out human waste all over our exposed feet and the sandals we were wearing. We were unaware of where the drain led to, or else we would have chosen to sit in another location. The staff noticed the leakage immediately and asked everyone sitting on our side of the boat to move. Actually, the female staff member asked the couple sitting on our side to move, even though we were sitting closer to the spurt. It really felt like we were an afterthought as she barely said anything to us. Although we were situated closest to the drain and I had loudly voiced my displeasure and utter disgust over getting splashed several times, the staff never once addressed us directly about it. Even if they hadn't heard me, they should have asked if we were okay considering we were sitting right in front of the leakage, especially the female employee who noticed the incident first and asked us to move. We also did not use the restroom during our cruise, meaning we were splashed with other people's urine and feces. I could not bring myself to leave a tip after the staff's blatant disregard. After docking, we reported the incident to the woman in the office, who apologized but only offered us water (no soap) to rinse off as consolation. Considering human waste is a biohazard, I feel like we should have been refunded. I would never recommend this callous company to anyone.

Brett Lewis

We took a sail around Casco Bay on a beautiful schooner, the Timberwind. What a fun 2 hour sail. The captain and crew were extremely friendly and made the trip very enjoyable.

Michael Morris

We had a great time sailing cusco bay. The staff was very friendly, and the boat was an amazing 93 yr old historic schooner. Highly recommend!

Donald Fitzsimons

It was a cold day to be sailing, but we dressed for it. It was worth it cause although I don't know the nautical term for it but we were haulin. They put out a nice spread for lunch also

Graham Bailey

Fantastic. Beautiful scenery, wonderful crew, incredible boats.

Rich Delaney

Good tour , schooners were very interesting, crew was great ... dress for weather though

Genie Tricarico

We did the sunset cruise on July 24th what a nice time we had. The winds were great, the views were ok because of foggy conditions. The crew did a fantastic job Emma and Haley are two hard working girls!

Roger Bailey

My girlfriend and I had never been on a schooner before. We decided it might be fun, and it was! The trip takes you out into the bay. The winds were light, so it was a very pleasant ride out. Dark clouds appeared over Portland, so the captain decided to head back. The winds picked up, and the boat really started to move, which was fun. The crew decided to "burn the sails" as a precaution so that nobody would get hurt by a swinging boom. We got a bit wet from the rain, but that is part of the great experience that is the open ocean (even though we never left the bay). We will definitely go again. It was a fabulous time!

Steve Wellmann

Great boat and crew. We had a fabulous time

Leslie Ozer

What a wonderful experience. Great boat crew, absolutely breathtaking boat and a view we just can't get enough of! Took the sunset cruise (6-8pm). Would DEFINITELY do this again!

Tim Barlow

Looks cool

Chloe Black

The boats are great. Very old very beautiful sitting in the water.

Kathleen Fernandez

Loved this cruise. Great crew!

Emily Shamburger

My crew enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon on this antique boat. The captain and crew were friendly but not all up in your business, which I really liked--no long, overbearing safety talk or loudspeaker ruining your sail. If you wanna tug on some lines, they'll let you. You see the Portland head lighthouse and a couple of others. We saw some seals on the way out of the harbor. Bought tickets for 4 people the day of without any problem. We were thinking about riding the ferry over to Peaks, and still would have done that if we had time, but if you've only got time for one boat excursion, this one is well-worth the price tag.

Frederick Writt

Absolutely delightful experience! Being a hi-functioning paraplegic, I was a bit apprehensive about getting aboard unscathed. My fears turned out to be totally unfounded, as the skipper (a Mighty Sailing Man) and crew (brave and sure) made every accommodation, and I boarded with ease and was safely nestled in the abundant cockpit. Once the hearty crew hoisted the sails, we caught the light southwesterly breeze, and the Wendemeer slid out of Portland Harbor into Casco Bay like a hot knife through warm butter. Once it became known that it was my wife's birthday, the wine and chocolate were broken out, as were the cameras. All in all, a wonderful experience. We'll definitely go again, soon!

Jan Tyler

If you like to have a non-narrated tour with crew who aren’t engaging, then this is the tour for you. We learned nothing about the bay. The captain answered questions with very short responses. One of the crew spent the entire way out loudly talking with a couple about the local bar scene and her experiences before she started sailing. We were in the cruise with the yoga girl and her photographer boyfriend, which didn’t add to our experience at all. The boat was lovely! We had a nice windy day. Bring a jacket though - it gets chilly!!

Cheri Wilson

Thoroughly enjoyed our sail on Casco Bay. Highly recommend.

Kevin Wood

Expert, knowledgeable crew. Beautiful ship, beautiful scenery.

Daniel Peterson

Sunset cruise was the best way to spend a sunny summer evening in Portland!! Tremendous views and fresh sea air! Highly accommodating crew. BYOB and snacks is highly recommended!

Ashley Brown

Wonderful afternoon sail with Nate and Sam at Portland Schooner. Even though it was particularly hot & humid out today, the crew were so pleasant and answered all my questions. Thanks for a great time, and I’ll definitely be back for another sail!

Mallory M

My partner and I did the sunset cruise, and we would definitely do it again! The dock was relatively easy to find from the parking garage and boarding was super easy. Once onboard we got comfy and they did a quick but informative introduction of crew and review of safety measures. They do encourage tipping, but I thought they approached it in a direct but casual manner. The sun didn't actually set until about 1.5 hours into our 2 hour cruise, but watching it from the water was wonderful. It's BYOB so it was super relaxing and affordable. There were families, friend groups and couples onboard with a few who were visiting from out of the country. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to sailing!

Lynn Savage

We had such a wonderful time sailing on the ocean with Portland Schooner Co. everyone was so informative and knowledable. Our Air B and B host recommended it and I’ve recommended it to friends. It is a must do when in the Portland area.

Stephen Hurd

Oct is way too cold. And shipmates had nothing to say about the Portland area unless asked. Very short explanation of what to expect and only because of safety issues. Otherwise it was great!

Katie Nall Clark

We bought tickets for the 2 hour sailboat ride. Everyone else who purchased tickets for that time cancelled. Instead of telling us we had to join a different sail time with other people, we had a private sailboat ride. EXCELLENT experience and staff. Can't say enough nice things! Thanks, Portland Schooner Co! :)

Vincent Harr

A great ride. We went for about 2 hours, and the crew was friendly and informative. We were there while they had two of their older schooners in port as well, and got to ride on one a hundred years old, and in amazing shape. Bring your own food and drinks. Though some of the local guides say they have a bar onboard, that might only be one of the ships. Ours certainly didn't, no that that detracted anything from the ride.

Debbie Harper

Not exactly what I had expected. The website said lighthouses, seals, bird and coastline. The only lighthouses we saw (2) were the ones in we passed in the bay, heading out. Now if you just want a relaxing cruise then take this one.

Jamie Ferrante

Awesome tour, beautiful scenery, knowledgeable crew, BYOB = a great time!

Heidi-Lyn Tatterfield

Great sail and crew! BYOB and remember to tip! ⛵

Kathryn Poirier

This was the best part of our trip to Maine. Absolutely amazing and worth every penny. Such a great team of people running the ship and a beautiful and unique view of the sunset.

Maxwell Chikuta

Great place for the small town.

Edwin Camara

Great day out on the boat and the bay, the crew were fantastic and very easy to talk to. They answered several questions about the boat, sailing, as well as the islands in the bay. Would totally recomend this as a great way to spend a couple of hours. Enjoy !!!

William Haynes

Great crew/staff but if the wind isn't blowing a steady 10 -12 knots then don't book your trip. Our vessel had no power (2 of three vessels operated do have engines and can power themselves out of dead wind areas) and basically our trip was straight out about one nautical mile and then straight back to the point that they used a small power boat to push the schooner to the dock. No close pass by any landmarks. I know Portland Schooner Company can't control the wind but I honestly walked off the dock thinking what a waste of my money and limited time.

Danielle Hansen

This was absolutely wonderful!!! We went on a perfect day, little windy, little crisp, and party cloudy. You are allowed to being your own food and drink. We brought cheese, crackers, stemware and some sparkling juice. Others brought a whole cheese spread on little cutting boards with wine. This was not narrated by the 3 crew members that were on board, however, they all were happy to share their knowledge when asked. My husband helped them pull up the sails and he really enjoyed being able to help set the sails. The sailboat we were in was from the 1920s and was very charming. All the boats in this company ore on the national historical registry, so every one of them is quant and charming. It was peaceful and fun! We rode to the most photographed lighthouse in Maine and back again. Perfect excursion that didn't take up my entire day and still allowed me to shop later. If you want a more relaxed, quiet, entertaining experience. This is for you!! I will definitely use this company again when I return.

Bob Danek

Had an excellent time sailing with my wife and daughter. The crew was great. We even saw a couple of seals and some sturgeon jumping in the bay. All in all it was a very relaxing couple of hours on the water.

Ryan Lohrenz

Very unique!

Kyle Waranis

I had a great time, but they do overbook the boat a little 8n my opinion. Keep in mind when booking that there is the most wind in the early afternoon.

Tatiana Laibinis

I loved everything about this tour! The crew all worked so well together and they seemed genuinely happy to be there with us. Even though it was cold, they had wool blankets to keep us warm. They were happy to answer any and all questions from the life on the ship, to marine life in the area, and even history about the areas you could see from the ship. I loved the BYOB idea and we brought our own snacks and beer. This was an excursion we will never forget.

bill tice

first time sailing staff was great had a blast

david cousins

Wonderful sailing experience on a racing schooner