Our Maine Windjammer Vacation on Historic Sailboat, Grace Bailey

We spent three nights aboard Grace Bailey, a historic schooner in the Maine Windjammer fleet, and we're breaking down everything you need to know for consideration before booking your trip. 

From the small cabin to the beach lobster bake (s'mores included), we share what daily life actually looks like on a 19th-century sailing ship with no Wi-Fi, no fixed itinerary, and the ship's cat, named Fiji, who steals the show.

Join us to learn about the accommodations, food, and the realities of sleeping below deck crew traffic — plus what to pack, how the honor-system doors work, and why carabiners became our best friend on board. We also get into the cost, from the per-person price to the Maine resident discount, and explain why Grace Bailey's "Captain's Choice" itinerary means no two cruises look the same.

If you've never considered a Maine Windjammer cruise, or didn't know they existed, this episode will help you decide if slow, unplugged sailing is for you.

Helpful resources from this episode:

• Maine Windjammer Packing List: https://sometimessailing.com/printable-maine-windjammer-packing-list/
• Bug Bite Thing (doesn’t require batteries): https://amzn.to/4byBC2Z
• Insect Bite Healer (this little gadget is amazing - we use this one the most to deal with bug bites): https://amzn.to/4gvhkuH
• All About Stonington Maine (a port town on many Maine Windjammer cruises): https://sometimessailing.com/things-to-do-in-stonington-maine/
• Foods Maine is Known For (blueberries, lobster, hot dogs, & more): https://sometimeshome.com/food-maine-is-known-for/

Listen to our additional Maine Windjammer Cruise episodes: 

• Part 1: Sailing Cruises on Historic Maine Windjammer Ships: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2448059/episodes/18500617
• Part 2: Maine Island Hopping on a Windjammer Sailing Cruise: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2448059/episodes/18537898

Transcript

Mikkel (00:35)

I am so excited about today's episode. We are talking about our Maine Windjammer experience aboard the Grace Bally, aboard Grace Baily, which is a historic Maine Windjammer schooner. We are going to talk about the ship, the cabins, the stops, the food, and the cost for everybody listening. 

If you want to hear more about small ship experiences like this one that maybe you never considered or heard of, be sure to hit that subscribe or follow button. We truly appreciate it. And it helps the algorithm know that you're interested and more people like you could be interested as well. So please hit subscribe or follow.

Dan (01:16)

Also, we have a video on our YouTube channel about this particular topic, and that is @sometimes-sailing. So make sure you check that out if you want to see a little bit more about our experience on Maine Windjammer. So let's dive right into it.

Grace Bailey is a historic schooner built in Patchogue, Long Island. And it was built in the early 19th century. Now, it was named for its original owner's daughter. The original owner was Edwin Bailey, and his daughter was Grace. So hence we get Grace Bailey.

In its previous lifetimes, it was used to ship food like fruits and vegetables, also seafood, like oysters. And then Captain did tell us that at one point in time it was used to even transport lumber. Currently, there are three or four owners, one of them being our very own Captain Sam and the other one being Suzannah, who we talked to over email to help set up the trip, but then she was also at the dock to help greet us onto the ship.

Mikkel (02:19)

Speaking of the ship, let's get into what the ship life is like. So mostly when you are on board, there are 26 other passengers. I would say there's about six crew members. Depends on the week, because it seemed like some of them are gonna go back to college in August, and the trips go into October. So it really depends. But the main core is gonna be there. You have your captain, the deckhands, the galley: the chef, and then an assistant.

You spend time on the top deck mostly. Can't let this go on without mentioning a special member when Captain Sam is on board called Fiji, the cat. Fiji is Captain Sam's cat, actually from Fiji. I think the cat's been to more countries than we have. You know, the interesting thing is when Suzannah sent us the pre-cruise documents, and we had to fill them out and say if we were allergic to any pets. 

I asked her why. And that's when I discovered Fiji would be on board. And she said if you're allergic and don't want Fiji on board, just let us know. But I said, "No, that's fine. I can take allergy pills. We love pets. And the truth is, Fiji never went anywhere but the top deck and the crew quarters. So we actually rarely saw her, but we do have a Short on YouTube

for Fiji's appearances, not only on the top deck, but she — in her cat-like feline status — jumped up onto some of the sails when they weren't fully masted, fully up. So, you know, can't let this episode pass without giving a special nod to Fiji the cat.

Dan (03:54)

Yeah, Fiji made a few dramatic entrances and appearances and kept things interesting.

Mikkel (04:01)

She also loved laying in the sun and there were these baskets for binoculars on board and she is a tiny cat and she fit into like this little small basket, which I thought was just adorable and so cute and cozy.

Dan (04:15)

Other things you can do besides watching Fiji, like Mikkel said, a lot of your time is spent on deck. I would say most of your time. Because you want to be out, you want to be looking at the scenery, and then you're talking to other guests. So maybe you're reading a book, maybe watching the wildlife and watching the world go by. crew will ask for volunteers. So if there's something that needs to be done, like

Mikkel (04:18)

Yeah.

Dan (04:38)

hoisting a sail or when we were on American Eagle, another schooner in the Maine Windjammer fleet, they asked for volunteers to help wash dishes. So there are ways that you can get involved, but strictly volunteer and don't do anything without permission, really.

Mikkel (04:59)

That's true. Also, we brought our sketchbooks. We are both artists, so I really enjoyed using my pen and doing watercolor. And you also sketch with your pen. You know, I was surprised no one else had a sketchbook actually this trip. Last trip, yes, but not this It was fun to challenge myself to get back into sketching. So I really love that.

You know, I think the thing to get across is that being on a Maine Windjammer ship is slow travel. There's no pool, there's no evening entertainment, there's no show, you know? It's like, the activity is being on the top deck and watching Maine sail by, listening to nature, talking to your fellow passengers, being with each other, if you're alone, being solo, doing some thinking. I mean, even if you're with other people, you can do that.

Dan (05:28)

Mm.

Mikkel (05:51)

Enjoying the fresh air. So that's really the point I want to drive home with what the onboard experience is like and the joy of it and why people go on these sailboats. There's no Wi-Fi on board. I was surprised actually by how much we had cell phone access in and out. I think it's because we were on a three-night sailing and you stay pretty close to shore. So you actually aren't getting cell phone service.

But our 4-night, with American Eagle ship, a couple of years ago, we went a little bit further out and didn't have cell service as well as we did. So we were offline more. Now, granted, we definitely went out of cell service completely at some points during this trip, but that's part of the joy of it, being forced to be offline.

Dan (06:38)

I would say the big takeaway is you can kind of create your own space. Maybe you can go to your cabin or else kind of even carve out some space on the top deck if you don't want to talk to your fellow passengers, that's fine. 

It seemed like just everybody was there to do their own thing and we would come together and have meals together and then there was always somebody to talk to if you wanted to talk, but if you didn't want to talk, you could have your own space as well.

Mikkel (07:05)

Yeah. If you are trying to get a visual of this ship, of course we've posted photos on our social media and on that YouTube channel, @sometimes-sailing. But also if you just want to imagine it listening to us right now, it is multi-masted and it had two really — unfortunately I don't know all of the glossary terms for a schooner, but the beam in the middle was almost as

long as the ship so the ship is 80 feet on deck and 122 feet overall and the center beam was just under 80 feet. I think it was 76 feet, so that was the tallest sail. You were just speaking about the cabins... let's talk about the cabins. Our cozy, cozy cabin.

Dan (07:47)

It's, uh... it's small. The cabin was small. The two of us could not stand in the cabin at the same time. So one person had to be on the bed and then the other person was getting ready and then we would switch places or go on deck, right? So I'm 6' 2" and there's only one spot in the cabin I could stand fully.

Mikkel (08:12)

Interesting. Yeah. 'Cause we weren't underneath the decks a lot together. We were, you know, like we were just talking about on the top deck. So I didn't actually see you much except for in the galley when we ate breakfast that one morning in our seats.

Dan (08:24)

Yeah, and there was quite a few things I bounced my head off of. I mean, it's it's it's it's a common occurrence, especially in Like, I hit my head on things, but I hit it on the sail at one point on going up and down. I got a couple bruises on my elbow, so I'm sure I like, ran into things. It wasn't through heavy drinking, it was the quarters are pretty tight.

Mikkel (08:28)

Oh my gosh.

Ha ha.

Dan (08:47)

And for being a tall guy, like I was bouncing off a few things.

Mikkel (08:51)

They price these cruises per person, which we'll talk about towards the end what the cost is, but you can get a room with a single bed. There's bunked beds, and then we had a double bed, which was actually really interesting. And I always love being next to you instead of bunked. So that was a nice benefit of this cruise. There were a few couples on this trip. There's only so many double beds. 

So some of the couples were bunked, but I was pleasantly surprised that you being six foot two inches, you could fully lay down, which is not to be funny. It's just because we've been on some experiences where you don't fit in the bed and that's really uncomfortable for you. So that was a nice thing that when you were laying down, it was great. 

But to your point about only one of us being able to stand in the room at a time, like, I would have to get up and get dressed or the opposite and then leave the room and then the other person would do that just 'cause there just wasn't enough space. I was actually a little shocked when we walked in how much lack of standing space there was. But again, I guess that's a trade off with having that double bed.

Dan (09:57)

Yeah. It's definitely something you have to be aware of and be prepared for in the right mindset going into it. Even though we had done an experience similar to this on American Eagle a few years ago, that first night going into the I forgot all the noise, I forgot about how close you are with your neighbors, I forgot about just the size of the room, the very close proximity to the bathroom and there's things you're going to have to get used to. 

But by the second night I was able to sleep a little bit sounder and you know, the noises and the bumps in the night and the people coughing next to us didn't bother me quite as much.

Mikkel (10:36)

Bothered me a little. I'm gonna address the noise factor like you said, because I think this is important for people listening. And the ship acknowledges it too, because they provide earplugs, which earplugs never completely block out the sound. So I would go to bed like I do at home actually with my AirPods in and a podcast on.

Dan (10:49)

Mm-hmm.

Mikkel (10:57)

That's very normal for me, but I actually didn't expect to have to do it because we literally could hear the person in the next cabin snoring as if he was literally in bed with us.

Dan (11:06)

Right. And the ceiling is this portion above the bed. The ceiling is the deck. So when crew is up in the morning walking or moving things on deck, it is literally four feet away from your face. And so you're gonna hear those things. You're gonna hear the footsteps, you're gonna hear any sort of equipment or ropes or anything like that that's being

Mikkel (11:14)

Right.

Mm.

Dan (11:31)

moved or manipulated right above where you're sleeping.

Mikkel (11:35)

Ahhh, sailboat life. A few other things I want to mention about cabin. I wouldn't even call it a stateroom in this instance. I would call it the cabin. We bring our CabinZero backpacks. You're not gonna be able to fit like a carry-on piece of hard luggage under your bed, I don't think. We didn't have it so we didn't try to fit it, but I was just really glad we had soft luggage.

So bring soft luggage that can go under the bed. Carabiners are your friend. We clipped our toiletry bags — you'll see that in the YouTube video linked in the show notes — to carabiners and kind of were able to hang them on hooks. We also were glad to have cords that were USB, the classic ones when USB first came out.

Mikkel (12:16)

Because USB-C, like what the iPhones currently are, you're gonna need a converter because the only outlets, so to speak, in the room are USB chargers. Again, you can also see that in our video. They mentioned in our boarding briefing that if you didn't have a converter, you can go to the Walgreens in Maine.

That was just a short drive from the ship that you could go buy one. I'm glad we didn't have to; have a packing list linked in our show notes. thing on the packing list in addition to the USB-C converter is a bug bite zapper. Oh my god, were mosquitoes a problem on Saturday night? It was like... it was like

Dan (12:50)

Mm.

Mikkel (12:55)

you know, I'm thinking of the SNL sketch we always reference: "Marauding armies of bed bugs!" No bed bugs. No bed bugs, just to be clear. But even the crew was like, the mosquitoes are insane right now. I don't know if it was because of where we anchored that night, that obviously the captain wouldn't have done that if he knew that the mosquitoes would were gonna be crazy, but like there's no like walls, right? Like permanent walls. Like even our door didn't go all the way to the top of the wall.

Even the walls had little slits in them. Like these are things you have to appreciate about a historic ship. So there was no, "Let's close the window so the mosquitoes didn't come in." Like, that wouldn't have made a difference, you know? You can't close the ship off to any air. So, mosquitoes.

Dan (13:38)

Right, right.

Yep. There's a lot of nuance; there's a lot of things that you'll have to adjust to on the cruise and like I said, you have to be in the mindset and be ready to pivot along the way.

Mikkel (13:52)

Right, right. 

I mean, another thing is the honor system, right? Like the doors don't lock. You can close the door, but they don't lock to your room. There are absolutely no drawers, which is why those carabiners are key. So don't expect to unpack your luggage like you do at a hotel. There's really nowhere to put it. So again, I was thankful for our compression packing cubes. It really kept us organized, so I didn't lose my mind trying to sift through everything in our stinky bag for dirty laundry that we always pack.

Dan (13:56)

Mm-hmm.

Mikkel (14:20)

Check out our packing list; it's really gonna help you. We are also publishing a packing video of what we packed for this because it's just a unique trip in that regard. In terms of plumbing, luckily, when the new owners purchased this ship a couple years ago, they invested in new rigging, new sails, but also plumbing the ship, making sure that was, you know, right and tight. There is a shower that is tiled that was actually pretty attractive. You would have hit your head in part of this room, but you know, the shower was there and they have hot water, which is not to be funny, but to be truthful that some of these historic ships don't have hot water in the shower, but they do. And then there are three heads, as they call them on ships, or toilets. So that was nice because last time there were only two on American Eagle, so three was kind of a luxury.

Dan (15:09)

Right.

Overall, it's an experience and they are doing their very best to make your experience comfortable, but there are some things you're gonna have to look past and think of it as camping, but on the water.

Mikkel (15:23)

Yeah, I would say glamping and you know, we're telling you this as people who love being on the water and cruising and the small ship experiences and the variety we get to experience and share with you. But to be realistic as well, you know, we're not gonna tell you this is a luxury experience, you're gonna love it, you're gonna be wind and dined. It's not like that. It's a different experience.

Part of the reason why people love a Maine Windjammer cruise is because of the scenery. So let's talk about the day-by-day stops.

Dan (15:50)

Yeah.

Mikkel (15:52)

So we were on board from Friday to Monday morning. board in Rockland, Maine. That's where this ship is stationed. And it is one of the bigger cities outside of Portland and Bangor, for example.

Next week we're gonna talk about our road trip surrounding this Maine Windjammer sailing. So we were in Maine a couple days before and an overnight after, which I really loved because we could see some of the — I would say — villages and towns around Rockland. So it was kind of a nice mix. And they never anchor in the same place twice. So you're not gonna get a port schedule like you would with a different cruise.

Like our Sea Islands cruise we just did with American Cruise Lines. You're not gonna get like you're going from Amelia Island to Beaufort to Hilton Head. It's not like that. You're just gonna be sailing Maine's coast and it's Captain's Choice.

Dan (16:42)

It's Captain Choice, but he or she is looking for maybe the best and most scenic spots. The weather is playing a a key part in that and that decision making process. So there's a lot of variables and you just have to be ready to roll with that. 

Like, I was trying not to be annoying, but I kept asking the captain if we were going to Stonington 'cause I have a friend there and I was gonna try to meet up and have lunch or something with her. So we didn't end up going there, but it was very much I just had to be flexible and reaching out to my friend saying like sorry, it's not gonna happen, you know, but understanding that things could and will change.

Mikkel (17:19)

And if you're listening and you want to go to Stonington, we have an article on our website, SometimesSailing.com, about Stonington. It's such a charming city. Village, even. It's small. But if you want to go, the captain shared that the reason we weren't going that far east was because it was only a three-night cruise, which we didn't realize before. 

So if you want to go to Stonington, which is also where Deer Isle are islands off the coast of Maine, then you're gonna want to look at four nights for that chance.

Dan (17:51)

Right, right. So that was Friday. Friday we got on the ship, but we didn't go anywhere until Saturday morning.

The start of the cruising, or the sailing, was Saturday morning and we sailed all morning long and there was an opportunity to help hoist the sails. Really saw the ship kind of just snap into life as we were leaving port. The crew was running around doing all sorts of things, ropes were flying everywhere, like it was it was very, very organized, but it was there was a lot of activity.

Mikkel (18:24)

Yeah, a lot of energy. It was nice.

Dan (18:26)

Yeah, it was fun just to see everything come alive. And then we prompt... and then after all that flurry of activity, we promptly took a nap.

Mikkel (18:29)

So on ours... Yeah, go ahead, you're gonna say the same thing.

Yeah, it was very important to take a nap. No, it is quite relaxing sometimes.

Dan (18:41)

Yeah.

Mikkel (18:42)

Also, we were getting used to the motion of the ocean. So it was a little rocky. We brought our Blisslets and our ReliefBands. Also, I'm gonna mention it again. It is in our packing list. Everything is linked. Please check those out. When you support our links and click through and purchase through our links, it really helps support this podcast at no cost to you. So thank you for that.

Anyway, so we laid down for that too. And actually when we woke up we discovered that it was a little bit better to be on the top deck and look at the horizon than kind of like, rocking and rolling in our bunk. But it was a nice little cozy nap, so I appreciated that.

Dan (19:17)

Yeah. Another thing we have to note is it is summer in Maine and when you're on shore, you get lulled into thinking it's warm, but as soon as you get out on the water, you're gonna want to bundle up with multiple layers, because once that wind hits, you'll more than likely be chilly.

Mikkel (19:35)

Yeah, I think in July and August it's a little warmer, but when we went in June, definitely chilly and it's gonna get chilly again real fast in September. As you always tell me, and I agree with you, it's better to have and not need. We understand that you're packing light for this trip, but you know, having a sweatshirt and then little things like I had gloves, you had a beanie hat, I a fleece headband, like those little things really helped. So great point.

Dan (20:01)

Yeah.

Mikkel (20:02)

After we took our nap and we had a delicious lunch, which we'll talk about momentarily, we cruised over to Pickering Island, where we had "lobstah," as they say. Lobstah dinner. We anchored there overnight. That's where the mosquitoes were, unfortunately. But I have to say it's a trade-off because the view was spectacular. So that was Saturday.

Dan (20:25)

Yeah.

Yeah, that was awesome. And then Sunday morning when we woke up, it was Father's Day.

Mikkel (20:31)

Yes. Shout out to all the dads. It was so nice to have Chef Ian on there. His 13-year-old son, who is the most mature 13-year-old we've ever met, is just so kind, such a hard worker. It was nice to have them on board and see their relationship as father and son. We kind of did this trip in honor of my father, who passed away in December, and in honor of my grandfather, both of whom were sailors. So

Happy past Father's Day, future Father's Day to everybody listening, and also Mother's Day to the moms out there. So it was nice to be on board for a holiday.

Dan (21:05)

And luckily, we had cell service long enough that I could call my father and wish him a Happy Father's Day as well.

Mikkel (21:11)

Yeah, so if you are on the ship for a holiday and you need to call someone or for somebody's birthday and you have cell service, seize the moment because you might not have cell service a few moments later. So that was great.

Dan (21:23)

So during that day, again it's slow travel, so we were sailing a little bit, and then we cruised to New Haven and got off the boat and was able to walk around the small town for about an hour, hour or so. There was plenty of time because it was a Sunday and I think there was only one or maybe two shops that were open in New Haven. But it was good to get off the boat and

Mikkel (21:41)

you're being generous. For sure one. For sure one.

Dan (21:49)

just walk around and warm up a little bit, get out of the wind and experience life in a very small coastal town in Maine.

Mikkel (21:59)

Yes, it was as big as a minute. And I'm grateful it was a very beautiful day and afternoon. It rained shortly after, so we were lucky about getting on the land when it was sunny. And also it is nice to see the view of the ship in the distance from the shore. So that was a great photo opportunity for us.

Dan (22:01)

Mm.

Yeah. That…mmm…that's really interesting. Being able to see the ship that you're on, have a different perspective of it. So yeah, good callout.

Mikkel (22:27)

The afternoon brought some more sailing. We were treated to beautiful lighthouses, a rainbow. We saw a sunbow. I'd never seen anything like it. Tell me if you did. But it was the sun in the center, was a little bit hazy and cloudy, so you actually could look towards it, not directly at it, as they tell you in elementary school. Do not look directly at the sun.

Dan (22:42)

Right. Yeah.

Mikkel (22:49)

But it had like a circular ring around it, almost like a lens flare. But you didn't have to look through a lens for this. This was visible to the naked eye. That is also in our video about our experience linked in the show notes. And it was just really cool and very special.

Dan (23:06)

Yeah, that was a really unique experience and once again like you just have such a great perspective from the water looking at the stunning coastline of Maine.

Mikkel (23:16)

Yeah. Let's talk about the food. So Friday, which if you're boarding Friday or Tuesday, whatever day, the first day your trip starts, you actually do not eat on board. So you have dinner in town. So we looked up some restaurants in the area and selected one and had dinner on shore. The first meal we had was Saturday morning just before sailing.

Chef Ian told us that traditionally they do blueberry pancakes and bacon. They get the meat from a local butcher in Union, Maine, which is near Rockland. They had gluten-free options for the few gluten-free guests on board, and we also had some vegetarians on board. So that's just to mention that it's not a problem to accommodate dietary restrictions. 

And also that morning, he kind of made an announcement in the galley that if anybody had any other dietary restrictions, please let him know while we were still docked and he could go out and run some errands if he needed. 

And also said, you know, if there's like a coffee creamer you just can't live without, let me know that too. I'll go get it. Nobody was that needy, so that's great. Lunch, right? Lunch was a delicious, fresh Israeli salad with cucumber tomato... I think he had some edamame in there. Hummus, chicken. He made the hummus from scratch. There was some... like a... like a…like turmeric cauliflower for the vegetarians. There was gluten-free naan for the gluten-free people who needed it and regular naan as well.

Dan (24:49)

And then dinner, like we talked about earlier, was onshore and it was the lobster bake. Well, not only lobster, but there was flank steak, and there was... okay, so there's a lot of things. There was... right, right. So the beach dinner was lobster, steak, pasta salad, there was charcuterie, there was some wine and some sangria, and then the surprise and delight at the end was we made s'mores right there on the beach. 

Mikkel (24:59)

There was a lot. It was a smorgasbord. It was amazing.

Mikkel (25:17)

Yes. And I was so happy about the s'mores because, as you know, and we'll talk about this next week, but our hotel right before this ran out of s'mores, so we weren't able to partake in that. So when they had s'mores on the beach, I was so excited. And this was our beach lobster dinner on Pickering Island. 

And what the crew was able to pull off on the beach was incredible. I mean, they had this huge bucket of lobsters. The lobsters that we did a little anatomy lesson with just before the steaming pot, unfortunately for them. Thank you for your sacrifice, lobsters. 

We were on a science cruise, actually, which was just to say that this wonderful marine biologist, Phoebe, was on board and was able to show us the different parts of a lobster and explain a bit about the lobster community and lobster fishermen and everything, lobstermen in Maine and how the industry works. 

I loved that when we got to the beach, we saw that, you know, everything was in action. We had to go in tender boats, a motorboat, to go to the shore. This is very typical. So there were two women in their 70s on board who were saying that they were so proud of themselves that they could go up and down the ladder stairs. They're not really stairs and it's not quite a ladder on the ship, but you do go backwards up and down on a typical schooner. And they also had to climb down the side of the schooner on a ladder to get into the boat. We all did. 

So we were tendered over to shore and by the time we were on the last boat, dinner was well underway. So that was really cool. And I loved seeing that they had taken seaweed and put it on top of all of the lobsters baking in that steamy bath. 

Dan (26:35)

Mm-hmm.

Mikkel (27:00)

And then that's how they kind of like maintained the top of it, the moisture. It was just so cool.

Dan (27:07)

Really a special experience. On our last Maine Windjammer cruise on American Eagle, due to the weather we had to do it on board that night, the lobster night. It was delicious, don't get me wrong, it was just a different experience. So I'm so glad we were able to do it on shore and really get that whole rustic kind of lobster bake experience.

Mikkel (27:28)

I felt very New England and very Maine. Says a Long Island girl who did not grow up with lobster bakes on the beach, but did grow up going to lobster establishments on the coast, but nothing like this. We were sitting on like a big boulder with our lobster crackers cracking the claws and they melted butter for us. There was plenty of food. They did corn on the cob; that was delicious. 

Dan (27:30)

Yeah, yeah.

Mikkel (27:53)

They baked it in the husk. It was just phenomenal. They did it all over wood fire. It was just incredible. And there was no shortage of lobster. If you wanted another lobster, you could take one. We were reaching our lobster max at that point. So we only had one that day because we had had some on the previous days in town. But that was great. 

Like you said, we finished with s'mores, went back on board for the night and then Sunday we woke up to the delicious smell of biscuits and gravy. So that was yummy. He also made a vegetarian and gluten-free version.

Dan (28:22)

Yeah. That was good.

Then for lunch we had Irish lamb stew with some Irish soda bread, which was very hearty and very comfort food. It was delicious.

Mikkel (28:39)

Again, a vegetarian option was there with squash and such for the vegetarians. It was nice because Chef Ian has some Irish roots, so he used his grandmother's recipe for that. So that was kind of a nice connection to learn about from him.

Dan (28:52)

And it is nice too because the ship is so small and the passenger count is low, you can go down in the galley and you can talk to the chef. When he gives a little presentation, before we eat the meal, you get those stories of, "Hey, this is my grandmother's recipe," and things like that. And it just kind of like clicks a little bit more with what you're eating and why it matters to the chef.

Mikkel (29:13)

Right, and we were able to learn that he has owned various restaurants in the past, all through conversation with him. And you know, the reason people ended up washing dishes and helping him one night on this trip was just because, like, you're on the top deck, you're schmoozing, you want something to do with your hands, you know. So yeah, that is a nice aspect to it. Also on Sunday we had a most gorgeous happy hour. 

This was our final dinner of the cruise. So there was a huge charcuterie board. Chef Ian made fresh smoked trout dip. There was crab dip, crab-stuffed mushrooms. There was more wine. And then that was just before dinner. Okay. So that wasn't dinner. The final dinner was gorgeous huge pieces of salmon. You could just kind of break off the amount you wanted. Risotto and asparagus. And this just made me remember: Everything is served family-style.

Mikkel (30:07)

There's no individual plating. You grab a plate, and you take what you want.

Dan (30:11)

There was never any time that the food ran out. There was always plenty of food, so you're not gonna go hungry.

Mikkel (30:17)

You will not go hungry. Right. So the final breakfast was an English breakfast. Very interesting. Wasn't expecting that. With scrambled eggs, blood sausage. I did not partake. You and I have had blood sausage in England. It's not particularly our thing, but it was kind of fun that it was there. Baked beans, bacon. There was delicious homemade bread with a homemade whipped honey butter. I loved that.

Dan (30:27)

Yeah. Yeah.

Mikkel (30:40)

Also, there was fruit in fruit bowls. So if you wanted a tangerine or was avocado, several. On the second day a few of us women realized, wait, we could slice this avocado and eat it, which is why it was there. So we started all slicing the avocado, you know, the subsequent days. So that was really nice.

A note on the drinks...

Dan (30:59)

Yes. That's what I was just thinking. The always available coffee. So you've got that. And coffee and water is always available. And then… Yeah. And tea. And then there is an ice box situation. So you can BYOB. So bring your beverage of choice on board. Some of the other passengers brought some beers; we brought some soda water, and I saw other people bring they had bottles of wine. So it's kind of like choose your own

Mikkel (31:06)

Mm-hmm.

Dan (31:27)

adventure as far as alcohol or other drinks on board, there is refrigeration "ice box" available to keep your drinks cool.

Mikkel (31:31)

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Yes, and it was really nice that they provided limited wine. So some wine, a white and a red, ⁓ with dinner two nights in a row for the lobster dinner and for Sunday. But, you know, bringing your own for your own preference is definitely recommended. They just asked that you only put your drinks that you're drinking for that day in the ice because there's limited space and everybody should have a little, a little something on ice if they want.

Let's get into costs. So what did this gorgeous cruise cost? It really varies based on the cruise, including how many nights and when. So like, early June and very late September are gonna be a little less than peak season in July and August. That's really all over Maine, actually. Peak tourism season in Maine is July and August.

Dan (32:21)

For our early season cruise, it was $3,400. That was not including gratuity, which the suggested gratuity rate is 5-10% of the cruise cost. Now keep in mind that they ask that those tips come in cash as well. So bring some cash along. There is not an ATM on board.

Mikkel (32:41)

There is a Key Bank, I think it was in town, but it's not our bank. Another option is to write a check out to cash and put that in the little envelope they leave if you want to leave some tips. The season of the cruising is from early June to very early October. The last cruise this year for Grace Bailey is at the end of September. It ends on October 3rd. 

I am jealous that those people are gonna get some leaf peeping, some colorful leaves, hopefully. I'm sure that's why that's popular. 

And also like I said before, it's priced per person. So ours was, you know, $3,400, but you know, divide that by two. That was just the total for us because we were two people. There's also a Maine resident discount. So if you are listening and you are in Maine, there's a Maine resident discount that is on their website. And that is currently a button you can click.

Dan (33:06)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, there was a couple of people that were on our cruise that had said they took advantage of that Maine resident discount. So, it was exciting to see locals drive over to the port and jump on the boat.

Mikkel (33:40)

Yeah, and it was exciting to hear their perspective of like why they went on the ship when they live in Maine. So I liked that.

Dan (33:46)

So as we wrap up this episode, thing to note is our next episode, we're gonna be talking about the road trip we did prior to the cruise and after the cruise. So before and after the cruise, we did a small road trip and we're gonna share how to maximize your time in Maine and what else to see while you're there, pre and post cruise.

Mikkel (34:08)

Yeah, I don't really think it makes sense to go just for a three-night cruise to Maine, because you're really investing financially and time-wise in flying there from another area and we had to rent a car, we rented a car. We'll get into that next week and what the options are to get to the ship. But a road trip is kind of a no-brainer for us. We did it last time, we did it this time. Highly recommend it. Don't regret it. Hit subscribe or follow so you don't miss that episode. And until next time...

Dan (34:37)

Keep cruising.