Bar Harbor Tour and More with Woody

Bar Harbor Coastal Cab van

I originally was wait listed on a tour from the Holland American Veendam Shore excursions. But once I met Rich and the group from Cruise Critic at the first meet & greet, I was invited along on a private tour to Winter Harbor and Acadia National Forest. I wanted to go on the private tour, and luckily HAL was very accommodating as they did send me the ticket to my room. But I asked them if I could cancel, and I am so glad that I did. The private tour with Woody could not have been better.

Inside of Woody's van

First off, Woody is just a super nice guy. He has lived in the area his whole life and knows almost everything there is to know. He is kind and cared when I got cold. He took us to all the places we were supposed to go and then some. We first went to the Naval Facility at Winter Harbor, then would back around through Acadia National Forest, stopping at all the key spots along the way. 

Arcadia National Forest

The coldest yet most beautiful spot was Cadillac Mountain. So glad we got to go there. If you squint your eyes a bit, or maybe get a magnifying glass, you can see our cruise ship right above the shoreline.

View from Cadillac Mountain

You cannot go wrong with Woody and his Bar Harbor Coastal Cab tours. You can find his website here. He does all kinds of private tours and can adapt yours to exactly what you want to see, but don't miss Cadillac Mountain. It is gorgeous. Don't forget to tell Woody we said hi ... from Luh, Rich, Al and Gail!

Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor

Acadia National Park

There are few places on earth as gorgeous as the coast of Maine. I loved Camden and all the little beach towns along the way, when my husband and I traveled there by car in 2009. Last time I was there in late September, and it was nippy. But nothing prepared me for the bitter cold and wind when we arrived in Bar Harbor on our cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal on the Holland America Veendam.

The day was clear, our guide Woody was great and we took a van ride to the Naval facility at Winter Harbor. It was important to the two Navy guys we had along on the tour. I tagged along and was glad I did.

View from Cadillac Mountain

We first went to the Naval facility and then wound around for the rest of the tour through Acadia National Forest. It is stunning, but the winds were treacherous at Cadillac Mountain. One tidbit I learned is that the Mountain is named after the same guy as the car. Who knew that Cadillac was a person? He was one of the original founders of Detroit. 

Information on the Naval facility at Winter Harbor

View of the plaque at Winter Harbor

The Naval facility has a very interesting history. It served as the location of the Naval Security group from 1935 to 2002. Fun to learn a little bit of Naval history.