After approximately 24-hours docked at the state pier in Portsmouth, at slack tide on Tuesday morning, the 100 passenger American Cruise Line ship “American Glory” set sail for Gloucester MA as the next port on its 15-day Grand New England Cruise. The cruise began on July 1 in Boston and will include / included stops in Bar Harbor, Bangor, Camden, Rockland, Bath, Boothbay Harbor, Portland, Provincetown, Plymouth, Martha’s Vineyard/Nantucket and Newport. Ship passengers were transported from the pier to downtown in American Cruise Line buses.
While in Portsmouth, passengers had the opportunity to take organized excursions and patronize popular Portsmouth tourist attractions including Strawberry Bank and the Moffat-Ladd House. Other Portsmouth businesses befitting from passenger patronage include those that offer a city bike tour, wine tasting, candle making and paddling boarding.
In 2025, American Cruise Lines is scheduled to dock in Portsmouth eight times as part of its Grand New England Cruise with its Patriot class ships that carry 125 passengers. Its first Grand New England Cruise leaves Boston on June 21, 2025.
Providentially, preliminary information suggests there were no reported incidents of flash mob restaurant stampedes, retailers being hassled to produce a penny candy jar, or traffic mayhem caused by throngs of jay walkers as was feared by some members of Portsmouth’s Economic Development Commission at its October 6, 2023 meeting (see discussion starting at 30 min 30 sec to 50 min).
10.6.2023 Economic Development Commission – YouTube
