The new operators of ferry service between Portland and Yarmouth Nova Scotia have set ticket prices for the coming season.
Bay Ferries says its new version of The Cat will leave Portland in the midafternoon, arrive 5 1/2 hours later in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, then turn around at 8:30 a.m. the next day for the trip back to Portland. The cost? Just under $800 round-trip for a couple and a car.
The price for one person, alone and on foot, is $197 round trip.
Chris Hall, CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, says that compares well with prices set by the previous ferry service, the Nova Star. And he says that the schedule should encourage Canadian visitors to make overnight stays in Portland — to the benefit of the area hospitality industry.
“I would definitely say that any of the local establishments within walking distance of the terminal are going to see a significant uptick,” he says. “They’re going to like that. It’s going to be good for them.”
The exact scheduling is still a bit up on the air, though, as Portland and Bay Ferries officials try to negotiate times that will not overly conflict with cruise ship traffic, which is expected to hit a new peak this year.
Bay Ferries officials were not available for comment by air time.
Online comments in the Canadian media were at first critical of the price structure. That was before the posting of official prices, which include a $100 discount off the price most days for taking a car on the ferry — a discount, that is, for Nova Scotia residents.
