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What is Included on an All-Inclusive Tour with Maine Brews Cruise?

An all-inclusive tour could mean a lot of different things. We want to make sure our guests have an experience they will never forget, which could be hard to do if you had to pay for everything along the way. So we created all of our tours in an all-inclusive format. So what exactly does Maine Brews Cruise provide for each guest on our tours?

Samples

Tasters and flights at each stop are included in your ticket price. Each location that we visit will provide a sample of their latest or most sought-after craft alcohol products. For the time that we are there, you can expect multiple samples to explore different styles and brands. You are not obligated to finish all of the samples, we’re sure there will be somebody nearby to help you out.

Our tours always include beer, but often our itineraries will also include wine, cider, mead, kombucha, gruit, or spirits! There is always time for purchasing an additional pour, cans, bottles, merch, growlers or a snack from the food truck. Those additional purchases are on your own.

 

Production Tour

Each tour itinerary is scheduled in advance with our partners and are designed to include at least one tour of a production facility. Our guests love the chance to see where the magic happens. Either your Brew Bus guide or someone from the staff of our partners will talk about how they began production and the incredible techniques they use to create each flavor.

Things like getting your hands on different styles of hops and barley, peeking into open fermentation tanks, or watching a canning or bottling run are just a few incredible experiences that often happen on our tours.     

 

Tour Guide

Not only do you get a behind-the-scenes look at amazing breweries, wineries, and distilleries, but your expert Brew Bus guidance counselor is there every step of the way to serve as your own beverage consultant.

Don’t like IPA’s because they are too bitter? Never liked white spirits after that one gin-cident many years ago? Wish you liked sour beers…but you just can’t get into them? You are not alone with these or other feelings, so our guides will do their best to find products you may be surprised by.

They will also take you through the incredible history of the city each stop calls home, especially New England’s controversial connection with Prohibition. Brew Trivia in the categories of math, science, history, geography, and vocabulary is always a highlight on our tours. And we love talking about the area came to be one of the top beer destinations in the world are just the start of all you have to learn on our tours!

 

Designated Driver

One of the best parts of this tour with us is your safe and sober driver. Think of them as your own chauffeur to safely get you to multiple locations that are all serving alcohol.

Many of our stops are significantly outside of the downtown area, so having the bus driver taking care of the navigation and parking is certainly a huge advantage over trying to find each location on your own. And let’s not even forget the implications from drinking and then operating a vehicle.

Our drivers are also trained as guides, so the two-person team that is leading your tour is very well equipped to make your tour a safe and incredible experience.

Scheduled Appointments

Nobody likes to be surprised by unexpected visitors, so all of our schedules are coordinated with our partners well ahead of your tour. We also remind them a couple of days before the visit and let them know how many people to expect.

Nearly all of the places we visit are open to the public, but you and your friends will not have the kind of insider access that we have when we visit at our scheduled times.  

And we are very particular about timing, we like to arrive at each location precisely when we say we will be there.

Snacks

Each tour includes food, an essential piece to make sure that you maintain for the duration of the tour, and the time after. We want to make sure that your tour with us isn’t the last thing you do while visiting our area.

Water

Bottled water will also be provided on each seat on the bus. Since alcohol strips water from the body, an easy way to prevent dehydration is to keep the H20 flowing. Also, as you learned once in health class, alcohol is a diuretic. That means it makes you need to use the bathroom more often than you usually would.

Besides, the best way to avoid a hangover is to moderate your drinking and have water between alcoholic drinks. So if you need more, just ask us—we’ll be happy to get another bottle for you!

Partner Gratuities

At each location we visit, you may catch our team paying for the samples and the experience that we all enjoyed. We also pay gratuity (on behalf of you) to the staff at each location for the service that was received.

In most cases, we have a dedicated staff member from our partners who is working directly with us for the duration of the time that we are there. Their time is essential so that we can get an in-depth experience right from a facility representative.

If you book a private tour, than gratuity for our driver and guide is already included in the private package.

If you are on a public tour and feel that our team did a good job, then a gratuity may be appropriate to be left in the cup by the door. They always split their gratuities evenly. So although tips are never expected, they are greatly appreciated by our team.

Tote Bags

At your seat, you’ll find a branded Brew Bus bottle bag that is yours to keep. It is where we store your water and other goodies. It’s perfect to carry your purchases to the hotel or back home that you made at each stop or from our official home.

 

Insurance

Not exactly the first thing you might think about, but our company is fully insured to operate our tours. We are also registered with the city as a tour operator and we operate well within the local ordinances and laws.

Other Goodies

We always provide a couple of Brew Bus stickers in the bags, and often information and discounts for area events and attractions. You’ll often find out about an upcoming beer festival in the area by finding a flyer in the bag.

 

Private Tour Benefits

With our private tour price, you and your group will be the only ones on board. So you’ll have the bus to yourself and the private it includes gratuity for each stop, the driver and the guide. Our public tour price is per person and includes gratuity for each stop but NOT for the driver and guide.

As you can see, our all-inclusive tours include much more than you might think. They are designed this way so that you don’t have to pay for anything else unless you want to. Our idea is that if guests know before the tour exactly what the costs are (with no surprises or extra fees), then they will be more inclined to buy merchandise and packaged alcohol to take home!

So sit back, relax and enjoy your all-inclusive ride on the bus as we take care of Driving You to Drink Local.