Encore Unveils Three Transportation Services Ahead of Opening

Whether you’re coming from Londonderry or Ferry Street, Encore Boston Harbor this week is touting and rolling out luxury transportation options to get to the resort casino that don’t involve driving in a car

Jim Folk of Encore Boston Harbor this week detailed three transit services that will be offered by Encore once the resort opens in June – including motor yachts on the Harbor, mini-coaches through Everett and Premium Regional buses from far away.

“These are just great and comfortable ways to get to Encore,” he said. “The ways to get here and not have to deal with any traffic in your car will be the premium bus lines, the Orange Line or over water on the motor yachts.”

The Premium buses will leave from the Londonderry, NH park and ride; and potentially from the Millbury Park & Ride and the Rockland Park & Ride. The three routes will have nine premium buses that seat 49 passengers.

The, like all things Encore, will be a five-star experience, and are meant for customers coming from a long distance who want to avoid driving.

“These are premium buses we had built,” he said. “They will be handicap accessible and will have bathrooms and a small kitchen area. We can provide water or coffee there if we choose. They will have deluxe, high-backed leather seats with trays. They will be branded with Encore and will be an amazing experience for our guests.”

Those buses will work on a reservation system, where users can reserve a seat and pay for it online. Those who wish to gamble that a seat is available could pay by credit card on site.

The cost for a one-way trip on the premium buses will be $7 at opening.

•Of greater interest locally will be the mini-coaches – a shuttle system that will boast three routes through the Everett area and that will be a major connection to the Orange Line.

“The new Orange Line shuttles provide a luxury ride to and from our front door, with service frequent enough to meet the needs of any guest,” said Robert DeSalvio, President of Encore Boston Harbor. “We encourage everyone to take advantage of these and other shared transportation options to make the most of their visit to the resort.”

The Neighborhood Shuttle will feature three, 28 passenger mini-coaches that will be luxury fitted, and ADA accessible. That route will start at the Silver Line SL3 terminus at the Market Basket in Chelsea. From there, it will travel to the Everett City Hall/Everett Square area for a stop. It will pick up there and travel to the Seven Acre Park area in the Village, where it will stop at the upcoming guest overflow parking lot. The final stop will be at Encore on Lower Broadway.

That shuttle will not loop around, but will then return on the same route in an outbound/inbound fashion.

Two other routes will concentrate on connecting guests to the MBTA Orange Line at Wellington and Malden Stations. The first route will have seven mini-coaches that seat 52 passengers and include two entry doors. They will be branded Encore and will travel between Malden Station, Wellington Station and Encore.

The second route will uses the same buses and will go between Wellington Station and Encore.

The shuttle from the Wellington MBTA Station will run 24 hours daily, departing every 10 to 20 minutes and traveling directly to Encore Boston Harbor. The shuttle from the Malden Center MBTA Station will depart every 20 minutes from 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., making a stop at Wellington Station on the way to Encore Boston Harbor.

Folk said the Orange Line would be the best way to get to the resort, and they are really pushing guests to use the Orange Line and the mini-coach systems.

“We know we don’t have enough parking on our busiest days at our site,” he said. “So, the best way to get to the resort is to take the Orange Line. It’s the best way to get there and you’ll be able to avoid all traffic. In fact, the MBTA has agreed to put on extra service during our opening period.”

He said guests taking the Orange Line, however, will be steered to Wellington Station, and they shouldn’t try to go to Sullivan Station.

“We want people to stay on the train and go on to Wellington,” he said. “It’s actually a quicker ride to get there from Wellington believe it or not. You avoid all the traffic in Sullivan Square.”

•The final transportation method will be by motor yacht, which is what Encore is calling its water transportation boats. The 39-foot boats – built in Charlestown by Boston Boat Works – will house 39 passengers on a circuit that will start in the Seaport at World Trade Center East. That starting point is just a short walk from the new MassPort marine garage built for people using water transport.

“If you’re driving in from the south, we’re going to tell you not to drive again,” he said. “We’ll tell them to stop and take the boat. The South Boston bypass road is open now to everyone and the MassPort garage is right there where our motor yacht picks up. That is a great way to get to Encore.”

From the Seaport, the motor yachts will travel to the MBTA Dock at Long Wharf. From there, it will go to Encore and then repeat.

The service is open to anyone wishing to use the boats, and it will cost $7 one way.

“You don’t have to go to Encore to use this boat,” he said. “There is no direct connection between the Seaport and the Blue Line right now. This will give that connection to the Blue Line at Long Wharf. That’s a connection people can utilize every day if they want to.”

The Encore motor yachts will run 365 days a year, seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to midnight.

He said they are also working on some collaborations with other water transportation entities, including Rowe’s Wharf Water Taxi for a direct ride from the airport to Encore.

He said they wouldn’t rule out adding additional stops and service in the future because they believe the water transportation element will be heavily utilized by guests.