New to Portland, Maine for the 2006 summer Bay Ferries' "Cat" is a highspeed waterjet catamaran ferry running between Portland or Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, NS. It offers service from Portland on Friday-Sunday ]late spring & fall] and Thursday-Sunday [Summer]. The Cat offers an excellent alternative between Maine and Nova Scotia to driving through New Brunswick. The Cat carries vehicles, motorcoaches, and walk-on passengers. The departure times for all services is either 8AM or 9AM [Bar Harbor on Monday], and the returns are at 4PM Atlantic [except for Monday] and 5PM on Monday. The Bar Harbor crossing takes 3 hours, while the Portland crossing takes 5 hours. A few key tips are:

The Cat is a great ferry boat. It is much more comfortable to ride then a traditional ferry. The best advice  to can offer is to arrive 2 hours early with your vehicle if you want a chance to get seating in one of the movie lounges. If you dont get seats in the movie lounge it is virtually impossible to watch the movie. The currency onboard is AMERICAN MONEY which isnt a problem because they exchange it onboard.

Also, be aware that getting through customs will take an hour in each direction.