Residents in the Maine town of Bar Harbor will decide in November whether to affirm or repeal the 1,000-passenger daily limit on cruise passengers that they approved in a referendum two years ago.
If they vote to repeal the 1,000-passenger limit that they approved in November 2022, the town council is ready with a 3,200-passenger daily limit that it passed via ordinance this summer.
Passenger restrictions before the 2022 referendum changed with the seasons, allowing 3,500 passengers a day in July and August and 5,500 passengers a day in May, June, September and October. A 1,000-passenger limit effectively shuts out the large ships operated by the major cruise lines.
After voters approved the 1,000-passenger cap, the measure was tied up in court because businesses that rely on tourism filed suit against it. The U.S. District Court in Maine ended up allowing the passenger cap to go into effect in March of this year, but it did not result in a large decrease in cruise visitation, reported Seatrade Cruise News. That's because many large cruise lines scheduled 2024 port calls before the November 2022 referendum, and the council said those port reservations would be grandfathered.
Meanwhile, local businesses have appealed the judge's decision to allow the 1,000-passenger limit to stand, perpetuating a string of lawsuits the town has had to defend against.
There are grandfathered port calls in upcoming years, including those from Norwegian Cruise Line on the Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl from August through October in 2025 and 2026; the Regal Princess from Princess Cruises in the fall of 2025 through 2028; and Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas in fall 2029.
Bar Harbor is a popular port on New England/Canada cruises, and the port is a gateway to Acadia National Park. The town reported that about 250,000 cruise passengers visited Bar Harbor in 2019, and that a 1,000-passenger limit could cut that number in half.
The Bar Harbor fight pits residents frustrated with large crowds during the busy season against businesses and their employees who make a living from tourism. Worldwide, efforts to curb cruise ship visits have intensified since the pandemic, when residents got a prolonged taste of life without port calls.