Bar Harbor votes to limit cruisers

[Twitchly]

https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2022-11-09/bar-harbor-voters-approve-major-reductions-to-cruise-ship-passengers
 

With a cap of 1K per day, Viking could still squeak in … though maybe not if staff disembark, too.

[Selion]

So... Basically they voted to let the well-to-do cruisers in, but ban cruisers who can't or won't spend the $$$ on small ship cruises.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Selion

[zalusky]

Princess no more then.  I wonder if cruise lines could institute a reservation policy and only allow so many off the ship as a solution!

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, Selion said:

So... Basically they voted to let the well-to-do cruisers in, but ban cruisers who can't or won't spend the $$$ on small ship cruises.

 

Their town - their rules.  They have decided that the amount of money brought in by the people from the large ships are not worth the hassle they cause the time who come into Bar Harbor by land and who spend real money in town.  Good for them for that decision.  I have been in Bar Harbor when it was overrun by cruise ship passengers.

 

DON

[CILCIANRQTS]

7 hours ago, zalusky said:

Princess no more then.  I wonder if cruise lines could institute a reservation policy and only allow so many off the ship as a solution!

That would go over big!
I can hear the whining now - “I have status, so I should get priority in going ashore!”

[Jim Avery]

3 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

That would go over big!
I can hear the whining now - “I have status, so I should get priority in going ashore!”

That's exactly what our last trip on P was like.  Seemed everyone had the Black Card and all were pushing to be first at everything.  Never again.  I would vote em out too if I lived there.

[slewis7]

12 hours ago, Selion said:

So... Basically they voted to let the well-to-do cruisers in, but ban cruisers who can't or won't spend the $$$ on small ship cruises.

The intention is to limit the total number of folks disembarking from cruise ships ona given day.  I was there on a large cruise ship not too long ago and it was very easy to see why many residents would want this limit.  The fact that this restriction allows the smaller ships to go there and that they tend to have higher income passengers is simply a side effect and obviously not the main motivation.

[janetcbl]

8 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

Their town - their rules.  They have decided that the amount of money brought in by the people from the large ships are not worth the hassle they cause the time who come into Bar Harbor by land and who spend real money in town.  Good for them for that decision.  I have been in Bar Harbor when it was overrun by cruise ship passengers.

 

DON

I spent many weeks in Bar Harbor before cruise ships started to stop there. Part of the charm of the town was the low key atmosphere and small town feel….people wandering the streets, stopping in shops and restaurants, etc. I can’t imagine what it would feel like with cruise ships…..

 

 

 

 

[Selion]

4 hours ago, slewis7 said:

The intention is to limit the total number of folks disembarking from cruise ships ona given day.  I was there on a large cruise ship not too long ago and it was very easy to see why many residents would want this limit.  The fact that this restriction allows the smaller ships to go there and that they tend to have higher income passengers is simply a side effect and obviously not the main motivation.

I understand the intent.  If they really don't want cruisers in town, why not just ban cruise ships all together?  Seems to me whoever came up with the 1000/day number knows the cruise industry pretty well.

[PasadenaDave]

Cruise ships have a large impact on a community like this but not a lot of spending.  There are more than enough non-cruise tourists as it is.

 

I grew up outside of Portland and back in the 70's we complained of crowds of people from away.  I was back there this past week and even in November Portland has a lot of people.

 

What many don't understand that one of the issues is staffing.  Maine has the oldest population in the US.  With the crackdown on seasonal work visas, many seasonal businesses struggle to get help in the summer and some actually close down Labor Day weekend for the season due to lack of staff.

 

As for Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island does not have much affordable housing and many employees commute in from Ellsworth and further.  Large cruise ships are quite a strain on the island.

[Twitchly]

16 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Cruise ships have a large impact on a community like this but not a lot of spending.  There are more than enough non-cruise tourists as it is.

I’m sympathetic. Cruises are great for many things, but there’s no question they overwhelm small ports and completely change their character. 

[CCWineLover]

6 hours ago, Twitchly said:

I’m sympathetic. Cruises are great for many things, but there’s no question they overwhelm small ports and completely change their character. 

Right!  Just ask the folks in Alaska.  I happened to be in Juneau on business and got to see first hand what it is like when the thousands/hordes of passengers flood the streets.  And the relief when they go back on board.  

[Cienfuegos]

My wife and I spent a few days in Skagway Alaska in the mid 1990s. The surge of wall to wall people when three cruise ships are in port is amazing. It makes midtown Manhattan rush hour look like Podunk.

 

We did a two week on our own, with small planes, several ferries, the White Pass railroad, rental cars, etc all playing a role. Fun times.

[duquephart]

Skagway is basically owned by the megas.

[SJD117]

If you want a quiet time on Mount Desert Island, try camping in Acadia National Park in mid-September or later. Back in 2005, Linda and I pitched our tent near Southwest Harbor and spent a delightful two nights in relative solitude. Not a cruise ship passenger to be seen! 

[CILCIANRQTS]

This is just like Key West’s experience.

A few local businesses make money, but the vast majority of residents hate what cruising has done to the character of KW. And the Florida politicians tell them they don’t have the right to regulate cruising in their own town!

[Baron Barracuda]

Wonder how municipal budget (and local taxes) will be impacted by big drop-off in port charges.

[sippican]

It is still puzzling that there has been no effort to reduce visitors from all other sources. Cruise ships mostly call after the peak tourist season of summer. If you've even been there during July and August you know that Bar Harbor is an absolute zoo. Not a parking place to be had, should to shoulder on Main St.

How is it that residents are accepting of the impact of motor vehicle tourist traffic, but not cruise ship visits? The CAT ferry is once again running following the multi-year cessation that resulted from a similar resident initiative. This is a tourist town. Saying that only a few profit from cruise ships makes no sense. We visit Acadia/Bar Harbor each year in August. This year I had the opportunity to visit it as a port of call while cruising off-season. The stores and restaurants were full, tour operators bustling and crowds downtown. How is this different from any other high season day? Sure, passengers are not spending their money in hotels. Can that be the driving force? The tourist-driven small businesses will just shut down earlier and the well-to-do residents that have infiltrated the island will enjoy their peace and quiet for a longer season.

[donaldsc]

3 hours ago, sippican said:

It is still puzzling that there has been no effort to reduce visitors from all other sources. Cruise ships mostly call after the peak tourist season of summer. If you've even been there during July and August you know that Bar Harbor is an absolute zoo. Not a parking place to be had, should to shoulder on Main St.

How is it that residents are accepting of the impact of motor vehicle tourist traffic, but not cruise ship visits? The CAT ferry is once again running following the multi-year cessation that resulted from a similar resident initiative. This is a tourist town. Saying that only a few profit from cruise ships makes no sense. We visit Acadia/Bar Harbor each year in August. This year I had the opportunity to visit it as a port of call while cruising off-season. The stores and restaurants were full, tour operators bustling and crowds downtown. How is this different from any other high season day? Sure, passengers are not spending their money in hotels. Can that be the driving force? The tourist-driven small businesses will just shut down earlier and the well-to-do residents that have infiltrated the island will enjoy their peace and quiet for a longer season.

 

The difference is that cruise visitors spend almost no money in town.  They just crowd the streets, buy a few souvenirs and maybe buy an ice cream cone.  Land visitors spend time in town.  They may even spend several days in or near town.  They leave money behind.  

 

DON

[Twitchly]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

The difference is that cruise visitors spend almost no money in town.  They just crowd the streets, buy a few souvenirs and maybe buy an ice cream cone.  Land visitors spend time in town.  They may even spend several days in or near town.  They leave money behind.  

 

DON

I would imagine another difference would be the dramatic and sudden influx of cruise visitors, as opposed to the more gradual ebb and flow typical of land tourists. The sudden arrival in a small town of an additional 2K or 3K people would have a noticeable impact. 

[Mariastreby]

By total coincidence, we are booked on two Viking cruises that will feel the impact of these ports wanting to limit cruise ships. Our upcoming Panama Canal & Central America cruise will have an extra sea day because they had to drop Key West. We weren’t informed until September, but we know Viking knew prior to that. We’ll get $150 obc for it, but some people are ticked because it’s now a 6th sea day on a 14 day cruise. 

 

We also happen to be on the repo cruise from Montreal to Ft Lauderdale from 9/28 - 10/10/2023. It does stop in Bar Harbor, unlike any of the regular cruises between NYC and Canada. So now I’m guessing it won’t, though Viking is bad about letting passengers know these things much in advance. They can hopefully come up with something better than a sea day. I didn’t even want to spend time in town, but taking a tour around Acadia.

[CCWineLover]

39 minutes ago, Mariastreby said:

By total coincidence, we are booked on two Viking cruises that will feel the impact of these ports wanting to limit cruise ships. Our upcoming Panama Canal & Central America cruise will have an extra sea day because they had to drop Key West. We weren’t informed until September, but we know Viking knew prior to that. We’ll get $150 obc for it, but some people are ticked because it’s now a 6th sea day on a 14 day cruise. 

 

We also happen to be on the repo cruise from Montreal to Ft Lauderdale from 9/28 - 10/10/2023. It does stop in Bar Harbor, unlike any of the regular cruises between NYC and Canada. So now I’m guessing it won’t, though Viking is bad about letting passengers know these things much in advance. They can hopefully come up with something better than a sea day. I didn’t even want to spend time in town, but taking a tour around Acadia.

Maria - didn't know you were also on the 9/26-9/10 MTL-FLL cruise as well.  So are we, so we'll see you on both these cruises.  And yes, interesting to note that we are affected by both Bar Harbor and Key West.   We also wanted to just tour around Acadia.  We probably won't know anything "official" about Bar Harbor until before sailing.

Kent

[PasadenaDave]

43 minutes ago, Mariastreby said:

By total coincidence, we are booked on two Viking cruises that will feel the impact of these ports wanting to limit cruise ships. Our upcoming Panama Canal & Central America cruise will have an extra sea day because they had to drop Key West. We weren’t informed until September, but we know Viking knew prior to that. We’ll get $150 obc for it, but some people are ticked because it’s now a 6th sea day on a 14 day cruise. 

 

We also happen to be on the repo cruise from Montreal to Ft Lauderdale from 9/28 - 10/10/2023. It does stop in Bar Harbor, unlike any of the regular cruises between NYC and Canada. So now I’m guessing it won’t, though Viking is bad about letting passengers know these things much in advance. They can hopefully come up with something better than a sea day. I didn’t even want to spend time in town, but taking a tour around Acadia.

The park road around Acadia gets crowded as well.  I find that I spend less time in National Parks these days and more time in the less crowded adjacent areas.  Two years ago driving from Colorado to California my route took me through a corner of Bryce.  I had been there prior so I have seen it, but every parking lot that I drove by was full…..so much for a short walk.  I did stop but at another location away from crowds and still beautiful.  I was also able to go off the path in this less traveled area

[Mariastreby]

1 hour ago, PasadenaDave said:

  Two years ago driving from Colorado to California my route took me through a corner of Bryce.  I had been there prior so I have seen it, but every parking lot that I drove by was full…..so much for a short walk.  I did stop but at another location away from crowds and still beautiful.  I was also able to go off the path in this less traveled area

You’re right.  Parking at many National Parks gets worse every year. We scored decent parking at the Grand Canyon last year because we stayed in one of their motels, near the train station.  In both 2016 and 2017, we got Bryce parking spaces by going earlier, or perhaps a bit off season. Even got precious space in Arches, which you now have to get timed tickets for. Those were all week days in October, when kids were in school. 
 

Here on the East coast, besides Acadia, the Smoky Mountains is a hugely visited and crowded National Park. The gateway town, Gatlinburg, TN, is disgustingly touristy now. Actually, just the kind of place mega ship cruisers would love. 🙄

[Mariastreby]

2 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Maria - didn't know you were also on the 9/26-9/10 MTL-FLL cruise as well.  So are we, so we'll see you on both these cruises.  And yes, interesting to note that we are affected by both Bar Harbor and Key West.   We also wanted to just tour around Acadia.  We probably won't know anything "official" about Bar Harbor until before sailing.

Kent

Kent,

That’s really cool! What are the chances? Then you are taking the southern crossing not long after as well, right? Seems as if we both like itineraries that include a fair amount of sea days, and don’t cause much jet lag. Though I’ll have none for either of these cruises, living right on the Atlantic coast as we do.  You’re right; I’ll bet the powers that be already have a good idea how things will go re Bar Harbor. But we’ll be the last to know. 🙄

 

I know two couples who stopped there in September, one on a Princess cruise and the other on a smaller RCL ship. It would be nice if the town “knocks them out” but accepts us. After all, only our Mars and then the Star will stop there; just two cruises out of all of 2023.