Bar Harbor voters back tougher restrictions on cruise ships

[cruisegus]

1 minute ago, Charles4515 said:

Not surprised that many ports are rebelling against cruise lines who in their greed for profit have built bigger and bigger ships every year without regard to their impact on ports. Bar Harbor won't be the last. Maybe  Icon  of the Seas will only be able to do Coco Cay and Labadee.

That is the Goal of Mass Market cruise lines.  Make the Ship and there Private Islands the destination.  That way all profits stay in house.

[KroozFoolz]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 So you are going to tell me as a passenger that if I do not book and excursion through the cruise ship, I cannot go ashore in a port the ship is visiting.   That's going to go over real well! 

 

I agree. It will go over well and you will be happy.

Alternative - hand out 1000 tender tickets with first priority according to C&A loyalty status. All others must take their chances and swim ashore.

 

[Charles4515]

2 minutes ago, cruisegus said:

That is the Goal of Mass Market cruise lines.  Make the Ship and there Private Islands the destination.  That way all profits stay in house.

I agree that is their goal but I don't have to like it. I fear these supersized ships with thousands of passengers are a catastrophe waiting to happen.

 

Some here seem to think it is the cruise lines right to go wherever they please they please without regard to impact. Or that Bar Harbor is attacking them personally. 

[fenton04]

Don't worry about us.  If the ports don't want our discretionary funds that helps pay for their infrastructure,  wages. etc.  We will find somewhere that will appreciate our money.  Talk about cutting off your nose in spite of your face!  Hey Bar Harbor good luck with your snow removal. and pot holes.

Edited November 10, 2022 by fenton04
spelling

[Keksie]

33 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I knew it was supposed to be clever but it really was not. 

 

Not surprised that many ports are rebelling against cruise lines who in their greed for profit have built bigger and bigger ships every year without regard to their impact on ports. Bar Harbor won't be the last. Maybe  Icon  of the Seas will only be able to do Coco Cay and Labadee.

 

 

It isn't "greed for profit"  it is called trying to have a successful business after being shut down for a year plus.  Profit is what businesses strive to do and their shareholders appreciate it.  

[Charles4515]

23 minutes ago, Keksie said:

It isn't "greed for profit"  it is called trying to have a successful business after being shut down for a year plus.  Profit is what businesses strive to do and their shareholders appreciate it.  

The cruise lines have massive debt. Not much of a successful busness.

[Charles4515]

38 minutes ago, fenton04 said:

Don't worry about us.  If the ports don't want our discretionary funds that helps pay for their infrastructure,  wages. etc.  We will find somewhere that will appreciate our money.  Talk about cutting off your nose in spite of your face!  Hey Bar Harbor good luck with your snow removal. and pot holes.

Bar Harbor will be fine without our funds. 

[shellunderwater]

9 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

Portland, Maine also had a similar ballot question on Tuesday but it did not pass.

I was in Portland as a hotel guest/tourist.  On cruise ship day, it was hell for non ship tourists.  Nothing available, restaurants packed, no transportation. Next day, back to normal.

 

Haven't been to Bar Harbor, but these little towns aren't year round stops and they just don't have the infrastructure for massive ships.

[nelblu]

11 hours ago, j4lambert said:

Legal challenges will be filed by the cruise lines.

Who cares.  

[nelblu]

8 hours ago, KroozFoolz said:

 

 All others must take their chances and swim ashore.

 

Would we be considered illegals.  Wonder if Maine is a Sanctuary State and prevented from being handed to ICE😊

[nelblu]

11 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

There are 6 million people in Toronto. I can't imagine what it would be like if 3 million + cruisers showed up for the day. 🤯

3+ million for the day?

[DirtyDawg]

34 minutes ago, nelblu said:

3+ million for the day?

Bar Harbor's population is about 6,000. A 3,000 person cruise ship is a visitor size = to 50% of their population for the day.

Toronto's population is about 6 million so 6 million X 50% = 3 million cruise guests for the day. 🤯

[bigeck]

I stayed on Voyager for 3 weeks after the Ta. First week we couldn't stop at BH due to the tail of the hurricane. 2nd week I had a walk round and found it busy and expensive. I had a walk round by the Bar Harbor Inn that was nice but around Cottage Street area it was busy. The 3rd week, I went on Olli's Tour bus to Cadilac Mountain. That was very good.

2 ships in both times and when we left the ship had to navigate the lobster pots and areas marked off.

I fear for the tourist companies who might struggle.

Edited November 10, 2022 by bigeck

[Keksie]

8 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

The cruise lines have massive debt. Not much of a successful busness.

That does not make them a "greed for profit" company.

[fenton04]

Someone missed the part when the cruise industry was SHUTDOWN during the great toilet paper shortage (COVID).

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, bigeck said:

I stayed on Voyager for 3 weeks after the Ta. First week we couldn't stop at BH due to the tail of the hurricane. 2nd week I had a walk round and found it busy and expensive. I had a walk round by the Bar Harbor Inn that was nice but around Cottage Street area it was busy. The 3rd week, I went on Olli's Tour bus to Cadilac Mountain. That was very good.

2 ships in both times and when we left the ship had to navigate the lobster pots and areas marked off.

I fear for the tourist companies who might struggle.

There will be a ripple effect for sure.  Less tourists = less money.  No ships = no jobs related to the cruise ships such as tender operators.  Add to all that the closures during the pandemic and the recession = businesses cutting back or going out of business.  During the off season = less local money for discretionary spending = more cutbacks.  Time will tell whether the vote for less tourists was worth it.

[orville99]

16 hours ago, maysill88 said:

There is so much to see in Acadia that you completely miss with only a short day in port!

Including Horse Flies in July that are large enough to carry passengers😱

[Mikew0805]

17 hours ago, flamingos said:

Remember that the government of Florida overrode their local vote.  😞   Hopefully Maine will not do the same. 

Agree. Even though I did like visiting Key West on a cruise ship, the people in those local communities should get to decide what is best for them. 

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

Bar Harbor's population is about 6,000. A 3,000 person cruise ship is a visitor size = to 50% of their population for the day.

Toronto's population is about 6 million so 6 million X 50% = 3 million cruise guests for the day. 🤯

The day I was there on a cruise there were 3 ships, 2 large ships and 1 small ship. About 6500 cruise passengers. 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Charles4515

[alfaeric]

It's kind of amusing that people get the impression that this is some kind of rash decision to make their own lives more miserable.  Others have put some numbers into context, but a pretty glaring one to me is that the *total* number of votes was about the passenger size of a Voyager class ship.  Just one of them.  We've been there when 3 ships were tendered, so the cruise population was probably north of 5000 passengers.  Given it's a really small town, that's a lot of people for just 8 hours.

 

And the people who benefit are the restaurants and ice cream shops, and it could be just a mess of people that makes it really hard to do well.  

 

I understand that they just want land tourists, and respect that.  And the companies will certainly adjust- that's what businesses do.

[HappyTexan44]

I've never cruised, but I have traveled to most of the popular cruise ports in the Caribbean .   It is annoying when the cruise arrives.  I'm not saying that cruises should stop visiting ports.   But it is like when you regularly drive near a NFL stadium.   You learn to pay attention to when the NFL crowds will be on the road, and you plan accordingly.   I would always plan a boat scuba dive and then take a nap.   

 

My dad told me about something the US military used to do when the locals around a military base would start really grumbling about getting rid of the base.   They'd start paying the people at that base in $2 bills and only $2 bills.  Next thing you know, the place would be flooded in $2 bills, even people/businesses that thought they had no benefit from the base.   This was back in the dark ages when they paid in cash.  Maybe that isn't true for Bar Harbor.   Maybe the cruise people just walk around and look at stuff.  But I've thought of the $2 story several times while reading this.  

 

[Charles4515]

30 minutes ago, Keksie said:

There will be a ripple effect for sure.  Less tourists = less money.  No ships = no jobs related to the cruise ships such as tender operators.  Add to all that the closures during the pandemic and the recession = businesses cutting back or going out of business.  During the off season = less local money for discretionary spending = more cutbacks.  Time will tell whether the vote for less tourists was worth it.

Our ship used the ships tenders. The restaurants in port area where the tenders offloaded will probably be most effected, they were pushing expensive lobster rolls and blueberry pie.  I agree that time will tell and the local community could always reverse the decision. 

[Another_Critic]

Had a tender stop at Qaqortoq, Greenland.

 

Town population = ~3000

Voyager of the Seas population = ~3000 (passengers and crew for the sailing) 

[fenton04]

In September 2021 when the cruise industry was ramping up our federal government relaxed the regulations so Alaska cruises could depart and return to Seattle.  We booked our cruise and the Alaskans were very happy to see the boat load of money that arrived to the ports.  Just sayin...Good luck on all your future endeavors Bar Harbor.

Edited November 10, 2022 by fenton04
grammer

[Keksie]

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Our ship used the ships tenders. The restaurants in port area where the tenders offloaded will probably be most effected, they were pushing expensive lobster rolls and blueberry pie.  I agree that time will tell and the local community could always reverse the decision. 

They could try to reverse the decision but once the infrastructure that is in place for the ships is dismantled it might not be that easy to bring it back.  The ships will have replaced Bar Harbor with another port and may not need/want to return. 

 

Just the restaurants not being able to push their lobster rolls and blueberry pies can have a ripple effect on the local economy.  Not as many lobsters needed, not as many blueberries needed, not as many wait staff needed.