Council reveals concern about 2022 cruise ship season

PORT BAR – After a survey of 1,300+ residents and business owners found that the majority of the city believed cruise lines were having a negative impact on Bar Harbor, city officials are trying to figure out how they will handle the upcoming season.

The city council has proposed an upper limit on the number of passengers and the number of days that cruise ships can call into port. These are still to be worked on and there have been questions about what the city can legally do for the next season.

Cruise ships have been largely absent for the past two years due to the Bar Harbor pandemic, but more than 150 ships and 290,000 passengers are expected to cruise into Frenchman Bay by 2022.

The city’s cruise committee met earlier this month to discuss the council’s caps and forward them to a cruise industry group for comment.

However, some members of the council believe that the clock is ticking for the 2022 season and that action must be taken soon if the city wants to make changes at short notice.

“Not doing anything for 2022 seems to me to be a waiver of our responsibility” said Councilor Jill Goldthwait.

The cruise committee had its first opportunity last week to officially weigh the council’s proposed caps, but the cycle of meetings between the two bodies has made it difficult to act quickly.

“We started talking about numbers in August,” Goldthwait said at the cruise ship committee meeting. “Because of our schedule and yours, we are now in December, which is the next time the Council could look at what is coming back [Cruise Lines International Association] about it … The later it goes, the greater the challenge for everyone to adapt. “

The committee’s response to the council’s proposal, which it estimates could cut up to 87 percent of the 2022 timetable, has been mixed.

Skip Strong, who heads the cruise pilots, said he wanted to implement a management plan starting in 2019 that was supposed to ease some pressure on cruise ship traffic but never had a chance to prove its effectiveness due to the pandemic.

He also called for gradual cuts and proposed a different cap system. Strong suggested allowing a smaller number of passengers on a certain number of days per month and a larger number on other days, rather than limiting the number of days per month that cruise ships can come to Bar Harbor. Allowing only 10 days a month or something similar could be seen as a shipping ban for the remainder of the month and put the city in legal risk area, he said.

He was also concerned about his business, which is required by the state to run cruise lines in local waters, but needs a certain amount of business to stay afloat. Larry Sweet, the owner of Oli’s Trolley and a member of the committee, added that a cut in cruise lines would lead to a cut in operations like his, which rely on the literal boatload of tourists coming into town.

Other members felt the city must consider reducing it and the environmental impact of the ships was also raised.

“I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that the city actually said they want fewer ships on fewer days with fewer passengers,” said Jeremy Dougherty, general manager of the Bar Harbor Inn.

The cruise committee chairman Salvatore said he would consider whether the committee could postpone its November meeting to speed things up.

Russell Bedford, a representative for Royal Caribbean Cruises, attended the cruise ship committee meeting and said he was confident they could come back with recommendations.

“We look forward to working with you very much,” he said.

Ethan is the maritime reporter for the Ellsworth American and Mount Desert Islander. It also covers Bar Harbor. If he doesn’t report, you will likely find him on his trail while listening to audiobooks. Submit tips, story ideas, and favorite Hancock County swimming holes to [email protected]