Maine’s cruise season to open Thursday with first ship visiting Bar Harbor
File photo / Laurie Schreiber
Bar Harbor has concerns about downtown congestion on busy cruise ship days. Seen here is a pre-pandemic year, when the town wharf becomes crowded with disembarking passengers and tour buses.
Maine’s cruise season is set to open Thursday with the first ship docking in Bar Harbor at a time when the town seeks to reduce the number and size of cruise ships visiting.
The Norwegian Pearl, a 965-foot-long liner with 2,376 guests, will dock in Bar Harbor in the morning, arriving from Bermuda. The port call marks the opening of the cruise season in Maine.
"It's been several years since we've had cruise ships due to the pandemic," said Kevin Sutherland, Bar Harbor town manager. "A lot of work has been done to address some of the issues facing the town and the operations. We hope to have a smooth season this year."
Portland will see its first ship April 22 with the arrival of a smaller ship, the 300-foot Ocean Navigator, carrying 220 guests from Boston.
In February, the Bar Harbor Town Council voted to scrap discussions with the cruise ship industry about reducing its impact on the town for 2022, and instead will focus on ways to do that in 2023 and beyond. The town has concerns about disruption from cruise ships with capacity of 3,000 passengers or more.
According to a 2017 report by University of Maine professor Todd Gabe on the economic benefits to Bar Harbor of cruise ship visitation, estimated spending by cruise ship passengers contributed about $20 million of annual revenue to local businesses and supported about 380 full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs.
This spring also marks the first time since 2011 that cruise ships will be headed to Bangor with the arrival of American Cruise Lines.
While Bar Harbor and Portland get the large cruise ships, smaller towns in Maine such as Eastport, Castine, Bath and Boothbay Harbor also see some smaller vessels, according to CruiseMaine.
“We are delighted to see the cruise industry resuming visits to Maine and the Canada and New England region as a whole after a long two years. Cruise visitors diversify our tourism economy, bringing more than $30 million in economic impact and supporting hundreds of jobs. Cruise attendees come from far and wide across the U.S. and the world, introducing first-time visitors to the state, who in turn go home and amplify Maine’s reputation as a premier destination,” said Sarah Flink, executive director of CruiseMaine.
The Maine Tourism Association said the return of cruise ships after the pause during pandemic would be a benefit to the hospitality and tourism businesses that have struggled over the past two years.
"The cruise industry is one of the many components that makes tourism in Maine so successful. When you have over 400,000 passengers and nearly 175,000 crew members who get a brief sample of what Maine has to offer, you know many of these folks will want to return for a longer visit. Studies have shown that at least one-third plan to return and many more will recommend the state to others," said Alison Sucy, chief operating officer of the Maine Tourism Association.
"Because of this, cruise ships do more than just benefit the ports of call. They provide a positive introduction to Maine. When these visitors return, we can encourage them to experience all that Maine has to offer — our lakes and mountains, hiking, biking, skiing, water sports, historical and cultural attractions all across the state and, of course, great food, lodging, and hospitality. The loss of this segment of travel during the pandemic hurt the tourism industry; and we look forward to the return of cruise and other group travel. It will certainly help our businesses recover from the hardships of the past two years," Sucy said.
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I was on this ship. We had no idea we were going to Bar Harbor till after we sailed from boston. We lost a whole day in Bermuda. People were not prepared for the cold damp water. I of course knew being a Mainer. Wonder if this was to avoid Covid testing on the fourth day. NO TEST NO POSITIVES.
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