Bar Harbor Town Council Reacts to Judge’s Ruling on Cruise Passenger Restrictions

Since 2022, there has been a discussion taking place in the tourist town of Bar Harbor about the huge influx of visitors to the town each time the harbor welcomes a cruise ship.

For years, people have voiced their concerns about the sheer number of people who flood the town every time a massive cruise liner steams into port.  The combination of cruise ship passengers and visitors who have traveled by car is enough people to overwhelm the town.

According to an article on the WCSH 6 website, there is an update in the long-running battle.

Last week, the Bar Harbor Town Council released a statement following a recent federal court ruling involving the town’s cruise ship restrictions. Back in 2022, Bar Harbor voters approved a citizen initiative that capped daily cruise passenger disembarkations at 1,000 people and required permits for passengers coming ashore.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Lance Walker ruled that the town’s passenger cap could only legally be enforced during the busy summer months of July and August, calling the restriction unconstitutional during most of the rest of the year.

Even with that ruling, town councilors say the decision does not open the floodgates for cruise tourism to return to previous levels. In its statement, the council explained that the court only overturned a narrow portion of the ordinance challenge and that the town still believes it has the legal authority to regulate cruise traffic seasonally.

Town officials said the judge’s ruling actually reinforced the idea that Bar Harbor can create regulations tied to the changing intensity of tourism throughout the year, particularly between the quieter shoulder seasons and the packed summer months.

The council also admitted the original 2022 passenger cap may have been too broad to effectively manage tourism long-term. Officials say they now want to build a more detailed, data-driven approach using work already done by the town’s Sustainable Tourism Task Force.

According to the council, leaders are optimistic they can create a new system that follows the court’s guidance while still protecting Bar Harbor from overcrowding. They also say the public will have opportunities to weigh in as the process moves forward.

For now, the town says it will continue hitting the pause button on accepting new advance cruise ship reservations until both the ongoing legal fight and a new regulatory plan are sorted out.

My personal opinion is that this is a slap in the face to business owners.  Most make their money during the busy tourist season.  Why limit the amount of customers they can have?  Yes, it may be annoying when you are trying to navigate streets that are literally FILLED with people, but those people bring much needed money to that community.

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