Bar Harbor voters, by a very narrow margin, want tighter controls on cruise ship arrivals/Marcus Wolf

Voters in Bar Harbor, Maine — the gateway to Acadia National Park — want stricter limits on the number of people who can disembark in town from cruise ships on a given day.

A thin majority — 1,776 to 1,713 — voted not to repeal the town’s cruise ship land use ordinance, which only allows up to 1,000 people to disembark per day, and replacing it with new rules that would expand the daily cap to 3,200. Known as Chapter 50, the new regulation also would have implemented a monthly limit, a July 4 blackout, and cruise-ship-free days.

What happens next remains uncertain. Town officials and Council Chair Valerie Peacock did not return requests for comment from the Traveler. The existing ordinance is the subject of multiple ongoing lawsuits, including one in which several businesses are seeking to repeal it through federal court.

In a July 1 press release, town officials stated that new reservations for cruise ship disembarkation for the 2025 season would be “subject to all local codes, rules, and regulations,” which would include the land use ordinance. During a town meeting on October 3, officials reminded residents that they grandfathered more than 60 reservations made before July 2021 for ships with a carrying capacity greater than 2,300 for 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029.

The ordinance doesn’t allow the town to prevent any cruise ships from anchoring or people from entering town from them, only to fine pier owners who allow more than 1,000 people to disembark in a day, according to an October 3 Q&A from officials.

Cruise ships have long been a controversial issue in Bar Harbor. Some view them as a boon to the local economy, particularly during shoulder seasons, while others feel the high volume of visitors they bring make it impossible to travel through streets and visit shops and eateries.

The town created Chapter 50 as an alternative to the land use ordinance due to officials' concerns surrounding the ongoing litigation and their ability to enforce the ordinance. Chapter 50 was adopted by the town, but it would only take effect if citizens voted to repeal the ordinance.

Acadia has experienced an overall growth in commercial use vehicles over the past decade, which includes buses offering tours and transportation services to cruise ship passengers.

National Park Service officials at Acadia are not involved in regulating cruise ships, but they are exploring management options that could affect a variety of visitors, including ship passengers.
As part of a broader effort to reduce congestion, improve the visitor experience, and protect the park’s natural resources, park officials hope to decrease the number of commercial vehicles entering the park by replacing existing use authorizations with concession contracts. Park officials believe the contract system would also allow them to foster longer two-way relationships with vendors.

The implementation of concession contracts, however, is on hold after a previous solicitation failed to attract successful bidders.

Learn more about cruise ships in Acadia’s gateway by reading a November 3 story about them published on National Parks Traveler.