After one of its ships made an “unauthorized” visit to Bar Harbor earlier this month, American Cruise Lines has agreed to secure reservations for all future visits.
The Constitution, which can carry 170 passengers, dropped anchor off Bar Harbor on June 15 and used its own tender to ferry some passengers to shore. The ship did not have a reservation, however, prompting Bar Harbor officials to consult with the town’s attorney about its legal options.
Company officials spoke with town officials late last week and have since agreed not to have any more ships visit Bar Harbor — Maine’s busiest cruise port — unless they have reservations for each visit. A representative of the company said the visit by the Constitution, despite the lack of a reservation, was the result of a “misunderstanding.”
Sarah Gilbert, Bar Harbor’s interim town manager, said the town is confident this won’t happen again
Although ships with fewer than 200 passengers are exempt from the town’s daily cruise ship passenger limits — which is the subject of a federal lawsuit between local businesses and the town — all cruise ships still must have advance reservations to visit Bar Harbor, regardless of the daily passenger limit.
“We are committed to working with the town on an ongoing basis for our future visits,” said Alexa Paolella, spokesperson for the cruise company. “American Cruise Lines has been visiting Bar Harbor for several decades and looks forward to continuing our long partnership.”
Paolella said the company would retroactively pay the port fees for the June 15 visit, but did not say how much the port fees cost.
Gilbert did not respond to a question asking for clarification about the port fees.
“We are pleased that ACL is committed to only sending ships with reservations to Bar Harbor,” Gilbert said.
The Constitution’s unsanctioned visit aggravated a heated dispute in Bar Harbor over the impact of cruise ship visits and what sort of limits should be imposed.
Local residents have said cruise ship visits harm the local quality of life. Last fall, Bar Harbor voters approved a citizen’s initiative to limit cruise ship passengers to no more than 1,000 per day — far below the daily limit of 3,500 to 3,800 passengers a day that the town already had agreed to with the cruise lines.
But some residents have objected to the 1,000-passenger daily limit, saying that cruise ships have become a significant part of the town’s tourist industry and should not be drastically cut back. Following last fall’s referendum, a group of local tourism businesses sued the town in federal court, arguing that such a limit is not consistent with federal law.
The legal dispute between the town and the business group over passenger limits is expected to go to trial in early July.
