Bar Harbor, Maine limits cruise passenger visits

[Michelle S.]

I just read that the Bar Harbor, Maine town council has approved a daily limit of cruise passengers to 1000. I think the cruise lines should find another port that welcomes the cruise industry.

[Woody14]

1 hour ago, Michelle S. said:

I just read that the Bar Harbor, Maine town council has approved a daily limit of cruise passengers to 1000. I think the cruise lines should find another port that welcomes the cruise industry.

The bigger ships are going to have to.  With that size limit it will only be the smaller boutique cruises hitting Bar Harbor

[3Sisters]

@Michelle S. That's right! It's such a shame Bar Harbor will be limiting guests, but I'm not surprised. Things like this happen over time. Like you said, there are plenty of other nearby options cruise lines will choose instead!

@Woody14 I guess Bar Harbor is becoming a boutique port, more exclusive. I will have to book on a smaller ship if I want to be able to visit via cruise. Otherwise, I will just have to fly to see the area's beauty! 

[LukeJ]

I like the thought of these small towns wanting to keep tourism to a limit to preserve their heritages. I understand people stating to keep the towns going that they need the tourist to keep the place alive and ticking by, however I'm sure these places know how much is needed to survive and the importance of preserving their place away from cruise ships is more important to them.

[kefthecruiser]

@LukeJ Exactly! I doubt many towns are pining away to be the next Nassau or Cozumel. I believe we will continue to see a trend among destinations restricting cruise ships in some way.   

 

[LukeJ]

It just feels that these towns don't necessarily want to be greedy like some port of calls. Their livelihood is ticking by as it is, and they must be happy just to earn a living wage while maintaining the town that they cherish. There are more important things to worry about that money, and way of life is a main one.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ That's very true. Life is more than money and income. Clearly, Bar Harbor agrees with this statement and prioritizes its local community over outsiders. That's how it should be! Heritage and culture should be held as scared and can easily become tainted. The area isn't saying no to cruisers completely! There is still opportunity to visit Bar Harbor via cruise ship. It just has to be a smaller ship. 

[LukeJ]

And I can honestly see why the choose this way. These cruise ships are massive as we all know, and not only is it bad for the environment and the noise pollution also, it must be unsightly seeing all the time spoiling the views, as well as the traffic flow through the towns. I don't blame them for wanting less. 

[FJB]

Unlike Caribbean ports of call, Bar Harbor does not rely on tourism from cruise ships, so I completely understand why they are “barring” cruise ships.  

[LukeJ]

Keep them living the life they want to live before the town is destroyed.

[3Sisters]

@FJB I like you pun, "barring cruise ships." It's not the end of the world. Ideally, every port around the world would be cruiser friendly, but it's alright that that isn't the case. I want to cruise where I'm welcome. There are plenty of other cruise spots out there. @LukeJ To your point, Bar Harbor is still welcoming cruise ships! It's not like they are banned entirely, although that could obviously change. 

[LukeJ]

Yes I understand what you're saying, I'm aware the cruises still call at the port, I didn't mean otherwise, just the way I wrote it perhaps, but the cut down of ships will help the community not hinder it.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ I completely agree with that. I think the decision to cut back on larger ships is a good call for the area. Cruisers have to be understanding too. As much as we would all love to cruise to every area across the globe, we have to understand cutting back on cruise guests isn't personal. There are still so many other ports of us to explore! It isn't necessarily done in an act of being exclusive either. Maybe there is a bigger picture! 

[LukeJ]

Maybe there is, but it's certainly no good for the environment, all these large cruise ships travelling back and forth every day. So that is one thing I do believe they made the right call for. Cruising is such a luxurious lifestyle, and  for some people, I bet they wished they could do it every day.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Michelle S. Well, many cruise lines will be searching for other viable options to stop at instead of Bar Harbor due to those new marine limits. What other nearby ports of call would you recommend? 

@LukeJ I see what you are saying about environmental factors, but most newer, larger ships are designed to reduce their emissions! Maybe the area just doesn't support large ships well; it could just feel more chaotic for Bar Harbor. It's a huge operation. Sometimes quality over quantity is a smart decision. 

[LukeJ]

I had been reading interesting stats in cruise ships emissions, and one large ship alone would release around 15 million tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to 2.2 million cars. Sulfur Oxide Emissions emit large amounts of sulfur oxides, contributing to air pollution and acid rain. For instance, in 2022, Europe’s 218 cruise ships emitted as much SOx as 1 billion cars. Cruise ships also release nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, affecting the environment and human well-being. Cruise ships accounted for 15% of the nitrogen oxide particles emitted by Europe’s passenger vehicles. As well as carbon emissions, black carbon, heavy metals which are bad for the environment, Some cruise ships that use  LNG emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas, due to methane slipping from their engines. Waste streams. It's quite frightening really. It intrigued me, reading stats from the cruise ships, and made me see how the unseen emissions can cause issues. There is still a long way for cruise lines to go to make it cleaner.

Edited March 20 by LukeJ

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ You could count me as one of those people who wished they were cruising everyday. It's an impractical thought unless I plan to work on a ship, but it's undoubtedly a dream of mine. I wonder if the enamor and excitement of cruising would wear off it I did it everyday. Keeping cruising novelty is really fun! If that enamor wore off, I would be sad. I never want to stop loving cruising! 

Your statistics on cruise emissions are very interesting. It's true that about the LNG ships, and they aren't always using shore power either. The motivation to use alternate fuel methods to reduce emissions is almost a scam. Electric cars and their charging stations are horrid for the environment. If you look up those details, you would find it's no better than a regular gasoline-fueled vehicle. 

[LukeJ]

I just came across the article, and started reading it. I was amazed by the content, as it wasn't that I had even thought about before. It was quite alarming when you start thinking of the damage that it can cause. And I'd be interested in reading stats that flying and driving can cause as well.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ Unfortunately humans have made choices that do destroy our environment. The motives of these choices have grown organically, like wanting faster transport or accessibility, but other choices like destroying farmlands and reducing cow emissions is something I don't support. When is comes to farming and food, I support access to real food and the farmers that supply us our food. The idea of genetically modified foods and bioengineered meats are not the best for us either. I understand the motivation for reducing emissions and protecting our environment but not at the expense of reducing farms and real food. Those manufactured that are lab growing meat are putting emissions into the air and also doing harm to our environment. It's not a great solution to the emissions of cows. 

[LukeJ]

No you're right there. I am too no fan of genetically modified foods. What I do find ironic is that companies started this, and now charge us more for organic produce, and that is something that we had in the first place. 

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ I'm glad you support that idea. Honestly I think genetically modified foods came from a very pure idea. Bugs and other environmental factors were ruining out crops and we as a society had to find a solution. GMO foods has turned into something bigger and badder than most expected. Seedless things are questionable, and the quality/taste has completely changed from something that is grown it its natural environment. I hope one day more people would open their eyes to this. 

[LukeJ]

The look and taste have completely changed over time. Our expectations have gone as well. Eggplants as we know it today are deep purple, but used to be white or bright blue. Bananas and carrots used to be different with different tastes. Carrots were renowned to be purple. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ This is an interesting perspective. I agree that the genetically modified foods aren't ideal. The motivation to have strong crops and an abundant supply makes sense, but natural is always the best way. I feel the same way about emissions. I love that we can get to and fro quickly and efficiently, but it's doing more harm than we, as a society, anticipated. Now everyone is working backwards at these issues, trying to solve the issues we created. The best things for our environment and our people are the natural, chemical-free ways, but what happens when we can't have certain foods because of bugs? Would we as a society adapt to that? From what I know about today's world, we need instant gratification. We expect and require things immediately and for items to be available when we want them. This is a first world problem, but it's a problem. I don't think our society is willing to sacrifice accessibility to everything, 24/7 for a better quality of goods. That's why we outsource so much of our products and manufacturing of most goods. 

[LukeJ]

No you're right, as a society we have been accustomed to a way of life where we expect things right away. I don't believe the world would be patient enough to allow us to reset. Most I fear won't even care.

[3Sisters]

The next generation scares me. How much faster can instant gratification get? I'm hungry. You get food immediately. When my kids are hungry, they have a snack available whenever they want. That's not real life. It takes a minute to prepare food or have access to food. The accessibility to have everything whenever we want it isn't sustainable or realistic.