Bar Harbor USA Port Schedule

Table Of Content

• Tours Excursions Transportation:
• Bar Harbor Cruise Port Facilities?
• Bar Harbor cruise ship case expected to go to trial in July
• Where is located the Port of Bar Harbour Cruise Terminal
• After court ruling, Bar Harbor to accept 50% fewer cruise ship passengers this season
• Cruise Ports in East Coast, Canada, Bermuda region

"I'd love to see this work, because anything else is just going to create more division, more hate and divert our energy from a much bigger environmental and bigger town crisis, from capacity." The councilors acknowledged the plan isn't perfect, and many said they wanted to see further reductions. But councilor Erin Cough said the plan is a good start, and it may be the best option on the table.

Tours Excursions Transportation:

Bar Harbor is located on the Gulf of Maine, which is home to a variety of whales. Depending on the time of year, you can see humpback, finback, and minke whales migrating through the waters of the Atlantic. A whale watching shore excursion will take you out to sea to search for the giant mammals and gets you up close to them so you can see the whales spout, breach, and more. On a whale watching shore excursion out of Bar Harbor, you also may see eagles, dolphins, porpoises, and possibly even puffins.

Bar Harbor Cruise Port Facilities?

This facility served two Bay Ferries ships (The Cat, The Bluenose) connecting Bar Harbor with Nova Scotia Canada (Yarmouth). As tendering passengers increase cruise companies' costs, there is a plan for the conversion of the old ferry terminal (on Eden Street) to a combined ferry-cruise terminal facility. During season 2017, the cruise port handled a total of 171 ship calls (40% increase over 2016) and over 225,000 passengers. BAR HARBOR—Bar Harbor has won a federal court case about cruise ship disembarkation limits in its town. The citizens of Bar Harbor, Maine, have had it with cruise ships and cruisers. After a devastating fire destroyed much of the town in 1947, tourism was hurt.

Bar Harbor cruise ship case expected to go to trial in July

Many were from local business owners, who urged the town against shortening the cruise ship season. The new plan will limit the number of ships in town to three each day, with a few exceptions. No cruise ships would be allowed in April or November, shortening the season. It will also set monthly caps on cruise ship passengers — 30,000 each during May and June, 40,000 each during July and August, and 65,000 each in September and October.

Bar Harbor, Maine, US

In the late 1800s, frequent visitors -- such as the Rockefellers, Carnegies, Vanderbilts and Fords -- grew tired of hotel living and built summer "cottages" (in reality, opulent estates). Many also bought and donated additional land on the island to protect it from development, leading to the creation of Acadia National Park. In 1947, a fire burned nearly half of the eastern side of Mount Desert Island and destroyed many posh estates, permanent homes and more than 10,000 acres of Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor ME is a tender cruise port, which means cruise liners anchor in Frenchman Bay and their passengers are transported to the pier via the ship's tender boats. The decision to impose these limitations stemmed from petitions submitted by local residents, with over half of them expressing negative sentiments about the impact of cruise tourism on their community. But according to court documents filed last week, town officials have they won't enforce the ordinance until a federal judge in Bangor has ruled on its merits. The city of Portland is now considering its own restrictions on daily cruise ship visits. In 2019, Bar Harbor welcomed 157 cruise ships that carried 250,164 passengers.

Federal judge to rule on Bar Harbor cruise ship cap - NewsCenterMaine.com WCSH-WLBZ

Federal judge to rule on Bar Harbor cruise ship cap.

Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The November 2022 referendum passed by roughly a 500-vote margin, with 1,780 voters in favor of the 1,000-passenger daily limit and 1,273 opposed. The result derailed a less restrictive competing plan by town officials to limit passenger visits to 3,500 or 3,800 per day, depending on the time of year. Congestion was cited as a primary issue for many residents feelings about cruise ships. In a 2021 town survey, 55% of the 1,400 responding said cruise ships took away from Bar Harbor’s image and negatively impacted the town.

Located on Mount Desert Island in Maine, Bar Harbor is the quintessential New England coastal town. Our Bar Harbor cruise takes our guests to this picturesque and charming town with its scenic and walkable streets lined with restaurants and boutiques. Dining on lobster is a must, as is a scoop or two at one of the town’s homemade ice cream shops.

Tuesday's outcome came after months of debate over cruise ships and tourism capacity in Bar Harbor. Those who supported the initiative said town officials hadn't done enough to address their concerns about over-crowding and congestion, particularly on days when multiple large ships anchored in Frenchman Bay. Some local businesses were highly critical of both plans for reducing cruise ships. The decision Thursday by Judge Lance Walker upholds the limits that Bar Harbor voters adopted in November 2022.

The town is nestled on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by Frenchman Bay and surrounded on three sides by the mountains of Acadia National Park. Bar Harbor welcomes more than 100 ships annually, with close to 175,000 passengers going ashore. The cruise season spans from May well into October, when the fall foliage is at its brilliant peak. After the ship drops anchor, cruise passengers are ferried back and forth to one of the port's 2 piers/docks in downtown (at 121 Eden Street). From there, they can connect (with trolleys and buses) to local attractions, including Acadia National Park.

Cruise ships have been a heated topic of debate in Bar Harbor for years. Bar Harbor officials set their own, looser passenger restrictions late last summer after months of negotiations with the cruise lines. The town's plan imposed daily passenger limits of 3,800 people, with the exception of July and August, when daily caps of 3,500 people would be in effect. A group of Bar Harbor businesses, pier operators and tour companies sued the town last year over the ordinance, which limits the number of cruise ship passengers to 1,000 people a day. They argued that the new policy, which voters approved last fall, violates federal maritime law and several clauses of the U.S. And they said passenger limits would have a negative impact on their businesses if imposed during this upcoming cruise ship season.

New Details Confirmed About Port Cruise Ship Limits - Cruise Hive

New Details Confirmed About Port Cruise Ship Limits.

Posted: Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Today, Bar Harbor has a population of approximately 5,000 Downeasters (a term that refers to residents of coastal Maine who live north of Penobscot Bay). That number swells drastically in the summer, as the town continues its centuries-old tradition of attracting vacationers to its charming shores. In close proximity to downtown, Acadia NP offers numerous outdoor activities, such as hiking, trekking, biking, mountain climbing, bird watching. Tourists interested in the island's marine life can visit the yacht marina (at the end of Main Street) and sign up for boat tours for wildlife viewing (puffins, whales, seals, lobster, pelagic seabirds) or harbor cruises. In the fall of 2022, prior to the petition passing, the town created memorandums of agreement with the cruise lines, which lowered the daily passengers from 5,500 to 3,800 in May, June, October, and September and the monthly cap of 65,000.

You can see a collection of artifacts made by the Wabanaki tribe, some of which date back to prehistoric times. Acadia National Park -- one of the smallest National Parks in the country -- is the biggest draw in Bar Harbor, Maine. The 41,000-acre park is also one of the most heavily visited, drawing more than two million travelers per year.

Boat tours explore the waters and islands that surround Bar Harbor, with seasonal opportunities to see wildlife—including whales—and lighthouses along the way. In response, a group of local businesses, pier operators and tour companies sued the town in 2023 over the restrictions, arguing that they violated federal maritime law and parts of the U.S. The group, Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods, also claimed the limits would hurt their businesses. Members of the public submitted 53 pages of comments and questions about the cruise plan to the town during the last two weeks.