After Bar Harbor, Maine, residents narrowly voted to maintain the town’s strict limit on cruise ship arrivals, rejecting a proposal that would have raised the daily cap from 1,000 to 3,200 passengers, one local resident is rallying support for a recount.
The decision, made in the November 5, 2024, election, passed by a slim margin of just 63 votes, with 1,776 in favor of keeping the existing cap and 1,713 opposed.
The rejected proposal aimed to repeal the current cap, allowing the town council to set a new, more flexible limit. The plan had proposed a 3,200-passenger daily cap, monthly restrictions, and a series of “cruise-free” days to alleviate peak season pressure.
However, the town’s longstanding concern about the impact of high tourist volume from cruise ships led to a close vote against the proposed increase.
Amid the narrow outcome, local restaurateur Kevin DesVeaux has begun collecting signatures from registered voters to meet the requirement for a formal recount request.
“The vote on Question 4, the Chapter 50 cruise ship proposal, was a virtual tie and reflected strong citizen interested in this important issue,” DesVeaux told Bangor Daily News.
DesVeaux is now encouraging supporters to sign the petition at his West Street Café to ensure “voter intent for every ballot is considered.”
In order to recount the ballots, 100 registered voters must sign the petition by the end of the business day on November 20, 2024.
“We know how important it is to find the right solution,” DesVeaux said. “Once we have collected enough signatures, we will file this request with the town clerk.”
Millions of Dollars at Stake
The coastal town of Bar Harbor, the gateway to Acadia National Park, is a popular destination for cruise ships, with a season that runs from May to October.
In 2018, the town of just over 5,000 welcomed a record-breaking 154 cruise ship visits bringing over 222,000 passengers to its Mount Desert Island location. Although the pandemic paused cruise traffic to the town, by 2022, more than 150 ships had returned.
Growing local discontent resulted in the 2022 enactment of the 1,000-passenger daily limit, although the cap was partially waived through 2024 for ships that had scheduled calls before the law was changed.
Read Also: 10 Reasons Not to Stay on the Cruise Ship When in Port
Since 2022, the daily cap has faced challenges, including a federal lawsuit by the Association to Protect and Preserve Local Livelihoods (APPLL), which argued the restrictions harmed local businesses. However, a US District Court ruled in favor of the town earlier this year.
The rejected November 2024 proposal, backed by the town council, would have set a cap of 55,000 monthly arrivals in September and October, 20,000 for May through August, and 5,000 in early and late seasons, with additional “cruise-free” days for local relief.
Currently, several large-vessel ships have Bar Harbor on repeat itineraries for 2025, including Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Getaway, and Norwegian Gem, with 2,376, 3,963, and 2,394 guests, respectively.
While Oceania Cruises’ Insignia will arrive with just 670 passengers, its Allura carries up to 1,200.
If the town keeps its cap, cruise lines may change their itineraries for more welcoming ports like Rockland and Portland to provide all guests the opportunity to disembark.
Bar Harbor businesses stand to lose out on the millions of dollars cruise guests spend in port while the city will lose over a million in port and passenger fees.
