The Maine town of Bar Harbor is implementing a daily limit of 1,000 cruise passengers, canceling calls reserved after November 2022 by ships that exceed the limit.
The town council has directed the harbor master to cancel or reject requests for reservations made after residents voted to adopt the restriction in November 2022.
The result will be a 50% reduction from peak cruise ship visitation, according to the council.
The enforcement plan follows a U.S. District Court decision to uphold Bar Harbor's 1,000-passenger daily limit. Local businesses and tour companies had sued the town, claiming the restriction violated federal maritime law and the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs are appealing the district court's ruling.
Bar Harbor has been a feature port on New England/Canada cruises and is near Acadia National Park. The town is home to about 5,500 people and reported about 250,000 cruise visitors in 2019.
Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises are among the large-ship cruise lines that have called in Bar Harbor.