Bar Harbor Maine
Cruise Ship Woes Reduce Quality Of Life
March 29, 2007
Bar Harbor Maine is a sleepy little town in the county of Hancock, Maine located on an island off the Maine mainland, on a northeastern shore known for peaceful, uncluttered streets.
But, that was before the cruise ships began coming in increasing numbers.
The population of Bar Harbor as calculated in the 2000 census was 4,820. But, when cruise ships are in port, the town explodes to as much as double or more the total residents, all within an hour.
For some residents this has become a boom. But, for the vast majority it has become a nightmare from the second half of summer to through the first half of fall. This has been the time of the year throughout history when the few tourists in town are declining, and the locals are getting their town back to enjoy their fall colors and prepare for a long hard winter.
With 92 calls to their port by 22 ships in only a few months in 2007 compared with 76 cruise ship visits in 2005, there is no gradual increase in tourism, that the local becomes accustomed to over days or weeks.
From 1997 to 2007 cruise ship passenger visits have increased by 400%. In 1997 there were a decent flow of passengers at only 27,000. But, by 2007 that number had increased to an explosive 128,596. Through 2011 those ships will increase by 36, bringing 94,000 more passengers to Bar Harbor.
It is an explosion of people that brings heavy traffic congestion by noisy tour buses, crowded sidewalks packed with passengers and crew, and for some shop keepers, it can be a security nightmare, with not enough staff to watch their merchandise, nor to sell it, for those lucky enough to be located close to the docks.
The largest ships all carrying 2,000 to over 3,000 passengers make five to six calls at the port each season. The smaller ships may make a dozen appearances. The problem really becomes unbearable when two larger ships call at the same time.
Larger ships calling at Bar Harbor are Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Grandeur of The Seas with nearly 2,000 passengers and their Explorer Of The Seas with 3,114 passengers, Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Dawn with 2,246 passengers and Norwegian Spirit with 2,000 passengers, Princess Cruises Crown Princess with 3,100 passengers and Grand Princess with 2,592 passengers, and Celebrity Cruise Lines Constellation with 2,038 passengers.
In the 2007 season for October 3rd, both Norwegian Spirit and Crown Princess will be in port, with a possible total of 5,100 passengers all in port at one time, exceeding the number of total residents in the tiny island town.
The problem is the same on September 5 with Explorer Of The Seas and Norwegian Spirit both in port at the same time.
When two ships call at the port, there are approximately 102 bus loads of passengers racing through the tiny town to take the passengers on land tours, mostly to Acadia National Park, and mostly on Wednesdays, the peak day for cruise ships to call at Bar Harbor, creating a traffic nightmare when land based visitors are also at peak. Pedestrian safety is severely compromised from 8:30am to 2:00pm. With the tour buses in town, it also restricts the number of available parking spots for businesses downtown, which are already severely limited.
These 128,000 passengers are given police protection by five full time beat officers who are lead by two Sergeants, a Lieutenant and a chief of police for a total of 9 full time officers. In 2005 they processed 376 arrests and summons. This is an outrageously high number for such a small town. The most dangerous part of the problem is the fact that traffic is increasing at an alarming rate due to the cruise ship tour buses and Operating Under The Influence violation citations totaled 91 in 2005 are also on the increase. Clearly the increase in traffic due to the cruise ships mixed with the drunk drivers is a volatile mixture.
When the Chamber Of Commerce polled their merchant members, only half said they received any boost in their income from the cruise ships, only noting the problems the cruise ships cause when they spend the day in port.
These are the same issues discussed in other nations chosen by cruise lines to park their mammoth floating amusement parks. Nearly all the towns on foreign soils have documented increases in crime, they are mostly ill-equipped to handle as criminal elements are drawn to reside in towns where tourists can be targeted for crimes involving monetary gain or sex crimes. Ultimately, cruise ships end up moving onto other ports, such as the case of Limon, as the towns become too dangerous for cruise ship passengers, and the cycle begins again in a new town. This leaves the criminals to feast on residents, once the tourists are gone, with no budget for law enforcement to ensure the safety of of the easiest victims, women and children.
Looking at the 2004 crime stats, it is hard to imagine there is any problem in Bar Harbor. They counted 50 thefts, 10 burglaries, 13 assaults and 1 rape, for a total of 14 violent crimes for the year and 60 monetary crimes. However, there were no arrests for prostitution. Given that there was only 1 violent crime in 2000, this is a huge increase in violent crimes for such a small town. The crime increase far outpaces resident growth, leaving only one possibility, the crime is a result of increased tourism.
Tourists report that once never heard of in Bar Harbor, prostitutes now roam the streets offering their services to the male cruise ship passengers disembarking to find some quick action. Finding prostitutes in small sleepy towns of 5,000 or less is nearly impossible throughout the U.S. But, where cruise ships go, so go the pimps and the pandering's of society, with Bar Harbor being no exception to the rule.
This article is continued on Page 2, see the links below.
Page > 1 2
