First cruise ship of season to arrive in Bar Harbor amid legal battle | WGME
Maine’s cruise ship season is underway, and the first cruise ship of the season is arriving in Bar Harbor on Thursday.
At the same time, there's an ongoing legal battle between the town and some residents over the ships.
A lawsuit, which was filed against the town in Maine federal court, is challenging the 1,000-person daily disembarkation limit that Bar Harbor voters passed in the November election.
However, until that is settled, it is business as usual and business owners are getting ready for a lot of extra foot traffic.
About 2,000 people will be visiting from the ship.
"We deal with a lot of cruise ships every year so we're pretty prepared. We have a lot of returning staff, so we're staffed up. We do have a few more people working tomorrow than on a usual May day. We have lots of lobster and blueberry pie, that’s usually what they come in for,” Bethany Harris, a bartender at Geddy's, told WVII.
Some residents in town are less enthusiastic about the guests scheduled to visit.
Last November, voters passed an initiative that would limit the total number of cruise ship passengers allowed on shore per day, but that decision is currently tied up in court.