Tag Archives: Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor getting new cruise pier

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Most large ships must tender guests to port in Bar Harbor. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
 

Voters in Bar Harbor, Maine, approved a zoning initiative that allows a larger cruise pier to be built in the quaint New England town.

Bar Harbor has been an increasingly popular stop on Canada/New England itineraries, which some cruise lines have expanded from the traditional autumn season into the summer. It is the gateway to Acadia National Park, one of the only waterside national parks on the U.S. East Coast.

But most large ships can’t dock at the existing downtown pier and so must tender guests to port.

Voters by 945-658 approved a plan to redevelop a disused ferry terminal somewhat removed from downtown. Proponents say it will ease congestion and allow for growth of the cruise industry.

Opponents backed an alternate initiative that would have limited ship length at the pier to 300 feet and allowed voters to approve caps on passenger arrivals.

Currently, there are daily limits of 3,500 passengers in July and August and 5,500 passengers at other times. Bar Harbor officials said they expect to keep those limits after the ferry terminal is renovated.

About 180,000 cruise passengers visited Bar Harbor last year.

ACL’s first ‘modern’ Paddlewheeler to launch in 2019

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American Cruise Lines (ACL) has pushed back the expected launch of its more modern fleet of river cruise vessels by two years, to 2019.

Last year, when ACL first laid out plans for a fleet of modern ships for American rivers, they were slated to begin launching in 2017. This month, ACL said that construction is under way on the first of those riverboats, but that it is now expected to debut in 2019. The steel is currently being fabricated for what the company described as a “modern” paddlewheeler that will carry approximately 195 passengers.

ACL did not provide any additional details about the new vessel, such as where it will sail, but did say that it is being built with the standards of European river cruising in mind and “with a level of comfort unprecedented on the American rivers.”

Timothy Beebe, vice president of ACL, said in a statement that by “continually designing and building brand new ships”, the company was able to increase the quality of its product.

Earlier this year, American Cruise Lines launched its eighth ship, the 185-passenger Mississippi paddlewheeler, the America.

ACL has also begun construction on two new coastal cruise ships, with the first expected to launch in May 2017, and the second in 2018.

A rendering of the American Constellation.

American Cruise Lines said it has two new coastal ships under construction that will carry 170 passengers each.

The first ship, the American Constellation, is expected to begin cruising in May. The second ship, yet unnamed, is scheduled for completion in 2018.

The summer inaugural season will be devoted to a new 10-night round-trip itinerary from Boston to destinations including Bar Harbor, Newport, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Both ships are being built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., which is affiliated with American Cruise Lines. The design includes marbled tile bathrooms and large sliding glass doors in each cabin.