Bar Harbor cites Scenic Eclipse landing at unpermitted property
The town said the ship used a private West Street site after officials advised that no lawful shore-side landing was available.
Bar Harbor said Scenic Eclipse landed passengers at 55 West Street on October 1, 2026, although the private property lacked a disembarkation permit. The town subsequently issued property owner Golden Anchor a Notice of Violation.
According to the town, staff had informed Scenic Eclipse before its arrival that no lawful shore-side landing location was available because no private property held a valid permit. Bar Harbor’s cruise information page says the municipality operates a licensed disembarkation facility at Ells Pier through an agreement with American Cruise Lines, whose vessels carry 99 to 130 passengers.
The incident comes amid continuing legal and regulatory uncertainty over cruise operations in Bar Harbor. According to published reports, a federal judge ruled in May that the town’s daily cap of 1,000 cruise passengers could be enforced only in July and August. A motion seeking reconsideration remained pending, while two appeals were before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
The Town Council also was reported to have paused acceptance of new cruise reservations until it adopts rules consistent with the court rulings and the litigation concludes. The reviewed reports provided no indication that any 2027 Bar Harbor call had been cancelled and did not include a published 2027 schedule. Any listed itinerary therefore depends on how a ship arranges to land passengers.