When we envisioned our long weekend around the Maine coast, we immediately thought of quaint fishing villages selling lobster rolls and other fresh seafood, small shops selling various local goods, and walk-able main streets to stroll and take in the fresh salt air and listen to an outdoor concert on a nearby grassy common.    

What we didn’t envision are two boats that can hold several thousand people each, their passengers overwhelming the shops and restaurants in town. Good for business, yes? Perhaps, but there’s many angles to this story. While merchants certainly benefit from these boats coming to town, a certain quality of experience goes out the window.

Case in point, after our lobster educational tour, which gave us the option of taking one of the lobsters we caught and having a local restaurant cook it up for us - we were told we would have to wait till 2:30 pm to accommodate the crowds from the cruise ships. And when we finally were able to bring our lobsters to the restaurant, they said it would be 45 minutes more to have our lunch. And with a live band cranking out 80’s music to the day-tripper crowd while we waited - we looked at each other and wondered where we were - Key West?  

So is this what Portland Maine wants? For non-cruise ship tourists to have this impression of their harbor, their service, their atmosphere? Maybe they see these inconveniences as small hiccups that are more than overcome by the additional revenue received by the day-trip cruise ship crowd. But for me and my wife, it meant we avoided Portland for the rest of the afternoon and for dinner - choosing to stay closer to our B&B in Freeport and visit a nature park. So this means lost revenue for Portland.

 
And we’ll most likely post this experience on a number of travel sites we use, which can reach a number of other potential travelers. And while certainly it seems cruise ships are chosen by many as a way to travel, they can turn off a large chunk of other travelers.

So is the long-term return worth it?  I’m not so sure. Good luck Portand Maine, we wish you well in your endeavors! I know your decision is not an easy one.