Earlier this month we told you about a deal the City of Bangor was trying to make with a company called American Cruise Lines, bring cruises back to the City’s waterfront.
While not the huge cruise ships you might see docked along the coast, these ACL river cruises will help boost Bangor’s economy.
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The city council voted on the arrangement, and now plans are underway for how the city will accommodate these boatloads of visitors each week.
Tracy Willette, director of parks and recreation for Bangor, says so far American Cruise Lines is the only carrier to have approached the city regarding use of the dock.
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“American Cruise Lines has not docked in Bangor since 2011, so we are delighted and excited to see them return to Bangor beginning with the upcoming 2022 season. City Council recently authorized the City of Bangor to enter into a 20 years. agreement with American Cruise Lines. The agreement will be for the use of Dock 5, which is the City’s heavy vessel dock. We haven’t launched that dock since 2013.”
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Willette says that as part of the deal, the city of Bangor gave the cruise line a fixed rent schedule as well as a per-passenger docking fee for each time they use the dock.
Bangor waterfront
He says the US cruise ships coming to Bangor this season have a capacity of 96 passengers, meaning each has the potential to bring just under a hundred people to the area each time they go. dock.
“For the 2022 season, the standard schedule is to dock on Sunday morning and depart on Monday morning.”
Business owners in Bangor are also excited about the possibility of a steady influx of people, on a weekly basis, into the town. The potential for a new pool of rotating customers even has businesses, which would typically be closed on Sundays and Mondays, reworking their schedules.
Betsy Lundy, executive director of the Downtown Bangor Partnershipsays talks have recently begun between downtown business owners to come up with a plan to provide those who dock along Bangor’s waterfront with the cruise line a great experience in Bangor.
“As soon as we heard about the cruise schedule, we started working with our stakeholders to ensure cruise passengers have a good time downtown. A number of shops, restaurants and breweries are planning to “Adding hours on Mondays to accommodate cruise passengers. We are working on guided and self-guided tours for passengers that will highlight downtown amenities.”
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Summer Allen, owner Valentine’s Day Shoes in downtown Bangor, says she likes the idea. Although it hasn’t been open on Sundays since Covid hit, Allen says she and other business owners are actively looking for ways to adjust their hours to accommodate weekly visitors. Allen says she’s excited for these cruises to direct people directly to downtown businesses.
Valentine’s Day Shoes, Google
She’s now in her 11th year as a downtown business owner and says she’s looking forward to some of the ideas the Downtown Bangor Partnership comes up with, like specific shopping, walking, brewery tours. and arts and culture for cruise ship passengers. Allen says it’s not just stores and restaurants involved in the planning. There are local co-working spaces and wellness businesses looking for ways to provide opportunities for cruise guests to work or train while the ships are docked.
For more information, you can visit the American Cruise Lines website by clicking on here.
A walking tour of the Bangor waterfront
There’s plenty to do and see along Bangor’s waterfront
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