The American Cruise Lines ship, American Glory, docked on the Bangor Waterfront.

Cruising in Maine has long been a popular autumn vacation option for passengers on port of call stops to the ports of Portland and Bar Harbor which are deep draft ports and regularly host vessels of all sizes. The Port of Rockland is beginning to attract deep draft cruise passenger vessels to their anchorage and historically is a port of call for military ships.

Recently, the state has seen a dramatic increase in coastal cruising programs and is currently a summer home for the cruise operations of American Cruise Line, American Canadian Caribbean Line and Clipper Cruise Line. All three of these companies participate in offering several weeks of seven night cruises specific to Maine’s rocky coast. Through the addition of these cruise lines establishing a market for coastal cruises, we have watched the ports of Bangor, Belfast, Bucksport, Camden, and Rockland flourish as popular boutique ports of call for these niche lines as shown in the tables below.