PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 29, 2021
Cruise ships should be banned from Portland Harbor before they return. There may be some who will argue that the top-heavy behemoths, with hulls painted like children’s toys, are vital to Portland’s economy, but there is no shortage of is visitors to the city, as anyone attempting to make restaurant reservations or navigate the sidewalks of the Old Port will attest. The blocks of condos cropping up across the downtown are effectively land-based cruise ships, without the glitz, rooftop pools and water slides. Why do we need more of the them dominating our waterfront? The longer game is to preserve the quintessential character of the city and surrounding bay. ~ Peter Wellin, South Portland