ROCKLAND, Maine — On a crisp fall Tuesday morning, more than 2,000 passengers from the Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship began filing into the small coastal city of Rockland.
"There's people who started coming in at 7:30 this morning. There probably will be people who come in at two this afternoon. There are already people starting to head back right now," Rockland Harbor Master Molly Eddy said while ushering people into the harbor.
According to Eddy, the Celebrity Eclipse is the last of 12 cruise ships that will be visiting in 2024, marking the end of the city's busiest recorded cruise ship season ever.
"They come in waves. They come in on these tenders and they come in about a hundred passengers at a time," Eddy said.
And with the increased number of passengers, Eddy said comes some extra work.
"We're all getting to know what to expect from each other, so I anticipate there's going to be some hiccups," Eddy said.
But with help from the Port Share Promise Midcoast, a program created by the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, Eddy said the balance between keeping passengers and Rockland residents happy has been more manageable.
"We want the passengers to have a great experience, but we know they're going to, so how can we work more with the residences and businesses to ensure that we have all of that flow back and forth," Chamber of Commerce President Shannon Landwehr said.
According to Landwehr, the main goal of the program is connecting and working with local businesses and residents to help prepare them for the influx of people.
"Making sure that we understood from the residents and businesses what's going to be available so we can do a better job when passengers are coming off of making sure they're getting to those places," Landwehr said after helping a passenger find a good spot to eat.
Staff over at the seagull cottage on Main Street said the program has helped them bring even more passengers in to shop, something that will help them stay open during the off season.
"It's really good for business. It's really nice to keep busy. It can be a lot, but I think it's been a really great thing for our store and the stores around," store associate Mia Nelson said.
And with some of the funds that come from the cruise ships themselves, Eddy said the city plans on upgrading the harbor for everyone to enjoy.
"We want to hopefully raise the seawall and raise the harbor park, which is below the flood plain, redesign the park and make it more resilient to sea level change and storm damage," Eddy said.
Officials with Port Share Promise Midcoast said they will also continue to take feedback during the off season with hopes to make the process more efficient next cruise season.