Last Updated on February 22, 2025 by Mrunal & Jiten
In December 2023, a group of California students fought to effectively ban the cruise ship industry from operating in a major city on the Central Coast. Two years later, as mega boats are still missing from Monterey’s shores — the outcome of a teenager-led environmental effort to protect the bay from spills or disasters — impacts from the absent travelers have rippled to some on land.
Monterey is the only city in California that has successfully kept all cruise ships from docking in its bay after Monterey City Council members voted 3-2 in 2023 to terminate passenger landing services, including security clearances, for incoming cruise liners.
Video above from our story in 2023.
The policy technically doesn’t ban cruise ships from Monterey Bay — since the city doesn’t have the authority to do that, according to the Monterey Herald — but two years later, the council’s decision to end boat services has kept cruise ships away from Monterey’s ports.
The decision was a win for environmentalists worried that the dozen or so ships that used the city’s ports each year were a ticking time bomb for mistakes that could endanger marine life. Since then, the loss of cruise ship passengers has rippled through the tourism industry, especially for the shops and restaurants that catered to disembarked visitors in areas like Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Two years after the City Council voted, a spokesperson for the largest cruise industry trade association told SFGATE that the association remains “disappointed by the decision” to hinder cruises from docking in Monterey. Ahead of the crucial vote in 2023, Cruise Lines International Association pleaded with the City Council during a meeting to allow its season to operate as usual — citing research that cruise passengers spend an average of $125 per shore visit.
Protect Monterey Bay, the student group, countered the association with its appeal to the council. “We have thousands upon thousands of tourists who visit and look at our beautiful bay. It takes their breath away, and they call it priceless. Well, according to the cruise industry, it isn’t priceless. It has a price: $125 average per passenger. My friends, no amount is worth sacrificing our integrity,” pleaded Aliya Denton, a student leader for the group.
Shortly after the remarks, the City Council members voted and cruise passengers stopped arriving on Monterey’s shore.
While other cities in the country haven’t banned cruise ships, a few have passed strict restrictions to curb the number of tourists who come by boat onto the shore.
Bar Harbor, Maine, limited cruise ship passengers to 1,000 per day in 2022, roughly half of what it was before, according to The Points Guy. Juneau, Alaska, has allowed only five ships at a time since 2024 and plans to cap passenger visits in 2026, according to the New York Times. Charleston, South Carolina, is no longer a homeport for Carnival Cruise Line, according to local news station WCSC-TV, but ships can still dock there for day trips.
Monterey was a common destination to visit in the spring and fall during voyages to Alaska or Mexico. Before COVID-19, the bay hosted between seven and 12 cruises per year. Ahead of the City Council vote in 2023, Cruise Mapper predicted that 21 ships were scheduled to visit the bay that year.
The new policy technically still allows cruise ships to dock, City Manager Hans Uslar told local press. Vessels may continue to anchor in Monterey Bay and ferry their passengers to the shore via tender boats, according to CruiseMapper. However, cruise companies and ship operators must hire staff at the port to process visitors at the public dock. In response, cruises decided to decline the new arrangement and no longer appear in the largest marine protected area in the continental U.S.
See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
Leave a Reply