Cruie ship welcomed in Bangor American Eagle at home port

BANGOR – The American Eagle sailed into its newest home port right on time Friday afternoon, to the delight of the crowd gathered on shore to watch it come in.

A crowd of about 300 people was on hand to greet the 165-foot luxury cruise ship and its 44 passengers and 17-member crew.

Several city administrators, most of the City Council, and representatives of the Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau were among those who came to the waterfront to celebrate the vessel’s inaugural visit to its new home port at Bangor Riverpark on the Penobscot, as Bangor’s waterfront is now called.

As the result of some teamwork on the part of City Hall and the CVB, the American Eagle, a 31-stateroom vessel, will run cruises out of Bangor through Sept. 6.

Its sister vessel, the American Glory, is slated to use Bangor as its home port for 12 weeks next summer, said Paul Taiclet, who handles cruise operations for American Cruise Lines, headquartered in Haddam, Conn.

American’s “Maine Coast and Harbors” cruise offers a weeklong exploration of Maine’s coast that includes stops at ports of call including Castine, Bar Harbor, Rockland, Camden, Belfast and Bucksport. The cruise is a popular one for American, Taiclet said.

“All of the cruises in Maine this year are full,” he said.

Gov. John Baldacci, American Cruise Lines President Charles Robertson, state tourism director Dann Lewis, Bangor City Councilor Gerry Palmer, Bucksport Town Manager Roger Raymond and Bucksport Mayor Lisa Whitney were among the dignitaries who boarded the vessel in Bucksport for the trip to Bangor.

“It was terrific,” Palmer said of the trip. “The people are friendly and they’re really interested in the history and culture of the area.” He said that one of the ship’s passengers was so touched by the “small-town values” featured during Friday’s reception – which featured, among other things, the Six Basin Street Band – that she became teary-eyed.

The waterfront event was a joint effort of the city and the CVB’s welcoming committee. Among the highlights were a ribbon cutting and the presentation of several gifts, among them the key to the city, a limited-edition nautical print and a pictorial history of the region.

“We tried to do something to show how much we appreciated their making the decision” to designate Bangor a home port, said Jonathan Daniels, the city’s business and economic development director.

Councilor Michael Crowley, who served as master of ceremonies for the waterfront reception, offered a quick recap of the waterfront’s continuing evolution from an industrial site to a place for recreation and other higher-end uses.

“This has been transformed into a new hub of activity not only for Bangor but for the region and state,” he said.

Mayor Nichi Farnham said she hoped the ship’s passengers, who come from around the country, would stay awhile and explore other parts of Maine.

“We’re thrilled to have you come here; we hope you visit often,” she said, listing some of the local attractions and entertainment options. “We welcome you very graciously to our community.”

Baldacci, a former city councilor here, said that local support for the waterfront redevelopment project – which began in the 1980s – was recognition of the area’s importance to the community.

Bangor’s home port designation resulted from an unexpected incident, Robertson noted during the ceremony.

“What started off as a port of refuge for American Cruise Lines has turned into a port of paradise,” he said.

Last August, the American Eagle made Bangor an unexpected port of call when rough waters and strong winds along the coast prompted its captain to seek shelter in the calmer waters of the Penobscot River, stopping in Belfast and Bangor.

On the Bangor waterfront that day, city officials greeted passengers and crew with souvenirs, a brief oral history, brownies and root beer.

No stranger to Maine, Robertson often visited the state during his childhood summers. He said that the welcome he, his ship and its crew received Friday was among the warmest he’s seen, which bodes well for the cruise line’s fledgling relationship with the city.

“You couldn’t possibly have been better, you couldn’t possible have done it better,” he said. “It truly is the best.”