Voters in Key West, Florida took advantage of Election Day to give cruise lines a big razzberry, passing three referendums that will limit cruise ship access to the island city.
The first referendum bans cruise ships carrying more than 1,300 passengers from docking in the city—a limit that effectively bans even the smallest ships of operators such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney and Carnival. A second limits the daily total of cruise visitors to 1,500, and the third gives docking priority to ships with the highest health and safety records.
Margins for the three referendums ranged from 60% to 81%, but they are expected to be challenged in court by the industry, which has been bringing a million visitors a year. If upheld, the city could still see visits from lines operating smaller ships, including Crystal, Seabourn and Viking.
