Key Aspects:
- Government officials in French Riviera destinations have proposed a set of limits on cruise ship visits and passenger disembarkations in a bid to protect the environment and local lifestyles.
- The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes took the action to restrict cruise industry operations in Cannes, Nice, and Beaulieu-sur-Mer.
- The new rules are slated to take effect in 2026 but will be implemented gradually, allowing ships that have booked their port visits two years in advance to continue their calls.
It appears that the glamorous ports of Cannes and Villefranche-sur-Mer (Nice), France, among others in the captivating Côte d’Azur region, will soon become more difficult to reach via large cruise ships.
Following months of discussion among port officials in popular destinations along the French Riviera, cruise ships will soon face new restrictions designed to protect the environment and quality of life among the local populations.
The Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, which includes Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, and Cannes, is poised to set guest debarkation limits and restrictions tied to the number of large cruise ships that can call at the destinations’ ports.
Specifically, the new rules, announced on October 10, 2025 and expected to be implemented gradually starting in 2026, would limit calls by cruise ships carrying more than 1,300 passengers to one per day, per port.
The cap does not apply to ships that dock, but rather to those that anchor offshore, which is the case for virtually all large ships.
The limit becomes more strict in the high season months of July and August, when a maximum of 15 cruise ships per month will be allowed to drop anchor in the ports’ harbors.
The proposed rules also target the numbers of disembarking guests. Under the plan, there would be an annual average of 2,000 passengers allowed to debark per port call, per port, while the maximum number of guests would top out at 3,000 per call, per port.
That debarkation limit would impact many ships that call at the Nice port, including Holland America Line’s 2,429-guest Oosterdam, for instance, which happens to be slated to call at the destination in late October 2025 as part of a 21-night “Adriatic Traversing: Dalmatian Coast & Italy” cruise.
In 2026, larger ships are slated to call, including Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic, which accommodates 4,070 guests, and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox, which carries 2,852 guests.
Cruise Ship in Villefranche-sur-Mer (Photo Credit: arentis)
However, while the implementation of the new rules is slated to start in 2026, it appears that cruise ships whose port calls were scheduled two years in advance will be grandfathered, and allowed to proceed with their visits.
The new restrictions were originally presented to local officials in July 2025 and are expected to be formally adopted after a 21-day public consultation.
Government Decree Also Targets Cruise Ship Pollution
The agreement between the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritime, the mayors of the cities involved, and representatives of the Cruise Lines International Association also addresses cruise ship pollution issues.
If local authorities detect “unusual smoke emissions,” the local harbormaster’s office can force the ship to begin certain emissions reduction measures, details of which were not revealed in the prefect’s announcement.
Read Also: Just How Big is a Cruise Ship?
However, if a pollution issue arises, the port call can be cancelled, or the ship must undertake a reduction of emissions three miles offshore.
Environmental concerns have been top of mind for some French Riviera officials for a long time.
In January 2025, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said the city planned to ban all large-capacity cruise ships from the destination starting in July 2025. After he issued the order in July, an administrative court struck it down, ruling that the mayor did not have legal authority to limit the cruise industry.
The order would have sharply limited calls by ships carrying more than 2,500 passengers.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
