THINGS JUST GOT WAY WORSE

[@yms1974]

I would rather do sea days than go to a destination that looks upon my money with hostility.........

[@romanmaimo1468]

I’ve been on so many cruises I’d rather stay on board and enjoy the ship while everyone else got off

[@electrictroy2010]

@romanmaimo1468 CRUISE tourists only spend $30 a day at European ports vs. the hundreds spent by airplane tourists (rental cars, taxis, hotels, restaurants). The locals rather have the plane tourists than the cruise tourists

[@yms1974]

@@electrictroy2010 well when i am in ports I spend money on tours/excursions food and beverages transportation and I might spend more in a few hours then air tourists in that same time frame plus you can multiply that spending by a few thousand times. It also would make me not want to fly and vacation there in the future as a land vacation.

[@Jon-yo4wj]

@@electrictroy2010 shouldn't the protestors target the tourist that are walking around instead of the one spending money eating at restaurants? Somehow I get the feeling they're just blaming tourists for their own problems

[@davidtripp3217]

Hi Don! We can definitely go elsewhere but don't expect me to come back when they decide to change their minds.

[@MarilynMcphail]

Cruise ships are being built too large. When once three ships would bring in about 6000 passengers, now three ships are carrying more than 18000. The infrastructure and businesses cannot keep up and those living in the area are adversely affected. Targeting cruise passengers by the protesters is not right, but I can understand their frustration. On my upcoming cruise (on a smaller ship) I’ve looked at how many ships are in port. If there are a lot, I am planning to stay on board.

[@danasandoval624]

Yes they do have large ships now but even if it was 3 smaller ships you are getting thousands of people, it really isn’t the ship size. These countries begged for tourism now they don’t want it. Yes it’s a lot of people all at once but look at the money they have brought to your community. I hope the cruise lines & tourists stop going to these places period. There are loads of other places to see or so much to do on the ships you don’t really ever have to get off. This is not a win situation for these countries doing this but the way they are acting it serves them right.

[@electrictroy2010]

@danasandoval624 ITS only 30 dollars per day per passenger. That’s a minuscule amount compared to the 100s spent by auto and plane tourists (hotels, restaurants, etc) .

[@danasandoval624]

@@electrictroy2010 The thing is once you make statements or do something that looks bad it effects more than just the one industry, this time the cruise industry, it will effect other vacationers decisions about going there.

[@truckbomb1]

Cruise vacation in Saudi Arabia? Seriously? I held a business visa in the Kingdom for twenty years. The last place I would vacation save for India is the Kingdom. Don, your clients might have some life changing experiences there and none are good. Say the ship docks in the port of Jedda. He takes some alcohol drink with him from the ship while disembarking to see the sites like the market place (Souk). The religious police who are everywhere sense the booze, arrest your client and take him to the Jeddah jail. I had to visit the Jeddah jail once armed with Saudi gourmet docs for the release of a company employee with booze. That is not a fun place. Prisoners are NOT fed. Relatives and friends bring his food every day. Or, your client may visit the Souk on a Friday afternoon to buy some gold jewelry at the market price of gold itself. Your client gets rounded up with everyone else there, then forced into the Mosque to witness punishment of criminals found guilty. Some criminals leave with an appendage removed by sword. Theft results in the criminal with a new nickname, “Lefty.” My advice: Avoid this destination at all costs. There is nothing to see there and your client may suffer a bad experience or worse, get into serious trouble for doing what was normal at home.

[@Pleasiotic1]

Yeah most of the countries he mentioned are not popular tourist destinations for really good reasons, and those reasons are not going to change just because the country is trying to woo the cruise industry.

[@9999deoxys]

Excellent post...Thanks for the real info.

[@CPTVigil]

I was in Saudi Arabia and the religious police beat someone up just for talking to me. I have no Idea why Don is suggesting this as even a possibility.

[@lakmack]

I can't comment on SA as I have never been there, except for my plane to refuel. It was amazing to see a caravan in the desert from the plane, but that's as close as I would go, and from what you say, it sounds horrific. But India? I have been many times (not on a cruise ship though) and it is an amazing place to visit, if you take the time to learn at least a little about the culture and appreciate its beauty and philosophical depth. I am not saying that the country doesn't have its challenges, but I have met many Indians both in India and in Australia, and I have found them on the whole, a really lovely people. My experience.

[@electrictroy2010]

What’s wrong with India? That country doesn’t have religious police or bans against alcohol or skirts .

[@bluescrubsn1913]

Remove Barcelona from a port destination. I have been to Barcelona a few times and If I and my family are not welcome, I will not be back.

[@electrictroy2010]

The tourists from ships only spend $30 a day versus airplane tourists that spend hundreds. The locals won’t miss you. They rather have people who are spending on rental cars, hotels, and restaurants .

[@bluescrubsn1913]

@@electrictroy2010 oh they will miss thousands of people like me. I am happy to see my comment really strike a nerve in you. LoL

[@ivanmorley3735]

There are far too many large cruise ships visiting small ports, and the towns just can't cope with the huge influx of people. Although, removing cruise ships from the equation will not necessarily reduce the number of tourists, just look at Venice.

[@nigelcartwright5986]

I agree with the statement from the UK. When I visit a foreign country I respect their ways and customs, I don't cause trouble, I don't get drunk. What I do is spend money, but I'm quite willing and able to spend money in other, more hospitable, places.

[@karlahart_AK]

Where you spend your money doesn't necessarily make much of a difference to the people who are adversely impacted by overtourism. The rich shop owners and shore excursion businesses get richer and the people displaced from housing and unable to afford to live in a place because businesses can charge tourists more get the brunt of impacts you don't even think of. Visiting a community isn't a private theme park. Your money doesn't automatically buy you admission and welcome.

[@nigelcartwright5986]

@@karlahart_AK Whether you agree of disagree with people temporarily coming into your community you can still be civil to them. We are all human beings and we should all respect each other and each others rights. That's why I'm always civil to anyone in a county I visit.

[@NeedtoSpeak]

@@karlahart_AKWell said!

[@electrictroy2010]

@karlahart_AK what I’m seeing is a flip: It has always been said Americans are rude, but now it’s the Europeans that are committing assault & battery. The Euros are the rude ones.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

@@nigelcartwright5986 civilness only works with those who respect you... and part of that respect is not damaging the places you come to through things like overcrowding... in that case, sometimes, you need to use brute force to stand your ground.... especially, if politicians who might control the situation through legal channels ignore you. on the other hand, you may embrace becoming a tourist theme-park and make the best of it... also a fair choice, and one that can bring a lot of money and growth... but that also depends on how democratically the industry spreads it's wealth.

[@sharonhumphrey1452]

Cruise ships are too big. Too many people on board!"! I see why countries tired of ships. Greed ship companies!!!! Greed. Money😮

[@reececollison5101]

I couldn’t imagine what would happen if literally all the ports say ‘no 5000k+ passenger cruise ships’! Where would the cruise lines send them? They’d be in a huge pickle!

[@shanagaskill3473]

This is a result of greed. As someone who left the Florida Keys due to overtoruism ruining the area and harming the eco system…yay !

[@nancyeckerman4689]

The world does not exist for tourists...people live and work in ports and destinations There is a tipping point for for everything.

[@NeedtoSpeak]

Well said!

[@martincampbell7774]

I have mixed feeling about this. While I too will not travel to places I am unwelcome, I can see where many large cruise ships at once is overkill. WE need a balance, as some ports are doing, by limiting the passengers per day permitted from cruise ships. Poor administration by the ports/ countries and by cruise lines.

[@buyerclub2]

Yes, some regulation will help this situation.

[@clarkjeschke3344]

Don, you hit the nail on the head. If places dont want tourists, we'll go where they do. There are a number of places that never thought they could compete as cruise destinations that are rethinking that.

[@bemiggy]

Sorry Don, you didn't get to the root of the problem. The problem for the locals is not the cruise passenger. The problem is the disruptive tourism concepts like AirBNB who make investors buy property in a massive way so massive that locals see prices for apartments go double or more. Now imagine that you rent and your landlord can make up to 5 times the amount you pay for rent by letting tourists stay there. And he throws you out. As long as locals were just renting their spare room there was no issue. But now international investors buy apartment buildings to rent to tourists on different platforms to rich tourists. And locals with a normal job (who make a lot less money in Spain than in Germany for example) cannot find housing anymore at a rate they can afford. So they started protesting to their government, but in many places not much happened... So now they do whatever gets the attention to flag the problem. And this before hotels and restaurants have no staff anymore that can afford a place to live with an acceptable travel time. In top of that the cruise passenger is not always valued to his spending, because it is spread and differentiated. And for a local it is difficult to see how much cruise passenger bring in wealth. Ik those cities they get bombed every day by always bigger vessels dropping 10 thousands of people into the traffic and into the daily life that for locals it get hard. Don't forget that most people in those cities have jobs that have no connection with tourism and now have a Trafic jam of 1,5 hours going to work because there are so many excursion busses on the road . I agree with you that it is a bad move, but there is more behind the protests than what reaches the eye. Note form a tourism professional

[@rosemarie9956]

Very good points. Some bigger laws need changing to deal with this and that is why people are protesting- to bring more attention to the issues. Not going to solve everything but even NYC area has a ban on air B and B or something like that.

[@Mtl1508]

Dubai and Saudi Arabia have nothing in common with southern Europe, maybe the heat but that’s all.

[@electrictroy2010]

I wouldn’t go there, but I’d like a cruise destination to India or China or Korea or Japan

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

@@electrictroy2010 in Korea, you will also definitely get an anti-tourism vibe in the more Historic parts of Seoul (do not know about the rest)... not hot violence like it is with Spain, but certainly, (if it has not changed) you will find many ongoing protests against tourism, with anti-tourist slogans and chants. Japan mostly excepts tourists, though, you do find a lot of streets where you are not allowed to take photo's, or Shops/cafe's with a No-Tourists sign in the more touristy parts of the country... still, 85%-90% of people are foreigner friendly I would say... Myself, I lived there for over a decade, &, being fluent in the language And local manners, so I never really had problems... but as a person who is outside of the culture, you will find people may be somewhat reluctant to deal with you occasionally, (getting more open though).

[@truckbomb1]

I cannot justify local residents shooting water on cruisers. I do understand their frustration in having hoards of people dumped into their community wreaking havoc and discontent due entirely in the great numbers.

[@electrictroy2010]

It is frequently said that American tourists are rude. This story shows it’s actually the Europeans who are ruder. I understand their frustration, but that doesn’t justify assault & battery (yelling and throwing water at people) .

[@Cenlalowell]

If those people don't want cruisers there the cruise ship should not go

[@gwynethglas-brown9171]

Also they don’t want tourist taking up their “ property “ as they have a Housing crisis . Definitely not a pleasant atmosphere in some spanish cities 😮.

[@lltpgh2012]

NO to Dubai. No to China! It is ashamed regarding Barcelona . My husband was there for work & has always wanted to return especially to see the completed Cathedral !

[@Jon-yo4wj]

I stopped going to France for over 15 years now due to animosity that I received. I can't believe that Spain where they are very welcoming is now changing their feelings. I guess we'll just ignore Spain going forward. Even the thought of some locals not wanting me and my family there is enough for me to never go.

[@electrictroy2010]

So basically: European Union citizens are rude (at least the western half of the continent) .

[@electrictroy2010]

@Jon-yo4wj 🇪🇺

[@pattappurple]

I'm not sure I would want to visit Saudi Arabia. So many restrictions in the country that it would be easy to fall foul of their rules.

[@karenross4706]

It has to be overwhelming to get 2 or 3 cruise ships into port that have 3,000-5,000 people in them. It’s good money but that’s alot of people to these small towns. Crazy times. Thanks Don.

[@gwenmarshall587]

Barceloneta has too many cruise berths at its port.

[@daff364]

Not sure suggesting dictatorships like Saudi, china and UAE thst have appalling human rights, as alternatives to Europe is a good idea.

[@karlahart_AK]

It fits with the cruise industry model of behaviors, including exploiting workers from lesser developed countries.

[@NeedtoSpeak]

@@karlahart_AKYou are absolutely spot on! We cruise in luxury on the backs of the poor.

[@davidward1721]

@@NeedtoSpeak We cruise in luxury🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MsRotorwings]

Exactly. He should know better.

[@edmorris7482]

I hope that Barcelona is a little more receptive of tourists when we arrive on the Sun Princess ext year. Keep up the good work, Don.

[@l.wallace4252]

We have a cruise that embarks in Barcelona in 2025. We've written our TA to change it because we normally arrive a few days ahead of time. We wouldn't feel comfortable touring the city given the protests. Call me chicken; it's just too much money to risk discomfort. Also, building cruise terminals means that some faction wants cruise traffic; it doesn't necessarily mean that the citizens want it.

[@bguallar]

Just relax, this video is maximing a small problem

[@monikalandsvik9566]

The protests is about tourism in total, not just from cruices.

[@maryloua777]

Big cruise ships with so many people can easily overwhelm a small but popular cruise port, especially if more than one mega ship is in port. Not many ports can accommodate such great numbers of people. Think washrooms and potties. Maybe too late to change that but think if cruise lines went back to 2000 people. Three smaller ships to one huge mega ship. But huge seems to be what’s happening now. That said, I definitely don’t want to be the target of flying debris and angry locals. Thanks for a great report.

[@slammedgv]

Thank you for the update.

[@albertoarce4047]

So sad that tourists have to go through such a horrible situation. The government need to do something ASAP.

[@genageeraert8039]

Remember a lot tourists don t behave well. If you had a guest that was horrible wouldn’t you want them to go.

[@notinterested6343]

​@@genageeraert8039 Right now it's the citizens of Barcelona that are behaving like Neanderthals.

[@junea3259]

its the Mega Ships with 5000 people who ruin it for everyone. No other ships can port

[@karlahart_AK]

Enjoy your cruises to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and China. If the cruise industry respected limits to their visits, things would not need to escalate. The responsibility rests of the cruise industry that bullies (see their threats now) and pushes their way in, rather than self-limiting to remain a welcome visitor. Imagine if you will, you invited one friend to your home. That friend came, and was fun for a bit, but came back with more and more others, and kept taking and taking and setting terms of their visit in your home. Would you not want to set limits? What if those limits were met with bullying? What if your friend said if they couldn't come with all of their friends and do what they want in your home they would just leave. Yes, the wine and chocolates they gave you sometimes would be missed, but not the garbage, the damage, the noise, the extra costs of having them in your home. If these are friends who only take and stay on their own terms, then they aren't really friends, they are exploiters. Bye bye.

[@dmoniquerenee]

Thanks Don, I love your commentary. I have travelled to Spain many times. I just retured from a Virgin Voyages Irresistibly Med Cruise June 30th. - July 8th. Just 10-day later, I find your report the opposite of my experience. Everyone spoke to me in English. I experienced nothing but pleasant people. Spend most of my day from the airport on the Hop-On/Off Bus and both Green and Orange lines that dropped me off in front of Scarlet Lady. I had a great lunch on at a wonderful tapas bar with good coffee in the heart of the city. Upon return I spent the two-day at the Hyatt Barcelona Tower where I experience not pleasantries from the many folks I met and that included dining in 6 tapas restaurants around the city and dinner at Le Petit Chef as a solo traveler on this last minute trip I book 5-days before the sailing which is typical for me. I have been to Dubia and most parts of Asia (Land trips) while thes cruise sound great it would not be a new experience for me, nevertheless I am certain there would be new adventures to be had on these cruises also. I can confirm I did not see or experience any protestesters nor was I in contact with any folks were unpleasant.

[@unlvqasl]

So when the people go to "someplace else" wherever that is in a few years that "someplace else" will also be ruined. The problem and I will admit to being part of the problem is that too many people are traveling and there are too few few interesting places to visit. It is also compounded by the fact that many travelers are only willing to do cruises so their potential destinations are limited to places that are within 50 miles of the coast. The people who live in the destination cities do have a point. Speculators in Barcelona have bought up so many apartments to use for tourist lodging that the people who need apartments to live in can't find affordable housing. The population of Ketchikan is 8000 and look what happens when four 6000 passenger Idiocy of the Seas with 25,000 passengers dock there. A solution to the Idiocy of the Seas problem would for these ships not to dock except to pick up passengers amd supplies. Just go 100 miles out to sea and let them cruise in small circles for a week.

[@karinbinnie1862]

We were in Ketchikan in May and we were the smallest of 4 cruise ships in port that day. Thousands of people but everyone was happy and pleasant. Can the port stagger the days when cruise ships are in port or is it like this every day during the season?

[@karlahart_AK]

@@karinbinnie1862 I assure you, not everyone in Ketchikan was happy and pleasant about your presence, you just likely didn't encounter many, or any, locals who weren't in a transactional situation with you (trying to sell you something or otherwise employed by the industry). The communities of Alaska where cruise ships call are inundated every day for about 22 weeks. In Juneau, there are no days off May through late September.

[@buyerclub2]

@@karlahart_AK As a local, and asking, not critique, do you want NO cruise ships, or regulated cruise ships? What would be best for your community? What if there was a $25.00 per day per disembarkement for the cruise ship that was paid to the city. Would that help?

[@karlahart_AK]

@@buyerclub2 Juneau is too deeply bought into the cruise industry for no cruise ships to be a realistic desire. We have head taxes. Thanks to federal law, and the cruise industry getting congressional "clarification" on how those monies can be spent, they may only be spent in service to the ship (yes ship, not passengers). Juneau pushed that, CLIA sued, in a settlement CLIA gets to say what they will allow and what they won't, essentially have appropriation powers over those monies, which is completely against the Alaska constitution, but it is a settlement agreement, rather than a law, so it slips by. Sadly, more money will not make a lot of the worst impacts on locals go away. For example, noise from helicopter and whale watching boat tours and big noisy buses and float planes is horrific. How much would I need to personally receive to offset the harm to my life and mental and physical health from the increase noise? Times all of the people in Juneau who suffer harm? Cruise ships will emit well over $34 million worth of air pollution into the Juneau port area in 2023. That is about $20 per cruise ship passenger worth of harm from pollution. Even if we collected $20 from each passenger to pay the hospital and medical bills and to compensate for early deaths, that would not make the residents who are harmed whole again. The issue is really complex. Weighing a very good profit for some against some extra money for others against huge quality of life and health impacts for others. Best for our community, in my opinion, would be to figure out the optimal number of cruise visitors based on our capacity to serve them quality experiences without degrading life for residents and displacing independent tourists whose spending is much more beneficial to a wider segment of the community and then have the cruise industry respect that limit. Unfortunately, the cruise industry acts as a bully and forces themselves upon communities on their own terms, or threatens to pull all ships and leave a place that has become dependent upon them decimated if it tries to exercise any real control. It is a messy and complex situation, that is a bit different from the local side in every destination; however, the behavior of the cruise industry is pretty consistently bad. Look now at CLIA Europe creating the term tourismphobia to try to distance the anti-cruise backlash from cruising.

[@buyerclub2]

@@karlahart_AK Thanks for the well written and thorough reply. I agree a very complex problem. And you are fighting against a very large industry. I think publicity is really your only short term way to get this under control. You may want to see if you can set something up locally to get ads on several social media sights. I dont really think the protests that our occurring in Barcelona do much to get people to take your side. And YOU DO need to get the cruisers, (not the companies) to understand that locals are not against them, but just for regulation and not losing their way of life. I am willing to donate a little if there is a gofundme or something like that to start paying for the ads. Good Luck. While I do enjoy going to different places, by no means do I want to impact the culture or people that I am visiting. I think we both agree, it has to be limited and regulated to satisfy all needs. Jon

[@randijaffe-7665]

Don- your news is so accurate!! I follow another channel, who gives misinformation details, that you report accurately!! Thank you for your great work!!

[@twaunniebusse7262]

Sad- Thank you for the updates

[@doreenfriel7039]

Saudi Arabia… Dubai… China? You have got to be kidding, Don.

[@miketodd6654]

The places that I'd never want to visit are expanding their Port facilities?

[@leemg4560]

One by one you are seeing the local goverments of these popular cruise ports starting to control the number of cruise ships that arrive. They are correct. The greedy cruise lines are building their megaships and offloading thousands of passengers on any given day in cruise towns, overwheming them. It is not just about the money tourists spend at a port, but the high prices tourists pay to locals have a ripple effect on the poorer people who live in the area and have to now contend with higher prices. And most of the ports do not have the infrastucture to support so many tourists at one time. Ports need to put their foot down and control the number of cruise ships they allow in instead of catering to the greedy cruise corporations. If they do this control, the locals wil stop behaving this way tpowards the tourists. It was not a problem before, but now it is because to many tourists are being dumped into these cruise ports by the cruise lines every day.

[@jamesgudobba2974]

Good for the people of Spain. Us Alaskan feel the the same.we get a very short summer, and it gets so crowded we can't enjoy are own land

[@ruthm3813]

Do you stay in Alaska all year round or go away on vacation/holiday?

[@jamesgudobba2974]

@@ruthm3813 I don't go outside of Alaska.

[@roseduckworth1344]

Apparently they don’t want the revenue that cruise ships bring to their ports.

[@buyerclub2]

Yes I think that is correct in a way. They are willing to forego the revenue. But the cities in Europe all have differernt economies with different dependencies on tourism. Lets take three cities. Barcelona, (BCN), Athens, (ATH), and Rome. All three service cruise ships, and all three have 100s of thousands of tourists each year. ATH is greatly dependent on tourism as a whole. I dont think cruise ships are the major problem for this city. Especially since the port is 40 mintues a way. It is tourism as a whole. Have you been to the Acropolis? The stones are now so smooth because of foot traffic ii is almost impossible to walk.. Thankfully they are starting to limit and regulate. But tourism is important to that city. BCN. is the worse situation. It used to not rely as much on tourists, but housing has become so expensive there that now the vast majority of people who had lived there moved, and the remaining OUR servcing tourists. Not too happy about it. but they are. And cruise ships exacerbate the problem somewhat. True the cruise ships pay port fees, and true passengers on cruise ships dont imact housing. BUT they do use infrastructure, and cause a lot of crowding. So I do again think some type of limit and regulation of cruiseships in BCN would be valuable for all. Would likely raise the cost of going there. But if the desire is high I guess people will go. Now Rome. Truthfully I have never been there. so I can not make more than general comments. But Rome is NOT reliatant just on tourism. It has fashion, banking the vatican'. etc. I dont think the city would be impacted much by cruise ships not being allowed,, or again some other type of regulation. So your one sentence comment did cause me to write a lot. Hope you read. Let me know if you did by replying in some way.

[@borg1964]

I don’t support harassing tourists, but life in some big cities like Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and some Islands has become unaffordable for locals. The Spanish government has allowed far too many hotels build and local houses/apartments used for air B&B etc. There have been reports of hotel and restaurant staff camping in the outskirts of the city and on the Islands local kids can’t find an affordable house. Unless they book an excursion, cruise passengers often don’t spend that much in ports and all-inclusive resorts are just the same. Most of the money is earned by the cruise line and hotel chains. It’s such a pity, only losers in this case.

[@aussiejohn5835]

The income from cruise ships is mostly due to port fees and taxes with a fraction of the income from cruise passengers spending while in Port. Some ports charge hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is why cruise ships are so strict about leaving on time because they have to pay extra for every hour they remain in port after the scheduled departure time.

[@gigi9301]

@@aussiejohn5835 So the locals/citizens might not be thoroughly informed about how tourists actually are helping their economy. Perhaps their governments should inform their populations about possible ramifications if droves of tourists stopped , and the benefits that they bring

[@Shan_Dalamani]

This is the case in many tourist destinations, not just cities where cruises go. Consider the people who work in Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada. There's nowhere for them to actually live, and it's ridiculous to expect them to commute from the closest city (which is also crazy-expensive).

[@aussiejohn5835]

@gigi9301 You are correct. Here in Sydney Australia, the port fees and taxes are $280K for each ship that departs before 7 p.m., with this amount increasing substantially for every hour after scheduled departure. This has only recently been made public by the cruise lines because they are trying to negotiate a more reasonable price. These fees don't include the cost of restocking the ship with food and other essentials. Most ports make huge amounts of money from cruise ships, which is supposed to be reinvested into the local economy. Cruise passengers are a small cog in a very large wheel.

[@brucefrytz8611]

Cruise passengers don't stay overnight, so their presence has no impact on housing. As far as the unaffordablility of housing It's the same in every large city in the world, not just cruise ports. Supply and demand dictates the price, plain and simple.

[@lindab5789]

Planning to be in Spain in a few weeks. It's too late to change our plans without losing money, so we're going. Hopefully, it will be ok. I am sure that not everyone in Spain is taking out their frustrations on tourists. However, if I was planning a trip now, I would have some second thoughts about Spain.

[@larkendelvie]

While I think destinations who aren't welcoming are not on my visit list I do think some of these large cruise ships should be sure not to saturate locations.

[@barrieforte2588]

I can see a big growth in more private islands and resort islands for the cruise industry.

[@Cenlalowell]

Countries don't want to see all those people show up for eight hours then leave. It's too many people.

[@markeaston7353]

It is all a bit of a beat up. We just spent 6 weeks in Spain, travelling all over including Barcelona and were always made to feel welcome. Nearly every hotel that we stayed in was full or near full and none of the many people we encountered in the travel industry saw any. downturn in how busy they were. I think Don is creating the news.

[@reececollison5101]

It’s becoming quite a hot topic on the news. Although I find that the outlets reporting most on this are the ones who push C.C. the most (can’t type the words the comment will be hidden)

[@silviaeaston]

I can definitely understand the "locals" of these places not wanting tourism, but what I adamantly feel bad, is for ports such as TAINO bay in Dominican republic, which a very large section is now devoted/built a tourist area, which the locals I'm assuming can't even walk in, when tourists are gone for the day. (not being able to "walk their dogs" or walk their young children in their bicycles, etc....

[@sabrinakollmann2506]

This is so sad. We lived in Spain for 3 years & the people were so amazing! I’ve always wanted to go back but this is scary.

[@cassandrabranch1729]

The idea of spreading out tourists between many different destinations is excellent -- build more cruise ports, like Philippines! I, too, won't visit Spain if I'm going to be harrassed.

[@CanandianPeriod]

There are cruise ships on the Great lakes now. Apparently they are dumbing grey water outside of sight from land !!! And US and Canadian officials know about it !!! WOW" Well I for one if this is true want the ship's off the Great Lakes !!!!

[@ThaSista]

You hit the nail on the head. I have been actively looking at European cruises and transatlantic. I’m putting that on hold. Not knowing where all these protesters may be I’ll just not go to any European country. There are plenty of places I can spend my dollars. Maybe I’ll look again in a year and see if they have calmed down.

[@loriwilson8641]

I agree. We will go where we are welcome

[@jeanettesnyder5320]

No. Don’t go where not wanted. Let’s just cruise on by. 😊

[@DJ_Andreas]

I call BS on the allegation that cruise ship tourism is driving up rent. Greedy landlords are driving up rent, not a ship that takes all the visiting tourists back out of Port each night. Now, an embarkation port may have some challenges with housing supply, if their Airbnb situation is out of control. I stayed in an Airbnb in Lisbon prior to my cruise, which was owned by an absentee landlord in Romania. But they did invest, renovate, and hire locals to manage the apartment, so at least some of the money stays local.

[@DaleChurchward]

It seems to me that the protesters are getting exactly what they want, which shows that the protests are the right approach to drive change. I don't agree with that approach, but it seems to be working.

[@kevincleek8389]

Your description of a cruise vessel as a "mobile hotel" describes the problem perfectly. I have never cruised, but am "cruise curious." I have traveled a fair bit, though, and I had the opportunity to visit Spain in 2018. Barcelona and Grenada were beautiful cities, but the cruise tourism was definitely not a benefit to the locals and, for that matter, regular tourists. When you have several ships dumping a total of 10-15K tourists into a city where all they want is prepaid tickets to the prime tourist sites (e.g. Sagrada Familia, Alhambra), there's little benefit to the average small business proprietor, as these cruise tourists are in and out and gone, with minimal impact on local business. Big deal that the city gets port fees, the local shops get squat. When my wife and I stayed a few days at hotels in a city or its suburbs, we put money in the pockets of the locals for our food and lodging, not the pocket of the "mobile hotel." One can often get admission to prime tourist venues when one stays locally for a few days. In Granada, we got tickets to the Alhambra for the next day, as the city's tourism agency allots tickets to hotels for guests who are booked for several days, as they are of much greater value than a few dozen busses running from the port to the venue and back on the same day.

[@lindarideout7672]

We were in Barcelona few years ago and a few people from the ship decided to stop and have something to eat and drink at an outdoor Cafe. They refused to serve us.He said cruisers are cheap and told us to leave.

[@angelamacri8591]

I’m a bit worried Don I’m going on an Iberian cruise in September which has Barcelona but also many Spain countries on the itinerary. If Spain becomes an issue they would have lots of changes to do. I hope all goes well.

[@2chuck]

I grew up in South Florida in the 1960s. There was a problem with locals becoming more and more annoyed by Tourists and it got bad enough that the Tourist Board put out a Public Information Video that showed two short clips, one of a Venue crowded with Tourists and the 2nd a clip of Refineries belching black smoke polluting the Air. It asked a short question, "would you rather have this? (Tourists) or This? (Refinery Clip) showing that Tourism prevented the Economy from depending on dirtier Manufacturing and Refining and gives Florida a much Cleaner environment. I think it was very effective. Maybe Barcelona should try something like that.

[@lizcrozier981]

Our cruise terminates in Spain later in year but wouldn't mind if it was changed after seeing the protests despite being my first time visiting the country. Was so looking forward to trip as its been booked for 18 months but now a little anxious. I love travel and love the amazing people I meet but don't want to go where I am not made to feel welcome.

[@amraam5690]

Not a good idea to bite the hands that feed you!

[@kristenkroes9649]

We really liked Barcelona when we went last year. But with this going on I would think twice about going again.

[@francessinobio4522]

Barcelona does not enforce any laws. I am supposed to go in October to board NCL ship. Tourism minister is a joke. The laws aren’t enforced. Worse place for pick pockets. No consequences. Sad. Beautiful city.

[@misty1tl]

I can’t say that I blame them. Tourism is crazy enough there, I would imagine several ships worth of people everyday during tourist season is overwhelming. I wish people would stop seeing this as a money issue and see it as a quality of life issue.

[@ruthkringle1353]

A handful of people want to dictate what everyone does. When their taxes go up or prices to make up what’s lost then they will be upset about that.

[@kareneggimann3933]

If a ship dropped off thouss Since so many cruisers are fluffy selfentitled egotists I would not want to serve them I worked in Sitka snd Anchorage.We only tolerated them

[@FrielFamilyFootball]

People are only not welcomed when they miss behave. Nuffsaid.

[@ruthm3813]

Though that is one reason, it is about more then that.

[@lizwasko]

Go to Saudi so I have to act and dress like them. Or have to attend a mandatory meeting on the cruise ship to not offend. Nope. I’ve been to China 3 different times with extended stays. It’s a beautiful country and great locals. I’d love a cruise from China

[@crystalglass1358]

I took a RC cruise from Beijing, which sailed on to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and ended in Singapore. I'd do the same cruise again in a heartbeat! It was AWESOME!

[@susanbolton-hk5yn]

Previous reply not accepted. Don't risk Saudi not worth it.

[@monikalandsvik9566]

Hi Don, i miss some background info for why the anti-tourist-protests has risen. Ex: rent out of normal peoples paygrade due to airbnb, not enoug flats for sale due to airbnb and tourists bying up the marked. There is more, please check it out.

[@CryMeARiver63]

What does Airbnb have to do with cruise line tourists ?

[@l.wallace4252]

Agreed that there are many sides, some negative, to tourism. However, squirting and harassing people? That is not the way to bring about change without also creating hard feelings/bias.

[@monikalandsvik9566]

​@@CryMeARiver63 It's about turisme in total, not just from cruiceships. Do you feel for wearing a harnessvest etc to make cruise-guests different from other tourists?

[@heathermichael3987]

Oh please be real it’s a political uprising and their using tourist as their tool,

[@edstuff1198]

@@monikalandsvik9566 Maybe cruisers are even fatter than the other American tourists. You know, because of the buffet, etc. 😅

[@Sushi2735]

Oh Lord, when I was in Paris, the bus, taxi, and trains went on strike! We freaked out! The hotel was great and hired us car. Turns out it was a black Mercedes, the driver stayed with us for a week. Yes, more than taxis, but amazingly not that much. Like $40 Euros a day more. As we took taxis at least four times a day. But it was crazy none the less. It was an unmarked car so no problems. We just called when we were ready to go to next stop.

[@virgloh8934]

6 of us are going on a cruise this September out of Barcelona..staying 2 days beforehand..Wonder if Celebrity will change this itinerary?..It's only 9 weeks away..think they may change?

[@fp30e]

Don, you make me smile. It's the "FIFA World Cup" (not World Soccer cup). Always enjoy your great Vlog. Thank you very much.

[@Melbert30]

We’re in an interesting time in tourism right now. More places don’t want large ships and that’s what the cruise lines are building. Places like Spain don’t appear to want cruise ships, yet their economy probably does. I wouldn’t be surprised if they follow some other places and try to cap the ship passenger size that can visit. I don’t agree with harassing visitors. I think there’s a dialogue that the government needs to have with the citizens to see what the objections are and where they can meet in the middle.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

Its not just the cruise ships, its all the accommodation thats given over to tourists and squeezes out locals. And thats ultimately thats a government (both local and national) problem.

[@danposey9095]

Don. Maybe you should talk about "tourists who behave badly" or how local residents are being displaced by short term rentals. What do you think is triggering the anti-tourism movement? CNN posted a story about a tourist in Florence who was mimicking sex acts with a statue. So before we all decide to not go to Barcelona, maybe we should look at ourselves and become good tourists. This sentiment isn't going away soon. The cruise lines or CLIA should wise up and start talks with these ports to secure their place. Blackmail is not a good strategy.

[@wallymanic]

The capacities of the new large ships lead to these by stressing the resources at the ports. Now Royal Caribbean is building smaller ships which can get into other ports. All predictable. As well as the resposes of the new ports after time.

[@KM-zn3lx]

I haven't seen you since, forever! Hope ur good! We'll never go on a cruise again after our first, but I Love your attitude!

[@mamatrain100]

I live in a small Alaskan, tourist dependant town. Lets have a real convo about the impacts and the responsibilities of the industry in this. Our 5 ship days have dramatically changed over the years with the massive size of the latest ships. The taxpayers are bearing the burden, while out of town vultures reap the benefits.

[@4daloveofcruising]

I hope this changes. I have a Mediterranean cruise planned for a few months from now. It would really suck if I had to change my cruise plans

[@jacquievanauken6394]

Thank you Don

[@judymay2536]

Don't go where you are not wanted. Maybe after they lose all that money, that the tourists spent, they will change their minds.

[@shawnbell6392]

Regardless of any potential viewpoint of the protesters' actions and tactics, tourists, who are guests, have zero claim on a place. And the myth that their sacred money reaches the general population or that having money somehow allows one to view other people as their servants seems to never die out. Between the predatory Instagram phenomenon and the current over saturation of tourist numbers, locals in these places have a legitimate complaint. Rather than react with anger the first answer is to do ones best at being a good guest and having a positive impact yourself. It seems there are many of those who utilize the cruse industry who fail to understand the impact of unleashing 5000 people at a time into a working city center.

[@NeedtoSpeak]

Nicely said.

[@Crusingchicka]

Not interested in going where we aren't welcome. Not interested in vacationing in Saudi though either

[@mattiemathis9549]

I am looking at destinations near the US for now. The Florida keys are off my list. If folks don’t want me there, why would I go there? And I understand that there are many other ports out there, unfortunately the ones you’re talking about are mostly in countries that observe shariah law. As a solo female traveler, I’m pretty sure legally I can’t enter and honestly, I have no desire to challenge their laws or customs wandering around unaccompanied. I would love to see more port development in Africa if more port countries can become stable. Edit: and India! So much to see, so many different places, why don’t I see Indian ports offered like the Mediterranean? Stable country, no weird issues about face covering. Why isn’t India a regular cruise destination?

[@richardracette-w6w]

Hi Don. Philippines is on our bucket list. Thanks

[@PeterSF-no6no]

My family planned a NCL cruise next year (2025)....Southampton to Barcelona....Cancelled as of July 2024. If the Spanish people don't what us - good riddance.

[@karengatz3022]

I have no desire to go to Barcelona any longer. I have a cruise that ends there next year and I hope they change the port.

[@joannke7727]

Guess these places don’t like tourists money. I will spend my money where I am welcomed. So sad

[@robynparker4254]

Maybe the money being spent by these tourists at the local businesses doesn't matter either.

[@buyerclub2]

It doesnt to most. Especially if there is no place to live or eat for them.

[@sewergal1]

I’m tired of protests, chill out people!

[@heathermichael3987]

I support your statement!

[@motel1029]

I guess the government has to step up or lose their "regular" tourists also!!

[@AlexBrandon.]

Great show today ... very informative. I would love to see Shanghai

[@susanjoy3513]

They will be sorry when their revenue goes way down.

[@CAcutie1978]

I've been to Barcelona several times. When I visited Montserrat, I enjoyed a beautiful time. However, when visiting La Sagrada and just walking around the city, people were nasty and belligerent. I went to a cafe to use the restroom, totally prepared to purchase something in exchange and before I could finish my sentence, the clerk behind the counter told me no, you can't use the restroom unless you purchase an item. I was totally embarrassed as the level in which he was screaming at me, I left the store and peed on the sidewalk. I'm a New Yorker, so I get the tourist overload. However, human to human, I will not tolerate disrespect.

[@buyerclub2]

Only a New Yorker could come up with that soliton. But hey better to pee on a sidewalk than get disrespected.

[@karisalonen12]

Planning to go back to Spain in October and December. I'm going to be the exact same visitor as before, talking spanish with the people there and treating them with respect as I'm just a guest. Using the hotel and local services, not AirBnB. For some strange reason I haven't had bad experiences and get acquainted with locals even at the bus stops. 🤷‍♂️

[@danielbobberson9849]

Those tourists in the restaurants are probably not cruise passengers at all....they just don't want any tourists I guess. BCN was interesting for one visit but the city felt unsafe long ago.

[@isabellindlind]

The competitive sufferers in this world want everyone to be as unhappy as they are. Why would I visit a country where I'm in fear of being assaulted just for bringing them business? No thanks, Spain.

[@Retiredtraveler1961]

Don I get the issue with the locals! Cruise ships are too big! I'm finishing up a cruise around Iceland on Caribbean Princess which is max packed @ 3150 passengers 🫨. When our ship was in Reykjavik it was madness with 5 other ships in port. On tours, it was a half hour wait in line to use the toilet. I totally agree with the sentiment of locals, and the cruise industry should absolutely be restricted due to the size of the ships. I can tell you this journey on Caribbean princess has been awful. The staff are fantastic and deliver exceptional service, however, there's absolutely no personal space, and when you go to try to sit at the buffet you have to look around for 10 to 15 minutes. While the season is always crowded, cruise ships add a sudden 10 to 20,000 person bolus all at once.

[@roncapone6637]

We have traveled and cruised to Spain dozens of times and have always enjoyed the country, its history, its food and its friendly people. It is unfortunate that a few young protesters are being allowed to defame this beautiful country's reputation. There seems to be a world wide Phenomenon taking place where people are blaming all there troubles on foreigners in stead of trying to solve the real causes which might require them to do some real work.

[@micheleskeggs2173]

Money makes the world go round....spending mine where I'm welcome.

[@Boyridge]

This is so sad. This is not the Spain I know.

[@joethecomputerguy1]

I've said it before. I am good with a cruise to nowhere. Save a ton on port fees too! Screw the ports that don't want people there.

[@lowvizlife]

I don't blame people for wanting to go where they are not welcomed.

[@GrandmaPomPom]

Id suggest visiting Portugal 🇵🇹. It’s beautiful and people are welcoming and climate is similar.