The Mayor of Nice has reportedly backtracked on plans to ban large cruise ships carrying more than 900 passengers from visiting the French Riviera.
In January, Christian Estrosi announced he would seek a decree to ban ships visiting Nice and nearby Villfranche-sur-Mer from 1 July 2025.
It has now been reported the Mayor is proposing daily limits to reduce cruise ship port calls instead.
News agency AFP said that, after consulting with local leaders, the Mayor will now submit a new plan on 7 March that will allow ships carrying up to 2,500 passengers to anchor in Villefranche-sur-Mer, but never more than one at a time.
Bigger ships would need to dock in the larger port of Cannes, while those with under 450 passengers would be permitted to call in Nice.
The port authority said the plan would see 65 of the planned 90 cruise ship calls scheduled for this summer.
In July and August, several cruise ships carrying more than 2,500 passengers are due to call at Villefranche-sur-Mer.
These include Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Ascent and Celebrity Eclipse.
There are also several days throughout the summer where more than two ships carrying under 2,500 passengers are due in on the same day. On 6 July both Azamara Onward and Marella Discovery are both scheduled to dock in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
