Nearly two weeks after France’s Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice, personally arrived by boat to demand Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas leave the Villefranche-sur-Mer harbor, a French court has temporarily blocked the new restrictions he set.
On Sunday, July 13, 2025, the French news source La Monde reported the administrative court in Nice sided with Prefect Laurent Hottiaux and suspended an order issued just four days earlier by the mayor.
The mayor’s order would sharply limit stopovers by ships carrying more than 2,500 passengers, such as Voyager of the Seas, which carries up to 3,100 guests.
In its ruling, the court stated that Estrosi, who is also president of the Metropole Nice-Côte d’Azur, lacked the legal authority to impose such limits.
“Only the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes can, as part of his water police powers, organize the entrances, exits, and movement of ships,” the judge wrote.
The suspended order, dated July 9, 2025, tried to ban cruise stopovers of ships with more than 450 passengers at the Port of Nice, and limit Villefranche-sur-Mer to no more than 65 large ship visits per year – only one per day.
Estrosi argues the restrictions are necessary due to the “climate emergency, the protection of marine biodiversity, the promotion of reasonable tourism, and the protection of heritage.”
Still, the prefect said the order was “tainted with several illegalities and likely to compromise the exercise of public or individual freedom.”
The suspended order would have impacted five upcoming cruise calls in Nice by the end of 2025 and 15 in 2026, from a total of 176 already scheduled.
In Villefranche-sur-Mer, the rules would have affected 12 calls by year’s end and 53 more in 2026, adding up to over 200,000 expected passengers.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Estrosi said the city would hold the national government accountable if no alternative action is taken.
Legal Battle Follows Dramatic Confrontation
Tensions between Mayor Estrosi and the cruise ship industry escalated when the 137,276-gross-ton Voyager of the Seas arrived in Villefranche-sur-Mer on July 3, 2025.
Anchored off the village, Estrosi, in a widely shared video, approached the ship aboard a port police vessel and attempted to hand deliver his order to the ship’s captain.
The captain, following maritime protocol, refused to allow him onboard.
Critics have accused Estrosi of using public theatrics, with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) also responding, denying that a ban was ever formally enacted and that Royal Caribbean had not broken any laws with its call.
“To our knowledge, there is no formal measure in place restricting responsible cruise operations in the area,”Philomène Bouchon, CLIA’s director of strategic communications told Cruise Hive.
Bouchon criticized the mayor’s attempt to board the vessel, calling it unlawful.
“Access to ships in operation is strictly limited to registered passengers and crew members, visitors with pre-approval, and officials with proper authority,” she stated.
CLIA also noted that the ship’s call had been authorized by the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture and the Nice Metropolitan Authority – chaired by Estrosi himself – without objection.
The organization warns that such behavior risks undermining efforts to promote sustainable tourism and is “deeply regrettable.”
The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes echoed this position in a local broadcast, stating that no valid administrative order had been issued.
For now, the court’s suspension of Estrosi’s restrictions keeps cruise traffic flowing, including today’s Bastille Day visits by Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox and Cunard’s Queen Victoria.
Explora Journeys’ Explora II, Marella Cruises’ Marella Discovery, Silversea’s Silver Whisper, and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent are scheduled through August.
