[lb1lf]

-I used to live in a small town (Aalesund, Norway, pop. of town centre - 10,000 or so).

It is a popular port for cruise ships doing the Norwegian coast. I assure you, during summer season one could have 2-4 vessels in port - effectively a DoS attack on town.

Getting from A to B on foot was nearly impossible, forget any shopping or café visits - a town built for 10,000 suddenly had twice as many people in the streets. Go figure.

While the cruise tourists leave a little cash behind, it is much less per head than, say, camper van tourists do.

I didn't mind all that much - but I can see valid reasons for not wishing to have a cruise entourage come crashing down on your hometown on a regular basis.