The Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice-Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Area, has come under fire after what many are calling a staged publicity stunt during the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas off the coast of Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Voyager of the Seas carrying approximately 3,100 passengers, anchored offshore just two days after new cruise restrictions were implemented by the metropolis, limiting arrivals to ships with fewer than 2,500 passengers. Estrosi, who has spearheaded efforts to limit “polluting cruises,” took to the water aboard a port police vessel to personally deliver a letter outlining the new rules to the ship’s captain.
However, the dramatic gesture fell flat.
After approaching the anchored cruise ship, Estrosi was denied permission to board. Maritime custom requires clearance before boarding foreign-flagged ships, which the Royal Caribbean captain refused to grant, local media reported. In a moment captured on video, Estrosi was heard shouting, “You are not allowed to be here, you are nothing!” as he waved the letter toward the ship from a small boat bobbing beside the cruise ship.
Public reaction was swift—and overwhelmingly negative.
Comments flooded the mayor's social media post, accusing him of grandstanding and abusing his position. With the 2026 municipal elections approaching, many users questioned the timing and theatrics of the incident, calling it “a ridiculous PR stunt” and “a desperate move for attention.”
Even more damaging, the Maritime Union of the Alpes-Maritimes (UM06) released a statement revealing that Voyager of the Seas' stopover was approved by the very same metropolis led by Estrosi. The union went further, condemning what they called “an attempted illegal boarding” and noting that there had been no prior complaint against the cruise’s scheduled arrival.
“This stopover had been validated in advance by the Nice Metropolitan Area itself, and has not been the subject of any denunciation since,” the union said in a public release, asserting that the ship was in full compliance with existing regulations.
Critics also pointed out that any issues regarding maritime regulation violations fall under the jurisdiction of the French maritime authorities—not the mayor. Estrosi's insistence on personal involvement in enforcing rules on international cruise ships has raised eyebrows among legal experts, who argue that such enforcement is the responsibility of national agencies like the Préfecture Maritime or the port authority, not local politicians.
This is the official response from Maritime Union of the Alpes-Maritimes:
Despite the cold reception at sea and online, Estrosi doubled down on his stance, stating that legal action would be pursued against the ship’s operators for violating the metropolis’ environmental restrictions. However, with evidence suggesting prior approval and no formal breach, that legal threat may prove as symbolic as the attempted delivery itself.
As the mayor returned to shore empty-handed, observers were left with more questions than answers and a growing sense that the whole episode may have done more harm than good to Estrosi’s credibility.
