Vancouver cruise season reaches historic milestone
The Port of Vancouver is set to conclude its 2026 cruise season with record passenger traffic and vessel calls, reflecting continued growth in Alaska cruise operations.
According to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Canada Place is expected to handle 1.4 million passenger visits and 358 cruise ship calls during the season, representing increases of 18% and 19%, respectively, compared with 2025.
The final vessel, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore, is scheduled to arrive on October 12, bringing the season that began in February to a close.
The port authority estimates that the 2026 cruise season will contribute more than $1 billion to the local economy, with each vessel call generating an average of $3 million in economic activity.
The increase in traffic comes as Canada Place marks 40 years of operations as a homeport for Alaska cruises.
Vancouver cruise passengers increase local spending
The record season has been accompanied by increased visitor spending in Vancouver, particularly among passengers extending their stays before or after their cruises.
According to the latest Cruise Passenger Survey conducted by the Pacific Rim Cruise Association, 76% of cruise passengers spend time in the city before or after sailing, compared with 70% in 2023.
Passengers spend an average of $1,144 locally on hotels, restaurants, shopping, tours and other activities.
The survey also found that passengers stay an average of 1.4 nights in Vancouver, while visitors from outside North America spend an average of 2.6 nights.
Jeff Scott, Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, highlighted the economic contribution of the cruise sector and the cooperation required to accommodate growing passenger volumes.
The port authority said cruise activity supports employment and businesses across the region, extending beyond terminal operations to the wider tourism economy.
Canada Place prepares shore power expansion
The Port of Vancouver is preparing to expand shore power infrastructure at Canada Place to accommodate more cruise vessels using electricity while berthed.
Construction work is scheduled to begin in the coming months as part of a project supported by the Canadian federal government through Transport Canada’s Green Shipping Corridors Program.
The expansion will allow additional vessels to connect to British Columbia’s low-carbon electrical grid rather than relying on onboard power generation while in port.
According to the port authority, the project is expected to prevent approximately 3,300 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per cruise season, equivalent to removing around 770 gasoline-powered cars from the road annually.
Approximately 80% of cruise ship calls to Vancouver each year involve vessels equipped to use shore power.
Canada Place became the first cruise terminal in Canada and the third worldwide to install shore power technology in 2009.
Since then, shore power systems at the port’s cruise and container terminals have helped prevent an estimated 54,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmental measures also include the port authority’s ECHO Program, which coordinates voluntary vessel slowdowns to reduce risks to vulnerable whale populations in the Salish Sea.
Cruise line participation in the programme reached approximately 85% in 2026, according to the port authority.
Passenger processing improvements at Canada Place
Canada Place has also introduced operational improvements to manage increasing cruise traffic.
Facial biometric scanning, implemented in 2024, has reduced average passenger embarkation times to less than 30 minutes.
The technology has also reduced the time required for most passengers to complete US border control procedures by up to 94%, with processing times falling below 10 seconds.
Additional elevators are planned at key arrival locations to improve passenger movement through the terminal.
Elise Ferguson, Vice President of Cruise Operations at Canada Place for SSA Marine, which manages the terminal’s daily operations, highlighted the cooperation between terminal operators, cruise lines, port workers and government agencies.
The improvements form part of efforts to accommodate growing passenger and vessel volumes at the terminal.
Star Princess sets new cruise ship size record
The 2026 season also saw the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage to visit Canada Place.
Princess Cruises’ Star Princess, with a gross tonnage of 177,882 GT, called at the terminal on September 27.
The previous record belonged to Norwegian Encore, at 169,116 GT, which visited Vancouver in 2023 and again during the 2026 season.
The first cruise ship of the year was Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder, which arrived on February 26. Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam followed on April 11.
The final scheduled call will be made by Norwegian Encore, arriving at Canada Place’s east berth at 2:30 a.m. on October 12 and departing at 2:30 a.m. on October 13.
The season also marks the 40th anniversary of Canada Place as an Alaska cruise homeport.
Since opening in 1986, the terminal has supported more than 10,000 sailings, handling passenger embarkation and disembarkation alongside vessel turnaround activities such as provisioning, maintenance, repairs and refuelling.
Vancouver cruise outlook for 2027
Preliminary bookings indicate another busy cruise season at the Port of Vancouver in 2027, although final passenger and vessel call figures have not been announced.
Norwegian Cruise Line plans to deploy Norwegian Jade on seven-day Alaska itineraries between May and September 2027, with passengers embarking and disembarking in Vancouver.
Marc Kazlauskas, President of Norwegian Cruise Line, confirmed the company’s plans to continue operating Alaska voyages from the Canadian port next year.
Meanwhile, Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Destination Vancouver, pointed to the growing number of cruise passengers spending additional time in the city.
“Cruise passengers are making Vancouver part of their journey, not simply the place where it begins or ends,” said Chwin.
