Record Cruise Season Wraps in Vancouver with 1.4 Million Passengers

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority estimates that the 2026 cruise season contributed more than $1 billion to the local economy.

Cruise port Canada Place will wrap up the year with 358 ship visits totalling 1.4 million passengers, its busiest season on record. Passenger numbers were up 18% and ship calls 19%. For comparison, the 2025 season saw about 1.2 million passengers and 300 calls.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore was the final ship of the year, departing October 13. Disney Wonder opened the season on February 26. 

The port authority puts the average economic activity derived from each ship call at $3 million.

Jeff Scott, the port authority’s vice president of operations and supply chain, said in a statement that Vancouver has established itself as a core part of Alaska itineraries.

With its status as a homeport, local Vancouver-area suppliers can sell food, fuel, repairs and other services to cruise vessels between voyages.

While some cruise ports lament the lack of shore spend by passengers, a Pacific Rim Cruise Association survey found 76% of passengers spend time in Vancouver before or after sailing, up from 70% in 2023. Average local spending is $1,144 per passenger on lodging, dining, shopping, tours and attractions.

Domestic passengers stay an average of 1.4 nights, while visitors from outside North America stay 2.6 nights on average.

Season Highlights:

• Virgin Voyages made its Vancouver debut with Brilliant Lady, and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection did the same with Luminara. 
• Disney Magic made its first visit and was homeported in Vancouver all season, giving Disney Cruise Line two ships alongside the Disney Wonder.
• Princess Cruises’ Star Princess became the largest ship by gross tonnage to visit Canada Place on September 27, at 177,882 GT. 
• Canada Place marked 40 years as an Alaska cruise homeport and has handled more than 10,000 sailings since 1986. 
• The cruise ports says average boarding times have dropped below 30 minutes since facial biometric scanning began in the terminal’s U.S. customs hall in 2024.
• Construction to expand shore power capacity is due to begin in the coming months. Most ships calling on Vancouver are equipped to plug in.

The port authority says preliminary bookings point to another strong season in 2027 but has not given passenger or ship projections. The Europa is scheduled to open the season on March 24, and Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas will close it on October 8.