Vancouver Cruise Traffic Set to Hit Record in Canada Place’s 40th Year

The Port of Vancouver is marking 40 years of cruise operations at Canada Place with a 2026 season projected to bring a record 1.4 million cruise visitors through the downtown terminal. Disney Wonder opened the season in late February. The port is now moving through the peak Alaska period that runs from early May to late September.

Through the peak period, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority expects 40,000 to 50,000 passengers to pass through the cruise terminal from Friday through Monday on most weekends.

Peak weekends concentrate season traffic

Canada Place is on course for five of its 10 busiest weekends on record this summer, according to Cliff Stewart, vice president of operations and supply chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

“Vancouver’s cruise sector has thrived for 40 years thanks to the collaborative and pioneering spirit of so many,” Stewart said, adding that the sector has supported jobs and economic activity across Canada.

The heaviest scheduled weekend is Sept. 18-21, when about 56,000 passengers are expected. Sept. 19 is projected to bring nearly 20,000 cruise passengers through the terminal, making it the busiest day of the 2026 season and the third-busiest single day in Canada Place cruise history.

That Saturday schedule includes Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess and Grand Princess, Oceania Cruises’ Oceania Riviera and Holland America Line’s Koningsdam. The broader September weekend also includes calls by Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Solstice, Seabourn Encore, Nieuw Amsterdam, Serenade of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas.

On July 25, Canada Place is scheduled to host its first five-ship day since 2019. The lineup includes Royal Caribbean International’s Ovation of the Seas, Holland America Line’s Koningsdam, Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess, Viking Orion and Roald Amundsen.

The port authority estimates that each cruise ship call contributes roughly $3 million to the local economy. Nearly 360 cruise ship calls are scheduled at Canada Place this year.

Holland America marks four-decade link

Holland America Line’s Noordam was the first cruise ship to call at Canada Place on April 28, 1986. Since then, more than 30 million cruise passengers have moved through the terminal.

Canada Place’s cruise role grew out of the former Pier B-C site, a 1927 ocean-liner terminal that was redeveloped in the early 1980s as part of a convention, cruise and hotel complex. The waterfront facility later expanded in 2001 with an additional cruise berth.

“For 40 years, Canada Place has been home to our ships,” said Beth Bodensteiner, president of Holland America Line. She said the milestone has added significance as Holland America prepares to mark 80 years of Alaska cruising in 2027.

Virgin adds a new Alaska entrant

The season also includes a new operator at Canada Place. Virgin Voyages’ 2,700-passenger Brilliant Lady made its maiden Vancouver call on May 11 as part of the brand’s first Alaska and West Coast season.

Jane Banham, director of trade development at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, called Virgin “the newest member” of Vancouver’s cruise sector. During the call, Brilliant Lady disembarked and embarked passengers, took on supplies and then sailed north through the Inside Passage toward Alaska.

Brilliant Lady is scheduled to return to Vancouver through the summer for Alaska and Pacific Northwest itineraries. After the September peak, the season continues into October, with Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore scheduled as the final Canada Place cruise call on Oct. 13.