Vancouver’s record cruise season brings more than $1 billion in local economic activity

Vancouver is closing out its busiest cruise season on record. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority estimates the industry contributed more than $1 billion to the local economy in 2026. Canada Place is expected to finish the season with about 1.4 million passengers and 358 cruise ship visits, in line with record estimates made at the start of the season. The port authority says those totals are up 18 per cent in passenger volume and 19 per cent in ship visits from 2025, when the terminal recorded about 1.2 million passenger visits and 300 ship calls. The final vessel, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore, is scheduled to arrive at Canada Place at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, and depart 24 hours later.

The volume of cruise passengers supports attractions, shops, restaurants, bars, hotels, entertainment, transportation and other services, particularly businesses in and near downtown Vancouver. The economic benefits extend beyond passengers boarding and disembarking. Unlike the cruise terminals in Victoria, Quebec City and Halifax, the overwhelming majority of ships visiting Vancouver use Canada Place as their homeport, the starting and ending point for Alaska cruises. That gives local businesses opportunities to supply ships with food and fuel, provide repairs and deliver other services between voyages. The port authority estimates each cruise ship call generates an average of $3 million in economic activity.

“We are thrilled to celebrate another successful cruise season, with more than $1 billion injected into the local economy as cruise lines and passengers increasingly make Vancouver a core part of their Alaska adventure,” said Jeff Scott, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s vice-president of operations and supply chain, in a statement.

Passengers are increasingly adding time in Vancouver to their vacations. The Pacific Rim Cruise Association’s latest passenger survey found 76 per cent spend time locally before or after their cruise, up from 70 per cent in 2023. Average local spending was $1,144 per passenger on accommodation, dining, shopping, tours, attractions and other purchases. Passengers stayed an average of 1.4 nights in Vancouver before or after sailing; for visitors from outside North America, the average was 2.6 nights.

“Cruise passengers are making Vancouver part of their journey, not simply the place where it begins or ends,” said Royce Chwin, president and CEO of Destination Vancouver. He said the three-quarters of passengers who spend time in the city before or after sailing bring activity beyond the waterfront to hotels, restaurants, attractions, shops and neighbourhoods. Chwin called the record season a significant boost for Vancouver’s visitor economy and an opportunity to give more travellers reasons to stay longer and return.

Vancouver also set a cruise ship size record this year. On Sept. 27, Princess Cruises’ Star Princess became the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage (GT) ever to visit Canada Place, at 177,882 GT. It surpassed Norwegian Encore, which measures 169,116 GT and visited in 2023 and earlier in 2026. Daily Hive Urbanized had previously reported on the Star Princess visit.

The season brought several notable firsts for Vancouver. The inaugural visits by Brilliant Lady and Luminara marked the respective Vancouver debuts of Virgin Voyages and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Disney Magic also made its first visit and was homeported in Vancouver throughout the season. With Disney Magic joining longtime Vancouver regular Disney Wonder, Disney Cruise Line effectively doubled its long seasonal presence in the city.

Both Disney Wonder and Disney Magic will return in 2027, providing a two-ship presence in Vancouver throughout the season. Brilliant Lady and Luminara are also scheduled to return, with 10 visits for Luminara already in the preliminary schedule.

The 2026 records coincide with Canada Place’s 40th anniversary as an Alaska cruise homeport. The terminal has supported more than 10,000 sailings since 1986. Further terminal improvements are planned as passenger volumes and ship visits grow. New elevators are planned at key passenger arrival points. The port authority says average boarding times have fallen below 30 minutes since facial biometric scanning was introduced at the terminal’s U.S. customs hall in 2024.

Construction to expand shore power capacity is scheduled to begin in the coming months. The added capacity will allow more ships to connect to BC Hydro’s electrical grid and switch off their fossil fuel-powered auxiliary engines while docked. About 80 per cent of annual cruise ship calls involve vessels equipped to use shore power, though that does not mean every eligible ship connects on every visit.

Preliminary bookings suggest another strong cruise season in Vancouver in 2027, the port authority says, although it has not provided projected passenger or ship totals. The season is currently expected to begin on March 24, when Europa is due at Canada Place as Vancouver’s first cruise ship visit of the year. As in previous years, the season is expected to build in late April, when Canada Place begins to see a ship visit almost every day through early October. The 2027 season is scheduled to close officially on Oct. 8 with a visit by Ovation of the Seas.