Vancouver cruise ship terminal hits new high with 300,000 passengers per month | Daily Hive

Vancouver's cruise ship terminal hits new high with nearly 300,000 passengers per month

Discovery Princess cruise ship departing Vancouver's Canada Place. (Kenneth Chan)

From the outset of the 2026 cruise ship season, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority indicated that it was expecting the Canada Place terminal’s busiest cruise ship season ever, with an all-time record of over 1.4 million cruise passengers.

This week, in the middle of the season, the port authority reaffirmed that trajectory, sharing that it is expecting a combined total of just under 600,000 cruise passengers for the peak summer months — about 290,000 in July 2026, setting a new all-time monthly record, and a similar level for August 2026.

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Each year, the seasonal surge of cruise ship passengers provides a further lift to businesses in and around Downtown Vancouver, especially hotels, restaurants, shops, tour companies, attractions, transportation services, and other businesses, as well as destinations in the broader region of B.C.’s South Coast.

All of this, of course, compounds on the impact of influx of visitors to Vancouver for the FIFA World Cup in June and July.

Between 40,000 and 50,000 passengers will move through the cruise ship terminal almost every single weekend — defined as the four-day period from Friday to Monday — during the peak season. For the final summer weekend, 56,000 passengers are expected.

“The Canada Place cruise terminal at the Port of Vancouver continues to demonstrate its importance as a vital driver for Canadian tourism year-over-year,” said Chance McKee, a senior account representative at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in a statement on Thursday.

“We are seeing these strong cruise volumes translate into ongoing meaningful benefits for local and regional businesses and communities. The continued success of Vancouver’s cruise sector reflects strong collaboration and shared local commitment to ensuring Vancouver remains one of the best and most sustainably managed cruise ports in North America.”

temporary vancouver sign canada place summer 2026

The new temporary VANCOUVER sign outside the Canada Place plaza for the FIFA World Cup, as seen on June 10, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Passenger survey data from the Pacific Rim Cruise Association shows cruise visitors are spending an average of $1,144 locally on stays, dining, shopping, excursions, attractions, and other trip-related purchases. The same 2025 survey found that more than three-quarters of cruise passengers are spending time in Vancouver either before or after their sailing, up from 70 per cent in 2023.

The growing strength of the Alaska cruise market has helped drive Vancouver’s post-pandemic rebound as a major cruise hub. Annual volumes of more than 1.2 million passenger visits and over 300 cruise ship calls have now become the new normal at Canada Place.

For 2026, the port is estimating about 360 cruise ship visits. That would represent a 30 per cent increase in passenger volumes compared with 2019, before the pandemic disrupted the global cruise industry.

Vancouver’s role is especially significant because Canada Place functions as a full-service homeport for the Alaska cruise season. That means many ships are based out of Vancouver for the season, with passengers beginning or ending their trips in the city, while vessels are also restocked and serviced between sailings.

This is very much unlike the mid-sailing cruise ship stopovers at destinations, such as Victoria and Alaskan destinations south of Anchorage. Canada Place’s cruise passenger volumes are also exponentially larger than any other cruise terminal in Canada.

As a homeport, each cruise ship visit to Canada Place is estimated to generate about $3 million in local economic activity, with cruise lines relying on local suppliers, service providers, tourism operators, and hospitality businesses to support their operations.

This season has also brought several firsts for Canada Place, including Disney Cruise Line operating two ships on Alaska sailings from Vancouver for the first time, with Disney Magic joining the longtime seasonal mainstay Disney Wonder. The terminal has also seen the first-ever Virgin Voyages visit by Brilliant Lady, along with the new seasonal presence of ultra-luxury cruise line The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection through Luminara.

The 2026 cruise ship season officially began on Feb. 26 with the early season arrival of Disney Wonder, and it will end on Oct. 13 with the departure of the Norwegian Encore.

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