Canadian port also hosted 25-millionth passenger and largest-ever cruise ship this year
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Canada’s Port of Vancouver welcomed more than 900,000 passengers at Canada Place Terminal in 2018 – a 7% increase from 2017 and the highest number since 2010.
Vancouver’s 2018 season opened with a call from Princess Cruises’ Star Princess on 10 April and closed will a visit from her sister, Emerald Princess, on 19 October. This year, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) handled a total of 243 cruise ship visits, each of which contributed around CAN$ 3million (US$2.3 million) to the local economy.
Highlights of the season included the arrival of the 25-millionth cruise passenger on 23 May and a 30 September call from Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Norwegian Bliss, which is the largest cruise ship to have ever visited Canada Place. Several new ships also homeported in Vancouver for the first time, including Windstar Cruises’ Star Legend and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel, which replaced Norwegian Sun.
Holland America Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Crystal Cruises, Seabourn and Silversea Cruises all returned to homeport in Vancouver.
“This year was an especially exciting season for the cruise industry in Vancouver,” said Peter Xotta, vice president of planning and operations at the VFPA. “Working alongside our destination, cruise line and industry partners, we made history with the arrival of the 25-millionth cruise passenger through the Port of Vancouver, saw the highest number of cruise passengers since 2010, and hosted the largest cruise ship ever to visit Vancouver.”
Emerald Princess will kick off the 2019 cruise season on 29 March.