Port of Vancouver Expects Bumper Cruise Ship Dockings

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s ongoing efforts to enhance Canada Place cruise terminal in Vancouver have made the port more accessible to a variety of cruise ships, which seems to be paying off when you take a look at the numbers of passengers and ships (great news for the local economy) expected to arrive during the 2023 season.

Today, April 12, the 115,875-ton Sapphire Princess, the season’s inaugural cruise ship sailing into Vancouver, will mark the beginning of what could be a record-breaking year for Canada’s cruise-related industries based along the west coast.

Canada Place Cruise Terminal’s Enhancements and Expected Ship Volume

Port of Vancouver authorities are currently expecting—from April 12 through October 24 this year—331 cruise vessels in total, arriving to make use of the upgraded facilities available at the Port of Vancouver’s Canada Place cruise terminal.

This increase in the number of ships visiting Canada Place in 2023 represents a bump of approx. 8% when stacked up against 2022’s numbers.

Canada Place will also welcome six new ships in 2023, including the Brilliance of the Seas, Fridtjof Nansen, Hanseatic Nature, Scenic Eclipse II, Seabourn Venture, and the Silver Whisper, all making their inaugural visits to Canada’s largest port.

Vancouver’s premier cruise terminal has undergone upgrades and improvements to enhance its accessibility for visitors, allowing a larger number of seafaring travelers to sail this year and enjoy this celebrated British Columbia homeport. 

“After a two-year pause and an incredible restart in 2022,” Mandy Chan, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s cruise services manager explained, “we are now gearing up for another big season for the Vancouver cruise sector as well as the local hospitality and tourism industries it supports.”

The port’s many improvements—including an increased capacity to offer shore power for cruise ships—will likely be appreciated by ship staff, as well as the expected 1.2 to 1.3 million cruise-based holidaymakers (up from 1.1 million in 2019) expected to pass through Canada Place in 2023. 

A Bumper Alaskan 2023 Cruising Season

This year, Carnival Cruise Line, along with its subsidiary Princess Cruises, and other companies, anticipate a stellar Alaska summer cruising season—which of course will benefit Vancouver and Canada Place as well.

For over three decades, Vancouver has served as a home port for Alaska cruises, offering access to the spectacular natural wonders served up by the Inside Passage, a sheltered waterway leading north to Juneau, Alaska. Vancouver’s ideal setting for Alaska cruises to dock has created thousands of local jobs over the years.

Read Also: Things to Do in Vancouver BC Canada for Cruise Visitors

Carnival plans to sail three different vessels up and down the western shores of Canada and Alaska this year. The company will offer a variety of Alaskan itineraries, all provided by its Spirit-class cruise ships, which include the Carnival Miracle, and Carnival Spirit, plus the 92,600-ton Carnival Luminosa (recently refurbished in 2022), embarking on its maiden voyage in the region.

Princess Cruises, for its part, is planning to run seven vessels in Alaska this season, with well over 150 different shore excursions. Some of the ships heading into these northern waters include the massive, 145,000-ton Discovery Princess, Royal Princess, and the aforementioned Sapphire Princess. The latter is kicking off this very busy and promising 2023 summer season.