British Columbia’s Port of Vancouver has wrapped up its busiest cruise season on record, according to data released by the port Oct. 23.
Data show that cruise activity came back in a big way this year, the first time that the season was unencumbered by COVID-19 restrictions. Cruise ship occupancy rates showed an average of 95% for the season and peaked at an average of 96% during the summer, according to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which operates the port.
The Port of Vancouver reported an estimated 1.25 million passengers in 2023, a 54% increase from last year. Canada Place cruise terminal saw 15 of its 20 busiest days on record in the last six months, with 332 vessel calls from April to October. That’s a 9% jump from 2022, which reported 307 calls.
Canada Place also saw six ships dock at its terminal for the first time this season: the Norwegian Encore, Brilliance of the Seas, Silver Whisper, Hanseatic Nature, Fridtjof Nansen and Seabourn Venture.
“Cruise returned to Vancouver emphatically this year after several seasons impacted by the global pandemic with 2023 seeing record passenger numbers, near-record cruise ship visits and the Canada Place terminal getting further international recognition as a world-class cruise facility,” Peter Xotta, vice president of operations and supply chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said.
