Port of Vancouver closes 2018 cruise season
The final cruise ship set to sail during the 2018 season will depart from Vancouver today, marking the end of the 32nd consecutive cruise season at Canada Place terminal at the Port of Vancouver, the company said in its press release.
The Star Princess was the first ship to kick off the 2018 season and her sister ship, the Emerald Princess, will be the last to depart Canada Place this year at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, heading down the Pacific Coast to Los Angeles, before embarking on a 28-day round trip to Hawaii.
In 2018, Vancouver welcomed more than 900,000 cruise passengers on 243 ship visits, reflecting a seven per cent increase in passenger volumes over 2017.
Cruise is a key economic driver for the region as each cruise ship adds about $3 million to the local economy.
The 2019 cruise ship season kicks off with the arrival of the Emerald Princess on March 29.
Highlights for 2018 cruise season:
Vancouver cruise passenger volumes have been strong and steady over the past five years, and in 2018 were the highest since 2010. This year, more than 900,000 passengers arrived in Vancouver on 243 cruise ship visits, representing a seven per cent increase in passenger volumes compared to the 2017 season.
On September 30, the Port of Vancouver welcomed the Norwegian Bliss, which accommodates more than 4,000 passengers and is the largest cruise ship ever to visit Vancouver.
On May 23, the Port of Vancouver made history with the arrival of the 25-millionth cruise passenger.
The Vancouver cruise industry stimulates on average nearly $3 million in direct economic activity for each ship that visits Canada Place, generates nearly 7,000 jobs across Canada and $300 million in wages, and contributes $840 million to national GDP.
The 2018 season included several new cruise ships to homeport at the Port of Vancouver, such as Windstar Cruises’ luxury Star Legend and the Norwegian Jewel, which replaced the Norwegian Sun.
The Port of Vancouver’s Canada Place cruise ship terminal welcomed the return of Holland America, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, and Silversea Cruises. These cruise lines all have ships that use the Port of Vancouver as homeport to begin and end each cruise.
In 2009, the Canada Place cruise ship terminal became the first in Canada and third in the world to offer shore power for cruise ships. Since then, there have been 493 successful shore power connections out of 624 calls from ships able to connect to shore power. This equates to a total of 58,000 tons of fuel savings, more than 18,000 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and 524 tons of air pollutant reductions.
About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is responsible for the stewardship of the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the third largest in North America by tonnes of cargo, facilitating trade between Canada and more than 170 world economies. Enabling the trade of approximately $200 billion in goods, port activities sustain 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority manages the Port of Vancouver and is the owner and operator of Canada Place. Canada Place serves as the largest cruise ship terminal in Canada and has been the homeport to the Vancouver-Alaska cruises for more than 30 years.
