A BIG CRUISE YEAR FOR VANCOUVER

Posted on 04/08/2016 | About Vancouver, British Columbia

Port Metro Vancouver’s 2016 Alaska cruise season kicked off this week with the Star Princess being the first of 228 calls expected at Canada Place cruise terminal. The west coast port can expect more passengers than last year and more ships to homeport than ever before.

“2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Canada Place,” said Robin Silvester, president and CEO at Port Metro Vancouver. “Our award-winning cruise facilities at Canada Place welcome thousands of visitors to beautiful Vancouver every year.” The lineup for the season is exceptional with maiden calls of Compagnie Du Ponant’s Le Soleal on June 18 and Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam on April 30. Nieuw Amsterdam will then offer 24 roundtrip sailings from Vancouver throughout 2016. “HAL has been sailing to Alaska from Port Metro Vancouver for more than 40 years, and our historic connection is deepened by the fact that one of our ships was the first cruise ship to berth at Canada Place back in 1986,” said Orlando Ashford, HAL president. “Our guests rank Vancouver among their favourite cities, and the ease and convenience of the port make it all the more popular. 

Congratulations to Canada Place on celebrating its 30th anniversary, and we look forward to an extremely robust and successful Alaska season sailing from Vancouver.” Vancouver is expecting Crystal Cruises to homeport for the first time in over a decade offering eight cruises on Crystal Serenity. 

Returning to homeport will be Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Silversea Cruises. 

A 2015 passenger survey by Port Metro Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver, Destination B.C., and Vancouver International Airport indicates that each cruise call generates more than $2 million in economic activity for Vancouver. 

Port Metro Vancouver was awarded the Best Destination Experience by Cruise Insight Magazine at the 2016 Seatrade Cruise Global Conference, the cruise industry's premier global event, held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "This award is a testament to the collective work of all the tourism partners who consistently deliver a dynamic pre-and post-cruise experience for the many cruise passengers visiting Vancouver each year," said Ty Speer, President and chief executive officer of Tourism Vancouver.