British Columbia’s Port of Vancouver, a prime embarkation port for Alaska cruises, has closed out another record-breaking year of cruise guest arrivals, welcoming 1.32 million passengers, a 7% hike compared to 2023.
At the start of the 2024 season, port officials predicted cruise arrivals would reach 1.27 million, so the final number reflects a healthy boost over that projection.
In an end-of-season statement issued on October 28, 2024, the Canada Place terminal at Port of Vancouver revealed that the cruise arrival number jumped by about 80,000, even though the number of ship visits was slightly lower than in 2023. Last year’s ship number was 332 while in 2024, the number was 327.
The higher number of total passengers on five fewer ships is likely attributed to the record-high occupancy rates — many over 100% occupancy — that most mainstream cruise lines reported in 2024.
In 2023, the port saw a record 1.25 million cruise guests visit the destination, representing a whopping 54% increase compared to 2022.
The last ship to depart the port as the season officially closed on October 29, 2024 was Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel. The 2,370-guest ship was homeported at Vancouver for the entire 2024 season.
The vibrant and robust cruise-tourism industry is a major economic boon to the Vancouver region. An economic impact study newly released by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which oversees the facility, found that cruise lines, guests, and crew members together account for $1.1 billion in local spending each year.
On average, each cruise guest spends $450 on hotel rooms, dining, shopping, tours, and other activities, while cruise lines inject some $660 million into the economy by purchasing regional goods and services as they restock and refuel their ships.
“Norwegian Jewel’s Alaska voyages to and from Vancouver provided our guests a wonderful opportunity to plan pre- and post-cruise stays in this beautiful city, allowing them to truly immerse themselves in the destination and plan an extended vacation,” said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
“We look forward to our future sailings to and from Vancouver throughout 2025 and 2026, helping support the local businesses while also providing our guests with an unforgettable vacation experience to Alaska,” added Herrera.
Disney Cruise Line’s 2,700-guest Disney Wonder opened the Vancouver cruise season on March 11, 2024. Five cruise ships made their inaugural calls to the Port of Vancouver in 2024 — Explora Journeys’ 922-guest Explora I; Silversea Cruises’ 728-guest Silver Nova; Celebrity Cruises’ 2,900-guest Celebrity Edge; Peace Boat’s 2,400-guest Pacific World; and Hapag Lloyd’s 230-guest Hanseatic Spirit.
Local officials credited not only the cruise lines for the port’s success but also the team of volunteers who greet and interact with cruise guests.
“As another record-breaking cruise season wraps up for the year, the contributions of our nearly 200 Destination Vancouver volunteers stand out as an example of how the city comes together to support the cruise industry,” said Royce Chwin, president and CEO of Destination Vancouver.
New Technologies Gain Steam in Vancouver
A new partnership between the Port of Vancouver and the US Customs and Border Protection launched Canada’s first project to implement facial biometric scanning for cruise guests. The technology cut the time typically required to get through US border control by up to 94%.
Read Also: Vancouver Cruise Port Guide – Terminal, Facilities, What’s Nearby
The biometric technology replaces the previously-used passport kiosks to confirm identity, and reduces the interaction to about 10 seconds.
The Port of Vancouver also made headway in 2024 with its use of shore power connections. More than 80% of cruise ships visiting the port were shore-power enabled, and hooked into the port’s power grid infrastructure. Shore power in Vancouver has reduced port-related emissions by 45,000-plus tons in the last 15 years.
The Port of Vancouver in 2009 became the first port in Canada, and the third port globally, to provide the shore power technology for cruise ships.
