The initial post-pandemic years brought record-breaking cruise arrivals to Vancouver, the British Columbia port that plays a vital role in the Alaska cruise market, but officials say cruise tourism will slightly cool in 2025.

The port’s season officially began on March 5, 2025 and continues into October. Predictions are for 1.2 million cruise passengers to pass through the port’s terminal, Canada Place, onboard 301 cruise ships.

In 2024, port data shows that 1.32 million cruise guests transited Canada Place on 327 cruise ships. That was a record-breaking year following another boom year, 2023, when the port welcomed 1.25 million passengers.

Even in light of the lower estimates for 2025, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority remains upbeat about the coming season.

“We are thrilled to see Vancouver’s cruise sector continue to thrive—attracting visitors from across the globe for a once-in-a-lifetime Alaska experience while injecting more than $1 billion into our local economy,” said Captain Shri Madiwal, Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. 

“I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in Vancouver cruise—to so successfully service upwards of 300 ship calls and 1 million passenger visits every year is a huge feat and one that supports jobs and businesses across the region,” added Madiwal.

The first ship to call at Canada Place, on March 5, 2025, is Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder. The 2,700-guest ship visited Vancouver at the end of a Hawaii cruise and departed the same day for San Diego. 

The ship will sail California coastal cruises until early May, when she will return to Vancouver and homeport there through mid-September 2025, sailing 5- to 9-night Alaska itineraries.

The Alaska season is a major economic driver for the Vancouver region, supporting some 17,000 jobs and representing an influx of about $3 million each time a cruise ship calls at the port.

Vancouver continues to attract more cruise ships each year. In 2025, eight ships will make their maiden calls to Canada Place — Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jade; Silversea Cruises’ Silver Moon; Oceania Cruises’ Riviera; Seabourn’s Seabourn Quest; Viking’s Viking Venus; Villa Vie Residences’ Villa Vie Odyssey; and Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas.

Almost all of the major cruise lines, from premium to luxury to expedition, will visit Vancouver in 2025, including Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Explora Journeys, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd, Crystal, Ponant, and Hurtigruten Expeditions.

Vancouver is a significant jumping off point for Inside Passage itineraries that typically visit the popular southeastern Alaska ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.

“We want every passenger embarking or disembarking in Vancouver to have a memorable experience while they’re in our city,” said Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Destination Vancouver. 

Most Cruise Ships Use Shore Power Offered by Vancouver

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is committed to reducing pollution through the use of shore power technologies.

In fact, the port is a partner in the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Cruise-led Green Corridor project, which is working toward the goal of having four cruise ships powered using green methanol on the Alaska to British Columbia/Washington State route by 2032.

Read Also: Must-Know Things About the Vancouver Cruise Terminal

The Vancouver port already offers shore power connections to cruise ships via its hydro-powered electric grid. According to port data, 80% of cruise ships that called in 2024 were equipped to hook into shore power.

Since installing the technology in 2009, Vancouver has helped to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45,000 tons. Using a shoreside electrical source enables cruise ships to turn off their engines and use local power to keep hotel operations running.

On the afternoon of Monday, March 3, 2025, a shore excursion took a turn for the worse for dozens of cruise passengers when their tour bus was hit by another bus carrying Italian students on a visit to the capital of Catalonia. 

At least 53 people were injured in the collision, with four – including a child – currently hospitalized in critical condition.

While there will be a more formal investigation into what exactly happened, what we do know is the two buses collided on Barcelona’s busy Avinguda Diagonal, which provides access to the popular Sagrada Familia church. 

It appears that the bus transporting the Italian students – who were visiting from Messina (Sicily) – swerved to try to avoid a pedestrian who was crossing the street illegally and ended up hitting the parked tour bus that was transporting the cruise passengers.

The cruisers’ bus was operated by Autocares Julià, and per a statement from a company spokesperson, was parked in an authorized area for passenger drop-off and pick-up at Central Diagonal Avenue.

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At around 3 p.m. local time, the parked bus was in the process of loading cruise guests when it was hit with enough force to be pushed onto the sidewalk, where it then hit a tree and a lamppost. 

A 60-year-old pedestrian was also hit, although it’s unclear if they were the person who triggered this unfortunate chain of events by crossing the street outside of the designated areas or just an unlucky bystander.

The scene of the crash quickly became chaotic – with 19 ambulances, 10 firefighter units, and several police officers deployed to the scene to triage and care for the injured. 

“There are four critically injured, including a minor, and three less seriously injured. The rest have suffered less serious injuries for which they are being treated in various hospitals in Barcelona,” Deputy Mayor Albert Batlle, who was on the scene, told news outlets. 

The injured were transported to local hospitals as needed, and the buses were removed from the scene by around 7:30 p.m. that evening. 

The Impact on Cruising

Of course, the most immediate impact on the cruise industry will be to the cruise passengers who were on the bus. 

According to the Autocares Julià spokesperson, their bus was carrying cruisers of various nationalities, but most passengers were either British, German, or Italian.

“They were on a cruise liner which had arrived in Barcelona earlier today and was due to leave in the next few hours. I don’t know whether there are any British tourists among the most seriously hurt. It is too early to say at this stage,” he said in a statement obtained by The Mirror shortly after the accident.

It’s unclear which cruise ship the guests were sailing with, as both Windstar Cruises’ Star Legend and Costa Cruises’ Costa Toscana called on the Barcelona Cruise Port that day.

Either way, it’s likely that at least some of the guests missed their cruise ship due to the need for medical treatment and/or to obtain a new form of transportation back to the pier.

This means they will need to either fly to the next port of call to re-board their ship or to coordinate with the cruise line to reclaim their luggage and make their way home.

Considering the unusual nature of a crash like this, both of the cruise lines would likely already be trying their best to support their impacted guests.

Read Also: From Mishaps to Maydays – Cruise Ship Accidents

From a port perspective, it’s possible that the collision may reignite the fire behind Barcelona’s push to limit cruise ships. 

“Very concerned and awaiting the situation of the accident between two buses in Barcelona. I am in permanent contact with Mayor Jaume Collboni and the emergency services, whom I thank for their quick action. All my support to those affected,” Catalonian regional president Salvador Illa posted on X. 

Since October of 2023, Barcelona has imposed limitations on where cruise ships can dock to lessen pollution and congestion. 

Since then, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has expressed his support of curbing over tourism further with stricter cruise ship limitations – and with this tourist bus crash one of several to occur lately – Mayor Collboni’s cause may be strengthened.

Roatan, which is the largest island in the Bay Islands of Honduras, is an extremely popular destination for cruisers.

In 2024, it welcomed 1.7 million cruise passengers, making it the most visited cruise destination in Central America last year.

Beyond its stunning beaches and rich cultural heritage, Roatan offers unique wildlife encounters that have become wildly popular with tourists — especially cruise passengers.

The island has become particularly notable for its monkeys and sloths — so much so that many cruise lines offer specialized excursions to see these animals up close.

Here is the bad news — as of March 1, 2025, Honduras has doubled down on its new policies that protect local wildlife classified as vulnerable and endangered species.

This initially began on January 14, 2025, when five specimens of sloth bears were rescued after being illegally sent to Roatan.

On January 24, 2025, Honduras issued an official document detailing measures aimed at combating wildlife trafficking and ensuring the safety of endangered animals.

Honduras’ National Institute of Forest Conservation shared the cause of these changes, citing, “The drastic increase in the frequency of illegal trafficking, mismanagement and OVERMANIPULATION OF WILDLIFE observed in recent years on Roatan Island.”

Overmanipulation in this case is defined as “carrying and holding animals for exhibition and taking photographs.”

This applies to the critically endangered or rare wildlife species — including 2 and 3 clawed sloth bears, parrots, and monkeys, among others.

Visitors will no longer be able to handle or hold wildlife — but will still be able to observe them and even take a Sloth Selfie. Unfortunately for cruisers, one of the most recommended experiences in Roatan is about to change.

Impact on Roatan Cruise Excursions

Seeing that Roatan is popular among cruises, eight cruise lines currently offer itineraries that stop at the island.

This includes Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line.

Several of these cruise lines offer excursions and opportunities to visit wildlife sanctuaries — however, offerings may be changing amid the new guidelines.

Carnival Cruise Line currently offers a Monkeys, Sloths & Macaws excursion starting at $99.99 a person.

The current description of the excursion simply states that passengers visit monkeys, sloths, and macaws at their first stop. However, Carnival advises not to touch, disturb, or buy souvenirs made from marine life while on the island to support conservation efforts.

Norwegian Cruise Line also offers a Monkeys, Sloths & Macaws excursion beginning at $99 a person — a whopping $0.99 cheaper than Carnival!

Unlike Carnival Cruise Line’s excursion, which explores the island via bus, Norwegian Cruise Line’s tour takes place on boats cruising through the French Harbour.

Read Also: Mahogany Bay Cruise Port: Piers, Getting Around, and More

This excursion is focused on sharing information about the local mangroves and also visits an animal sanctuary — featuring the monkeys, sloths, macaws, and various other species.

It is likely excursions like the ones Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line offer will not be affected — unless the animal sanctuaries they visit are found guilty of mishandling their animals.

There are three popular locations in Roatan among cruise goers where you can — or could — interact with sloths and monkeys.

Daniel Johnson’s Monkey and Sloth Hangout, AJ’s Monkey and Sloth Tour, and Jungle Top Animal Park are all known for their extremely interactive animal experiences — including playing with monkeys and holding the sloths.

Unfortunately, for passengers seeking to interact with this wildlife instead of going on the cruise excursions, they may find that with the new regulations put in place, interactions will be more limited.

By respecting these restrictions and choosing responsible excursions, visitors can actively support Honduras’ conservation efforts and protect Roatan’s unique wildlife.