New South Wales, a state in southeastern Australia that is home to the vibrant cruise port of Sydney, has plenty to celebrate as it looks back at the $4.4 billion industry in 2023-24. 

It was, according to data from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the Australian Cruise Association (ACA), the biggest economic boon from cruise tourism that the region has ever recorded.

In a revenue update issued in October 2024, the economic impact from cruise ships and cruise guests rose substantially compared to the previous year, when the number topped out at $3.6 billion. That, too, was a record, and reflected a 22% spike over pre-pandemic years.

Sydney, along with other New South Wales (NSW) ports in the so-called Sapphire Coast, including Port of Eden, Port Botany, Port Jackson, Port Kembla, and the Port of Newcastle, all benefited from the financial windfall.

“Cruise tourism has been thriving in Australia and the economic benefits are now higher than they have ever been,” said Joel Katz, managing director in Australasia for Cruise Lines International Association.

“Cruise tourism is now worth $8.43 billion a year to the Australian economy – billions of dollars more than previous years – and it supports more than 26,000 jobs in communities around our coasts,” added Katz.

Looking ahead to 2024-25 summer season, NSW expects 1.2 million cruise guests and crew from 312 ships will visit the region. The NSW Port Authority is expecting a “softening” of cruise ship visits, of about 5%, during the summer season, but the 2025-26 season is trending in a more positive way so far.

Sydney, of course, is the big draw, but smaller ports are also expecting to see gains in the coming year.

Twenty-five ship visits, for instance, will bring an estimated 43,000 guests and 20,000 crew members to Eden, providing the local economy with about $12 million in spending. Newcastle expects 12 ships to call and will welcome about 12,500 guests and 6,500 crew members.

The increase in cruise tourism can also be measured by passenger visit days. In 2023-24, Australia had close to 4.3 million passenger visit days, representing a spike of 27% versus the previous year. Guest visits translate into revenue for tour operators, hotels and restaurants, and retail stores, among other local businesses.

Scenic Sydney Harbor Welcomes Most Cruise Ships

The Port of Sydney, with its two cruise terminals, the Overseas Passenger Terminal and White Bay Cruise Terminal, always sees the lion’s share of cruise ships and guests. Virtually every major line and most of the world’s smaller lines will call or seasonally homeport at Sydney.

“This year we will see 23 maiden cruise ship arrivals to NSW ports, bringing hundreds of thousands of passengers eager to explore Sydney and our state,” said Jo Haylen, minister of transport for New South Wales.

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Among the noteworthy cruise ships that will be based in Sydney are Carnival Cruise Line’s 3,000-guest Carnival Splendor, which homeports year-round and offers cruises from 3 to 11 days. 

Disney Cruise Line’s 2,700-guest Disney Wonder is based in Sydney from October 2024 to February 2025, sailing a series of 3- to 6-day cruises. Some departures are offered from Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand.

Royal Caribbean will base the 4,180-guest Ovation of the Seas in Sydney from November 2024 to April 2025, featuring 3- to 11-day cruises.

Princess Cruises also has a steady presence in Sydney. The line’s 3,080-guest Crown Princess will offer departures from Sydney between October 2024 and May 2025. Voyages range from 4 to 28 days.

Princess Cruises will also deploy the 3,660-guest Discovery Princess to Sydney starting in December 2025 and continuing to April 2026. Options include short getaway cruises of 3 days to 14-day voyages to ports in New Zealand and Australia.

A $45.7 million federal grant will enable the Port of Seward to install shore power technology for cruise ships by mid-2026, moving the facility toward its zero-emissions goal. 

The grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) means that shore power will be a cornerstone of Seward’s new, $137 million cruise port. The so-called Port of Tomorrow, announced in March 2024, will include a 68,000-square-foot terminal and a two-berth floating dock able to simultaneously accommodate two large ships.

In fact, the new pier will have capacity for Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships, which carry up to 4,900 guests with all berths filled. Royal Caribbean is among the groups that have partnered to build the new port.

Shore power technology lets cruise ships connect to the local electrical grid rather than run diesel engines while in port, substantially cutting emissions. Seward’s grant will fund the extension of the city’s electrical transmission line to the port area, switchgear technology, and a Battery Energy Storage System. Power to the port is provided by Seward Electric Services, which is owned by the city.

Cruise ships must be configured with connection technology in order to hook into the shore power system. Just 30% of cruise ships currently operating have the technology, according to Cruise Lines International Association, but cruise lines are upgrading ships with the required systems. Also, most new-construction ships are being built with shore power technology.

“The EPA Clean Ports Grant is a game-changer for us. It allows the city to implement shore power technology that will drastically reduce emissions from cruise ships in our coastal Alaska community,” said Kat Sorensen, city manager of Seward.

The total cost of the port’s shore power installation is estimated at $50.8 million, and the federal grant will cover roughly 90%. The remaining expense will be paid by the Seward Company, a public-private partnership whose members include Alaska Railroad, Royal Caribbean Group, and Turnagain Marine.

Alaska Railroad owns the land on which the Seward cruise port sits, Turnagain Marine is the construction company building the new port, and Royal Caribbean Group, by supporting the port with consistent ship calls, will enjoy preferential berthing rights for its brands, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.

“Royal Caribbean made it easy to dream big. At today’s price tag for infrastructure projects, new ideas require long-term thinking and even more support through model public-private partnerships,” said Mickey Richardson, CEO of the Port of Tomorrow and owner of the Seward Company. 

“Without Royal Caribbean Group’s commitment to shore power, receiving this EPA grant would not be possible,” added Richardson.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships are equipped with shore power connectivity technology, as are several Celebrity Cruises ships. All three brands routinely operate Alaska cruises seasonally, with Royal Caribbean having the most deployments.

In 2025, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, and Anthem of the Seas are slated to sail Alaska voyages, for example. 

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Seward is a popular port call in southern Alaska. Located on an inlet of the Kenai Peninsula, the destination is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, and is home to the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Other Alaska Ports Move Toward Shore Power

While Seward’s new port, scheduled to debut in May 2026, will not require visiting cruise ships to connect to its shore power grid, other cruise destinations are moving in that direction.

The Port of Seattle recently became the first port in the US to mandate that 100% of all cruise vessels homeported there be shore-power capable and utilize shore power by 2027.

The port has two shore power connections at its Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91. Its Pier 66 cruise berth is currently being expanded to add shore power; when that is completed, all cruise berths operated by the Port of Seattle will have shore power connections.

Another cruise season is in the books for the Port of Montreal, and like so many international cruise ports worldwide, the Canadian port is celebrating a banner year.

As Oceania Cruises’ Insignia and Nautica each set off from their former homeport for the last time in 2024 on October 28, Montreal waved goodbye to another successful year.

Between May 4 and October 28, 2024, more than 50,000 passengers on 20 vessels across 14 cruise lines descended upon the port on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.

Among the season’s highlights were the arrival of nine new cruise ships, including the largest ship of the season, Holland America Line’s 1,440-passenger Volendam and Azamara Cruises’ Azamara Journey, which returned to Montreal after an eight-year hiatus with 718 passengers.

“The arrival of the nine new cruise ships shows that cruise lines have taken greater interest in the Port of Montreal, and reflects the results of the solid, long-lasting collaborations we maintain with our marine and local partners,” said the Montreal Port Authority’s President and CEO Julie Gascon.

She continued, “This collective effort lets us continually improve our operations and infrastructure and implement innovative initiatives, which attract thousands of cruise passengers every year.”

Celebrating at the Port of Montreal Tower, the season’s end event was attended by key players in Montreal’s cruise and tourism industry, including Marc-Yves Bertin, CEO of the Laurentian Pilotage Authority; Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montreal; and the officers of the Insignia and Nautica, the latter of which also debuted this season.

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Montreal anticipates that 2025 will see further growth with the return of cruise lines such as Silversea and Crystal Cruises and enhanced visitor experiences.

“We are totally focused on the future,” said Gascon. “The Port of Montreal is not simply a port of call. We want every cruise passenger to have the best possible experience and contribute even more to the city’s economic vitality and tourism industry.”

Added Lalumière, “Every cruise passenger had the opportunity to experience our city’s rich history, delicious food, and vibrant culture while enjoying the diversity of its landmarks, such as Old Montreal. We look forward to welcoming passengers back in 2025.”

Season Generates $25 Million and Advances Sustainability Efforts

Although Montreal didn’t quite reach its record-breaking passenger count – 51,000 guests in 2023 – the season was a close second. It generated approximately $25 million in economic benefits, including bringing 273 tons of Quebec-sourced products to cruise ships.

Montreal’s port also continued its environmental initiatives, marking its 17th consecutive year of recognition by Green Marine for sustainable practices.

Installing additional shore power capabilities in 2024, 12 cruise ships connected to the port’s system, reducing greenhouse gas output by 639 tons. 

In total, the port featured 40 ship operations, including eight calls and 32 boardings and disembarkations. 

In addition to Volendam, Nautica, and Azamara Journey, Montreal received the 1,320-passenger Borealis from Fred Olsen Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas’ 750-guest Seven Seas Grandeur, the residential Villa Vie Residences’ Villa Vie Odyssey’s 924 passengers, and three smaller cruise ships averaging 214 guests each.

During the season, several cruise lines marked milestones with their Montreal-bound passengers. Oceania Cruises welcomed its 40,000th guest aboard Nautica on October 6, Viking Cruises reached its 30,000th passenger with Viking Neptune on September 7, and Regent celebrated its 25,000th sailor with the arrival of Seven Seas Grandeur on September 19.

The Port of Montreal’s 2025 season will launch with Viking Neptune embarking on a 12-night voyage to New York City on May 6, 2025.

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%.

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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.