Canada Place Expects Record Cruise Traffic in July
Canada Place reached one million passengers processed through facial biometrics on June 8, as customs processing time fell to about 10 seconds.
The Port of Vancouver expects Canada Place to set new monthly cruise passenger records this summer, with 290,000 passengers projected through the downtown terminal in July and a similar count expected in August. The July total would be the busiest single month in the terminal’s 40 years of operation as Vancouver heads toward an estimated 1.4 million passenger visits and 360 cruise calls in 2026.
Canada Place handled a record 1.32 million passengers and 329 calls in 2024, and the 2026 passenger projection is 30 percent above 2019. With Ballantyne Pier closed since 2014, the three-berth Canada Place facility handles Vancouver’s cruise traffic from the city center.
“We are seeing these strong cruise volumes translate into ongoing meaningful benefits for local and regional businesses and communities,” said Chance McKee, senior account representative at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. McKee said Canada Place remains “a vital driver for Canadian tourism year-over-year.”
The Pacific Rim Cruise Association’s 2025 Cruise Passenger Survey found that more than three-quarters of cruise passengers spend time in Vancouver before or after a sailing, up from 70 percent in 2023. Average local spending per cruise passenger rose to $1,144 across hotels, restaurants, shopping, tours and attractions. Separately, each cruise ship visit to Canada Place contributes about $3 million in local economic activity as cruise lines use local goods and services providers between sailings.
Cruise lines expand Alaska programs from Vancouver
Holland America Line, Seabourn and Princess Cruises are among the Carnival Corp. brands tied to Vancouver’s summer cruise activity. “We’re proud to introduce guests to the wonders of Alaska, Hawaii, the South Pacific, Asia and beyond, all from Canada Place,” said Beth Bodensteiner, president of Holland America Line.
Mark Tamis, president of Seabourn, said Vancouver is important to Seabourn’s Alaska season, with Seabourn Encore sailing from the city for the first time this year. Gus Antorcha, president of Princess Cruises, said Princess’s 2026 Alaska season will be its largest to date, with seven ships visiting Vancouver. Those ships include Star Princess.
Vancouver also added The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Luminara this season. The ship made its first call on June 8 as part of a new annual Alaska itinerary, the first of nine scheduled 2026 calls by the line and the first Canada Place visit by an ultra-luxury cruise line. It embarked and disembarked passengers and restocked before sailing north through Canada’s Inside Passage.
Faster processing for the peak months
The record months are being handled at a terminal where passengers must clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection during embarkation. Canada Place reached its one-millionth passenger processed through facial biometrics on June 8, two years after the technology was introduced at the terminal.
McKee said average U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing time has fallen by about 94 percent, from two to three minutes per passenger to about 10 seconds. The broader embarkation process has been reduced from roughly two hours to about 30 minutes.
For peak days, McKee said the terminal typically uses four biometric stations but has 12 tables available, with about 1,000 passengers processed hourly during the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. window when three vessels are in port. The port’s 2026 cruise update also lists 10 additional data connection points for check-in beyond Hall C and two new elevators being installed between luggage drop-off on parking level 2 and ground level.
Environmental programs continue alongside higher volumes
The port is continuing voluntary ship slowdowns intended to reduce commercial-vessel impacts on at-risk whales in the Salish Sea, with cruise ships invited to participate. The port also recognized Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises at its Blue Circle Awards for environmental work while homeporting at Canada Place.
The awards, launched in 2009, recognize operators and customers participating in the port authority’s EcoAction and Energy Action programs, including efforts tied to air emissions, underwater noise and energy conservation. Princess Cruises has received 16 awards including this year’s Special Mention for air lubrication systems, while Disney has received a Blue Circle Award every year it has homeported in Vancouver and Holland America has 12 total awards.
FIFA World Cup festivities in Vancouver continue through July 19, and the port is advising Canada Place visitors to plan for heavier downtown crowds and traffic.
See cruises departing Vancouver on Cruise Lookup.
