Nanaimo Opens Cruise Season as Calls Double From Last Year

Nanaimo, B.C., opened its cruise season Friday as Holland America Line’s Noordam docked at 12:30 p.m. PT, the first of eight planned cruise calls at the harbour city this summer. The ship arrived after a Great Bear Rainforest sailing and is scheduled to make four of Nanaimo’s calls this season.

The eight-call program doubles last summer’s four-ship schedule and gives Nanaimo its busiest cruise year since seven calls were planned for 2020 before the pandemic disrupted cruise traffic. The port is still working toward the 25- to 30-call annual target envisioned when its cruise terminal opened in 2011.

Nanaimo pushes one-berth cruise model

Kimberly Kelly of the Nanaimo Port Authority said the port has been trying to build Nanaimo’s profile as a cruise destination, with the single-berth operation forming part of its pitch to visiting lines and passengers.

“We are so thrilled,” Kelly said, adding that Nanaimo’s one-ship-at-a-time setup creates “a more unique and intimate experience” than larger cruise ports. “We’re able to really offer a white glove service, servicing just one ship at a time.”

The Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal and Welcome Centre at Assembly Wharf was built for cruise passenger handling and customs processing, with passenger services that include shuttles, accessibility transport by golf cart and CBSA clearance. The facility has also been used for non-cruise activity, including special events, conferences, navy vessels and research ships.

Nanaimo is now in its third summer since cruise calls resumed there after the pandemic shutdown. The port’s growth has been gradual, moving from two calls to four and now eight.

Tourism operators see repeat-visit potential

4VI, the Vancouver Island tourism organization, said its passenger research found that 85 percent of surveyed cruise visitors would consider returning to the Island for a longer trip after a one-day port call.

Brian Cant, vice president of business impact and engagement at 4VI, said Nanaimo’s cruise business still has room to grow. “Over time, it will come,” Cant said. He pointed to Victoria’s cruise market, saying it began with a small number of calls and now receives more than 300.

“We’ll see a nice buzz down here on the harbor,” said Kiera Maher, owner and manager of Newfoundland to Nanaimo. “When they first came back, there were smaller cruise ships and not very many, and now we’re getting a few more of them, and they’re larger in size.”

Shared dock use remains unresolved

The cruise terminal has not been idle between ship calls. Hullo Ferries has used the dock since launching its downtown Vancouver-to-downtown Nanaimo foot-passenger ferry service in 2023, operating two high-speed catamarans with about 354 seats each on a crossing of roughly 70 to 75 minutes.

Under its lease with the port, Hullo shifts to the downtown harbour when a cruise ship is in Nanaimo, because cruise calls take priority at the terminal berth. The ferry company is in discussions with the Nanaimo Port Authority on a longer-term arrangement for sharing the facility.

Hullo Chief Executive Officer Ryan Dermody said the ferry operator expects nine or 10 cruise calls in summer 2026 and can work around that level of activity. “Any more than that does start to impact our guests,” Dermody said.