Star Princess Sets Record as Largest Cruise Ship to Visit Vancouver

Princess Cruises’ Star Princess became the largest cruise ship to visit Vancouver when it arrived at Canada Place on Sept. 27, 2026. The approximately 178,000-gross-ton vessel arrived at 1:45 a.m. Sunday and departed at 1 a.m. Monday, with both movements scheduled around low tide to pass safely beneath the Lions Gate Bridge.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority confirmed the record to Daily Hive Urbanized. Star Princess exceeds the size of Vancouver’s previous record-holders, Norwegian Cruise Line’s 169,116-GT Norwegian Encore, which first visited in 2023, and the 168,028-GT Norwegian Bliss, which made its debut in 2018.

The bridge has approximately 61 metres of vertical clearance at the centre of the navigation channel, although the distance above the water changes with the tide. Planning for tall cruise ships takes account of the vessel’s air draft and a safety margin before passage.

Built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone, the 345-metre Star Princess accommodates 4,300 passengers at lower-berth occupancy and 1,600 crew, according to Princess Cruises’ fact sheet. The LNG-powered vessel is the line’s second Sphere-class ship and began its inaugural cruise on Oct. 4, 2025.

Star Princess and the two earlier record-holders typically homeport in Seattle during the Alaska season. Their Vancouver calls generally come during repositioning voyages at the beginning or end of that season, often as they move between Alaska and Caribbean deployments.

After leaving Vancouver, Star Princess called at Victoria on Sept. 28. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s schedule assigned it an 8:30 a.m. arrival at Ogden Point and a 7 p.m. departure for San Francisco. Its onward itinerary includes Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and the Panama Canal.

Vancouver forecasts a record passenger year

The call came near the end of a season that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority expects to be its busiest by passenger volume. More than 1.4 million passengers are forecast for 2026, compared with 1.2 million in 2025 and the previous record of 1.32 million in 2023.

The authority also projected nearly 360 ship calls this year, up from 301 last year and 290 in 2019. July alone brought 290,000 passengers, setting a monthly record. During the May-to-September peak, the busiest four-day weekend reporting periods handled as many as 56,000 passengers, while multiple ships called on most days.

Several operators made their first Vancouver appearances during the season. Brilliant Lady brought Virgin Voyages to the city, while Luminara’s inaugural call introduced The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.

Disney Cruise Line also expanded its seasonal operation by homeporting first-time visitor Disney Magic alongside longtime Vancouver regular Disney Wonder. Disney Wonder had opened the city’s cruise season on Feb. 26.

Five further calls are scheduled after Sept. 28, including Norwegian Joy on Oct. 1. Vancouver’s season is due to end with Norwegian Encore’s departure on Oct. 13.

See current Star Princess fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.