Victoria Sets Cruise Records With 332 Calls and One Million Passengers
Lindblad Expeditions’ 100-guest National Geographic Venture, the season’s smallest visitor, made Victoria’s final call Oct. 18 before sailing to Alert Bay.
Victoria closed its 2026 cruise season with a record 332 ship calls and more than one million passengers at the four-berth Ogden Point terminal in British Columbia. The final visit came on Oct. 18 from Lindblad Expeditions’ 100-guest National Geographic Venture, the smallest cruise ship to visit the port during the season.
The call total exceeded the previous record of 329, set in 2022, according to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. Passenger traffic also passed the million threshold for the first time, following 989,950 passengers in 2025.
The season began April 10 with Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam. The harbour authority had forecast 335 calls at the outset. The final count came in three short.
Virgin Voyages and MSC Cruises joined the port’s roster of visiting cruise lines, while six vessels made their first calls in Victoria.
Passenger milestone celebrated alongside Norwegian Encore
The passenger result followed several seasons close to seven figures. Victoria received 972,268 cruise passengers in 2024 and 970,000 in 2023 before last year’s increase.
The harbour authority scheduled an Oct. 13 celebration alongside Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore for the season’s millionth passenger. One guest was to receive a local gift basket and a private VIP tour during the ship’s visit between Vancouver and Astoria.
“This is a significant moment for Victoria and for the many people who support each cruise call,” said Greater Victoria Harbour Authority CEO Jeremy Dunn ahead of the event. “Our destination partners, excursion operators, terminal teams, and local businesses all contribute to the passenger experience,” he said.
Dunn also said a cruise call is often a visitor’s first introduction to Victoria. “Many return to explore more of our city and region, extending the value of that first visit well beyond the day their ship is in port,” he said.
“For many of our guests, Victoria is their first introduction to Canada’s West Coast,” said Norwegian Cruise Line President Marc Kazlauskas.
Six ships made inaugural visits
Virgin Voyages arrived with Brilliant Lady and MSC Cruises with MSC Poesia. The other inaugural callers were Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, Princess Cruises’ Star Princess, Silversea’s Silver Nova and Azamara’s Azamara Pursuit.
After the season’s closing call, National Geographic Venture continued to Alert Bay on its way north to Alaska.
Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady is expected to make 16 daytime calls in Victoria in 2027.
