Victoria Welcomes Three First-Time Cruise Calls in Two Days
Chief Jerome Thomas of Esquimalt Nation welcomed Star Princess, and Songhees Nation Councillor Jeannie George greeted Sunday’s arrivals.
Three cruise ships made inaugural calls at Victoria over May 9-10, adding new tonnage to a 2026 season in which the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority expects a record 335 cruise calls and just over 1 million passengers. Star Princess arrived Saturday evening for the first of 21 scheduled visits this summer, followed Sunday by Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady and Silversea’s Silver Nova.
The planned schedule would put Victoria above recent call counts at the port, which recorded 316 cruise ship calls and about 970,000 passengers in 2024 after 326 calls and roughly the same passenger volume in 2023. GVHA has described Victoria as Canada’s busiest port for cruise ship calls.
Three first-time calls across two days
Princess Cruises’ Star Princess, a Sphere-class ship of about 177,800 gross tons with capacity for roughly 4,300 guests, arrived on Saturday evening. Chief Jerome Thomas of Esquimalt Nation welcomed the ship at the cruise terminal, which GVHA said is located on the traditional territory of the l k'w n People.
Brilliant Lady arrived the following morning during the ship’s first time in Alaska. The 110,000-gross-ton Virgin Voyages ship, the newest in the line’s fleet, carries about 2,762 passengers and is scheduled to make two more Victoria calls later this summer.
Silver Nova also arrived on Sunday. The 2023-built Silversea ship is about 54,700 gross tons and carries approximately 728 guests; Silversea says the vessel’s hybrid power systems allow it to operate emission-free in port.
Councillor Jeannie George of Songhees Nation welcomed both Sunday arrivals. Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto and Destination Greater Victoria CEO Paul Nursey also joined the welcome group for Brilliant Lady.
Record season follows April opening call
Victoria’s 2026 cruise season opened April 10 with Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam.
The port’s cruise business has been operating since 1978. In 2023, cruise passengers and crew spent $214 million in the region, supporting 1,390 jobs and contributing $109 million in GDP, according to official figures for that season.
