Victoria’s Ogden Point Poised to Break 2022 Cruise Call Record

Cruise traffic at Victoria’s four-berth Ogden Point terminal will fall to six scheduled calls for October 5-11, 2026, with a combined estimated passenger capacity of 12,490. That is less than half the previous week’s potential passenger volume.

Despite the seasonal slowdown, Victoria could set an annual cruise-call record this weekend. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s (GVHA) schedule shows approximately 326 visits through October 4, approaching the port’s record of 329 calls established in 2022.

Nine calls were scheduled for September 28-October 4, representing estimated capacity for 25,789 passengers. The preceding week had 12 visits and capacity for 36,129, while the September 7-13 schedule listed 14 calls with room for 46,491 passengers.

Weekend arrivals could set a call record

This week’s visits are concentrated across four days, with no arrivals scheduled for Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. An October 8 call by National Geographic Quest is listed as cancelled.

Activity begins Wednesday, October 7, when National Geographic Quest is scheduled alongside from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m., with an estimated capacity of 100 passengers. Carnival Spirit follows at 8 p.m. and departs at 11:59 p.m.; its listed capacity is 2,124.

Norwegian Bliss, the week’s largest visitor by estimated passenger capacity at 4,250, is due Friday, October 9, from 7:30 p.m. until 11:59 p.m. If the preceding calls take place as scheduled, its arrival would tie the annual call record.

Saturday, October 10, has the highest combined passenger capacity of the week, at 5,916. Noordam is scheduled to arrive at 8 a.m. for a 14-hour stay, carrying an estimated capacity of 1,918 passengers. Its arrival would be the season’s 330th call, taking Ogden Point above the previous record.

Norwegian Encore follows that evening, with an estimated capacity of 3,998 passengers and a scheduled stay from 7:45 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. The week ends with National Geographic Venture on Sunday, October 11, from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.; the vessel’s listed capacity is 100 passengers.

Where the season total stands

The passenger figures in the schedule represent estimated vessel capacities, not verified numbers of people arriving in Victoria or going ashore. On that basis, the first 326 calls represented approximately 987,577 potential passengers through October 4.

That capacity-based total is close to the 989,950 cruise passengers GVHA reported for the full 2025 season, but the two figures are not directly equivalent. The authority reported approximately 970,000 passengers in each of 2023 and 2024.

When the season opened in April, GVHA projected 335 cruise calls and 1,008,109 passengers for 2026. The schedule has since changed.

After this week, only two visits remain on the current schedule. Norwegian Encore is due back on October 13, followed by National Geographic Venture on October 18 for the scheduled final call of Victoria’s 2026 cruise season.