The Port of Vancouver announced the end of the cruise season, as the last cruise ship, ‘Emerald Princess’, departed from the Port today (October 19), heading to LA and then Hawaii.
The ‘Star Princess’ was the ship that started the 2018 season and her sister ship, the ‘Emerald Princess’, was the last to depart Canada Place.
In 2018, Vancouver accommodated over 900,000 cruise passengers on 243 ship visits. This is an increase of 7% in passenger volumes over 2017. Cruise is considered as a key economic driver for the region as each cruise ship adds about $3 million to the local economy.
During this year, the Port welcomed the 25-millionth cruise passenger and also hosted the largest cruise ship ever to visit Vancouver, the ‘Norwegian Bliss’.
Peter Xotta, vice president of planning and operations at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said:
This year was an especially exciting season for the cruise industry in Vancouver.
The 2019 cruise ship season will start with the arrival of the ‘Emerald Princess’ on March 29.