Port of Vancouver Wraps Record Cruise Season and Expects 383 Ship Calls in 2027

October 16, 2026 — Vancouver’s Canada Place cruise terminal has closed its busiest season ever and released a preliminary 2027 schedule.

2026 by the numbers

Measure	2026 season (February – October)
Passengers	About 1.4 million (up 17% on 2025)
Ship calls	358 (up 19%)
July and August passengers	Close to 575,000
On-time or early departures	87%
Average time from terminal arrival to boarding	About 30 minutes
Maiden calls	9
Last call	Norwegian Encore, October 12, 2026

The port had more three- and five-ship days than in any previous season, and processed its one millionth cruise passenger through U.S. Customs and Border Protection using facial biometrics. The terminal marked 40 years of operation in 2026.

2027 outlook

The port expects 383 cruise ship calls between March and November 2027, according to its preliminary schedule, which may change.

What it means for airline travelers

Busier docks ahead: with more ships planned in 2027, expect more multi-ship days and fuller hotels and flights into Vancouver International (YVR) on busy ship days. Book early and arrive the day before.
Boarding is quick once you are there. Arrival-to-boarding averaged about half an hour this year, so the bigger risk is getting to Vancouver, not the terminal line.
No change to interline or travel-industry cruise rates was mentioned.