Forty years ago today, Holland America’s Noordam tied up at a brand-new cruise terminal in downtown Vancouver. On April 28, 1986, just weeks before the city opened its gates to Expo ’86, that single docking quietly launched what’s now one of the busiest cruise gateways in North America.
Exactly four decades later, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is reporting that Canada Place is on track for a record 2026 season. About 1.4 million passengers are expected to pass through the terminal this year, with nearly 360 ship visits planned between February and November. That’s a 19% jump over 2025 and beats the previous record of 1.32 million set in 2024.
If Alaska is on your cruise bucket list, here’s what’s happening in Vancouver this season, and the dates worth circling if you want to plan around (or into) the busiest stretches.
What’s Actually Happening At Canada Place This Year
The 2026 season technically started on February 26 with Disney Wonder, but the rhythm doesn’t really kick in until late April. From there, ships are scheduled at Canada Place almost every day from May 1 through October 4, with multiple vessels docked on most of those days. The last ship of the season, Norwegian Encore, is set to depart on November 13.
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The growth trajectory is the part that’s hard to ignore:
| Year | Cruise Ship Visits | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 290 | – |
| 2023 | 331 | – |
| 2024 | 327 | 1.32 million |
| 2025 | 301 | 1.2 million |
| 2026 | ~360 (projected) | 1.4 million (projected) |
The port authority estimates each cruise visit contributes roughly $3 million to the local economy, putting the 2026 season’s total economic impact above $1 billion.
There’s also a complication worth flagging. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is landing right in the middle of cruise season. BC Place will host seven World Cup matches between June 13 and July 7, and the port authority is openly warning cruise passengers to book accommodations early and brace for crowded downtown streets if they’re sailing during the tournament window.
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Heads up: If your cruise embarks or disembarks between June 13 and July 7, lock in your hotel and ground transportation early. Vancouver’s downtown will be handling cruise crowds and World Cup match-day surges at the same time.
The Days Worth Circling On The Calendar
A few specific days are shaping up to be genuinely historic for the terminal.
July 25, 2026 is Canada Place’s first five-ship day since 2019. The lineup pulls from across the cruise spectrum: Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas (up to 4,180 passengers), Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess (2,610), Holland America Line’s Koningsdam (2,650), Viking’s Viking Orion (930), and Hurtigruten’s expedition ship Roald Amundsen (490). Five lines, five very different ships, all in one harbor.
September 18–21 is projected to be the single busiest weekend in Canada Place history, with about 56,000 passengers passing through the terminal across the four-day stretch. The busiest weekend of 2025 saw 47,000 passengers, so this is a meaningful step up. The lineup spans Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Solstice, Seabourn Encore, Nieuw Amsterdam, Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Oceania Riviera, Koningsdam, Serenade of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Norwegian Jade, Luminara, and Disney Wonder across the four days.
September 19 is the busiest single day of the season. Nearly 20,000 passengers are expected to move through the terminal that Saturday, ranking it the third-busiest single day in Canada Place history. Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Oceania Riviera, and Koningsdam will all be in port at the same time.
In total, the port authority expects five of Canada Place’s top 10 busiest weekends ever to land in 2026.
How Vancouver Got Here: Forty Years Since The Noordam
The 40-year milestone is a clean number, but the more telling story is who showed up first. Holland America Line’s original Noordam, since decommissioned, was the very first cruise ship to dock at Canada Place when it opened in 1986. Holland America has been the terminal’s largest single cruise partner ever since.
This season, Holland America will run 70 ship visits to Canada Place and bring an estimated 300,000 passengers, roughly one-fifth of the season’s total. VFPA trade development director Jane Banham noted at the anniversary announcement that Holland America “connected us to their long-standing Alaska Cruises” back in 1986 and has been central to the terminal’s growth in the four decades since.
The terminal has handled more than 30 million cruise passengers across those four decades.
Other lines have leaned in for 2026, too. Disney Cruise Line has effectively doubled its Vancouver capacity by deploying both Disney Wonder (21 sailings) and Disney Magic (20 sailings), with Magic making its first-ever Vancouver departure on May 1.
Behind the scenes, Canada Place has been quietly upgrading. The 2024 introduction of facial biometrics at the terminal’s U.S. border control area cut passenger processing times by up to 94%. Average waits dropped from two to three minutes per passenger to under 10 seconds. That kind of efficiency gain is what makes 56,000-passenger weekends even logistically possible.
What This Means If You’re Thinking About An Alaska Cruise
Three things stand out from a planning standpoint.
First, hotels and flights around Vancouver are going to tighten up earlier than usual. With FIFA World Cup matches running through early July and record cruise traffic ramping up at the same time, the usual June bargains aren’t likely to be there. If your cruise embarks in June or July, book your pre-cruise hotel now.
Second, the late-September stretch is going to be a different kind of busy. The September 18–21 weekend is being projected as the single busiest in the terminal’s history. If you’re sailing then, plan to arrive at the terminal earlier in your boarding window, and if you’re a cruiser who likes to fly in the morning of sailing, this is the year to add a buffer day. We’ve covered the common booking mistakes first-time cruisers make, and the “no buffer day” trap is near the top of that list.
Third, the case for sailing Alaska from Vancouver versus Seattle is genuinely strong this year. Vancouver’s homeport status means most of these ships are running full Alaska itineraries, including round-trip Inside Passage sailings and one-way trips to or from Seward and Whittier, without the mandatory foreign-port detour Seattle-departing routes have to build into the schedule. The shorter sea-day count and deeper Alaska itineraries are a real advantage if you can manage the cross-border logistics.
Photo by Vinicius A. Nascimento on Pexels
What To Watch Next
The next major milestone arrives quickly. The five-ship day on July 25 will be the first big test of how Canada Place handles peak-season volume in 2026. After that, the September 18–21 weekend becomes the season’s headline event.
For the broader cruise industry, Vancouver’s record season is also a signal. Alaska itineraries are clearly back to full demand, and the 19% year-over-year passenger jump suggests cruise lines will keep adding capacity to the route. Don’t be surprised if 2027’s numbers push higher again.
Are you booked on a Vancouver-departing Alaska cruise this year, or eyeing one for 2027?