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| Oceania's Regatta will launch the 2917 Prince Rupert Cruise Season the vessel makes the first of seven port visits on May 19th |
The Northland Cruise Terminal will be a significantly busier place in 2017 than it has been over the last few years, with 23 port calls scheduled to this point for Prince Rupert for the upcoming Cruise ship season.
As they arrive from May to October, the ships of the eight Alaska cruise tours will bring with them the prospect for over 17,000 visitors to the region for this years tourism season.
The North Coast Cruise season starts on Friday May 19th when the Oceania Cruise Line's Regatta arrives at 11 AM to the Northland Terminal and by the time the final vessel call of October from the Norwegian Jewel heads off into the Pacific sunset, the huge increase of visitors arriving dock side in the city will offer more than double the numbers of 2016.
Of the 23 arrivals through the year, 20 of the port calls will feature participation in the shore excursion programs offered, as visitors explore the unique tour and destination options available to them.
Prince Rupert Port CEO Don Krusel noted that some of the arriving vessels are from lines cruise lines that are making their first visit to the North coast port, while others are returning to Prince Rupert after being absent for a few years."It's great to see cruise lines including Prince Rupert on their Alaskan itineraries for the first time, and the return of lines that we've had the pleasure of hosting in the past"
The most familiar vessel this year will be the Regatta, with the Oceania line making seven port calls, delivering 4,788 guests to the city.
One of the premier ships of the Norwegian Cruise Line this summer is the first time since 2011 that NCL has pulled into Northlands. The two Port calls for Norwegian lines will bring almost one quarter of all the port visitors to the city this year.
Seabourn Cruise Lines will include Prince Rupert as part of its return to the Alaskan routes, the 450 passenger Seabourn Sojourn will call on the city six times in 2017. It marks the first time in fifteen years that Seabourn will sail into the Alaska cruise market.
Crystal Cruises makes three stops in Prince Rupert for 2017.
Silver Seas Expedition has one port call planned for July, while ROW management will sail The World into Prince Rupert in August
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is bringing the Seven Seas Mariner to Northland for two port calls, while the unique experiences of Ponant's Cruise program will see Le Boreal back in town, winding down the cruise season through September.
The season officially comes to an end on October 1st this year, as the Norwegian Jewel marks visit number 23 for the year, brining the largest vessel to the city of the year and offering the chance for 2,376 visitors to explore Prince Rupert and area for the last time of the year.
The full itinerary for 2017 can be reviewed below:
Scott Farwell, the Chair of Tourism Prince Rupert has great anticipation for the upcoming season noting on Monday that the cruise industry continues to make strong contributions to the region's Tourism sector.
"The partnership between Tourism Prince Rupert, the Prince Rupert Port Authority and the local business community has been a major contributing factor to the recent growth and success of this important tourism sector "
Farwell further outlined the work of the off season to lay the foundation for what the upcoming season.
"The development of highly-rated tour offerings, capable of accommodating a majority of the guests disembarking their vessels, is critical to creating a sustainable tourism sector. The work on behalf of the Port Authority to incent cruise lines to explore the potential of our community as a viable and desirable cruise destination is commendable and we look forward to working together on this front for years to come"
July is the high point of the season ahead, with eight port calls, August close behind when six vessels arrive in town. There are also two port calls in May, two in June, four in September and one in October to keep Northlands busy through the year.
The busy schedule for 2017 will mark the city's biggest cruise season since 2011 and rewards the local stakeholders in the cruise industry for their hard work in recent years to continue to market Prince Rupert as a tourism destination.
You can review the Port Authority statement providing background on the year ahead here.
Some notes of the visiting Cruise Lines can be examined below:
Oceania Cruises
Norwegian Cruise Line
Seabourn Crusises
SilverSea Cruise Line
Regent Cruises
Crystal Cruises
The World
Ponant Cruises
As the 2017 Cruise season nears, you can follow notes of interest and updates on port visits from our archive page here.
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