25 port calls make for increased North Coast Cruise Ship schedule for 2018

The First ship to dock at the Northland Terminal for 2018 will be the 
Radiance of the Seas, the Regent lines vessel 
and 2,501 passengers will arrive on May 16th

The quest to rebuild the North Coast cruise industry is finding some success from the seeds that were sewn a few years back, with the Spring and Summer of 2018 set to be the second busiest period for the Northland Cruise Terminal since 2011.

The Port of Prince Rupert revealed the full schedule for 2018 today, featuring 25 vessel port calls and the prospect of 12,600 passengers potentially exploring Prince Rupert and the North Coast.

The First visit of the year, will also bring the largest one day volume of passengers with the Royal Caribbean vessel Radiance of the Seas, and her 2501 passengers due in port on May 16th.

The Final stop for 2018 will be October 4th, when the Seabourn Lines,  vessel Sojourn and 450 passengers bring the sun down on the cruise season with a 10 hour visit.

August 28th will bring the only day where we have two cruise lines in port at the same time, with Windstar's Star Legend and Seabourn's Sojourn both in town for the bulk of the morning and afternoon period.

The 2018 season for the Port of Prince Rupert will once again be anchored by the Oceania line, which will have the most visible presence alongside the Northland terminal, with 6 port calls planned for the year.

Other cruise lines making return visits to the city include Seabourn, SilverSea, Ponant, Regent, National Geographic.

As we noted on the blog last month, Windstar cruise lines will be a new addition to this years roster of cruise ship calls, with Five visits planned through the course of the season.

Prince Rupert has begun to carve itself a piece of the niche cruise market on the West coast, with strong interest from cruise operators who operate vessels with a passenger capacity of between 200-900 passengers, something which offers pretty well every passenger a shore based excursion option should they be inclined.

Northland Cruise Terminal, quiet on a March morning,
but in a few months the Port facility will see an increased
level of passengers arriving in Prince Rupert

The work of the last few years to develop Prince Rupert's presence as part of the lucrative British
Columbia and Alaska cruise circuit has provided for some very positive feedback from industry participants and passengers that have come ashore in the city.

As part of an information release to accompany the new schedule, Brian Friesen, the Director of Trade Development and Communications for the Port of Prince Rupert outlined how the work of all stakeholders on the North Coast has been received.

“After reviewing our Passenger Exit Surveys, we are happy to report that the feedback we collected was overwhelmingly positive with regards to overall impressions of our community,”  ...  “The work that we’ve undertaken in recent years with Tourism Prince Rupert and local businesses to improve our reputation as a cruise destination is certainly coming to fruition.”

In addition to the work in attracting cruise lines to consider Prince Rupert as a destination, the Port has been busy providing for some shore side attractions that will help expand on the passenger experiences this year.

In today's cruise season update, the Port highlighted the ongoing work at the Northland Terminal complex to create the new promenade between the Northland and Atlin Terminal locations, as well the Port is among a number of community partners that are participating in the rebuild of the Rushbrook Trail, which once completed will provide for a new experience for both local residents and visitors alike.

This season will also mark the first year for use of the redeveloped parking area space near the Atlin Terminal, that Community space project has seen a reconfiguration of the parking area and creation of pedestrian walkways and shelter spaces, complimented by new gardening features for the location.

You can review more of the Port's announcement of the 2018 cruise season here.

The full Schedule for 2018 is available below, click on the image to enlarge.

For more items related to the North Coast Cruise industry see our archive page here.


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