Port of Prince Rupert makes plans for close to 12,000 guests for 2019 Cruise Season

The Northland Cruise Terminal will greet its first visitors on May 23
when the Seven Seas Mariner makes its first visit to Prince Rupert for 2019

Thursday May 23rd is the day to keep note of  for cruise ship watching, with the date in May circled on the calendar for Prince Rupert's first cruise ship of the season.

That's the day when the Seven Seas Mariner will pull alongside the Northland Terminal and deliver 700 potentials guests to the city, adding to the hustle of the city in the busy summer tourism season.

The Port call from the Seven Seas Mariner visit, one of two that Regent line ship will make, marks the first of twenty three Cruise ship stops for Prince Rupert this year, offering the potential for 11,138 guests along with the crew from the ships to explore the North Coast.

The season will continue through the Summer and into the early fall with the Seabourn line vessel Sojourn bringing the season to its completion on October 5th.

May offers just the one visit, while June will see 6 port calls, a lull arrives in July with just three visits, then picks up the pace fast with six port calls in each of August and September, the October visit of the Sojourn will be the only vessel for that month.

The largest vessel to call on Prince Rupert in 2019
will be the Crystal Symphony

The busiest day for those who service the Cruise industry will be August 7th when two ships make a port call, the Star Legend with 212 passengers will take an anchorage, while the Crystal Symphony with 922 passengers will get the Terminal berth at Northland. 

The ten hour visit by the Crystal Symphony from 8 AM to 10 PM, will be the only strop it will make in Prince Rupert for 2019.  The Crystal line vessel will also be the largest ship to call on Prince Rupert this year.

The Crystal Symphony last visited Prince Rupert in July last year, with a large number or Rupertites taking to Mariner's park or the Cow Bay Wharf to get a first hand view.

A slightly easier day will be found on August 17th which also features two cruise ship visits, but with a slightly lower passenger count to be sent ashore.

The vessel that Port watchers will see the most of this year is the Sojourn, as the Seabourn Cruise line vessel makes eight appearances on the schedule from June to October.

Last September, we profiled the line which is making Prince Rupert one of its Northwest bases, taking note of the work they were putting into their plans for 2019.

There is also the possibility of more port calls to come for 2019; still to be confirmed are visits from the Sea Bird, Seal Lion and National Geographic Quest.

Updates to the schedule will be provided through the Port Authority Cruise Ship website page (see here).

That online portal has been updated for the 2019 season and offers a wide range of information on the Cruise experience in Prince Rupert, you can review it here.

The passenger numbers anticipated for 2019 are down somewhat from what has been found in the last few years. 

Last year saw the Port expecting just over 12,000 visitors, while one year previous  in 2017 the preseason forecast was for up to 17,000 visitors expected to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the region.

For more notes on the 201i9 and a look back at previous years see our Cruise archive page here.