The 2026 Alaska cruise season in Vancouver ends where it started making history. Norwegian Encore is booked as the final ship to call at the Port of Vancouver's Canada Place terminal, arriving to close out the season on Monday, October 12, before departing at 2:30 AM on October 13.

The numbers behind this season are striking. Since the Disney Wonder kicked things off on February 26, the port has logged 1.4 million passenger visits across 358 cruise ship calls. That's an 18 percent jump in passengers and a 19 percent jump in ship visits over 2025, which saw 1.2 million passengers and 300 calls. July alone pushed more than 290,000 passengers through the terminal — the busiest single month the port has ever recorded.

The port authority values the season's economic impact at more than $1 billion flowing into the local economy, with cruise lines and their passengers increasingly treating Vancouver as a core stop on Alaska itineraries rather than just a gateway. Jeff Scott, vice president of operations and supply chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, credited the growth to collaboration across cruise lines, government, longshore workers and local tourism operators.

There's a greener chapter coming, too. Work begins in the coming months on expanding shore power capacity at the terminal, letting more ships plug into British Columbia's electrical grid while docked instead of idling their engines. The port expects the upgrade to cut an additional 3,300 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per season — roughly the same as taking 770 gasoline cars off the road year-round.

And if you're dreaming of an Alaska sailing, early signs suggest 2027 will be just as busy: preliminary bookings point to another strong year for both ship calls and passenger numbers.

For travellers, this is a good moment to pay attention. More capacity in Vancouver means more itinerary choices and competitive fares on Alaska cruises, and the city itself rewards a day or two either side of your sailing — Stanley Park, Granville Island and the North Shore mountains are all easy to reach. Booking shoulder-season sailings in late April-May or mid-September often means smaller crowds at the terminal and cooler, quieter ports up the Inside Passage.