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High cruise passenger numbers expected at Canada Place terminal at the Port of Vancouver during mid-to-late September

With a high volume of cruise passengers expected at and around Canada Place cruise ship terminal this month, travelers and locals should plan ahead to prepare for crowds and increased traffic in surrounding areas.

For the next two weekends, a large number of embarking and disembarking cruise passengers is expected between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at Canada Place. As a result, higher than normal traffic volumes are anticipated in the downtown core, along with increased demand for taxis and public transportation.

In preparation for the busy cruise ship days, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Canada Place are offering the following tips to cruise passengers to prepare for their visit to the terminal.

Embarking passengers

• Please anticipate and prepare for longer than usual wait times
• Cruise passengers boarding their ships are asked not to arrive at Canada Place cruise terminal prior to their scheduled embarkation time, unless advised by their cruise line, so as to avoid further congestion while disembarking passengers are exiting the terminal
• All embarking passengers will be asked to drop off luggage first before proceeding through the security screening
• Signage and staff will be on-site to direct passengers

Disembarking passengers

• Given the significant number of passengers, it is advised that disembarking passengers make transportation arrangements in advance. Please refer to transportation links on our website for further information: portvancouver.com/cruise/passenger-information
• If you are being picked up by a private vehicle, kindly proceed to the Orange Zone located on P1 level of the Canada Place parkade
• All cruise vehicles in the parkade will be asked to exit Canada Place through the P2 exit onto Waterfront Road
• Please plan accordingly for heavy traffic and longer than usual waits to exit the city

In addition to extra on-site staff, Vancouver Police Department Traffic Authority members will be managing traffic and pedestrian flows at nearby crosswalks.

More than one million cruise passengers on 290 ship visits are expected in Vancouver during the 2019 cruise season, reflecting a 21 per cent increase in cruise passenger volume over 2018. The Vancouver cruise industry stimulates on average nearly $3 million in direct activity to the local economy for each cruise ship that visits Canada Place at the Port of Vancouver. View the 2019 cruise schedule at the Port of Vancouver.

About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the third largest in North America by tonnes of cargo, supporting trade with more than 170 world economies. The port authority is financially self-sufficient and accountable to the federal minister of transport, operating pursuant to the Canada Marine Act with a mandate to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver, while protecting the environment and considering local communities. We oversee the administration, management and control of land and water within the jurisdiction of the port, which includes more than 16,000 hectares of water, over 1,000 hectares of land, and approximately 350 kilometres of shoreline. Located on the southwest coast of British Columbia in Canada, the Port of Vancouver extends from Roberts Bank and the Fraser River up to and including Burrard Inlet, bordering 16 municipalities and intersecting the traditional territories and treaty lands of several Coast Salish First Nations. Enabling the trade of approximately $240 billion in goods, port activities sustain 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada.

Media contact:

Kristina Driedger
Senior Communications Advisor
778-231-7455
[email protected]

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