Canada may not appear to be the booming middle of cruise ship site visitors, however at the least one area is anticipating its longest and largest season to this point.
Officers in Nova Scotia say their two cruise ports moreover will welcome 18 new ships making their inaugural visits to the Atlantic province.
Halifax, Sydney Anticipating Busy 2024 Season
Canadian port officers are forecasting file cruise calls in Halifax and Sydney when the 2024 cruise season weighs anchor in Nova Scotia.
The Port of Sydney has 115 calls scheduled in 2024 starting on April 7, 2024, with the arrival of MSC Poesia. Throughout the summer time months – the busiest season in Canada – a 17% enhance in calls is anticipated in contrast with 2023.
Sydney will see seven ships make inaugural visits in 2024. The port, situated on Cape Breton Island, receives common visits by vessels from Oceania Cruises, MSC Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Superstar Cruises, and extra.
“Cape Breton is an extremely stunning island vacation spot and our fame amongst cruise passengers is what continues to drive our success and talent to generate vital financial advantages for our communities,” mentioned Lorna Campbell, CEO of Port of Sydney.
Queen Mary 2 Visits a Spotlight for Halifax
The forecasted numbers for the Port of Halifax are even stronger. Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 will go to Halifax twice in 2024, together with an in a single day keep on Canada Day (July 1, 2024).
Total, 203 cruise calls are anticipated, with 11 vessels making inaugural visits. Throughout the summer time months, site visitors is forecast to extend 35.7% over 2023’s numbers.
“The 2024 season will run longer and see ship visits unfold out throughout eight months,” mentioned Captain Allan Grey, president and CEO of Halifax Port Authority. “We all know Nova Scotia is a top-tier journey vacation spot, and we stay up for sharing that with the visits to our shores this yr.”
To accommodate the double-digit development in site visitors, the Port of Halifax is engaged on infrastructure enhancements to permit tender operations so ships can carry passengers ashore on days when berths are full.
Among the many cruise traces commonly visiting Halifax are MSC Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Viking Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.
Learn Additionally: Halifax Celebrates Lengthy Historical past with Holland America Line
Queen Mary 2‘s visits to Halifax are a part of a number of transatlantic crossings for the ship. The vessel pays her calls on July 1, 2024, and September 25, 2024.
One 30-night crossing on Queen Mary 2 contains a number of different Canadian ports of name, together with Sept-Iles, Saguenay, and Quebec Metropolis in Quebec, together with Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cruise Holidays Rising Extra Fashionable in Canada
Canada’s development in cruise site visitors actually shouldn’t come as an enormous shock. The nation has greater than 900 harbors and ports throughout its shoreline – the world’s largest at greater than 151,000 miles.
Vancouver – typically the beginning of many Alaskan cruises throughout the summer time months – is the most important cruise port in Canada. Greater than 300 ships make scheduled stops on the Pacific port.
Cruise holidays in Canada proceed to be one of many fastest-growing journey segments. Canadians took greater than 21,000 cruise holidays in 2023, up 39% since 2019.
U.S. residents took 271,900 cruise journeys in Canada, and abroad residents took 32,300 cruise journeys in 2023 – each spectacular will increase over 2019’s numbers.
