9 cruise ships visiting Victoria this week as season begins to wind down

September is coming to an end and October arrives this week, bringing with it the final stretch of Victoria’s 2026 cruise ship season.

Nine cruise ship visits are currently scheduled to arrive at Ogden Point between Monday, September 28th and Sunday, October 4th, with the vessels carrying a combined estimated capacity of 25,789 passengers.

That’s a noticeable slowdown from last week, when 12 ships with a combined estimated capacity of 36,129 passengers were scheduled to visit Victoria.

Tuesday will be the busiest day of the week by number of vessels, with three ships scheduled to arrive within a little more than six hours.

Seven Seas Explorer will be first, arriving at 7 a.m., followed by Disney Wonder and Norwegian Joy.

Combined, Tuesday’s three ships have space for an estimated 7,037 passengers.

Friday will be the next busiest day, when Norwegian Bliss and Eurodam arrive just 30 minutes apart. Together, the two vessels can carry approximately 6,354 passengers.

The week also begins with one of the largest vessels on the schedule.

Star Princess arrives Monday morning with an estimated capacity of 4,300 passengers and will remain in Victoria until 7 p.m. The 1,133-foot ship is scheduled to continue to San Francisco after leaving Victoria.

But as September turns to October, the number of cruise ships visiting Victoria will begin dropping quickly.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority’s (GVHA) current schedule shows 13 ships arriving during October, including five between October 1st and 4th.

After this Sunday, just eight scheduled cruise ship visits remain for the entire 2026 season.

Those include Carnival Spirit and National Geographic Quest on October 7th, Norwegian Bliss on October 9th, Noordam and Norwegian Encore on October 10th, National Geographic Venture on October 11th, Norwegian Encore again on October 13th and National Geographic Venture on October 18th.

The October 18th visit by National Geographic Venture is currently scheduled to officially close out Victoria’s 2026 cruise season. The small expedition vessel, which carries about 100 passengers.

When the season began in April, GVHA anticipated 335 cruise ship calls and more than one million passengers during 2026, which would make it a record year for the terminal.

Here’s the current schedule for Monday, September 28th through Sunday, October 4th:

Monday, September 28th

• Star Princess: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., estimated 4,300 passengers

Tuesday, September 29th

• Seven Seas Explorer: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., estimated 754 passengers
• Disney Wonder: 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., estimated 2,400 passengers
• Norwegian Joy: 1 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 3,883 passengers

Wednesday, September 30th

• No cruise ships scheduled

Thursday, October 1st

• Voyager of the Seas: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., estimated 4,000 passengers

Friday, October 2nd

• Norwegian Bliss: 7:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 4,250 passengers
• Eurodam: 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 2,104 passengers

Saturday, October 3rd

• Norwegian Encore: 7:45 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 3,998 passengers

Sunday, October 4th

• National Geographic Venture: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., estimated 100 passengers