Nearly 44K cruise passengers expected in Victoria as tourism season stays strong

Backpacks may be back in classrooms across Greater Victoria, but the city’s busy tourism season is showing few signs of slowing down.

Another 14 cruise ships are scheduled to visit Victoria between Monday, September 14th and Sunday, September 20th, carrying a combined estimated capacity of 44,028 passengers.

That is slightly below last week, when 14 ships with a potential 46,491 passengers were scheduled to arrive, but it remains another significant week for the city’s tourism industry.

The week will begin Monday evening with Carnival Spirit, which is scheduled to arrive from Ketchikan at 8 p.m. with an estimated 2,124 passengers.

No ships are scheduled for Tuesday, but activity will pick up Wednesday when Queen Elizabeth arrives in the early morning. The ship will spend 13 hours in Victoria before departing for Seattle.

Carnival Miracle will arrive later Wednesday evening, bringing the day’s combined estimated passenger capacity to 4,205.

Thursday will see three ships arrive throughout the day.

Seven Seas Explorer is scheduled to dock in the morning., followed by Voyager of the Seas and Celebrity Edge arriving mid-afternoon. Together, the ships can carry an estimated 7,672 passengers.

Friday will bring one of the busiest evenings of the week, with three large vessels scheduled to arrive within 45 minutes of one another.

Norwegian Bliss will arrive at 7:30 p.m., followed by Eurodam at 8 p.m. and Royal Princess at 8:15 p.m. Their combined estimated capacity is 9,914 passengers.

Two ships are scheduled for Saturday evening, with Star Princess and Norwegian Encore bringing a potential 8,298 passengers to Victoria.

Sunday will be the busiest day of the week by potential passenger volume.

Anthem of the Seas is scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, followed by Norwegian Joy and MSC Poesia. Together, the three vessels have an estimated capacity of 11,815 passengers.

Anthem of the Seas will be the largest ship visiting Victoria this week by passenger capacity, carrying an estimated 4,919 people.

Norwegian Cruise Line will account for the largest share of the week’s potential visitors. Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Joy have a combined estimated capacity of 12,131 passengers.

Victoria’s 2026 cruise season began in April with 335 anticipated ship calls and a projected passenger count of just over one million.

Based on the current schedule, approximately 293 cruise ship visits representing a combined estimated capacity of about 885,500 passengers had been scheduled through Sunday, September 13th.

If all 14 ships arrive this week, those totals will climb to approximately 307 visits and 929,500 potential passengers by September 20th—more than 90% of the season’s projected traffic.

Passenger figures listed in the schedule represent each ship’s estimated capacity and may not reflect the number of passengers who ultimately arrive in Victoria. Arrival and departure times are also subject to change.

This week’s cruise ship schedule:

Monday, September 14th

• Carnival Spirit: 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 2,124 passengers

Tuesday, September 15th

• No cruise ships scheduled

Wednesday, September 16th

• Queen Elizabeth: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., estimated 2,081 passengers
• Carnival Miracle: 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 2,124 passengers

Thursday, September 17th

• Seven Seas Explorer: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., estimated 754 passengers
• Voyager of the Seas: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., estimated 4,000 passengers
• Celebrity Edge: 5:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 2,918 passengers

Friday, September 18th

• 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
• Royal Princess: 8:15 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 3,560 passengers

Saturday, September 19th

• Star Princess: 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 4,300 passengers
• Norwegian Encore: 7:45 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., estimated 3,998 passengers

Sunday, September 20th

• Anthem of the Seas: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., estimated 4,919 passengers
• Norwegian Joy: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., estimated 3,883 passengers
• MSC Poesia: 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., estimated 3,013 passengers