Beginning with the presence of the Holland American ships Westerdam, Noordam, and Zandaam on Sunday, May 6^th, expect the area around Canada Place to have higher-than-usual auto and foot traffic.

In all, 13 cruise ships and nearly 50,000 passengers are expected in port over the next nine days. The Coral Princess, Volendam, and Island Princess will be tied up on Wednesday, May 9, and the Star Princess, Noordam, and the Nieuw Amsterdam will be at berth on Saturday, May 12. Finally, Radiance of the Seas, Silver Explorer, Westerdam, and Emerald Princess are expected on Sunday, May 13^th.

During these dates, peak crowds will occur between 7:00am and 5:00pm. Despite an increased presence by the Vancouver Police Traffic Authority, visitors to Canada Place should expect and heavy traffic and an increased demand for taxis and public transportation. Cruise ship passengers and local residents should plan ahead—and allow extra time—if visiting the area.

Over the course of 2018, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is expecting a total of 241 cruise ships, carrying 895,000 passengers, to visit Vancouver. Each cruise ship that pulls into Canada Place, the Port Authority notes in a media release, stimulates an average of $3 million in direct economic activity.