Vancouver welcomes largest cruise ship to-date, Norwegian Bliss, to Canada Place at the Port of Vancouver

On Sunday, September 30, Norwegian Bliss (see also CruiseMapper) will arrive at the Canada Place cruise ship terminal at the Port of Vancouver. At over 168 thousand tonnes, 333 metres in length, and room to accommodate nearly six thousand people, the Bliss is the largest cruise ship ever to come through the Port of Vancouver.

The Bliss is arriving Sunday morning at the east berth of Canada Place where it will pick up approximately 4,000 passengers in Vancouver before departing the next day for the final leg of its journey from Victoria to Los Angeles, after which it will spend the winter offering Mexican Riviera cruises.

In addition to Bliss, three other cruise ships will also be in Vancouver over the weekend, so an unusually high number of cruise passengers is expected at and around the Canada Place cruise ship terminal. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority encourages travelers and locals to plan ahead to prepare for crowds and increased traffic in surrounding areas.

In advance of the busy cruise ship days, the port authority and Canada Place Operations are offering the following tips to passengers to prepare for their visit to Canada Place.

Embarking passengers

• Signage and staff will be on-site to direct passengers.
• 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.

Disembarking passengers

• Given the significant number of passengers, it is advised that disembarking passengers make transportation arrangements in advance. Refer to transportation links on the port authority’s website for further information: portvancouver.com/cruise/passenger-information
• If passengers are being picked up by a private vehicle, proceed to the Green Zone located on P1 level of the Canada Place parkade.
• 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.

Source: Port of Vancouver