A record 1.4 million cruise passengers are expected in Vancouver this summer, which comes as Canada Place celebrates its 40th anniversary.
While Vancouver prepares for a surge in tourism, one longtime ship captain is reflecting on four decades at the port.
Eurodam Capt. Jeroen Van Donselaar says he first arrived at Canada Place as a cadet. After sailing through the Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver, he is having a full-circle moment.
“It was absolutely amazing,” said Van Donselaar.
“I never thought that, 40 years down the road, I’d be standing here as a captain.”
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Now commanding a ship three times the size of the vessel he first arrived on, he says the port has grown into one of the world’s premier cruise hubs.
Van Donselaar says he watched the area transform from how it looked during Expo 86 until what we see now.
“We rode the SkyTrain, [they] only had three, which was free at the time and only had three stops: Waterfront, Granville, and False Creek,” he recalled.
“We had great fun. We had hamburgers on the first floating McDonald’s.”
Chance McKee, the Port of Vancouver’s senior trade development representative, said they are expecting almost 360 cruise ships this season.
Ships will arrive almost daily, with weekend volumes of passengers in the tens of thousands. The busiest period is expected in mid-September, with nearly 20,000 passengers anticipated in a single day.
“Each vessel that docks at the Canada Place cruise terminal injects about $3 million into our local economy,” he said.
Last year, cruise activity generated more than $1 billion locally. But with even more of a tourism boom expected this summer as Vancouver hosts seven FIFA World Cup matches, officials say they’re preparing for added pressure.
“Any impacts that FIFA may have on the cruise sector, those are being communicated to the cruise lines and passengers as well,” McKee said.
Officials are advising residents and visitors to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, and consider alternative routes during what they say will be a record-breaking tourist season.