Every prince needs their princess, and for Prince Rupert’s tourism sector that princess is named Ruby.
On Friday the Port of Prince Rupert announced that Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess cruise ship will make regular stops in Prince Rupert every 10 days this season starting on May 17. With a capacity of 4,180 passengers and crew, the vessel is expected to more than quadruple the number of cruise ship visitors to Prince Rupert this season.
“The exciting late addition of the Ruby Princess to the Port of Prince Rupert’s cruise schedule will give a significant boost to the local tourism industry in the coming months, and we are working with local operators and other community stakeholders to prepare for this large influx of visitors,” Prince Rupert Port Authority president Shaun Stevenson said in a statement issued on Friday. “We appreciate the efforts being made by everyone to accommodate this schedule change and to welcome visitors back to the area as we ramp up for the return of cruise tourism in the community.”
In April, the Port of Prince Rupert announced it was expecting a total of 26 cruise ships stops between May and September this year, carrying roughly 14,000 passengers. With the addition of the Ruby Princess, and a September stop by Windstar’s Star Breeze, the port is now expecting a total of 43 cruise ships calls and roughly 60,622 passengers by Sept. 30.
Prince Rupert is a strategic Canadian port-of-call for cruise ships heading to Alaska. Roughly 1.57 million passengers are expected to take Alaskan cruises this year, according to industry projections.
“With strong prospects for recovery and growth within this market, Prince Rupert has the opportunity to attract significantly more visitors than it has in recent years,” a statement issued by the Port of Prince Rupert said.
All cruise ship passengers and crew will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and enhanced passenger screening and testing will be in place.
A full schedule of cruise ships visiting Prince Rupert this season is available on the Port of Prince Rupert's website.
