VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 first cruise ship of the season, Disney Wonder arrived on schedule Thursday morning (March 6) at Ogden Point's Pier B.
Crew member Carla Rossouw, who is in charge of shore excursions, stood close to a row of buses waiting for passengers to explore what Greater Victoria has to offer.
B次元官网网址淚 don't know if everybody's going to go ashore, some of them are just having breakfast now,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 actually a longer day for us B次元官网网址� we leave at 5 p.m.B次元官网网址�
According to Rossouw, 300 passengers have pre-booked tours; some will visit Butchart Gardens, while others will visit castles and take city tours.
The 2,700-guest vessel arrived in Victoria after repositioning from Australia and New Zealand, with a transpacific stop in Hawaii.
At 10 a.m., Chief Jerome Thomas of the Xwsepsum Nation gave an official Lekwungen welcome to the ship's arrival and presented ship officer Capt. Daniele Aschero with a framed print by Coast Salish artist Darlene Gait.
Robert Lewis-Manning, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), also attended the morning ceremony.
"Exciting," he said. "We have a healthy projection this year B次元官网网址� we'll have a few more ships than last year and as you can see, the season is starting much earlier this year and it's gonna run all the way until the third week of October, so that's a long season. It's nice to have some of that spread out over a longer period."
Volunteers from Destination Greater Victoria provided assistance and distributed city tour maps to passengers exiting customs and immigration gates.
B次元官网网址�2025 is shaping up to be such an interesting year,B次元官网网址� said the visitor centreB次元官网网址檚 general manager Leslie Fisher.B次元官网网址� We're gonna be busy...a lot planned and we're gonna have a great year.B次元官网网址�
Professional tour guide Nico Trombetta is also feeling optimistic seeing the first cruise ship of the season and welcoming the first few passengers to the Island.
B次元官网网址淚 think it's going to be a great season this year,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淎 lot of Americans love Victoria and they keep coming here and that's the way we like it."
A couple from Los Angeles is happy to be a part of the early start to this year's cruise ship season in Victoria, describing the mild and sunny early March morning as a "warm and friendly hug like a real Canadian welcome.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚t's funny because we come and we're just like, 'Hey, sorry, we're American,' but everybody has just been so gracious to us,B次元官网网址� they said.
With the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States, Lewis-Manning tells Victoria B次元官网网址 it is not affecting the cruise industry directly at the moment.
"I would say, we're cautiously watching. Obviously, there are many surprises every day, but what we're really focusing on is providing a strong and open welcome to all visitors, regardless of where they're from, so that they get a true understanding of what it's like to be in Canada and how wonderful our region is," he said.
The arrival of Disney Wonder marks an early start to the season, as cruise ships deployed around the world typically return to the West Coast in April to prepare for voyages to Alaska. The season officially begins on April 4 with the arrival of Holland America's Koningsdam.
This year, Victoria anticipates 320 cruise ship visits, including the first-ever calls from the Villa Vie Odyssey and Hapag-Lloyd's Europa 2.
The port will also welcome Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas for its inaugural season in Alaska, as well as the Caribbean Princess and Oceania Cruises' Riviera.
The Norwegian Joy, the Norwegian Encore, the Norwegian Bliss, and the Seven Seas Explorer are among the other noteworthy ships that are coming to Victoria this year, according to GVHA.
Disney Wonder will sail to San Diego before returning to Alaska for regular cruises in May.
