January 26, 2017, Halifax, Nova Scotia – The 2017 cruise season in Halifax will be the busiest to date. A record number of passenger visits and vessel calls will get underway on April 24, 2017 with the arrival of the Amadea, a Phoenix Reisen vessel. “We are very excited about the year ahead,” said Cathy McGrail, Interim Vice President, Operations, Halifax Port Authority. “We look forward to working with our partners across the tourism industry as we welcome returning visitors and introduce new guests to Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada.”

From April 24 to October 31, the Port of Halifax is expecting 173 vessel calls (please note – this figure was updated April 19, 2017) carrying approximately 274,000 cruise guests (please note – this figure was updated April 19, 2017). For local tourism providers, planning for the upcoming season is well underway. “Those of us fortunate enough to live here know how special our region is,” said Dennis Campbell, CEO, Ambassatours Gray Line. “What drives us is the opportunity to share our attractions, our history and our culture with people from around the world. We’re looking forward to a busy season ahead.”

2017 Halifax Cruise highlights include:

• Five inaugural calls (please note – this figure was updated April 19, 2017).
• Over 30 potential shore power connections.
• Four visits from Queen Mary 2 during the 2017 season. Her first call will be June 13.
• One visit from Disney Magic on October 26.
• October 3 is expected to be the busiest passenger day with over 11,000 passengers plus crew expected.
• September 14 is the only scheduled five-ship day.

A complete vessel posting can be found at the Cruise Halifax website at http://cruisehalifax.ca/our-visitors/cruise-schedule/.

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Lane Farguson
Communications Advisor
Halifax Port Authority
Ph. (902) 426-7375
[email protected]