For the first time ever, cruisers will be able to begin and end their vacation in Victoria BC Canada.
Victoria's Ogden Point is a busy cruise port all summer long but Vancouver Island residents who wish to take a voyage cannot embark from here. Instead, they need to travel to either Vancouver BC or Seattle WA to join the cruise. However, that could change soon as Cunard Line is offering tickets on 4 itineraries to Alaska roundtrip from Seattle in July-August 2020.
According to Josh Leibowitz (Cunard's Senior VP), for a brand like Cunard that has a history both in the UK and Canada, they really saw "Victoria as a market that has a special connection to the U.K." He added they were hoping that Victoria's population receives it well and if the demand is high, they'll see if they're going to expand it.
Victoria is a stop during the course of the roundtrip, bringing in travelers and boosting the economy during the summer months. However, cruise passengers embarking in Vancouver B.C. are not allowed to disembark in Victoria because of federal requirements which prevent ships registered in another country from moving locals from one port to another within Canada.
Currently, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority is in talks with other major cruise companies to encourage similar projects where Islanders are allowed to embark and disembark on sailings from Victoria.