First Cruise Ship of the Season Features Increasingly Popular Itinerary Departing from Award Winning Port Metro Vancouver

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - March 20, 2015) - The first cruise ship of the 2015 season will depart Port Metro Vancouver this weekend. An exciting and increasingly popular cruise itinerary will run back-to-back trips between Vancouver and Hawaii for the first time, bringing an earlier-than-usual start to the 2015 Canada Place cruise season.

Princess Cruise's Grand Princess arrives in Vancouver this Sunday, March 22, for a round-trip sailing to the Hawaiian Islands. The ship will repeat the itinerary again on April 6.

"We are very pleased to welcome the Grand Princess to Canada Place, commencing the 2015 cruise season and expanding on our already well-known Vancouver-Alaska cruise business," said Robin Silvester, President and CEO, Port Metro Vancouver. "Thanks to Vancouver's global appeal and the port's world-class facilities and operations, cruise lines and passengers alike recognize the tremendous advantages of sailing in and out of Vancouver."

The Grand Princess will depart Vancouver on the same day and arrive in Hilo, Hawaii, on Saturday, March 28. The ship will then spend four days cruising around the Hawaiian Islands before returning to Vancouver, arriving back at Canada Place on Monday, April 6 for a repeat of the same itinerary.

While berthed at Canada Place, the Grand Princess will make use of the port's shore power installation. Shore power is highly effective in reducing marine diesel air emissions by enabling ships to shut down their engines and connect to BC Hydro's electrical grid to provide necessary power while docked. Since its inception in 2009, the Canada Place shore power installation has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 11,000 tonnes.

The arrival of the Grand Princess comes just days after Port Metro Vancouver was recognized with three prestigious awards at the 2015 Seatrade Cruise Global Conference, the cruise industry's largest convention, held in Miami, Florida. Receiving awards for Best Turnaround Destination, Most Efficient Port Facilities and Most Efficient Terminal Operation, Port Metro Vancouver received the most awards of any port.

Port Metro Vancouver's 2015 Alaska cruise season officially begins April 29 and another strong year is forecasted with more than 800,000 passengers expected to move through the Canada Place terminal.

The Vancouver cruise industry stimulates more than $2 million in economic activity for each vessel that calls at Canada Place. This results in approximately 283,000 hotel-night stays in Vancouver and more than 440,000 around the province, generating some 6,000 direct and indirect jobs, $220 million in wages, and tax revenues for municipal, provincial and federal governments.

About Port Metro Vancouver

Port Metro Vancouver is Canada's largest port and the fourth largest tonnage port in North America, responsible for Canada's trade with more than 160 world economies. Located in a naturally beautiful setting on Canada's west coast, Port Metro Vancouver is responsible for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and passengers, and integrates environmental, social and economic sustainability initiatives into all areas of port operations. Port Metro Vancouver is committed to meaningful engagement with the communities in which it operates and the shared obligation to improve the quality of life for Canadians. Enabling the trade of approximately $187 billion in goods annually, the port generates an estimated 100,000 jobs, $6.1 billion in wages, and $9.7 billion in GDP across Canada. As a non-shareholder, financially self-sufficient corporation established by the Government of Canada, Port Metro Vancouver operates pursuant to the Canada Marine Act, and is accountable to the elected federal Minister of Transport.