Vancouver loses Disney Cruise Line to Seattle

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Mickey, we hardly knew ye.

Mere weeks before the Disney Cruise Line is to begin its inaugural Canadian run – a Vancouver-Alaska cruise aboard the Disney Wonder – the company behind Mickey Mouse announced that Seattle will be its home port for Alaska cruises in 2012.

The change, announced Wednesday, comes as Port Metro Vancouver is regrouping after a dismal 2010 cruise season, when business sank by 30 per cent.

The revamped schedule reflects the sometimes fickle nature of a business in which cruise lines deploy their ships around the globe based on factors including fuel costs, political conditions in ports of call and regulatory issues – including an Alaskan head tax that was rolled back last year after cruise lines showed their displeasure by steering to other routes.

Vancouver port and tourism officials put a brave face on the news, emphasizing that Disney's 20 calls this year are projected to pump $40-million into the local economy and that Disney may return for future seasons.

"Vancouver's up 15 per cent this year – and we have a ship that's going to have one season out of Vancouver to Alaska and one season out of Seattle to Alaska and then they are going to decide from there what they are going to do," said Greg Wirtz, a spokesman for the North West and Canada CruiseShip Association. "So there's a great opportunity here for Vancouver to validate why [Disney]came here in the first place."

Disney is expected to account for about 90,000 of a projected 650,000 passengers expected in the 2011 cruise season. In 2012, those 90,000 passengers won't be coming through Vancouver.

"We are disappointed – any time we lose a ship to Seattle or a ship leaves Alaska altogether, it's certainly disappointing news for the industry," Tourism Vancouver spokesman Ryan Robutka said on Wednesday. "That being said, it's sort of bittersweet, because we're excited and looking forward to welcoming Disney this year."

Disney did not mention Vancouver in a release that outlined its 2012 itinerary, which features ships sailing from New York, Galveston, Tex., and Seattle, but emphasized the convenience of those starting points for American passengers.

"In 2012, we're making it easier than ever for families to enjoy a Disney Cruise Line vacation by offering cruises from a variety of regional homeports," Disney Cruise Line president Karl Holz said in a statement, adding that guests can now enjoy the Disney cruise experience "from their own backyard."

For decades, Vancouver dominated the Alaska cruise business, in part because of maritime regulations that prevent foreign-flagged cruise vessels from carrying passengers directly between two U.S. ports.

Over the past decade, however, Seattle has become a strong contender, in part because of bigger, faster ships that made it possible to offer a full round-trip itinerary – including sightseeing tours and shore excursions – within a week.

"You've been able to do that – three port calls, plus a glacier tour – from Vancouver forever. And in recent years, with ships being able to cruise at over 20 knots, it's been possible to do it out of Seattle," Mr. Wirtz said.

To comply with the foreign-stop requirement, most Seattle-based Alaska cruises stop in Victoria – which has seen its cruise business climb significantly in recent years.

Prince Rupert also vies for Alaskan cruise business, and Nanaimo is investing millions in a new cruise ship terminal. An aboriginal-owned cruise ship terminal in Campbell River that opened in 2007 has struggled to attract business and is not expecting any ships to call this year.

According to the Cruise British Columbia Association, the cruise sector generated $1.2-billion for the provincial economy in 2010.

Disney's 2012 cruise itinerary also includes round-trip cruises from New York with stops in Halifax and Saint John.