Vancouver welcomed a record number of cruise ship passengers on Saturday, when three ships emptied an estimated 15,800 people into the city.
While the Port of Vancouver warned the public of transportation delays and police were assigned to direct traffic, some of the tourists said more could have been done to prepare for them.
One tourist told CTV Vancouver that it took an hour and a half to get through customs at Canada Place.
There were also reports of hours-long waits to get taxicabs. The City of Vancouver does not allow ride-sharing services like Uber and the number of cab licenses is limited.
Passenger Jim Mitchell, who had parked himself on a patio, said he was told the wait for a taxi could be two to three hours. “It’s like Disneyland,” he said. “It could definitely be improved.”
The Port of Vancouver said an estimated 840,000 cruise passengers are expected to land in Vancouver on 237 ships in 2017, a two per cent increase over 2016 numbers.
Cruise ships docking at Canada Place generate, on average, $3 million in direct economic activity, according to the Port of Vancouver.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Sarah MacDonald
