Cruise Ships are Returning to St. Johns in 2022

The City of St. John’s together with the St. John’s Port Authority and industry partners look forward to the safe return of cruise ships in 2022 following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first cruise ship, the Ocean Endeavor will arrive on June 12 with approximately 195 passengers. There are 30 cruise ships from 15 cruise lines scheduled to arrive between June and October to experience all that St. John’s has to offer.

“We are excited to welcome back cruise ships to our city this summer. We are working collaboratively with the St. John’s Port Authority, Cruise NL, local tourism operators, and our hospitality partners to ensure they will be ready to welcome visitors,” said Councillor Debbie Hanlon, Council Representative for Cruise Tourism.

The return of cruise operations will provide an economic benefit to our city, small businesses, and tour operators. It will help support the recovery of our tourism industry. The level of activity in 2022 is expected to be approximately 80% of the 2019 season. Spending by passengers, cruise lines, and crew in 2019 was estimated at $10 million for the province of Newfoundland & Labrador.

“Community, passenger and crew safety remains a top priority for the cruise ship industry, as it does for the members of our cruise community,” said Bob McCarthy, Vice President of Development, St. John’s Port Authority.

Visiting ships will follow enhanced protocols to allow for the safe return of tourists to St. John’s. Cruise ships that visit our port are required to abide by all provincial, Public Health Agency of Canada and Transport Canada safety guidelines. The cruise industry has developed very stringent safety and operational protocols to protect the passengers and the port cities they visit.

With one of the highest levels of COVID-19 protocols of any industry, they have been successfully resuming operations in other parts of the world for the past year. As per the Government of Canada’s new public health plan for cruise ships, passengers and crew visiting St. John’s must be fully vaccinated. They are also required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 to 48 hours of boarding a cruise ship, providing safety for all on board.

A full list of all the cruise ships coming to port this season can be found on the City of St. John’s website.

Cruise ship visits may be cancelled or postponed at anytime, without notice, due to unforeseen circumstances, including marine conditions and ships’ schedules.