Passing Through Prince Rupert

Our final cruise stop was supposed to be Haines, Alaska—but earlier this year, we got word it had been swapped out for Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Cue the collective “Where?” from just about everyone I talked to. Even the Royal Caribbean app seemed confused—it took forever for any shore excursions to show up. My initial internet research turned up recommendations like “walk to McDonald’s,” which didn’t exactly scream “bucket list.”

Hope flickered a bit when a sorority sister messaged me that they loved Prince Rupert... back in the 80s. Still, let’s just say expectations were low.

But here’s the twist: Prince Rupert surprised us.

We were greeted with sunshine and warm weather (already a win in the Pacific Northwest), and as we stepped off the ship, it felt like the entire town had turned out to welcome us. Volunteers in matching t-shirts handed out maps, offered tips, and genuinely seemed excited to have us there.

After a brief mix-up with Scott about whether or not we were cabbing to the cannery museum (spoiler: we didn’t), we set off on foot through town with Jamie and June leading the way.

Our first stop was Cow Bay, a charming waterfront area full of shops, art galleries, and cute little whale tail statues that I couldn’t get enough of. The kids were thrilled to take a break after a short uphill climb. Cow Bay had a mellow, artsy vibe—think small-town meets salty sea air.

Needing diapers (because #momlife never takes vacation), we walked to the local Safeway. I took the opportunity to nerd out over Canadian products and compare them to what we get in the UK. Sadly, no prawn cocktail crisps to be found. Tragic.

We strolled along Bill Murray Drive (yes, we got excited too—no, it’s not named after that Bill Murray), crossed the train tracks, and stopped for lunch at Wheelhouse Brewing Company. It was bustling, but we lucked out with a table and dove into a fig pizza and a smoked salmon artichoke dip that easily earned the title of “best thing I ate all cruise.” By chance, we ran into some friends from our travel group, so we shared a table and played board games from the brewery’s stash.

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Next door, we peeked into the tiny but charming Kwinitsa Railway Museum. It gave a nice peek into Prince Rupert’s rail history and development, and the kids loved running around the old tracks and exploring the little station house.

One unexpectedly cool moment: the rail yard behind the museum belongs to Canadian National Railway—the same company that runs the tracks behind our house. We couldn’t help but wonder if we’d spot one of the same trains rolling through our backyard once we were home.

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We wrapped up our visit with a waterfront stroll back to the ship, the sun fully out by then and Prince Rupert showing off a bit.

Here’s the honest truth: there’s not a ton to do in Prince Rupert right now. The cruise excursions were minimal, and the town itself is small. But it felt like a place on the cusp of something. I’ve since seen Prince Rupert pop up on itineraries for other cruise lines, including Virgin Voyages, and read about local investment in growing their tourism sector.

It’s a town that seems to be trying—and I’d genuinely love to come back in a few years, see how it’s grown... and finally make it to that cannery museum.