Cruise ship visits to Reykjavík fall as passenger numbers decline

Reykjavík recorded fewer cruise ship calls and passengers this summer than last year, according to figures reported by mbl.is. The season ran from April until mid-October, when the final ship, Pacific World, docked at Skarfabakki.

Faxaflóahafnir, the organisation whose figures cover the port calls, recorded 213 visits this summer, down from 239 in 2025. The total number of passengers fell to 299,595 from 330,474.

Passengers on turnaround visits numbered 164,587, compared with 180,299 the previous year. A further 135,008 passengers were recorded on other calls, down from 150,175.

There could be another decline next year. A total of 197 ship calls have been booked for 2027, with an estimated 295,634 passengers: 170,665 on turnaround visits and 124,970 on other calls. For 2028, 204 calls have been booked, with an estimated 335,278 passengers, including 187,487 on turnaround visits and 147,792 on other calls. The figures may change.

Sigurður Jökull Ólafsson, chief executive of Cruise Iceland, told Morgunblaðið in September that instability and an unpredictable operating environment for cruise ships in Iceland from 2023 to 2025 were now contributing to a nationwide downturn. Cruise Iceland is an association of 30 companies involved in receiving cruise ships in Iceland.

Faxaflóahafnir has also announced an extensive update to DOKK, its software for managing cruise ship bookings and visits. The system is used by more than 40 ports in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The update adds tools for scheduling staff shifts alongside ship calls, linking tasks to individual visits and managing service requests and documents.

The company says the system’s calendar of ship calls and estimated passenger numbers can also help tourism businesses and other service providers prepare for visitors, plan staffing and adapt services to demand.