No border control when cruising into Canada?

Just back from Caribbean cruise that included US Virgin Islands. I never had to show my passport except at the beginning of the cruise in Miami and at the end of the cruise again in Miami. At disembarkation I handed over my Customs declaration and walked right to a taxi without a hitch.

The other day I had reason to be in the Port of Montreal, my hometown. The HAL Rotterdam was berthed in a temporary cruise port set up further east from the permanent Alexandria Pier in Old Montreal while it is being completely rebuilt. I required a security escort to access the area, and a temporary Passport control station was validating documents of all passengers and crew both boarding and disembarking the ship. Apparently, at least here on Montreal, Canadian border control is now handled in a more visibly secure manner than what was described by the OP.

Experienced the same in Vancouver. Came from a cruise from Anchorage, and Vancouver was the first Canadian port. We just walked from the ship and never had to show our passport to any immigration officer. I suppose they do background checks before the arrival of the ship though.

All the immigration and passport items for most ports are done behind the scenes especially in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean thanks to the WHTI.

If there were to be a passport/immigration issue with a country you were traveling to, you would be denied boarding on the ship at the time of check-in at the embarkation port. The authorities would have flagged your reservation and you would not be able to sale. This is part of the reason that you have to enter your immigration info online ahead of time.

I have heard many stories of people getting to the port to check-in only to be turned away due to some immigration issue. On Canadian/Alaskan cruises, the person usually had a DUI offense in the past which Canada considers a serious offense.