Great Bear Rainforest cruise from Seattle 2025 and 2026 - Noordam

[paiagirl]

Please, can someone help me?  On the itinerary map, it shows we are going through the inside passage from Seattle however when I look at the day by day itinerary, it says Day At Sea for the 2nd day so does it mean that we will be on the Pacific Ocean to Ketchikan? 

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, paiagirl said:

Please, can someone help me?  On the itinerary map, it shows we are going through the inside passage from Seattle however when I look at the day by day itinerary, it says Day At Sea for the 2nd day so does it mean that we will be on the Pacific Ocean to Ketchikan? 

Ships leaving Seattle normally transit the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the west coast of Vancouver Island. This is the open Pacific Ocean. I suspect this will be the route for this cruise. The return will be the inside passage between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. Hopefully there is some  daylight hours for this transit because it is quite nice scenery. 

[paiagirl]

Thank you.  
 

I was hoping for the inland passage until I saw the day by day itinerary with sea day.

[JeLy_Beanz]

16 hours ago, paiagirl said:

Thank you.  
 

I was hoping for the inland passage until I saw the day by day itinerary with sea day.

The map shows the 1 day at sea as well. 

[Blackduck59]

That is interesting the above map shows the inside passage bot outbound and return. This is unusual for cruises departing Seattle. If this is indeed the route then there will be nice scenery and relatively sheltered waters in both directions. 

[JeLy_Beanz]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

That is interesting the above map shows the inside passage bot outbound and return. This is unusual for cruises departing Seattle. If this is indeed the route then there will be nice scenery and relatively sheltered waters in both directions. 

The itinerary shows the same. 

[Blackduck59]

@JeLy_Beanz that is a better passage for those on this cruise. Like I said there is little on this itinerary that would cause us to book. For everyone who books fair winds and a trailing sea.

[Alberta Quilter]

I was once told, by a captain, that the pretty picture of the route map does not necessarily indicate what will happen.  Those are created by graphic designers and not by Captains who chart the route to save fuel.  I, like Blackduck59, suspect that northbound will be in open ocean and southbound will be in the Canadian inside passage.  Note that HAL considers cruises to be inside passage even if it will be only in the Alaska inside passage.  The scenery in the Canadian inside passage is stunning.  Hopefully, the route will be as depicted in the map but don't count on it.

[cruisingrob21]

53 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

I was once told, by a captain, that the pretty picture of the route map does not necessarily indicate what will happen.  Those are created by graphic designers and not by Captains who chart the route to save fuel.  I, like Blackduck59, suspect that northbound will be in open ocean and southbound will be in the Canadian inside passage.  Note that HAL considers cruises to be inside passage even if it will be only in the Alaska inside passage.  The scenery in the Canadian inside passage is stunning.  Hopefully, the route will be as depicted in the map but don't count on it.

And sometimes the opposite happens.  On a Crown Princess Alaskan Sampler from Seattle to Vancouver in 2022, the itinerary map showed that it would use the outside passage both ways - however we were treated to great weather and the captain maneuvered the ship through the Johnstone Straight and Seymour Narrows.  It is a bit shorter and I'm guessing if its favorable weather it might even be a net savings for the ship to use the cleaner fuel as required that close to land.  Note that the Grand class ships can sail this route, the Royal Class ships are not allowed per the Canadian government.  Of note, we arrived at Seymour Narrows at the same time the Noordam was heading northbound.  Because its narrow, we did slow down considerably to allow the Noordam to sail through the narrows first.  I'll say its unusual to get that close to another ship when not approaching port, or sailing in glacier bay or other fjord.  The image below is grainy due to night, but on the lower right you can faintly make out the Crown's bridge wing.

 

[jeh10641]

On 3/23/2024 at 3:07 PM, ChinaShrek said:

We had a snow storm here in Maine today. I'm getting more than a foot. Sigh

I loved my four years of college in Maine and would have stayed in the state after graduation, except for snow from October to May.

Jim

[jeh10641]

5 hours ago, JeLy_Beanz said:

The map shows the 1 day at sea as well. 

From the map, it looks like a roundtrip through the Inside passage. A "Sea Day" does not always mean in the middle of the ocean. It means no port calls that day.

Jim

[JeLy_Beanz]

4 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

From the map, it looks like a roundtrip through the Inside passage. A "Sea Day" does not always mean in the middle of the ocean. It means no port calls that day.

Jim

I didn't say the map was 100% accurate. The one path going to Ketchikan is a little further out which is the "sea day". The other days that aren't at a port and closer to the land viewing the channels is called "cruising days". I didn't say the ship would be in the middle of the ocean. It's just one "Sea day", but there is another day devoted to just "cruising" which is inland.

[RSWBADGER]

Holland America Line has long been known as a leader in cruising in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, and a seven-day "Great Bear Rainforest" itinerary that hasn't been offered in decades showcases a distinct take on cruising in this region. Departing Oct. 5, 2025, and April 19, 2026, aboard Noordam, travelers seeking a more intimate experience can become immersed in the culture, nature and rare wildlife of Ketchikan, Alaska, and Prince Rupert, Nanaimo and Victoria, British Columbia.

 

"This in-depth exploration of the PNW takes guests through the historic Inside Passage, sailing through some of the most confined waters our ships have ever sailed, said Paul Grigsby, vice president of deployment and revenue planning for Holland America Line.  "This is the true Inside Passage, the storied route between Seattle and Alaska that ships have been sailing since as far back as the gold rush era.  It is a first for our company to plan a sailing focused on this fjord-like waterway that maximizes a daylight transit to allow best opportunities for wildlife sightings," added Grigsby.

 

The roundtrip from Seattle, Washington, "Great Bear Rainforest" itinerary calls at Ketchikan before heading south to thoroughly explore ports in British Columbia. The ship overnights in Prince Rupert before scenic cruising in Greenville Channel, past the first nation's village of Bella Bella, Johnstone Strait and Seymour Narrows. While cruising, guests can view wildlife like whales, eagles and the rare Kermode bear — also known as the spirit bear. A maiden call at Nanaimo and visit to popular Victoria give guests the opportunity to deeply explore many different communities in British Columbia.

 

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Holland America Line 

15 Mar, 2024, 09:42 ET

 

Holland America Line's 2025-2026 Mexico and Pacific Coast Seasons Offer Rare Great Bear Rainforest Itinerary and Sea of Cortez Cruises (prnewswire.com)

[Blackduck59]

If by chance there is a "spirit bear" sighting count that as a very large bonus. They are extremely rare. Take as many pictures as you can, you may never get another chance. 

[Alberta Quilter]

9 hours ago, cruisingrob21 said:

And sometimes the opposite happens.  On a Crown Princess Alaskan Sampler from Seattle to Vancouver in 2022, the itinerary map showed that it would use the outside passage both ways - however we were treated to great weather and the captain maneuvered the ship through the Johnstone Straight and Seymour Narrows.  It is a bit shorter and I'm guessing if its favorable weather it might even be a net savings for the ship to use the cleaner fuel as required that close to land.  Note that the Grand class ships can sail this route, the Royal Class ships are not allowed per the Canadian government.  Of note, we arrived at Seymour Narrows at the same time the Noordam was heading northbound.  Because its narrow, we did slow down considerably to allow the Noordam to sail through the narrows first.  I'll say its unusual to get that close to another ship when not approaching port, or sailing in glacier bay or other fjord.  The image below is grainy due to night, but on the lower right you can faintly make out the Crown's bridge wing.

 

 

Doesn't that prove my point?  The captain of your ship didn't follow the Princess map illustrating the route.  However, I'm glad that you were able to see such a scenic part of the inside passage.

[dmwnc1959]

On 3/15/2024 at 2:25 PM, Bimmer09 said:

I got an email this morning offering up some new Pacific Coast/Mexico HAL cruises and was instructed to book one pronto. Neither DeckChairQueen nor I have sailed HAL before and yet now I find we have 3 bookings. The cruises show on the HAL website so I didn't bother getting in touch with our PCC. Snagged an aft-wrap Neptune with HIA and booked online.

Ketchikan and Victoria are the only ports we are familiar with from our Princess sailings.

Anyone else get the email and book? We are on the 7 day Noordam April 19 2026. She also has a sailing in October 2025.

 

Norris

Any thoughts on what the cruise immediately following this one from Vancouver will be? Would love to do this as a B2B with another Alaska cruise. 

[mgtravelsalot]

6 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Any thoughts on what the cruise immediately following this one from Vancouver will be? Would love to do this as a B2B with another Alaska cruise. 

 You could go into  the site and put in Noordam april 2025 and see where she is going.  I know My oct one she heads to Asia  after

[Bimmer09]

17 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Any thoughts on what the cruise immediately following this one from Vancouver will be? Would love to do this as a B2B with another Alaska cruise. 

April 2026 Alaska cruises aren't listed yet on either HAL or Princess sites. B2B =great idea.

Norris

[dmwnc1959]

On 3/17/2024 at 8:20 PM, Bimmer09 said:

We're all different. We couldn't do 36 days on any ship going anywhere-because we have cats at home and to date our longest trip has been 16 days. If no cats then we could be more flexible- but one of us has a company to run.

 

My partner runs a company that writes financial reports on many businesses and Carnival is one such and it was she who found out about this new itinerary in a press release. My mail found out from HAL a couple of days after I had booked our sailing at her urging

 

Norris

  
I’m currently booked on Norwegian Jade doing a 32-night B2B that includes a 25-night repositioning from Tampa through the Panama Canal to Whittier followed by the 7-night SB to Vancouver. It’ll be my longest cruise ever. I’m fortunate to have some dear friends that will take care of my little fur-baby while I’m gone. Don’t think he’ll even miss

me. 😉

Many moons ago, I think it was on the Celebrity Galaxy from LA, transited the Grenville Channel heading southbound and have to say it was one of the most impressive Inside Passage experiences I have ever had. Even now I remember the hard turn to starboard and the zig zag we did at Bella Bella and around Denny Island. It’s a remarkable experience. 

[dmwnc1959]

13 minutes ago, mgtravelsalot said:

 You could go into  the site and put in Noordam april 2025 and see where she is going.  I know My oct one she heads to Asia  after

Actually did that, and also looked at what other ships were leaving in April 2025 out of Vancouver. There’s a good chance the cruise following the April 2025 sailing from Seattle to Vancouver will be a round-trip Alaska. 

[scubacruiserx2]

 Norris , 

 

We have been to Alaska twice . The first from Seattle in Spring with a visit there and the second from Vancouver in the Fall as the first leg of a 6 week trip to Fort Lauderdale . The first was on the Eurodam in our first Neptune suite . The last was on the Nieuw Amsterdam all 6 weeks in an aft corner Neptune Suite . They are both on Signature Class ships , our favorite because of the Tamarind .

 

 

 

 You are on the Vista Class and can find a lot of information including photos of your room here :

 

https://halfacts.com/vista-class/

 

 On our last night before entering Vancouver in October of 2022 we saw a White Rainbow ( Fog Bow ) behind our balcony .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog_bow

 

 

 

  Our last visit to Ketchikan was photographed and shown our Fire and Ice review here on posts # 65 -78 .

 

 

 

  However , our first trip included the Inside Passage including the Johnstone Strait , Seymour Narrows and the Campbell River where we sighted Real and false Killer Whales .

 

 

 

  It is best seen on our Eurodam to Alaska : We came , we saw , we photographed on posts # 412 - 440 .  Victoria followed next with a great guide .

 

 

 

 We would recommend a couple of days before and after in Seattle unless you plan on doing a B2B with the 27 day South Pacific cruise on your ship .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We would also recommend the Chihuly Gardens and lunch on the Space Needle for a killer view and a great lunch and dessert .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26 by scubacruiserx2

[dmwnc1959]

All of the pictures I took from the Grenville Channel were by 35mm and long put away into storage. Here are a few pictures from a southbound transit at the upper part of the Johnstone Strait heading down to Vancouver.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by dmwnc1959

[Bimmer09]

57 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 We would recommend a couple of days before and after in Seattle unless you plan on doing a B2B with the 27 day South Pacific cruise on your ship .

 

Thanks Joe. We've visited Seattle twice before , each time for a week of attending the Opera there.

I've always had a rental car so we could visit Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier and Dungeness. Snowsqualmie Falls too. We'll just do a day or two either side of the cruise, I imagine without a car. The last time we were there was 2001 and the environs  were taking a downturn due to people sleeping rough. We always stay at the Inn at the Market hotel by Pike's Place Market.It has  a great deck with fire pits overlooking Puget Sound. Good eats nearby.

Chihuly gardens is a must. We always stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and Chihuly is part of the draw there .

We've done 3 Alaska cruises so far. One from Whittier to Vancouver and two from Vancouver to Whittier. We've never been tempted by a Seattle round-trip.We'll look forward to Ketchikan again in 2026 on Noordam and we'll do a cruisetour some year that will hit Skagway and Juneau too.

We've landed on a glacier in a helicopter, flown over Misty Fjords in a float plane, sailed Misty F in a fast boat, seen bears up close in Ketchikan, seen eagles from the Chilcoot river near Haines, enjoyed whale watching with Harv N Marv twice, sled dogged in Juneau, done the White Pass railroad in the luxury car  and regular cars. We've been to Butchart Gardens near Victoria. Alaska is our jam. I learned to ski on Grouse Mountain in Vancouver and spent a day on Whistler Mountain I'll never forget. I'm very British Columbia friendly and have friends there.

 

We are never tempted by Hawaii or the South Pacific-we're not beach lovers really. I would dream of Norway before I'd dream of Bora Bora.

We will next cruise the Caribbean-this Christmas on the Rotterdam which is our HAL tester. It will be much warmer than Chicago and the cruise will be as much about the ship as the islands.I have a good feeling about the prospect.

 

Thanks for the helpful links.

Norris

 

 

[rj59]

Most ships from Seattle go the outside passage either because of ship size, but also to make ports more quickly, especially the final-evening Victoria stop. They also probably need to have a pilot on board for the inside passage. This one is a scenery-intensive cruise, so inside passage both ways make sense. One benefit of the outside passage is that I've seen dozens of humpbach whales near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca--I also pick up a US cell signal most of the way along the WA coast.

[thomasw828]

On 3/22/2024 at 12:47 AM, Blackduck59 said:

I was reading this thread and found it interesting that some people seemed to be aghast that there may be rain on a cruise to "The Great Bear Rainforest". If rain is a problem don't visit the rainforest. Plan for rain, layer with wool, it will still keep you warm even when wet, and a light weight rain shell will keep out the wind and wet.

I'm not sure I would take this cruise, but I'm sure many would find the scenery breathtaking. Victoria is my home town, Nanaimo is a short drive north from here, I have no burning desire to visit Ketchikan again, which leaves Prince Rupert. I hope those who book this cruise have pleasant weather and many wildlife sightings.

Your voice of logic and sanity is much appreciated. My husband and I plus our daughter, her husband,my sister and her husband are all booked for April 2026. Love the unique itinerary. We’ll deal with the weather! Here in WNC we have some temperate rainforests so have some familiarity with them. Be interesting to see this one.