Great Bear Rainforest cruise from Seattle 2025 and 2026 - Noordam

[Blackduck59]

12 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

I noticed HAL has a microbrewery tour for Victoria. Is Victoria known for its beer? I might take that tour if you guys have good beer.

Yes, Victoria has a vibrant brewery scene. I'm not sure which breweries are on the tour, but there are many to choose from. We also have 3 different beer festivals, you can check the Victoria Beer Society for more details. Beer is a thing here.

[Monarda55]

Question for Inside Passage veterans:  given that it looks like this cruise may now only go Inside Passage on the southbound leg, would it be better to book a verandah cabin on the port side (mainland) or starboard (islands). Goal is scenery and wildlife. Thank you in advance for your wisdom!

[Alberta Quilter]

I don’t think it would matter.  The scenery is stunning on both sides.  I hope @Blackduck59 or @Heidi13 will chime in and correct me if I’m wrong.

[cruisingrob21]

5 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Yes, Victoria has a vibrant brewery scene. I'm not sure which breweries are on the tour, but there are many to choose from. We also have 3 different beer festivals, you can check the Victoria Beer Society for more details. Beer is a thing here.

I've walked between several in town breweries - all have their own style and tasting rooms (need to check hours as some are only open certain days or times).  I don't think there is need to do a tour if you've got a grasp on searching for breweries on a smart phone.

[Bimmer09]

On 3/18/2024 at 4:24 PM, Bimmer09 said:

April rain in AK was a record 3.4 inches in 2017. In 2023 it was 2.0.

As I have a vested interest I will check the rain this April in Ketchikan and also Prince Rupert, rainiest place in BC.

It's always worth taking an umbrella of course-including in the toasty Caribbean.

I can easily cancel as it's 2 years away if it seems there's a high chance of rain as you feel.

I'll post the rain results on this thread between April 19 and 26.

Norris

Here is my weather record covering the cruise dates if they were occurring this year. I don't sail until 2026 so will record the same next year. I highlighted the ports on the days they will be visited. Dry =no rain. Rain=for some or all of the time we are docked.

 

Victoria 4/19         61     Dry

P Rupert               60     Dry

Ketchikan              61    Dry

 

Victoria 4/20          62    Rain

P Rupert                62    Dry

Ketchikan              63    Dry

 

Victoria 4/21          56    Rain

P Rupert                48    Rain

Ketchikan             52    Rain

 

Victoria 4/22          58    Dry

P Rupert               51    Dry

Ketchikan              50    Dry

 

Victoria 4/23          61    Dry

P Rupert               47    Rain

Ketchikan              48    Rain

 

Victoria 4/24          52    Rain

P Rupert                50    Rain

Ketchikan              51     Dry

 

Victoria 4/25          54    Rain

P Rupert                56    Dry

Ketchikan              57    Dry

Nanaimo               51    Rain

 

Victoria 4/26          55   Rain

Seattle                    50   Rain

 

Seattle 4/27          53    Rain   

 

Norris

 

 

[westcoaster]

On 3/16/2024 at 7:23 PM, Bimmer09 said:

I Googled a couple of ports for average rainfall...

Victoria 3 inches of rain in April, 8 inches October

 

I'm not sure where you got that information from, but according to official sources (Environment Canada), Victoria averages 28.5 mm (1.1 inches) of rainfall in April and 51.2 mm (2 inches) of rainfall for October.  Victoria is in the Olympic Mountain rainshadow and is far drier than Vancouver or Seattle.

 

https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?searchType=stnName&txtStationName=victoria&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=113&dispBack=0

[ChinaShrek]

On 4/19/2024 at 4:42 PM, cruisingrob21 said:

I've walked between several in town breweries - all have their own style and tasting rooms (need to check hours as some are only open certain days or times).  I don't think there is need to do a tour if you've got a grasp on searching for breweries on a smart phone.

I am traveling solo. I think it would be more fun to go with a group of people so we could get drunk together!

[mgtravelsalot]

17 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

I am traveling solo. I think it would be more fun to go with a group of people so we could get drunk together!

Im in LOLjust point the way

[ChinaShrek]

1 minute ago, mgtravelsalot said:

Im in LOLjust point the way

If you're on the cruise, I'll look for you

[cruisingrob21]

Got back from the Noordam a few weeks back doing a 5 day sampler that stopped in ketchikan and Prince Rupert.  Ketchikan has 2 breweries in town (maybe more??), a cidery and distillery.  PR has only one brewery that I could find but it's a long the water and pretty good selection of beer.

[ChinaShrek]

29 minutes ago, cruisingrob21 said:

Got back from the Noordam a few weeks back doing a 5 day sampler that stopped in ketchikan and Prince Rupert.  Ketchikan has 2 breweries in town (maybe more??), a cidery and distillery.  PR has only one brewery that I could find but it's a long the water and pretty good selection of beer.

Did you like Prince Rupert? What did you do there?

[cccole]

Hi Bimmer09, We love the aft wrap Neptune suites, they are amazing.  I don't think you mentioned which deck you booked.  We had a Deck 8 aft wrap on the Oosterdam.  I think that the Noordam is a sister ship.  On the Oosterdam aft wraps on Deck 5 are almost covered and Deck 4 aft wraps have window washing machinery outside their balcony.  We love aft wraps and have a Deck 8 aft wrap reserved on the Noordam in 2026.  I'm posting this because if your aft wrap is on a deck you do not prefer just keep checking.   We were able to change ours from Deck 4 to Deck 8 when there was a cancellation.  Have a great cruise.  Cherie 

[Bimmer09]

Cherie.... we have a port side aft wrap Neptune on deck 7. That goes for all 3 Neptunes I have booked on Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam and Noordam.

 

Norris

[cccole]

Hi Norris,  The aft wraps are so great.  We reserved the last one available on the Noordam and did not have an option port or starboard.  That was important to us on the SA/Antarctica cruise and we chose the cruise because of the cabin.  I haven't seen which is a better side for the Islands of the South Pacific cruise, but I am watching for a deck 6 or 7 aft wrap.  You have good taste!!!!  Cherie

[cruisingrob21]

On 5/15/2024 at 3:48 PM, ChinaShrek said:

Did you like Prince Rupert? What did you do there?

I did - but I sail solo on these shorter voyages and typically go for a long jog/hike and end at a brewery.  It allows me to see a lot of the town, but not very far out obviously.  We had great weather there and I found the Rushbrook trail along the waterfront as well as a trail in McClymont Park.  Both trails were great, lots to see and I usually try to take my runs through neighborhoods and scenic points.  I did stop by the Sunken gardens which was small but scenic and in full bloom.  Some of the neighborhoods I ran through were about what I expected for a town that probably is less of an economic powerhouse than it was 40-50 years ago.

 

If you aren't a walker/jogger/hiker and prefer a more guided experience, consider booking a tour.

 

Regardless of what you choose to do, the scenery around PR is beautiful - especially sailing out of the harbor and the by a variety of small islands.

[TropiCAL2008]

On 3/15/2024 at 1:02 PM, Nodakboiler said:

We just started the roll call for the 4/19/26 cruise. Looking forward to touring BC.

Have not found this to join the group? Name and date opened? Thank you!

[0106]

6 hours ago, TropiCAL2008 said:

Have not found this to join the group? Name and date opened?

Here’s your Roll Call

 

[rj59]

I just sailed the route for this cruise on Zaandam, when because of a severe storm going south from Ketchikan, the captain wanted to avoid the 17-foot swells and gale-force winds on the open ocean by going into the inside channels south of Prince Rupert, which would be a longer distance but quicker than struggling on the open sea. The ship had to make several failed attempts around midnight to pick up the local pilots, waiting until they got smoother waters and winds in a protected area, but I awoke to no swells and beautiful scenery outside, despite the rain and winds. In October and April the conditions are likely to be similar, so there really wasn't a whole lot to see, other than forests and islands on each side, with higher elevations hidden by mist. After two hours of rocking and rolling on the open ocean, we entered the usual Vancouver Island inside passage. Honestly, I thought the lower channels were better, with some snow-capped mountains and narrow passages with sharp turns (I saw a humpback surface right next to the ship there), and great sunset aft views. I was tempted by the Great Bear one, but for me a regular Vancouver Island inside passage one is better, since you get most of the experience but with better likely weather and glacier viewings. Just cruising passages in Alaska is also more impressive, with the majestic mountains and some very narrow parts, whereas the northern Canadian channels just looked something I could see by just going on a San Juans ferry. My Zaandam cruise would have been unbearable on the open ocean going from Seattle in such a storm, and I've had some really rough ones in September, so there's a good chance of really rough seas for Noordam going up to Ketchikan from Seattle. A local in Juneau also said October is the worst month for him, because it has the most rain, is already cold, but doesn't have the brightness and outdoor activities that snow brings. I also found for myself and most other passengers that that was too much scenic sailing, and there were few of us who braved the winds and rain to be out viewing on the promenade deck, and those who watched inside just saw things through windows dripping rain. 

[scubacruiserx2]

On 5/15/2024 at 9:01 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Cherie.... we have a port side aft wrap Neptune on deck 7. That goes for all 3 Neptunes I have booked on Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam and Noordam.

 

Norris

 

 

 Great choice Norris , our favorite cabin on the Signature and Vista class . 

 We did book a last minute cruise on the Caribbean Princess to England , Iceland , Ireland and Scotland on July 12th . We did start a thread here :

 

 

 

[paiagirl]

On 6/5/2024 at 7:40 PM, rj59 said:

I just sailed the route for this cruise on Zaandam, when because of a severe storm going south from Ketchikan, the captain wanted to avoid the 17-foot swells and gale-force winds on the open ocean by going into the inside channels south of Prince Rupert, which would be a longer distance but quicker than struggling on the open sea. The ship had to make several failed attempts around midnight to pick up the local pilots, waiting until they got smoother waters and winds in a protected area, but I awoke to no swells and beautiful scenery outside, despite the rain and winds. In October and April the conditions are likely to be similar, so there really wasn't a whole lot to see, other than forests and islands on each side, with higher elevations hidden by mist. After two hours of rocking and rolling on the open ocean, we entered the usual Vancouver Island inside passage. Honestly, I thought the lower channels were better, with some snow-capped mountains and narrow passages with sharp turns (I saw a humpback surface right next to the ship there), and great sunset aft views. I was tempted by the Great Bear one, but for me a regular Vancouver Island inside passage one is better, since you get most of the experience but with better likely weather and glacier viewings. Just cruising passages in Alaska is also more impressive, with the majestic mountains and some very narrow parts, whereas the northern Canadian channels just looked something I could see by just going on a San Juans ferry. My Zaandam cruise would have been unbearable on the open ocean going from Seattle in such a storm, and I've had some really rough ones in September, so there's a good chance of really rough seas for Noordam going up to Ketchikan from Seattle. A local in Juneau also said October is the worst month for him, because it has the most rain, is already cold, but doesn't have the brightness and outdoor activities that snow brings. I also found for myself and most other passengers that that was too much scenic sailing, and there were few of us who braved the winds and rain to be out viewing on the promenade deck, and those who watched inside just saw things through windows dripping rain. 

Thank you for informing about your experience.  I will have to rethink about our reservation.

[cruisingrob21]

On 6/5/2024 at 7:40 PM, rj59 said:

I just sailed the route for this cruise on Zaandam...

 

I appreciate the honest review of the voyage, we may rethink ours as well.  I did appreciate that HAL attempted to schedule it so that much of the voyage in the inside passage areas would be during day time, especially the seymour narrows portion, but as you put it, weather can adjust that and by october, daylight is running short.

 

Part of the allure for us was that it stops in PR, and nanaimo, and starts and ends in Seattle.  It's nice to have alternative routing from Seattle instead of the pretty standard 7 day milkruns to alaska.

[Monarda55]

We booked the April 2026 sailing of this cruise, and as of now we’re inclined to go forward with it. There are several advantages, chief among them being a full day in Victoria, which is high on my bucket list. It’s also much cheaper for us to fly round-trip to Seattle than Vancouver, and in Seattle we’ll be able to use Luggage Direct, which I love.  Also, the Inside Passage scenery appeals to us more than glaciers. 

 

What annoys me a little is that the initial presentation of this cruise showed it as being Inside Passage both directions. The October 2025 sailing still shows that. But the April 2026 sailing now shows the northbound leg going west of Vancouver Island. If we cancel, that’ll be why— although as others have pointed out, a key part of that northbound leg would take place in the dark, so it wouldn’t matter as much. Still, inside passage both ways is what I signed up for, so… we’ll see.