Great Bear Rainforest Cruise

MS NIEUW AMSTERDAM: The MS Nieuw Amsterdam made her inaugural cruise in 2010 and she is Holland America’s second largest ship with a capacity of 2,100 passengers. The Nieuw Amsterdam’s gross tonnage is 86,000 and she is 283 metres long. Her 11 decks feature a 1,000-seat live entertainment theatre, nine lounges, casino, shopping arcade, movie theatre, beauty shop, library, games room, Internet centre, spa, gymnasium and two swimming pools (one with sliding dome cover). The Nieuw Amsterdam has 14 elevators and four of them are glass with panoramic views. A $2 million collection of art and artifacts is showcased throughout the ship. Dining is one of the highlights of a cruise. The elegant two-floor Manhattan Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with full choice of menu. The Lido Market offers six buffet-style serving stations for breakfast, lunch, dinner and the 11 pm buffet. The Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, Tamarind, and Morimoto Restaurants offer extraordinary service, reserved seating and gourmet menus for an extra charge. You can also dine in the privacy of your stateroom by ordering from the complimentary room service menu 24 hours a day. Staterooms have twin lower beds (some convert to queen-size double), television, music, telephone, and bathroom with toilet, sink and shower or bathtub. A crew of over 800 ensures top-quality service and entertainment. Every day has a full schedule of optional activities: dance class, bridge, bingo, shuffleboard, table-tennis, karaoke, and board games. The movie theatre presents recent films frequently, there is an entertaining live stage show every evening, and musicians are playing in most lounges.

Please book early: Cruises are incredibly popular nowadays. Ships are filling up faster and earlier than they once did, so waiting too long to book usually means “Sorry, wait until another year.” Holland America has confirmed a block of staterooms for this cruise and they are normally held until 90 days before sailing (late January). However, any unsold staterooms can be taken away from us at any time if the ship or even a category fills. This occurs on most of our group cruises, then we must turn away disappointed customers, even though seats are available on the motorcoach. Please don’t delay booking this tour.

Dinner reservations: The Nieuw Amsterdam offers both “As You Wish” (open dining) and Traditional Fixed Dining. As You Wish dining is standard, so you can go to a restaurant when you are ready with your friends or make a reservation earlier in the day. If you prefer to dine at the same time with the same people each day, we can request this. The specialty restaurants take reservations three months before sailing or you can book on board (we recommend doing this early in the voyage).

Included lunches: The above itinerary shows an included lunch on every cruise day. These lunches are on the ship, so if you book a shore excursion, you may miss an included lunch if you are not back on board at lunchtime. There is no compensation for missed lunches.

Food Allergies on cruises: You must notify us no later than at final payment if you have a food allergy. An allergy causes medical distress, a preference does not. Most food allergies can be handled at meals on the ship, but you may have to order 24 hours in advance. For some allergies, please consider bringing your own snacks or food items so you are not dependent on what restaurants are able to serve.

Documentation: A passport is required with an expiry date after May 8, 2027.

Payments: A deposit of $300 per person is requested at the time of booking and balance is due January 26, 2027. By paying the deposit, you agree to the Terms and Conditions, Company Policies, Activity Level and Cancellation Policy outlined. Payments can be made by online banking or cheque (3% discount on tour fare), or by Visa or Mastercard.

Early Booking Bonus: Receive a $120 discount on the first 12 seats and $60 on the next 8 seats for booking early with deposit. The discount is not offered after January 26, 2027.

Cancellation Policy: Up to January 5, 2027, the cancellation charge is $100 per person. From January 6 to January 26, the cancellation charge is $300 per person (your deposit). From January 27 to February 26, the cancellation charge is 50% of the tour fare. From February 27 to March 26, the cancellation charge is 80% of the tour fare. • After March 26, there is no refund.

Travel Insurance: A Comprehensive Insurance policy is available through Wells Gray Tours and coverage is provided by battleface® travel insurance. Policies purchased at deposit include a waiver of the preexisting condition clause for medical and cancellation claims, otherwise policies can be purchased no later than at final payment. Medical questionnaire is not needed. Please contact us for details. If you have your own travel insurance, please read the policy carefully to be sure that you are adequately covered for medical, cancellation, interruption, and luggage. Please do not travel outside of Canada without medical insurance as a minimum. Insurance premiums are not refundable whether or not you make a claim.

Photo Credits: Travel Alaska (Ketchikan), Holland America Line (Cruise Map, ship images), and Adobe Stock (Inside Passage).

Experience Points or E-points: This tour earns 56 Experience Points or e-points. Redeem up to 56 of your earned e-points from a previous tour until January 26, 2027. Please see loyalty rewards on our website for more information about e-points.

Consumer Protection BC Licences: Kamloops 178, Vernon 655, Kelowna 588, Penticton 924, Victoria 65842

For information on itinerary and fare changes, and more: please see our Terms, Conditions, and Company Policies.