SAN DIEGO TO VANCOUVER CRUISE

MS KONINGSDAM: Holland America Line’s third newest ship, MS Koningsdam, made her grand entrance into the cruising world in 2016. To bring this new ship to life and give form and function to its brand, Holland America commissioned two legendary partners, Adam Tihany, regarded as one of the world’s pre-eminent hospitality designers, and architect Bjørn Storbraaten. Their revolutionary designs for Koningsdam featured light-filled spaces, fluid curves, a sophisticated interplay of high technology and elegance, and beautiful architectural elements inspired by music. All were woven together to create an interior that blends a fresh, contemporary styling in perfect harmony with Holland America’s classic elegance. The Koningsdam carries 2,650 passengers, the largest ever built by the company. Her 12 decks feature four performance venues including the 1,000-seat live entertainment theatre, five lounges, casino, shopping arcade, movie theatre, beauty shop, library, games room, 12 elevators, internet centre, spa, fitness centre, and two swimming pools (one with sliding dome cover). The Koningsdam offers 12 restaurants or cafés. The elegant two-deck Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with full choice of menu. The Lido Market offers buffet-style serving stations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the 11 pm snack. The Pinnacle Grill, the Canaletto Restaurant with Italian cuisine, the Tamarind Restaurant with Asian cuisine, and Rudi’s Sel de Mer with a seafood menu all 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 room service menu. All meals are culinary delights! 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 1,000 ensures top-quality service and entertainment. Every day has a full schedule of optional activities: dance class, bridge, bingo, shuffleboard, tabletennis, karaoke, board games, and fitness activities. Every evening, there is live stage entertainment in the World Stage Theatre, and several other venues each offer a performance schedule.

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 next year.” Holland America has confirmed a block of staterooms for this cruise and they are normally held until 90 days before sailing (mid-January 2026). 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 connecting motorcoach. Therefore, please don’t delay booking this tour.

Dinner reservations: The Koningsdam offers both open dining and fixed dining. Open 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 four specialty restaurants take reservations on board and you should do this early in the voyage.

Flight seating: We are unable to take requests for window or aisle seating on the planes. The airline will not accept them, as group seating is assigned as a block. If this is important to you, we suggest you take the “No Flight” option with a fare reduction of $400 and book your own flight which allows seat selection.

Flight upgrades: Please enquire about the current price for an upgrade on the flight to San Diego. Business class may be available.

Flight delays or cancellations: In the event flights are delayed or cancelled by airlines due to weather or other reasons, there may be additional costs to you. Wells Gray Tours will not pay for hotel rooms and meals during the delay. Most travel insurance policies cover expenses incurred for flight delays.

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.

Payments: A deposit of $400 per person is requested at the time of booking and balance is due January 20, 2026. By paying the deposit, you agree to the Terms & Conditions, 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 $150 discount on the first 12 seats and $75 on the next 8 seats for booking early with deposit. The discount is not offered after January 20, 2026.

Cancellation Policy: Up to December 19, 2025, your tour payments will be refunded less an administrative charge of $100 per person. From December 20, 2025 to January 20, 2026, the cancellation charge is $200 per person. From January 21 to February 20, the cancellation charge is 40% of the tour fare. From February 21 to March 20, the cancellation charge is 80% of the tour fare. After March 20, there is no refund.

Itinerary and Fare Changes: Our many suppliers may notify us about changes to the itinerary prior to departure and sometimes during the tour. We do our best to substitute a similar service if something cancels, but occasionally the only alternative is to provide a refund for the missed activity. Please note that if we are forced to cancel a tour component due to an issue beyond our control, the current penalties still apply if you choose to cancel the entire tour. Fuel surcharges and changes to taxes, currency exchange rates, or other tour costs can occur at any time, therefore Wells Gray Tours reserves the right to increase fares due to such changes up to departure.

Travel Insurance: A Comprehensive Insurance policy is available through Wells Gray Tours and coverage is provided by Travel Guard. Policies purchased at deposit include a waiver of the pre-existing 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 to the USA without medical insurance as a minimum.

Photo Credits: Holland America Line (San Diego, route map, Koningsdam Dining Room, MS Koningsdam), Pexels (Balboa Park, San Francisco), and Pixabay (Golden Gate Bridge).

Experience Points or E-points: This tour earns 71 e-points. Each time you travel on a Wells Gray tour, you earn e-points that are added to your account after the tour returns. One e-point equals $1. Redeem your earned points on select tours or accumulate enough points to earn a free tour! Redemptions offered until January 20, 2026.

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