B.C. part of Inside Passage

[westcoaster]

Does anyone know why Princess ships don't go through the B.C. part of the Inside Passage between the northern end of Vancouver Island and Ketchikan but instead sail out in the middle of Hecate Strait? I assume for the round trips out of Seattle it may be a speed factor since they also go on the west side of Vancouver Island, but why wouldn't the ships sailing one-way from Vancouver not take the more scenic route since they have got an entire sea day to get to Ketchikan? It can't be ship size: if the Coral and Island can go through the Panama Canal, they can surely go through Grenville Channel, which is at least 400-500 meters wide at the narrowest point. I know ships from other lines such as Holland America travel this route through Grenville Channel and other parts of the B.C. Inside Passage. It gives passengers another day of beautiful scenery rather than just being out in the open ocean on the first or last sea day of the cruise.

[Cruise Junky]

I hadn't realized they had started going on the outside of Vancouver Island from Vancouver :(

[westcoaster]

Cruises from Vancouver don't go on the west side of Vancouver Island. I'm talking about the Inside Passage between the northern end of Vancouver Island and Ketchikan.

[born2cruize]

I hadn't realized they had started going on the outside of Vancouver Island from Vancouver :(

 

They haven't. What the OP is talking about is that the ship captains, after passing the northern tip of Vancouver Island, have a tendency to travel through Hecate Strait in the center of the strait which is 55 - 80 miles wide instead of hugging the coastline or going throughout the smaller Grenville Channel.

 

I have no knowledge but I don't know if you can compare Holland America lines since there ships are considerable smaller than the other mass market lines.

[Cruiserkenn]

Cruises from Vancouver don't go on the west side of Vancouver Island. I'm talking about the Inside Passage between the northern end of Vancouver Island and Ketchikan.

 

Right, on all of my 12 Alaska cruises, the Seattle ships take the route to the west of Vancouver Island, but the Vancouver ships take the true inside route.

[Cruiserkenn]

They haven't. What the OP is talking about is that the ship captains, after passing the northern tip of Vancouver Island, have a tendency to travel through Hecate Strait in the center of the strait which is 55 - 80 miles wide instead of hugging the coastline or going throughout the smaller Grenville Channel.

 

I have no knowledge but I don't know if you can compare Holland America lines since there ships are considerable smaller than the other mass market lines.

 

Yes, this is right. I do remember that open stretch after the northern tip of Vancouver Island. But the first evening out of Vancouver, and the first morning, too, has the spectacular and smooth inside cruising. Don't miss it:)

[westcoaster]

Except, I wouldn't call it the true inside route when they head out to the middle of Hecate Strait after sailing out from the northern end of Vancouver Island.

 

I saw a web posting about the Celebrity Millennium cruising through Grenville Channel, so bigger ships can do it.

[remydiva]

They haven't. What the OP is talking about is that the ship captains, after passing the northern tip of Vancouver Island, have a tendency to travel through Hecate Strait in the center of the strait which is 55 - 80 miles wide instead of hugging the coastline or going throughout the smaller Grenville Channel.

 

I have no knowledge but I don't know if you can compare Holland America lines since there ships are considerable smaller than the other mass market lines.

Edited May 19, 2014 by remydiva
Trying to attach picture....never mind..no delete option!

[weathermom]

I think they take the more direct route because it's much faster ( than navigating all those many turns in the true inside passage).....so they get up to the goal of Alaska more quickly. It also means they can offload the BC marine pilot at the north end of vancouver island instead of keeping the pilot on board ($).

For the true inside passage north of vancouver island...there's the BC Ferries....:rolleyes:

[Cruiserkenn]

Except, I wouldn't call it the true inside route when they head out to the middle of Hecate Strait after sailing out from the northern end of Vancouver Island.

 

I saw a web posting about the Celebrity Millennium cruising through Grenville Channel, so bigger ships can do it.

 

Yes, that's right, I do remember that open part. Still the first evening and morning out of Vancouver are fantastic:)

 

I think I remember in the early 90s that Princess took more of an inside route. In about 1994 or 1995, the original Star Princess hit a rock. I think that Princess has been more cautious, since then. I almost said 'gun shy", but I guess that isn't PC, these days.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Cruisin'Rabbit

[Kamloops50]

Does anyone know why Princess ships don't go through the B.C. part of the Inside Passage between the northern end of Vancouver Island and Ketchikan but instead sail out in the middle of Hecate Strait? I assume for the round trips out of Seattle it may be a speed factor since they also go on the west side of Vancouver Island, but why wouldn't the ships sailing one-way from Vancouver not take the more scenic route since they have got an entire sea day to get to Ketchikan? It can't be ship size: if the Coral and Island can go through the Panama Canal, they can surely go through Grenville Channel, which is at least 400-500 meters wide at the narrowest point. I know ships from other lines such as Holland America travel this route through Grenville Channel and other parts of the B.C. Inside Passage. It gives passengers another day of beautiful scenery rather than just being out in the open ocean on the first or last sea day of the cruise.

 

Most HAL cruises don't do the inside passage of BC. They only go if Hecate straight is very windy or wavey. Keep in mind that they require a pilot that is qualified for the passage . Vancouver Pilots aren't qualified for that part of the coast. Since there aren't many ships in the passage , there are not that many pilots in the area. Pilots also cost money depending on the size of the ship. Bigger ship higher fees.

[Kamloops50]

I hadn't realized they had started going on the outside of Vancouver Island from Vancouver :(

 

Vancouver cruises still go on the east side of Vancouver Island.To go to west side of Vancouver Island the ships require almost six hours. On the east side in six hours they are approaching Seymour narrows.

[Cruise Junky]

Vancouver cruises still go on the east side of Vancouver Island.To go to west side of Vancouver Island the ships require almost six hours. On the east side in six hours they are approaching Seymour narrows.

 

Yes, I realized were talking about different areas

[Tweedy]

Does anyone know why Princess ships don't go through the B.C. part of the Inside Passage between the northern end of Vancouver Island and Ketchikan but instead sail out in the middle of Hecate Strait? I assume for the round trips out of Seattle it may be a speed factor since they also go on the west side of Vancouver Island, but why wouldn't the ships sailing one-way from Vancouver not take the more scenic route since they have got an entire sea day to get to Ketchikan? It can't be ship size: if the Coral and Island can go through the Panama Canal, they can surely go through Grenville Channel, which is at least 400-500 meters wide at the narrowest point. I know ships from other lines such as Holland America travel this route through Grenville Channel and other parts of the B.C. Inside Passage. It gives passengers another day of beautiful scenery rather than just being out in the open ocean on the first or last sea day of the cruise.

 

 

Don't hold me to this but I believe it has something to do with the environmental impact to the coastline and sealife through the passage in the area. We were on a cruise in September '08 and went through the BC inside passage and in May '09, we went through strait and have on all the other Alaska cruises we've done since.

[rubens]

Or is it because they need to sail in international waters in order to open the casino ?

[Alaska0799]

Does anyone know why Princess ships don't go through the B.C. part of the Inside Passage between the northern end of Vancouver Island and Ketchikan but instead sail out in the middle of Hecate Strait? I assume for the round trips out of Seattle it may be a speed factor since they also go on the west side of Vancouver Island, but why wouldn't the ships sailing one-way from Vancouver not take the more scenic route since they have got an entire sea day to get to Ketchikan? It can't be ship size: if the Coral and Island can go through the Panama Canal, they can surely go through Grenville Channel, which is at least 400-500 meters wide at the narrowest point. I know ships from other lines such as Holland America travel this route through Grenville Channel and other parts of the B.C. Inside Passage. It gives passengers another day of beautiful scenery rather than just being out in the open ocean on the first or last sea day of the cruise.

 

Princess Southbound and Northbound Voyage of the Glaciers still cruise through Canada's Inside Passage. On the RT Seattle cruises, they do not--HOWEVER, we've enjoyed the open water cruising for the wildlife. Last time we saw humpback whales, orcas and dolphins, in addition to sea birds we hadn't seen anywhere else on the cruise. Since the wildlife is as important to us as the breathtaking scenery, we were very satisfied. Looking forward to experiencing it again in July on the Golden!

[westcoaster]

Princess Southbound and Northbound Voyage of the Glaciers still cruise through Canada's Inside Passage.

 

Not really. The only part of the Inside Passage that they do in Canada is from Vancouver along the east side of Vancouver Island. I’m talking about the section from the northern end of Vancouver Island up to Ketchikan. On that part, all the Princess ships seem to sail out in the middle of Hecate Strait rather than going along the much more scenic inland waterways such as Grenville Channel.

[Alaska0799]

Sorry, I misunderstood! Good whale waters in Hecate Strait, too, though! ;)

[Kamloops50]

Or is it because they need to sail in international waters in order to open the casino ?

the casino opens when the ship is 5 miles past the Lions Gate Bridge. That means about an hour after leaving the pier the casino and stores open.

[Jim Avery]

Westcoaster, we just returned from Pacific Princess "Inside Passage" roundtrip Vancouver. We left Vancouver at 3pm so most of the Seymour Narrows/Johnstone Strait passage was at night both going and coming back. We sailed, as you said, way out in Hecate Straight out of sight of land for most of the first and last full days. 2 of 7 days out of sight of land for the most part. I sailed freighters from Seattle to Alaska and the Bering Sea back in the 1980s. We always took the BC Inside Passage as we were always loaded to the marks Northbound. Grenville Channel and the other connecting bodies on the BC route are beautiful. I told my Wife all about how every day there would be lots to see so she was naturally not happy with the sea days out in Hecate. They save 2 days Canadian Pilotage by using Hecate Strait. I mentioned the use of the "Outside Passage" as we always referred to it, to a crewmember and their response was: "This Captain hates Alaska. Too much time on his bridge". The Captain is required on the bridge during periods of fog as well as during major course changes. The true Inside Passage has the possibility of fog but has "major course changes" frequently. Make it easy on yourself Captain but don't worry about what the passengers want. Princess is fully covered in that the official itinerary lists these two days as simply "sea days". No specific course noted. Also, on the back of your passage contract in all that fine print the Captain has the authority to change course, alter port calls or the order of port calls, etc. entirely at his discretion. As it must be. So, if you are booking a Princess trip for all the scenic cruising of the "Inside Passage", be advised of what you will actually get. Two full days of mostly open water which can on occasion be rough. Can you possibly see whales? Of course. Who wants to sit outside all day hoping to see a whale when there is nothing else to view? Ok, rant over (for now).:D

[westcoaster]

Thanks for your insights, Jim. I went on an Alaska cruise a few years ago (on another line) when the itinerary actually said “cruising the Inside Passage” for days 2 and 7, and we still ended up out in the open ocean. It seems like they do this to reduce costs (pilotage fees) or perhaps because it is easier operationally, but it does lower the experience for the passengers. I’m doing a back to back on the Crown Princess next week. I know I’ll still really enjoy the cruise, but it would have been nice to see the whole Inside Passage.

[born2cruize]

I know the OP doesn't want to hear this but if you look at wikipedia it states:

 

"British Columbia portion

British Columbia's portion of the route has up to 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of coastline. It includes the narrow, protected Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, the Johnstone Strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland, as well as a short stretch along the wider and more exposed Hecate Strait near the Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). From Fitz Hugh Sound northwards, the route is sheltered via the various large islands in that area such as Princess Royal Island and Pitt Island."

 

So technically Hecate Strait is part of the Inside Passage, just not the portion he/she would like.

[Colo Cruiser]

I know the OP doesn't want to hear this but if you look at wikipedia it states:

 

"British Columbia portion

British Columbia's portion of the route has up to 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of coastline. It includes the narrow, protected Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, the Johnstone Strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland, as well as a short stretch along the wider and more exposed Hecate Strait near the Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). From Fitz Hugh Sound northwards, the route is sheltered via the various large islands in that area such as Princess Royal Island and Pitt Island."

 

So technically Hecate Strait is part of the Inside Passage, just not the portion he/she would like.

 

 

Can you add a couple of more cruises to your sideways signature? :eek:

Edited May 21, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[Jim Avery]

Wikipedia is correct, Hecate Strait is a part of BCs navigable waters. I believe the point being that the more inside route is very scenic and protected. In effect, what the cruise lines advertise. When I was running ships in that part of the world in the 1980s, mariners on ships, tugs, and commercial fishermen generally referred to Hecate Strait as "the Outside Passage" or simply "going outside". Not sure if those terms are still used.

[westcoaster]

I know the OP doesn't want to hear this but if you look at wikipedia it states:

 

"British Columbia portion

British Columbia's portion of the route has up to 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of coastline. It includes the narrow, protected Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland, the Johnstone Strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland, as well as a short stretch along the wider and more exposed Hecate Strait near the Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). From Fitz Hugh Sound northwards, the route is sheltered via the various large islands in that area such as Princess Royal Island and Pitt Island."

 

So technically Hecate Strait is part of the Inside Passage, just not the portion he/she would like.

 

I think the operative words here are "a short stretch along the wider and more exposed Hecate Strait near the Haida Gwaii". Sure, when you exit Johnstone Strait, you have to cross a short stretch of open water, before entering the channel east of Calvert Island, but the Inside Passage is widely considered to be the sheltered inland waterways, not through the entire length of Hecate Strait from Vancouver Island to the Alaska border.