U.S. West Coast – Highlights And National Parks Of The Pacific

Your exploration starts in Vancouver. Set amidst beautiful mountain scenery and the waters of English Bay, Vancouver is both a bustling seaport and a cosmopolitan city. If you arrange to arrive a few days ahead of your cruise, you’ll soon find out just why people rave about British Colombia’s largest city.

Its various neighbourhoods buzz with world-class, farm-to-table cuisine. Chinatown and Punjabi Market have arguably the best Asian food in North America while Commercial Drive is the home of Little Italy.

Don’t miss Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood either. Gastown’s Victorian buildings house some of the hottest restaurants and its 167-metre-high Vancouver Lookout also offers a perfect panorama over the city.

You can take in the neon lights and nightlife along the Granville Street strip or just go and chill on one of the beaches in West End. The latter is also the gateway to explore the wide-open spaces and towering red cedars of Stanley Park.

Enjoy your first night in Vancouver in a nice, centrally located hotel. The hotel welcomes you to relax and use its amenities after your long journey.

Why not extending your stay in this lovely scenery with our unique Pre-Programme and taking a trip aboard the luxurious Rocky Mountaineer train through the Canadian Rockies? The scenery is nothing short of spectacular.

After an enjoyable breakfast at your hotel, we will take you on a city tour discovering the main highlights of fabulous Vancouver.

The excursion will end at the pier where MS Fridtjof Nansen is waiting for you to take you onto an unforgettable expedition cruise.

Today, we’ll do some cruising around the ecological haven of the San Juan Islands. These rugged islands form an archipelago between the US state of Washington and Canada’s Vancouver Island, and they’re a world class destination for spotting marine wildlife. What could be better than sitting on deck and gazing at these pine covered islands with a backdrop of snowy mountain peaks in the distance?

If we’re lucky, you might spot humpbacks, minke whales and even orcas. The islands also host a great concentration of bald eagles, great blue herons, black oystercatchers and numerous shore birds.

The Expedition Team will be joining you out on deck, helping you to spot wildlife and pointing out sites of interest along the way.

We anchor up today at the small seaport of Port Angeles for a day of mountain exploration. The town itself has a lot of charm, especially the downtown area near the ferry port, but we plan to spend most of this day exploring Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park was declared a National Monument in 1909 before being later designated by UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. The park hosts three distinct ecosystems: the rugged Pacific coast, an area of temperate forest, and a sub-alpine forest with wildflower meadows.

Today, we’ll explore the sub-alpine region and take you to the mountainous area of Hurricane Ridge, where there might still be some snow from winter. From here, you’ll have the option to go on a guided hike through the park where you’ll discover its rich and varied flora and fauna. There will be plenty of bird watching opportunities along the way, and you may even come across Roosevelt elk, which are indigenous to the area, as are black bears.

Part of being on an expedition is knowing how to enjoy living in the moment; taking time out to reconnect with nature and the world around you. So settle into a spot in the panoramic Explorer Lounge or out on deck and really bask in the sights and sounds that surround you. The waves might be broken by signs of humpback whales known to swim in the area. Or tune in to the hum of the sea breeze punctuated by the cries of a wide variety of seabirds commonly seen along the West Coast.

We also support a number of Citizen Science projects that you can join. These projects include Happywhale, where your photographs help identify and track the movement of specific whales across the planet due to their distinguishing characteristics. Or you can participate in the GLOBE Observer project, which combines your observations of clouds and sky conditions from below with data collected by satellites from above. This helps scientists at space agencies such as NASA get a more complete picture of the clouds in our atmosphere. By participating in these projects, not only will you be supporting the scientific community, you’ll also be gaining a better understanding of the world around you.

Today we drop anchor at Eureka, and from here we’ll go on an included excursion to the incredible Redwood National Park. Wandering around this International Biosphere Reserve is an awe-inspiring experience. With some of the old-growth giant redwoods over 100 metres tall, you’ll see why the world’s tallest trees are often called ‘nature’s skyscrapers’. Certain trees here are over 1,500 years old, living testaments to the success of a well-supported conservation project that saved these ancient giants from the lumberjack’s saw.

After your visit to Redwood National Park, there’s an opportunity to explore Eureka. Welcome to a scenic seaport known for its Victorian era charm and eco-conscious vibe. The town’s prosperity was built on the lumber trade, and there’s evidence of this in the handsome Victorian mansions on display. Check out the picturesque Old Town where you’ll find some boutique shops along the beautiful waterfront. Here, you can enjoy a drink while watching fishing boats return across Humboldt Bay.

Inspired by the landscapes and adventures so far, perhaps you’d like to use this day at sea to channel your inner artist in an onboard art workshop? Or maybe you’ll spend some time learning the basics of expedition photography from our onboard photographer who’ll make sure your digital memories will be as vivid as the ones in your head.

Spend some time out on deck and watch the seas for signs of wildlife as the Californian coast rolls by in the distance - who knows, you may even spot a humpback or two! You might then be in the mood for soaking in one of the relaxing hot tubs or taking a dip in the infinity pool. Suitably refreshed, you could head up to the bar and enjoy a cocktail or two with some of the other guests. We’re sure to have some bottles of local wines stocked up too, so a wine-tasting session of Californian chardonnay or Cabernet wouldn’t be amiss!

Situated between the fertile vineyards of the Santa Ynez mountains and the pristine Pacific coast beaches, Santa Barbara is all about old style Spanish charm in a Golden State setting. For over a decade, the city housed the world’s largest movie studio of silent film, until the business grew too big and they took it all to Hollywood.

The Santa Barbara Mission church is a great place from which to start exploring. You can admire the beautiful Spanish-era buildings, browse the shops along terracotta-tiled State Street and wander around the alluring Mission Rose Garden. At Stearns Wharf, California’s oldest pier, take in views of the Pacific and grab some homemade ice cream. If you’ve time, chill out in one of the many excellent restaurants and bars. This could be combined with a spot of wine tasting from a local vineyard – after all, the city is famed for its wines.

On our way to or from Santa Barbara, don’t miss the opportunity to look out for whales from deck when we sail through the surrounding Channel Islands.

We say a fond farewell to MS Fridtjof Nansen as we dock in the fabulous city of San Diego, where you will end your expedition on a high.

Welcome to ‘America’s Finest City’ and California’s ‘Beach City’! With its heady mix of diverse urban sophistication, laidback surfer vibe, and year-round sunshine, San Diego has it all.

You can spend your final day enjoying some fun in the sun and water sports at one of the many beaches. Or you can take a trolley car tour and explore Downtown, from the historic Gaslamp Quarter to the waterfront of San Diego Bay.

Culture buffs should head straight to Balboa Park, the “Smithsonian of the West”, with its 17 museums, art galleries and other performing arts venues. And foodies will also be spoilt for choice with a melting pot of cuisines, local wines and craft beers to sample.

There’s so much to do and see in San Diego that we highly recommend booking a Post-Programme to explore more of what the city and its surroundings have to offer before returning home. Enjoy a nice half day excursion and explore Cabrillo National Monument.