NORTHERN EXPEDITION - Photos & Discussion

[gordon]

How different are the sea conditions on the IP route compare to the Hecate Strait? ( if there are say 4.5 meter seas in Hecate will the conditions be the same in the the IP or somewhat less ?)

note: not sure if this the right thread or not.

[Low Light Mike]

A travel experience article by a reporter who was on a vacation trip.

There are 2 previously-discussed criticisms mentioned in the article:
- the user-pay forward lounge. $30 Aurora.
- the overheight vehicle charge, when there are no car-deck constraints.


www.vancouversun.com/news/Fairly+smooth+waters+Ferries/1943129/story.html

Fairly smooth waters for BC Ferries
Ship crews and management are doing a good job, but there's still plenty of room for improvement

By Craig McInnes, Vancouver SunAugust 29, 2009

In the gathering light, it took a while to realize that the art deco structure looming over the line of traffic was, in fact, the gaping maw of the Northern Expedition, the shiny new replacement for the ill-fated Queen of the North.

The 4:30 a.m. wake-up call didn't help. The small print with the reservation warns travellers to be at the Port Hardy terminal two hours before the 7:30 a.m. sailing. We arrived at 5:30 a.m., as directed, to start two hours of waiting that I could have more usefully spent in bed. Still, I don't begrudge the hour. It makes the most of the daylight for the 15-hour run through the spectacular inside passage to Prince Rupert.

Once through the open bow and onto the cavernous vehicle deck, however, curiosity about the latest product of the makeover of BC Ferries quickly blew away the early morning haze between my ears.

The Northern Expedition entered service in May. It was built in Germany for $133 million as part of the vessel replacement program launched by BC Ferries after being reformed by the Liberal government as a quasi-private corporation.

In the past few weeks, that same government is now holding its creation at arm's length like some rotting fish pulled out of the back of the fridge after the revelation that its president and CEO, David Hahn, earned a little over $1 million last year in wages and benefits.

Not surprisingly, Hahn says he is worth the money, having in his view successfully cleaned up "a pretty big mess." A little more surprisingly, it was left to a former NDP premier, Dan Miller, who is now a member of the BC Ferries Board, to defend him while Liberal Transportation Minister Shirley Bond expressed shock and surprise.

She asked the provincial comptroller-general to review whether taxpayers are getting full value from the ferry system.

My own, anecdotal report is that while there is still plenty of room for improvement, the experience of riding the ferries on the routes I'm familiar with has improved and the ships imported from Germany, the Northern Expedition and the three ferries running between Vancouver Island and the mainland, represent money well spent.

The new ships are quiet and comfortable. The food is decent and they provide a good variety of seating and viewing for tourists and commuters alike, inside and out. They seem as well suited to the waters they ply as the fast ferries before them were not.

My companions and I were on our way to Sitka for a rendezvous with a sailboat for the trip back. We were taking what my father would call a poor man's cruise to Alaska, the B.C. ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert and the Alaska state ferry from Rupert to Sitka.

The chance to try the new ferry was an unexpected bonus that we quickly came to appreciate, especially since despite travelling at what should have been the height of the tourist season, the Northern Expedition pulled away from the dock in Hardy Bay well shy of a full load.

Other than a bit of fog, low-hanging clouds and the occasional light shower, nature cooperated fully with the notion that the new ferry up the Inside Passage should be marketed as a destination cruise. When the humpback whale exploded out of the water a few dozen metres from the starboard bow, most of the passengers along the rail would have agreed they had in that moment alone gotten their money's worth for the entire voyage.

Fortunately, an officer on the bridge alerted us that the whales were cavorting ahead. I say fortunately, because one of the dumber decisions BC Ferries made was to put the only forward-facing viewing area behind locked doors, available only to passengers who pay a $30 premium for entry into a first-class lounge.

I understand the argument that the route is heavily subsidized and BC Ferries has a duty to increase revenue wherever possible. But the creation of a first-class cabin for a small minority of passengers, especially when there is no other place on the ferry, even outside, where you can look forward, leaves a bitter taste for everyone else, now restricted to the modern-day equivalent of steerage.

Even more bitter were a group of retirees from California. They left their canoe in Port Hardy after being told that with it they would be charged $250 more as an over-height vehicle, more than they judged it was worth.

When they drove on the ferry, they were astounded to find height made no difference, since the entire vehicle deck is tall enough to accommodate tall vehicles.

A spokesperson for BC Ferries says that issue will be under review. Too late for the badmouthing they are going to get from our California visitors when they get back home.

That's a shame, because from all of the ferry workers I encountered on the ship and increasingly on southern crossings as well, I got a sense that they care about passengers as customers, on whom their future depends.

For that alone, Hahn's tenure has to be considered a success, whatever you think of his salary.

[e-mail]
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[rt1commuter]

From my recent trip on the NorEx

[Low Light Mike]

Sept 8, 2009 20:28:14 GMT -8 rt1commuter said:

From my recent trip on the NorEx

Thanks for sharing that glimpse of yourself and the ship. It was really helpful for me in understanding the layouts of the 2 decks.

Thanks also for pointing out the evil danger of the Deck-5 starboard side-lounge. A place to be avoided at all costs. ;D

Cheers!

[rt1commuter]

The evil danger in this case was a horrible woman I worked with many years ago who was on the sailing. I spend the majority of the sailing avoiding her at all costs. I hate meeting unpleasant people on the ferries!

[Low Light Mike]

I like your stair-walking music, JP.

Since you weren't in the Aurora lounge, what were the places on the ship where you spent the most time during the 15-hour trip?
- favourite inside spots?
- favourite outside spots?

What were the most popular (crowded) spots, both inside and outside? And which seemed to be the least popular (least crowded)?

Thanks for your comments on the Norex.

ps: was the Raven theatre/lounged used during the trip?

[hullnumbers]

very cool video, thats so stupid that we have to pay to get into the Aurora Lounge. How much is it to get in and what about the other places that needs money.

[rt1commuter]

In answer to the questions - we found the best interior non-aurora place to sit were the lounges just behind the Aurora; and it's actually pretty easy to move from left to right. In fact, if you pick the seat right you can just turn around and see out the other side of the boat, pretty sweet. Another great spot is the cafeteria, with a clear view out left and right.

The most popular seating area seemed to be the promenade between the buffet and the the cafeteria, which I found interesting because it offers the least viewing options! The rear lounges on deck 5 (Aurora lounge deck) seemed to be the least popular.

The vessel is very compartmentalized just like the Coastals, so no part really suffers from crowding. Also, there is a phenomenal amount of outer deck space, with great, covered seating in the rear solarium. This might be the best alternative to the Aurora.

At $30, the Aurora isn't really worth it, especially since your not guaranteed a front row seat, and the view from the seats towards the back kind of sucks. Fortunately, if you book the lounge when you book your ticket, you should get a front row seat no problem. The lounge was nowhere near full on either sailing, and we found that although everyone who bought space in the lounge was in it at the begining of the sailing, it was basically cleared out by the half way point and remained that way for the rest of the sailing. Also, since the lounge is not staffed it's very easy to sneak in. The crew did a roll call in the lounge about 1/3 of the way into the sailing but otherwise left everyone alone. Another lame thing about the lounge is the size of the bulkheads in the front windows; we were stuck with one right in front of us which somewhat limited our viewing.

The Raven lounge was used and showed two movies, a childrens movie at 3:30 and a more general audience movie at 8:30. This worked out really well as the movie started right about when the NorEx entered the open water between the inside passage and Port Hardy.

Since I seem to be giving a full review, I might at well mention the food:

Northbound Breakfast - We snagged snacks in the lounge, not much but adiquate. We also brought some sandwiches aboard.

Northbound Dinner - We paid the $30 each to eat in the buffet. This turned out to be somewhat disappointing given how much we paid, since the food was about the same as at the Pacific Buffet on the mainliners, with only slightly more selection.

Soutbound Breakfast - We paid $16 each to eat at the buffet and found the same food as the Pacific Buffet again, but with a few extras such as poached eggs. The price was the same as the Pacific Buffet, so we weren't as dissapointed.

Southbound Dinner - We both had halibut burgers at the cafeteria. They were delicious .

To our dismay, the cafeteria didn't offer those tasty yam fries which we've become accustomed to on the main line routes , no white spot stuff at all actually.

[Koastal Karl]

I am going northbound on the Nor Ex on Sunday. I am looking forward to it. Hopefully I can get into the lounge for a few photos if they will let me.

[Canucks]

I found the Aurora lounge to be worth the money. I booked it when I booked my tickets which was about three weeks in advance and got front row seats. There were free snacks and bottles of water provided throughout the sailing, along with about 4 washrooms for the lounge. The seats were very comfy to take a nap in during the voyage and it was very quiet. I agree with rt1commuter about the back solarium, it is a very nice place to be outside without the wind blowing on you. They should really think about bringing those yam fries aboard though...

[Koastal Karl]

I was on the Northern Expedition Sunday northbound to Prince Rupert where I am now. All I have to say is she is a beautiful ship. We even managed to get a bridge tour. Captain Bouchard was onboard but wasent on the bridge when we were up there with a few other people. No engine room tour though. Had breakfast and lunch in the Cafe and dinner in the Buffet. A few thing I noticed. Out side she has the whine like a Coastal, and you can hear the wind from inside through the doors which i thought could be annoying if you where trying to sleep.Still the only thing I dont like is the pay lounge which we never used. But yeah other than those things the Nor Ex is awesome!!

[FNS]

Sept 14, 2009 8:23:17 GMT -8 Koastal Karl said:

I was on the Northern Expedition Sunday northbound to Prince Rupert where I am now. All I have to say is she is a beautiful ship. We even managed to get a bridge tour. Captain Bouchard was onboard but wasent on the bridge when we were up there with a few other people. No engine room tour though. Had breakfast and lunch in the Cafe and dinner in the Buffet. A few thing I noticed. Out side she has the whine like a Coastal, and you can hear the wind from inside through the doors which i thought could be annoying if you where trying to sleep.Still the only thing I dont like is the pay lounge which we never used. But yeah other than those things the Nor Ex is awesome!!

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Yes, I did hear a lot of whistling through the stateroom corridors. I think BCF could do something about this like keep all doors propped open and have them closed automatically in case of shipboard emergency.

On my August 12 voyage, I did get an observatory ticket. Well worth it, too. The bow door action was neat. Also, I learned during the Open Ship at Port Hardy that the forward windows are open round the clock as they are tinted enough not to interfere with the night vision of the folks on the bridge. The observatory has dimmed lighting. During the evening, I had to adjust my eyes to the brighter lights in the general seating areas and corridors when leaving the observatory. I think all the lights in the general seating areas should be the same as the ones in the observatory. Better for the eyes and good for the overnight trips she'll be doing soon. All the lights would be brightened when the ship arrives at a terminal, though.

The MV NORTHERN EXPEDITION is a great ship. I'll be riding her again, soon!

[WettCoast]

Sept 14, 2009 9:34:10 GMT -8 FNS said:

Yes, I did hear a lot of whistling through the stateroom corridors. I think BCF could do something about this like keep all doors propped open and have them closed automatically in case of shipboard emergency.

On my August 12 voyage, I did get an observatory ticket. Well worth it, too. The bow door action was neat. Also, I learned during the Open Ship at Port Hardy that the forward windows are open round the clock as they are tinted enough not to interfere with the night vision of the folks on the bridge. The observatory has dimmed lighting. During the evening, I had to adjust my eyes to the brighter lights in the general seating areas and corridors when leaving the observatory. I think all the lights in the general seating areas should be the same as the ones in the observatory. Better for the eyes and good for the overnight trips she'll be doing soon. All the lights would be brightened when the ship arrives at a terminal, though.

The MV NORTHERN EXPEDITION is a great ship. I'll be riding her again, soon!

That whistling was a problem that we noted on the inaugural voyage in May. I gather it has not been satisfactorily resolved yet. Hopefully that will be fixed this winter.

IMHO the $30 surcharge (20% over and above the regular adult fair) for a reserved seat in the Aurora Lounge is not worth it, particularly if you don't get a seat front row centre. I don't sit still long enough to justify the extra charge. In May we shelled out an extra $90 for my wife, son and I to have a second row seat. Not worth it. Unfortunately the outer decks don't have anywhere with a good forward view either. In that respect the QPR was good, and so are Alaska's Blue Canoes.

The tinted windows in that lounge block not only light from the inside going out, but also make it impossible to use your GPS to track the vessels' progress. My understanding is that there is metal of some sort in the glass. GPS satellite signals will not pass through it. This is another reason for me not to shell out the extra money.

I was hoping for another NorEx trip some time over the winter months. Alas, according to the latest schedule showing on the BCFS website, the NorAd is scheduled to provide all service from Oct 1st through to the end of March. I have no particular desire to ride the NorAd again but wouldn't mind an overnight sailing on the new boat. I was hoping for BCFS to 'can' the Aurora Lounge surcharge for the winter months but now, who knows?

No doubt the NorAd will break down at some point forcing them to put the NorEx in service sooner. I can only hope.

[Koastal Karl]

The officer on the bridge we talked to said she would be going south after the season is over and the Nor Ad would be taking over. He said that she would be running during the winter but not this year. I would love do an overnight trip on the Nor Ex too and maybe the Northern Adventure I would also like to try an overnight trip. Does anyone know if they check people in the Aurora Lounge??? I was able to sneak in the lounge when people swiped their cards to go in. I snuck in for a few photos then left but do they have a way to check to see if people who arent suppose to be in there arent in there???

[Northern Exploration]

I am sure they have a count of who has paid for the Aurora Lounge and might do a head count at various points of the day. Plus a sharp eyed attendant probable takes a good scan of who has been coming and going and would recognize any new face. I think the most suspicious part would be hanging around at the door waiting for someone to swipe their card, for you to get in and out .

[Koastal Karl]

Well BC Ferries wasent too smart then by putting the info rack right outside the lounge entrance door as people stand there and look at pamphlets and stuff would be easy to sneak in. I did but my only intent was to take a few photos.

[Mill Bay]

I wonder about the possibility of people cheating and using one of the swipe cards for more than one person. I'm sure just sharing one and passing it back and forth would not necessarily be a problem, but I'm sure at some point, someone will try to use one to sneak a whole group into the lounge, by sending one person in and then covertly swiping the card from the inside until everyone is in. Not like it would really be noticed, either, as it sounds like there is often a large number of empty seats so you wouldn't really be risking taking someone else's paid-for spot.

That's the other thing about this whole notion that is inherently wrong and just shows what a cash-grab it is, the fact that you can't even pick your own spot. How exactly do they determine who sits in which seat and gets the front row or not. Do they have one of those seating maps when you reserve, so you can at least select 'best available' to see how close you can get?

[gordon]

When the Nor Ex makes her final Northbound sailing of the season next week, will she sail directly to Deas for the winter?

If she does would they sell Prince Rupert to Vancouver tickets thereby having sort of a year end re-positioning cruise? This might bea wya of BCF making some extra money.

[Nickfro]

Sept 21, 2009 6:57:25 GMT -8 gordon said:

When the Nor Ex makes her final Northbound sailing of the season next week, will she sail directly to Deas for the winter?

If she does would they sell Prince Rupert to Vancouver tickets thereby having sort of a year end re-positioning cruise? This might bea wya of BCF making some extra money.

I'm sure you mean her final Southbound sailing.

My guess is that the Northern Expedition is either going to Deas, Departure Bay or Tsawwassen. . .wherever they have the floating berth structure, which I'm guessing is at Deas.

They used to have a positioning cruise with the Queen of the North from Port Hardy to Tsawwassen. However, I don't think they did it in the last couple years of its life. Sure it's a neat idea, but you then have to crew the boat for carrying passengers, along with food & beverage service, which might not be worth it from a money making perspective. Also, I don't know if the floating berth structure in town is allowed to load or offload passenger vehicles, which means in order to have such a service they will need to retrofit one of the Tsawwassen berths.

[rt1commuter]

Rumor has it that she'll be turned into a media center during the olympics. I heard this from a crew member.

[ferryfanyvr]

I just heard the same thing tonight from my friend who just finished his last shift for the summer on her. He thinks she'll be moored at Canada Place for the media during the Olympics

[Scott (Former Account)]

Carried over from the original Northern Expedition thread...

Apr 28, 2009 3:41:21 GMT -8 herrbrinkmann said:

soon you will be order to buy a 1:1250 scale model of that ship.
Check here and scroll down to bottom of page to "Classic Collection Planned Ship Production"

www.collectableships.com/models/ClassicShipCollection.htm

You can also buy the "Norroena" (Ferry designed by FSG) and "Tor Magnolia" (RoRo ferry from FSG) and "Meistersinger", a bulker built in 1973 by FSG ;-)

For those interested, I have been in contact with the company in Germany that manufactures these models. Unfortunately, the model of the Northern Expedition has been pushed back and is not scheduled to be released until sometime next year.

[FNS]

10-01-2009 0047PDT



It looks like that the NORTHERN EXPEDITION is now on her break. She's heading away from Port Hardy and is southbound. Destination is not known at this time.

[FNS]

10-01-2009 0511PDT



Good morning! The NORTHERN EXPEDITION has passed though the Bloedel area of Seymour Narrows on her southbound trip. Her destination is still a secret, though. Here are my captures of her in a YouTube sequential still video presentation. The clock on the camera shows PST. Add one hour for PDT. Enjoy!

[FNS]

10-01-2009 1022PDT



The NORTHERN EXPEDITION continues south.