The MS Noordam docked in Nanaimo on Friday, Oct. 10, marking the end of the 2025 cruise ship season. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

cruising on in

MS Noordam arrival marks end of 2025 cruise ship season in Nanaimo

Oct 10, 2025 | 1:17 PM

NANAIMO — It’s the biggest cruise ship arrival in recent memory for the Harbour City.

The MV Noordam, operated by Holland America, docked in Nanaimo at around 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10, with just under 1,900 passengers and around 800 crew on board.

It first pulled into Nanaimo Harbour around 12:40 p.m., sailing past Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Comox and Campbell River earlier in the morning.

After excursions to points on the central Island Friday afternoon, the ship is scheduled to depart Nanaimo around 9 p.m. and head to Victoria on Saturday before the cruise wraps on Sunday back in Seattle.

The Noordam made its first appearance into Nanaimo Harbour around 12:40 p.m., sailing down overnight from Prince Rupert. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Previous routing on the seven-day trip included sailing up the west coast of Vancouver Island to Ketchikan, Alaska, then down the B.C. coast with a port call in Prince Rupert.

The Noordam dwarfs other cruise ship arrivals in Nanaimo recently in both size and number of passengers.

It measures 285 metres (935 feet) long and is 32 metres (105 feet wide), with a cruising speed of 22 knots (41 kilometres per hour).

The ship was built in 2006, refitted in 2024, and can carry a maximum of nearly 2,400 passengers.

A Holland America employee told NanaimoNewsNOW the company runs four different classes of ships, designated one through four, with the Noordam being a ‘three’.

They noted ship types one and two are substantially bigger.

The MS Noordam docked in Nanaimo. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The Nanaimo Port Authority has regularly stated they are targeting smaller, niche cruises with past arrivals bringing between 500 and 900 passengers each.

It’s also the fourth cruise ship arrival in Nanaimo this year.

The Europa 2 docked in late April, followed by the Seabourn Quest on May 15 and the Roald Amundsen on June 22.

The arrivals represent a doubling in cruise visits from 2024 as the industry emerges from COVID-19-related shutdowns in 2020.

Three ships were due to visit a total of six times in 2020, with visits set to start in May.

When the Port Authority dock opened in 2011, a goal was made of having 25-30 ships tie up annually in Nanaimo.

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