holland of america alaska cruise

Discover Alaska: And Find Out Why Holland America Line is #1 In Alaska for More Reasons Than One

Sponsored by Holland America Line

For an unforgettable journey through a frozen wonderland, an Alaska cruise with Holland America Line in 2024 should top your wish list. Beyond the breathtaking wilderness and wildlife, this year brings a new culinary experience to Holland America, with locally sourced sustainable seafood served onboard – from port to plate in less than 48 hours.

The timeless experiences in nature remain as memorable as ever. Explore the Alaska glaciers including the World Heritage Site of Glacier Bay National Park, a serene waterway from the Inside Passage to towering marvels of ice, such as the largest in North America, Hubbard Glacier. Witness the “white thunder” of iceberg calving from the ship, while spotting Alaska wildlife including whales, birdlife, brown bears and moose.

Learn about the heritage and culture from indigenous Huna Tlingit guides and on fascinating shore excursions. The adventure continues with Alaska land and sea cruisetour packages, including accommodation and tours not offered by any other cruise line.

Why Cruise With Holland America Line?

In the 150-year history of Holland America , Alaska has been a favourite destination for more than 75 years. As the longest-running Alaska cruise line since 1947, before Alaska was even a state, Holland America has more experience in this region than any other cruise line and the most departures featuring Glacier Bay National Park ( pictured above ).

Every Holland America Alaska cruise is dedicated to glacier-viewing from ships that are perfectly mid-sized for getting up close to the action. Spacious and sophisticated, the ships are built for cruising, not crowds, with distinctive blue hulls and wraparound decks.

Holland America offers an ideal balance of intimacy and amenities. Six of the 11-strong fleet of HAL ships will visit Alaska in 2024, typically accommodating between 1,400-2,600 guests, allowing for a more personalised experience. The onboard service provided is often praised for its attentiveness, professionalism and commitment to guest satisfaction. From the moment you step aboard, you are greeted with a warm and hospitable atmosphere, with crew dedicated to delivering exceptional service throughout your journey.

During the prime time of May to September, seven-day cruises depart every weekend, either roundtrip from Vancouver on ‘Alaskan Inside Passage’ itineraries or from Seattle on the ‘Alaskan Explorer’.

This cruise line is also renowned for its extended Alaska land and sea holidays, combining an ocean cruise and a multiple-day tour that delves deeper into Alaska’s rugged interior, with accommodation in a riverside wilderness lodge.

Alaskan Animals Abound on a Holland America Line Cruise

The captivating Alaska wildlife surrounds visitors from every angle: in the pristine waters, shuffling along the shores and soaring above in the sky. Spot the ‘big five’ animals of Alaska (brown bears, moose, caribou, grey wolves and Dall sheep) as well as abundant birds and marine life thriving in their natural habitat.

Whale watching in Alaska is exceptional, from breaching humpbacks to the striking sight of black-and-white orcas. June and July are the best months for humpback whales, while orcas are often seen near Juneau, Ketchikan and Seward between early May and June.

Birdwatchers will be in aviary heaven. Alaska is home to around 30,000 bald eagles, flying majestically overhead and swooping for fish. Peregrine falcons migrate to Alaska in spring, while some live there year-round, nesting on cliffs and diving at speeds of over 300 km/hr to catch their prey. Tufted and horned puffins are found between spring and autumn, most easily encountered on a kayak excursion.

Bear sightings often align with salmon-spawning season in the spring and summer, as they head to the water to catch a meal. Popular bear-viewing tours depart from Anchorage, Kodiak and Juneau.

The huge Alaskan moose can be seen year-round. Late September and October is mating season, when males fight with their antlers in competition for females. The best opportunity to see newborns is at the end of May. Grey wolves travel in packs but sightings are unpredictable. Denali is also one of the best places in the world to catch a glimpse of wolves in the wild.

Tours depart from Anchorage and Denali National Park.

#1 In Alaska Wildlife & Wilderness Tours

Holland America offers more access to Alaska wildlife than any other cruise line. Shore excursions focus on water-based and land-based activities to up close to the magnificent animals and scenery beyond the icescapes.

Board a 26-passenger expedition boat on the ‘Glacier Point Wilderness Safari’ to see whales, seals, sea lions, waterfalls and even a remote beach. The ‘Birds, Bears and Barnacles’ tour guarantees sightings of bald eagles and brown bears as well as marine life at aquariums, touch tanks and a salmon hatchery. Or go kayaking past rainforests, among the reefs and swirling kelp, as you scan the coast, sky and sea for wildlife.

#1 In Alaska Glaciers

An unbeatable array of memorable glacier-viewing tours is offered by Holland America. Get a close-up view from a ship or catamaran, or admire them from above on a thrilling helicopter experience.

More active excursions allow guests to land on a glacier and trek across the surface on a guided hike or roam around in an ATV. For the ultimate Alaskan adventure, carve it up on a dogsled, mushing a team of huskies through the snow. Accessible only by air, the camp is led by seasoned veterans of the legendary Iditarod Race who will teach you the tricks of the trade.

In Anchorage, take a train journey through the Chugach forest on the Alaska Railroad’s Glacier Discovery route to Spencer Glacier, or cruise to the brilliant blue Portage Glacier. In Seward, a cruise navigates the glacier-filled Kenai Fjords National Park.

Holland America’s Exclusive McKinley Chalet Resort at Denali

Visit the Denali National Park on an Alaska Cruisetour . Offered pre- or post-cruise, this inland trip begins with a scenic train ride on the glass-domed McKinley Explorer railcars to reach McKinley Chalet Resort. As the base camp for your stay, this 60-acre property is conveniently located near the entrance to the park on the banks of the Nenana River.

Among the outdoor pursuits are river rafting, ATV exploring, flightseeing, hiking and biking. Bear, moose, sheep and caribou forage in the forest and mountainous landscape.

In the centre is Denali Square, a bustling hub to dine at Karstens Restaurant, enjoy live entertainment at the Gold Nugget Saloon, visit the artists-in-residence cabin and shop for handcrafted local goods. In the evening, make s’mores over an outdoor firepit and swap stories of the day’s adventures.

Holland America is the only cruise line to include the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park on all two- and three-night stays at McKinley Chalet Resort. Accompanied by wildlife experts and National Park Service Rangers, it explores the ecology, wildlife and gold rush history of Denali National Park. A complimentary Denali Natural History Tour is included for all guest on one-night park stays.

Accommodation is in the tradition of national park lodges, a balance of rustic and refined, with comfortable rooms and hotel-style amenities.

Holland America’s Global Fresh Fish Program

Sustainable seafood is central to the culinary experience on Holland America. The Fresh Fish Program is the first of its kind, partnering with a global network of 60 ports to source and serve 80 types of fresh fish on board. Destination-specific menu items use native ingredients from around the world, highlighting the flavours of each region where guests are cruising.

A new relationship with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto brings his curated dishes to the main dining room and an upcoming pop-up restaurant. In Alaska, guests can dine on king salmon, black cod, dover sole and many more delicious menu items. New seafood dishes, designed by Master Chef and Culinary Council member Ethan Stowell, include roasted fennel-crusted Alaska halibut, a fried Alaska cod sandwich with malt vinegar aioli, and Alaskan salmon chop with cucumber, tomato and avocado.

Holland America Line was the first cruise line to serve 100 percent fresh, certified sustainable Alaska seafood on board its ships, and to earn the Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification, demonstrating its commitment to the Alaskan communities responsible for the catch.

Holland America’s Onboard Experience

The food and wine program extends to many other styles of cuisine in fine and casual dining venues, but this is only one aspect of the onboard experience. Holland America is known for its impeccable service and the attentive way that the courteous crew treats each guest.

World-class entertainment includes live music at the Lincoln Centre Stage, B.B. King’s Blues Club, Rolling Stones Lounge and Billboard Onboard. Enrichment programs also play a significant role in Holland America Line's Entertainment offerings.

Guests can attend fascinating workshops, cooking demonstrations, lectures & talks about specific topics and destinations and learn new skills while at sea with lessons offered such as Pickleball.

The fleet’s sleek, nautical lines express Holland America’s authentic heritage. The elegant ships are tastefully appointed, with museum-quality art and fresh flowers. Thoughtfully designed suites and staterooms ensure a comfortable home away from home.

Holland America’s Alaska 2024 Cruises

Two award-winning itineraries are offered every week between May and September, along with an array of other options to suit your length of stay needs and destination choices.

The seven-day roundtrip ‘Alaskan Explorer’ from Seattle visits Puget Sound, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria BC, with select cruises sailing to Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point and Hubbard Glacier.

The seven-day roundtrip cruise from Vancouver, Canada, sails through the Inside Passage to Tracy Arm Inlet and Glacier Bay, with stops in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.

Book before 29 February on Have It All Fare and receive up to 30% off launch fares, stateroom upgrade, premium beverage package, Wi-Fi and more. Terms and conditions apply.

© 1995— 2024 , The Independent Traveler, Inc.

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Cruising the World One Port at a Time

Holland America Westerdam Alaska Cruise Review

By: Pat Woods · Updated On: October 17, 2022

As another hot summer dragged on, husband Rob and I decided the best place to cool off was America’s last frontier. So we booked a balcony cabin on a Holland America Alaska cruise. 

We chose an Inside Passage cruise aboard the Westerdam . The 7-day journey embarked and ended in Seattle.

America’s coolest state offers the warmest welcome.

Cruises are known for decadent dining, and Holland America did not disappoint. Because we enjoy meeting new people and trying different food, we opted for open dining. Dinner and lunch in the bi-level Vista Dining Room provided multiple courses. At the popular Lido Buffet, guests chose from a plethora of tasty American and ethnic soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts.

In addition, Westerdam offers two alternate dining venues which require reservations. For dinner only, Canaletto ($15) creates the Italian authentic experience with a variety of dishes to enjoy and share. All five dishes Rob and I shared were melt-in-mouth delicious and perfectly seasoned with heavenly sauces.

The Pinnacle Grill ($15 lunch, $35 dinner) provides elegant china, stemware and linens for a romantic dinner or to celebrate a special occasion. Known for its Pacific Northwest steaks and fresh seafood, the Pinnacle is popular with repeat cruisers.

Once each cruise the Pinnacle transforms into the legendary Le Cirque of New York City ranked among the world’s best restaurants. We had jumbo shrimp cocktails, lobster bisque and delectable chateaubriand for two followed by a signature pineapple dessert at our Le Cirque dinner. ($49).

Alaska cruises provide numerous opportunities for close-up glacier views. Three national park rangers boarded Westerdam to narrate the ship’s onboard visit to Glacier Bay National Park that can only be reached by water or air.

Captain Bart Vaartjes maneuvered our ship remarkably close to Margerie Glacier. Our port-side balcony cabin provided a spectacular spot to admire nature’s incredible beauty. Then he turned the 935-foot ship 180 degrees to share the great views with starboard guests.

Small friendly ports Friendly Alaska port towns exude a warm welcome for cruise guests. All are walkable, safe and offer a plethora of activities and shopping. You won’t need a pricey wardrobe here. Simply dress in removable layers, wear sturdy walking shoes and bring rain gear.

An all-day rain did not stop us from exploring Alaska’s capital city of 30,000. Our ship docked within steps of Mount Roberts Tramway, where cable cars ascend 1,800 feet up the steep mountain. At the top we watched a movie, shot pics of ships below, visited a nature center and browsed a gift shop purveying quality merchandise.

In late afternoon a shuttle bus took us to a Dog Musher’s Camp on nearby Douglas Island, where we were greeted by 150 barking and howling Alaska sled dogs. Sixteen-dog teams were hitched to 6-passenger wheeled vehicles that enable dogs to train year-round for winter dog mushing, Alaska’s favorite sport.

The dogs’ excitement made us forget the rain and enjoy the one-mile ride. After the ride, mushers demonstrated equipment and talked about their dog racing experience. Finally it was much anticipated puppy petting time which helps pups become socialized with humans. 

Juneau’s attractions include Mendenhall Glacier, Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure, sport fishing, whale watching and helicopter flightseeing.

Sitka Like other towns in the Inside Passage, Sitka is an island that cannot be reached by roads or highways. Once a part of Russia, Sitka celebrates both its Russian and Native American heritage with dance troops.

Known for clean air and safety, this quiet town of 8,900 (far fewer in winter) offers a variety of hiking trails, museums, the Alaska Raptor Center and St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral. The local pharmacy features a 1950s-era soda fountain.

Ketchikan pulls out all to stops for cruisers with a flat attractive waterfront, large visitor center, free shuttle buses, plus friendly greeters, local tour operators, helpful shopkeepers and residents.

Although Ketchikan gets 152 inches of rain a year, it was sunny and in the 60s. We strolled Creek Street boardwalk and visited the Tongass Historical Museum.

Ketchikan honors its native heritage with the world’s largest totem pole collection preserved at the Totem Heritage Center. The town of 13,000 has a thriving arts community and is a sport fishing haven with five salmon species.

Victoria, B.C.

A festive ambiance greeted us during our Friday evening port call. After sunset, 3,300 lights lit up Parliament buildings, sidewalk musicians played lively tunes and attractions stayed open late. We toured the Royal BC Museum and strolled flower bedecked Inner Harbor walkways. On a previous port call, we toured Butchart Gardens, rode one of the cute ferries and did a CVS hop on/hop off tour.

Onboard experience Although Westerdam carried 1,923 guests and 800 crew, there were no long lines—and we never felt crowded. That’s because management strategically schedules meals and activities to avoid congestion.

Besides traditional Bingo, casino, dance lessons and swimming pools, Westerdam offered Windows technology and group cooking classes which Rob and I attended. Along with customary evening stage shows, musicians and comedians, the B. B. King’s Blues Club played music that made Beale Street famous.

When is the best time to cruise Alaska? Mark Pells, Westerda m Hotel Director, says May and September are good for empty nesters who like a quiet environment with fewer kids. Late July is best for King Salmon anglers.

“Reserve a balcony cabin, throw open your drapes in morning and walk around the top deck at sunset,” Pells said. “The sunset colors are amazing!”

To get maximum enjoyment from your Alaska experience Pells advised doing your pre-cruise homework. “Study the different ports, read the literature, check out the Web sites, then be ready to learn and explore. Listen to onboard lectures, watch the movies, and talk with other guests.”

If you go…

Seven Holland America ships ply Alaska waters between May and September.

All Photos: Pat Woods unless otherwise noted.

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About Pat Woods

A frequent contributor to CruiseMaven.com, Pat Woods is a widely published travel writer. Pat encourages readers to SKI (spend the kids inheritance) on a cruise.

Related Posts

February 1, 2023 at 1:56 pm

Enjoyed reading your post. Of all the Holland ships that cruise from Vancouver, which is the best in your opinion?

October 26, 2022 at 5:01 pm

Hi Robert, I’m happy to learn that your Alaska cruise, until the end, was a success. I’m glad you made it to the airport on time…but disappointed to learn about the miscommunication. Keep writing to Holland America or even send a “real” letter with a stamp on it. They do get back to their passengers and try to correct any issues. It takes a couple of months sometimes. Just about every cruise lines’ Customer Service department has been overwhelmed with problems that happened to their customers. Don’t give up! Thank you for taking the time to send me your comment. It’s always good to know what’s happening with readers’ cruises and dealings with the cruise lines.

October 19, 2022 at 12:38 pm

Had a great cruise overall. Our captain was able to get back to a glacier when 3 other cruise lines didn’t due to fog. Fog cleared and had a great time. Food was amazing! Wish buffet opened earlier and stayed open later, but when it was open it was great. Staff was super awesome, very personal and interactive making it even more fun and relaxing. Only downside to this entire experience was that we signed up for the shuttle and the shuttle wasn’t running and we weren’t told until last minute, barely made it to airport. Never got the money I won in the casino, supposed to applied to my “account” but never happened. Tried to inquire about that and refund on the shuttle but sat on hold for 2 hours at a time and still unable to talk with a human being. Email has not worked either, still out that money. Wish their customer service was as good as the cruise itself.

July 1, 2022 at 11:31 pm

Thanks, Linda. You are correct. It seems that I’m not the only site with the wrong prices for Pinnacle Grill. Those last two years without cruising really bumped up the dining fees. I have homework to do. Thanks again.

July 1, 2022 at 8:04 pm

Your prices for the specialty restaurants are several years old. The actual price for the Pinnacle Grill is $46.00 PLUS mandatory gratuity of 18% means dinner for one is over $54.00. All the other prices you quoted are also more than what you stated.

October 14, 2018 at 7:15 pm

Hi, I’m sorry you didn’t were not able to get closer to Marjerie Glacier. On my first cruise on a very small ship (Alaskan Dream Cruises) we were not allowed to approach Marjerie. The National Park Service limits the amount of ships (two per day) as well as how much time they spend up close. It was on my second cruise a month later aboard Eurodam that our captain had clearance to approach Marjerie Glacier. It was strange that my first small ship wasn’t allowed but Holland America was able to go. You really just never know. Holland’s captains are very experienced. And anyone who “drives” a boat in the Inside Passage absolutely is extremely experienced as well as totally in love with cruising Alaska. I hope that you were able to view other glaciers in Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier. Sherry

August 21, 2018 at 6:26 pm

We and a lot of passengers were disappointed that the Neiw Amsterdam did not take us near enough to the Marjorie Glacier. We could see the Ruby Princess cruise ship was in front of us and it went right near to the Glacier and stayed there for sometime. We thought that our ship would do the same when the Princess moved but the Neiw Amsterdam turned round at a far away position , not allowing us the life time experience to see the glacier close enough. Probably, the Holland-America line Captains are not experienced enough.

February 19, 2017 at 3:04 am

These are such lovely pictures! I did the Inside Passage cruise along the coast of Alaska and found myself awestruck by the incredible beauty. The misty fjords of Ketchikan were simply spectacular. It was a town so full of rich history and I think you captured that aspect nicely here.

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Updated on October 17, 2022 by Sherry Laskin

REVIEW: Our Alaska Cruise with Holland America PLUS our Excursions

By: Author Kim Tate

Posted on Published: December 8, 2022

At the top edge of the United States sits our 49th state, Alaska. There’s no better way to get a taste of Alaska than aboard a cruise ship. And, Holland America has been operating Alaska cruises longer than anyone.

We recently had the opportunity to take a 7-day Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise in August aboard the Holland America Koningsdam ship. With my teen onboard, we reconnected with each other and with the beautiful nature that makes Alaska a coveted tourist destination.

Thank you, Holland America for inviting me as your guest to check out one of your famous Alaska cruises. All thoughts and opinions written here are based on my personal cruise experience.

Holland Koningsdam Ship

Our family is used to big ship cruising, so the Koningsdam felt a bit smaller than some of our recent cruise ship experiences. However, the Koningsdam is still the 3rd largest Holland cruise ship and is essentially very close in size to the largest, the Rotterdam.

The Koningsdam is one of Holland America’s Pinnacle-class ships and was built in 2016. It can hold 2,650 passengers and weighs 99,500 gross tons.

The small”ish” size of the Holland cruise ships can be a big benefit for Alaska cruises as it lets them dock in the ports when larger ships have to tender. Tendering can take up valuable time in port and is less convenient for taking second trips back out to explore.

A few of the things that stood out to me aboard the Koningsdam:

The ship has the upscale glitz and glamor that you expect from cruise ships but also a few fun spots with a bit of flair.

I was most impressed with the amount of lounge seating around the ship. One of my favorite things to do on cruises is read in a comfy chair with a good view. And of course, enjoying a happy hour cocktail before dinner.

One of the most popular spots is the Crows Nest lounge on one of the top decks (deck 12), which features cozy seating along with a bar and coffee shop.

The restaurants are also beautifully decorated, while the casual dining options on the pool deck are laid back and perfect for families with young kids. The buffet features plenty of windows and seating.

Most of the decks are named after famous music composers and the art around the ship is beautifully curated and displayed. It truly does have an upscale cruise feel when you’re walking in the corridors.

I’ll admit that the rooms felt a bit small, so carefully check the square footage when deciding what type of cabin to book.

If you like enjoying time in your room, a verandah (balcony) room can be an absolute treasure for an Alaskan cruise. Holland America even provides blankets to help you bundle up when doing your wildlife or glacier spotting.

Compared to other ships one thing I didn’t love was that the promenade deck view was mostly blocked by lifeboats. If you’re someone who likes to pop out on one of the mid-decks to enjoy the scenery and walk around, this ship isn’t the best for that. They do have a small jogging track on deck 11.

But, as I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of indoor lounge seating near windows, which is probably somewhat preferable for Alaska cruising versus Caribbean cruising anyway. So even though the outdoor lounge spaces are limited, with the cool weather of Alaska, the window indoor seating can be preferable.

Overall, I really enjoy the look and feel of the ship. We found it easy to navigate with a nice flow and absolutely lovely decor.

Holland America Entertainment (WOW!)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from HAL in regard to entertainment. Would they have enough options that would help me and my teen stay entertained before or after dinner? The answer was a resounding YES!

The BBC Planet Earth II in Concert is a MUST watch in my opinion. It’s a beautiful blend of musical and cinematographic storytelling at its finest. There are some “circle of life” situations as it is a nature documentary, so young kids might be alarmed. But kids will also fall in love with the animals and the storytelling is gripping and keeps you engaged.

Another BBC show takes place in the World Theater onboard, and it too is lovely. You’ll be ooh’ing and ahh’ing over cute animals as you watch. The storytelling of it is different than the Planet Earth II show but still worth seeing.

Holland America does an EXCELLENT job of drawing their Alaska cruisers into the story of Alaska. One of the featured entertainment shows is WE ARE ALASKA, a story shared early in the cruise to help draw you into the spectacular world you’re about to enter.

And if you love history, or even just love storytelling, you should absolutely watch the “Origin Story” which shares the rich history of the Holland America line and how it got started as a cruise company, and how they were the first to brave the Alaskan cruising frontier!

The live music onboard was also delightful. I enjoy orchestral music and so the performers on the Lincoln Center Stage were always a draw. But they also offer other great live music options like the Rolling Stone Rock Room, a piano bar, and B.B. King’s Blues Club.

Dining with Holland America

Many have said that the food aboard Holland America is upscale and enjoyable and I’d have to agree. I don’t think I had anything I didn’t love, beyond maybe a dish or two that just wasn’t my taste at the Lido Market buffet. :)

If you’re a foodie and love dining experiences, you’ll want to budget to add in a visit to some of the specialty restaurants onboard. Their chefs create meals that are tasty as well as spectacularly presented.

Complimentary / Included Restaurants

Holland America has dining that will suit any cruiser. There’s the traditional dining room, which has flexible dining times, as well as multiple specialty restaurants that will delight food lovers aboard.

Holland America is also the only cruise line that is certified for serving sustainable Alaska seafood . It’s important for travelers to be conscious of their impact on the destinations they’re visiting and Holland America is helping do its part with the food they serve.

I also want to note that using the HAL Navigator app is extremely useful while onboard. It helps you find what’s happening each day as well as the hours for each of the restaurants. Plus, you can order food and some of the restaurants in advance via the app. Be sure to install it before or once onboard.

Lido Market

This is what is equivalent to a buffet with other cruise lines, however, in each of the stations on Holland America a staff member handles serving you the food.

I appreciate this from a cleanliness standpoint; however, it does mean you might have a bit more of a wait versus the traditional free-for-all serving at buffets on other lines. I personally will take the wait in exchange for knowing an employee is the only one handling the serving utensils.

You’ll find a variety of stations including a taco corner, salad bar, meat options, bakery, and desserts including ice cream. Seating can get crowded during peak mealtimes however a bit of patience had us always able to find a table, and many times it was next to a window.

The Dining Room

Formal dining happens in The Dining Room, located at the back of the ship on decks 2 and 3 (on the Koningsdam). This is your traditional cruise dining experience with many tables and a menu that changes daily with a few regular items remaining each day.

Holland America allows for flexible dining times, called As You Wish. This means you can show up to The Dining Room between 5:15 pm and 9:00 pm and be seated for dinner. I absolutely love the flexible dining time option as you can truly create the day you want and aren’t locked into shows and excursions based on a strict dining time.

Families cruising with teens will also appreciate this flexible dining option as some may want to eat at different times or on their own, this allows a family to truly dine how they want on board.

Room Service

I’m delighted to say that Holland America still INCLUDES room service as a main (included) dining option. The menu is limited somewhat, but it was SO delightful having breakfast delivered every morning. I was even able to order a coffee service in advance to get my caffeine fix while my teen daughter slept in. And their room service is open 24 hours, just with two different menus depending on the time of day.

For families cruising to Alaska, this room service inclusion makes a big difference. A friend who was sailing when I was found it useful for her young boys to have room service together watching movies while she had a specialty dining experience. A win-win for both the parent(s) and the kids!

If you love fries and sitting poolside, you’re going to love ordering from Dive-In. It’s your typical pool dining spot that serves famous Nathan hot dogs, burgers, as well as french fries. This is a popular spot for kids and families, so you’ll want to order in advance with the HAL Navigator app.

New York Deli & Pizza

Craving a slice of pizza, deli sandwich, or salad? Another complimentary restaurant near the pool is the New York Deli & Pizza restaurant, where you can order a custom or chef-designed personal 9″ thin-crust pizza.

This is another popular spot and you’ll want to order in advance via the app, especially during busy dining times.

Specialty Upcharge Restaurants

While there are plenty of great complimentary dining options available onboard with Holland America if you love enjoying upscale dining you need to splurge on a specialty restaurant or two.

Pinnacle Grill

Steak lovers will want to be sure to splurge for a meal here. The menu includes cuts of filet mignon, NY strip, boneless rib eye, or a massive 36 oz tomahawk bone-in rib eye (added fee). You can also add on a lobster tail for an additional charge if you’re craving a surf and turf meal.

They have some great starters including an Instagram-worthy clothesline candied bacon. And you can get some delicious wine recommendations to complement your meal, we started with some Veuve Clicquot champagne with our starters and moved on to a delicious 2015 Muga Reserva Rioja for our steak course.

You’ll pay $15 for lunch and $39 for dinner, plus an 18% gratuity to eat at the Pinnacle Grill and then additional charges apply for a couple of added choices.

Craving some spring rolls and lobster? Tamarind is an upscale Asian restaurant onboard that features a delectable menu with options like Thai citrus scallops and wok-seared lobster and shrimp. They also have a master sushi chef onboard.

The cost for Tamarind is $29 plus an automatic 18% gratuity. For cruisers who love Asian-inspired cuisine, this one is a must-visit.

Next up is Canaletto for all the Italian-loving foodies. Here you’ll find some of your classic Italian favorites like lasagne and risotto, but there are also daily specials and many seafood-inspired dishes. Order up some grilled calamari, lobster and shrimp ravioli, and finish with a slice of tiramisu.

Canaletto is $19 for dinner plus an automatic 18% gratuity.

Rudi’s Sel de Mar

Next to the Pinnacle Grill, Rudi’s Sel de Mar is the most premium specialty dining experience you can experience on board. The restaurant is small and intimate and features a seafood-focused menu. This is a dining experience, so allow up to two hours to enjoy the food and your dining companions.

The cost is $49 plus an 18% gratuity, although there are upcharges for some dishes and some ships charge off an a la carte priced menu.

Grand Dutch Cafe

For the caffeine and pastry fans onboard, the Grand Dutch Cafe will become your new favorite home away from home. This is an additional charge restaurant, although coffee drinks are included with some beverage packages.

I personally fell in love with the seating area at the cafe, as did many others based on its crowd levels at times. :)

Club Orange on Holland America

Wanting a posh cruise and dining experience? Club Orange might be the program for you. While it’s included for guests booked in a Neptune or Pinnacle Suite, other non-suite stateroom guests can purchase Club Orange for their sailing. Know that availability is limited, so booking early is recommended if it’s something you want.

Club Orange costs $25 per person per day on cruises up to 13 days and $15 per person per day on cruises of 13+ days. So a 7-day cruise would cost $350 for a couple.

Club Orange will give you these perks:

PRIORITY ACCESS

• Priority check-in
• Priority access to specialty restaurant reservations
• Priority line at the Guest Services desk
• Priority line at the Shore Excursions desk
• Priority access to tenders ashore in select ports
• Priority disembarkation

PREMIUM DINING

• Expanded 24-hour room service breakfast menu
• Pinnacle Class ships: Private dining venue for breakfast and dinner with an expanded menu
• All other ships: Priority seating in the Dining Room for breakfast and dinner with an expanded menu

EXCLUSIVE AMENITIES

• Complimentary stateroom upgrade
• Dedicated concierge service
• Welcome glass of sparkling wine on embarkation day
• Plush bathrobes
• Club Orange keycard
• Exclusive Club Orange tote bag (one per stateroom)

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Private Greenhouse Spa & Salon® consultation
• Complimentary jewelry cleaning
• Coffee chat with some of our onboard entertainers
• Guests will be notified of these exclusive experiences once on board

Our Holland America Alaska Cruise Itinerary

We cruised the 7-Day Inside Passage route on the Koningsdam to and from Vancouver, BC, in August.

• Day 1: Embarkation Vancouver, B.C.
• Day 2: Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage
• Day 3: Tracy Arm Inlet
• Day 3: Juneau, Alaska
• Day 4: Skagway, Alaska
• Day 5: Glacier Bay
• Day 6: Ketchikan, Alaska
• Day 7: Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage
• Day 8: Disembark Vancouver, B.C., CA

Alaska Cruise Tours

One of the best things you can do on an Alaskan cruise is to get off the ship and get into nature. For this trip, we chose Holland America Alaska cruise excursions at our three ports of call.

Many of the tours are limited, so I highly recommend booking in advance before your cruise. Unlike Caribbean cruises, many cruisers want to book excursions. I noticed that many of the premium experiences like glacier float plane tours and dog-sled adventures were sold out by the time we got onboard.

Juneau, Alaska Cruise Tour

I’ll mention that whale-watching is a very popular activity for Juneau and is worth doing if you haven’t seen whales before. We’ve done a couple of whale-watching excursions in the past and my teen really wanted to do the jeep rental in Juneau.

Self-Guided Jeep Rental

I’ve cruised enough times to know that I’m not a fan of group cruise tours with a bunch of other people. My teen is the same way. That’s why we decided to choose a jeep rental and go explore some of Juneau on our own via an automated guide.

We booked a 2-door Jeep since there were just 2 of us, they do have a 4-door option as well. And the price is per jeep, which for a family can work out to make the excursion not too expensive per person.

We disembarked in the afternoon in Juneau and checked in with an excursion rep after exiting the ship. They directed us to the jeep check-in spot which was just a short walk away from the pier.

At the booth, I had to show my driver’s license and sign a waiver. They brought down our jeep and gave us a short tutorial on the automated map program, and then we were off.

We followed the set route and listened to the audio guide along the way. The route took us to a few of the popular attractions for Juneau, the biggest being a stop at Mendenhall Glacier.

For cruisers who don’t love being in big groups of tourists, renting and doing this self-guided tour is a great way to enjoy the scenery of Juneau. We spent about 4.5 hours driving around to the different sites and then returning our Jeep.

We still had enough time to do a little shopping in Juneau and eat at the Alaskan Brewing Co before we had to be back on the ship.

Ziplining in Skagway Cruise Excursion

We chose the ziplining tour in Skagway, and had a blast! It wasn’t anything unique versus other ziplining tours, but always nice to be in the green forests of nature. Our guides were fun and encouraged some adventurous zip techniques, like hanging upside down, which I haven’t seen encouraged in the past.

After zipping, the bus transfer offered to drop cruisers in town versus at the dock (a short walk outside of town) and so we took advantage of that. We walked along the main street which is filled with some unique and local shops as well as tourist shops you’ll find in every cruise port.

Don’t forget to pack cash for tipping your two zipline guides and if you want to add another small tip for the transfer driver.

Fishing Cruise Excursion in Ketchikan

One of our splurge excursions for our Alaska cruise was the Alaska Fishing & Wilderness Dining: In Partnership With Food & Wine Magazine booked with Holland America. We exited the ship and met with our fishing outfitter on the pier, and they walked us down to their offices and boats.

When we arrived, we had to show our driver’s licenses (or passports) to obtain a fishing license for the trip. We were able to pay with a credit card and it was $25, kids & teens (not from Alaska) under 16 don’t have to have a license. We were put into a group of six, assigned a guide, and boarded our open-air skiff boat.

Our guide took us out on the water and headed towards a known fishing spot for rockfish. He helped each of us get our reels set and within seconds all of us had bites! We all reeled up our lines and each of us had landed two rockfish on our hooks. You’re limited to a certain number of fish total, so our guide had to drop a couple of the rockfish back down.

With our rockfish stored, we headed to another couple of spots to try our hand at salmon fishing. And they were biting! We each had a chance to reel in a fish, including one lovely Sockeye salmon and many Pink salmon.

Once we hit our limit we headed ashore to a small island camp where our guide brought a couple of our fish ashore to clean them. After being cleaned and prepped, they were handed off to a chef who prepared our group a plate of deliciousness.

This was a truly epic Alaskan experience and one I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys fishing. For teens, it’s an activity that engages them while also getting them out on the water and helping them be part of the Alaska fishing experience.

Don’t forget to bring a nice tip for your tour guide and a small token tip for the camp cook. Also be aware that it can be cold when the boat is going fast, so dress in layers and bring a hat and gloves. You also might want rain gear as this tour can run when it’s raining.

Another thing to note is that you can choose to have your fish processed and shipped home with the tour company. The pricing was not cheap, and seeing as we’re based in Seattle it didn’t make sense since we have easy access to fresh fish. Our guide also mentioned that some fish should only be transported smoked.

Overnighting in Vancouver

If you’re traveling to Vancouver for your cruise, you’ll likely arrive a day early and want to stay overnight. We stayed at the Pan Pacific Vancouver hotel which is at Canada Place and connected to the cruise port.

There are plenty of restaurants nearby, and you’re also within walking distance of many of the popular shopping areas of Vancouver. We enjoyed dinner and the sunset in their Coal Harbour Bar that is onsite and the live music was an added treat.

We were upgraded to a room with a view overlooking Vancouver Harbour, and it was a wonderful way to begin our vacation.

I highly recommend staying here for cruisers as its location can’t be beaten. The parking garage is also the same garage used for cruise passengers, so again, extremely convenient for cruisers.

The Pan Pacific also offers special bag check service from your room to the ship, making embarkation a breeze!

What to Pack on an Alaska Cruise

I have a full post about what to pack for your Alaskan cruise, including an Alaska cruise packing list . So be sure to read it! But a few things to make sure you bring:

• Layers of clothes – it can get cool but warm in the sun so pack plenty of layers, i.e. long sleeve tops, base layers, fleece jackets, and warm coats.
• Rain gear – the forecast said we’d have rain but we lucked out most days, be sure to bring a rain jacket and a small umbrella.
• Waterproof gear – depending on which excursions you choose, you might want to make sure you pack a thick waterproof coat and pants. Some excursions provide them, but always best to be prepared if you’re not sure.
• Boots – depending on which excursions you choose you might want to bring a good pair of warm boots that are waterproof and good for glaciers, water, and rain.
• Hat & Gloves – it can be cold on the water, so be sure to bring a knit cap (beanie/tuque) and a pair of gloves that allow mobility for your phone use.
• Ball cap & sunglasses
• Cash for excursion guide tips

Our time aboard the Holland America Koninsdam was a real delight. While Holland might not be as flashy as some of the more common “family” cruise ships, it still was a great home for myself and my teen for our one-week Alaska cruise adventure.

We enjoyed dining together and lounging in many of the ship’s seating areas. The entertainment was immersive and educational. And our lazy mornings enjoying room service in bed is a memory that will last us a lifetime.

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Is a Holland America Alaska Cruise Worth It? An Honest Review

07/28/2023 by Kristin Addis 4 Comments

Imagine you’re sitting on a balcony, sipping on a freshly made latte while sailing past an electric blue glacier. Suddenly, you spot an eagle resting on a piece of floating ice. Later that day, you see dolphins, whales, and sea otters jumping through the waves as the mist breaks to reveal snowy mountains and tree-coated islets. There doesn’t appear to be anything around for miles, and it feels like it’s all unfolding in perfect harmony. That all happened within one day on my weeklong Alaska cruise while my son napped on the other side of the door, and I will never forget those magical moments.

Now I never thought of myself as a cruise person. Would a big ship really be my ideal way to travel?

When Holland America invited me, my mom and I weren’t sure it was for us. Would it be cheesy, crowded, and lame? We decided if we were to take a cruise, Alaska with its wild beauty would be the ideal place, so we went for it.

I had only been on a couple of cruises prior to this, wich were rather short and felt like a mixture between McDonald’s and a frat party, to be honest. The experience on the Koningsdam sailing the Inside Passage to Alaska via Vancouver was delightfully different. It was mostly families, retirees, and some multigenerational groups like ours.

The food was great, the service was excellent, but best of all, the experience of sailing along the coast of Alaska was breathtaking. Here’s everything to know before you book that cruise :

Table of Contents

Itinerary – 7 Day Alaskan Inside Passage

There are many Alaska itineraries to choose from, and they all offer scenic cruising with some variation in the stops they make.

What looked best to me was the departure in and out of Vancouver, which included the Inside Passage as well as Glacier Bay. It ended up being a great decision.

The first evening after departing Vancouver was already beautiful, passing by the islands outside of the city and all along the coast of British Columbia. It was just a taste of the beauty that was to come. 

The next day was mostly about getting up to Juneau and was spent at sea. Of all the days on board, this was the least scenic, but I still saw whales from my veranda! 

As would be a trend with the towns we visited in Alaska, Juneau had a charm to it, with historic, Wild West–style buildings and gorgeous surroundings. The downtown is mainly bars, restaurants, and souvenir shops, but there’s quite a bit to do in the area. I opted for the helicopter trek of the Mendenhall Glacier, which was a fantastic decision (more on that later). 

The next morning, we arrived in Skagway, another small, charming coastal town, and took the scenic railway as our excursion. Felix squealed with delight at the helicopters taking off right outside of our room on the ship afterwards. 

That evening, leaving Skagway was particularly beautiful, as we watched the sunset over the dramatic mountains with waterfalls cascading down. Since we had a baby sleeping inside, most of our evenings were spent on the veranda, which could not have been a better spot from which to experience the beauty of Alaska all throughout the cruise.

Glacier Bay National Park

This was a highlight for us, as we spent the day cruising through Glacier Bay National Park. Though I’ve had the pleasure of hiking across part of a glacier in Wrangell St. Elias in Alaska and trekking on a few in Patagonia , this was still more glaciers than I had ever seen in a day.

As we made our way through, the weather kept changing, creating different lighting along the glaciers and providing incredible wildlife-spotting opportunities. I saw dolphins, whales, otters, and an eagle perched on an iceberg, all from our veranda.

Absolutely book an Alaska cruise that includes Glacier Bay!

As we made our way back south, we stopped in Ketchikan, which was a nice contrast to the glacial landscape that we had been seeing. This is a great opportunity to explore the fjords, which we did by seaplane as our excursion.

Our Room on the Koningsdam

One of my concerns was feeling cramped in a tiny room with our stuff everywhere and all of the free space taken up by our travel crib . 

The verandah room was spacious enough, though, with plenty of storage in the closets and drawers, as well as a space under the bed for suitcases . As long as we were good about putting things back in their place, the room was totally fine for the three of us. 

It also had a pull-out couch to sleep families, though I would imagine that squeezing four into one room would feel tight. 

The balcony was also great and a frequent hangout spot of ours. It was safe for my baby to crawl around and enjoy, and my favorite place from which to spot wildlife. I preferred it to all of the common spaces on the ship since it was so peaceful and felt like my own little retreat.

The room was also serviced twice per day by two incredibly attentive staff members who always left towel animals for Felix. 

Service 

Speaking of the staff, they were amazing. Those in the dining room made a particularly great impression, remembering my son and always saying hi to him and bringing his fruit right away. Considering how many people they were seeing on a daily basis, I was impressed. 

I also found each person we interacted with to be accommodating and patient, even when guests weren’t particularly warm with them. I know from working in hospitality in the past that it’s not an easy job, and they all did it especially well. 

I was worried the food might not be great or healthy onboard. I’d encountered a lot of chicken nuggets and subpar burgers in the past on my brief cruise experiences. However, there was plenty of variety, and I was able to eat healthy and find plenty of options for my one-year-old as well (veggies, grilled meats, and fruit were always abundant). 

Although they had a kids’ menu, my son tends to just eat the healthier food that we eat, and we could get other food for him in the restaurant and Lido Market, and share what we ordered in the specialty restaurants.

Rudi’s Sel de Mer

This is the highest-end restaurant onboard, with the smallest capacity — and also, of course, my favorite. 

It’s a tranquil seafood restaurant, and the halibut and steak special were both excellent. They also had lobster, crab, and other seafood delicacies available. I loved the apple crumble as well!

Tamarind 

This Asian-flavors-inspired restaurant was my second favorite, with satay, curries, a nice tom kha gai , and orange duck. They were also very understanding and accommodating of our nut and soy allergies. Definitely get the yuzu cheesecake for dessert!

The Italian restaurant with seating near the windows offers sharing-style Italian dishes. It’s a must-do if you’re looking for higher-end pasta, meatballs, seafood dishes, and desserts.

Pinnacle Grill

This appeared to be the most popular restaurant. It offered surf and turf. If they have the lemongrass soup appetizer when you sail, definitely get it! 

It is also open for lunch, unlike the other paid restaurant upgrades. I thought this was a steal, considering we got a nice steak and appetizers and dessert for only $15 each!

Lido Market

In market hall fashion, this was the place to go for variety, and it became our daily lunch stop. It had everything from a salad bar and roasted meats to sandwiches, sweets, and noodles. It could get a bit busy and overwhelming at times to be honest, probably because it had so much variety in one spot. 

There were other options in the vicinity, including burgers and pizza near the indoor pool, but we didn’t end up having those during our cruise. 

Main Dining 

Even if you don’t upgrade to any of the paid dining options, the main dining room is honestly awesome. It had a different menu each day with plenty to choose from, like roasted chicken, New York steak, a vegan chickpea patty (which was my favorite thing), and plenty of roasted veggies, grilled fish, and chopped fruit for my son. (It also had a kid’s menu with the typical options).

The staff were so great with my little guy, I was always happy to eat there, which we did for most breakfasts and dinners. 

In-room dining

There’s always room service too! I thought we would take more advantage than we did, but we loved the dining room so much, we went there more often. 

This is the part I was most looking forward to, and my excursions didn’t disappoint. 

Juneau Helicopter and Glacier Trekking

Do yourself a favor and book at least one scenic flight during your cruise, whether it’s in Juneau or elsewhere. 

The flight was beautiful, and the ice was wonderful to trek as well. I’ve been fortunate to trek on five glaciers now and take several scenic flights all around the world, but I had never combined the two. It was truly an adventure, which included scenes all around Juneau, crampons, and hiking on the ice for a few glorious hours. The guides were also happy to take pictures, which was helpful, since I did this excursion solo. 

Skagway White Pass Railway

There are several options for the historic train, since it’s the most popular thing to do in town. I found it a bit confusing and only ended up booking the excursion that just barely crossed the border into British Columbia before turning around, rather than going all the way into the Yukon Territory. Although my intention had been to go all the way, the trip was still beautiful, and probably long enough, considering we had my one-year-old in tow. 

Many of the other excursions will take you all the way one way on the train and then use a coach for the way back. If you do this, be sure to ride on the left side of the train on your way up as it is the most scenic. We ended up being among the last to board the train, which I worried would mean we’d miss out on good seating, but we actually got to be in the front, and it wasn’t too crowded up there!

The trip is narrated the whole way, and there are also platforms in the front and back of each car that passengers can stand on. I logged most of the trip out there.

Ketchikan Historic Wilderness Sea Plane 

This is another splurge but so worth it! In contrast to the glacier flights, Ketchikan is more about the misty fjords and potential to see wildlife. We got lucky with a clear day and a nice, long flight with views of hidden mountain lakes, snowy peaks, and a bear and whale sighting that I wasn’t quick enough to catch on the camera but loved seeing nonetheless. 

Koningsdam : Ship & Amenities 

I have to be honest that the size of the ship (2,500 capacity, one of Holland America’s largest) made me hesitate. I know for sure I’m not the kind of person who would enjoy the huge ships that have 5,000+ passengers, those big slides, and bellyflop competitions. But the Koningsdam was classy, with some shared areas we loved, particularly the Crow’s Nest on the 12th floor, with a fantastic view all around the front of the ship, coffee, and couches for Felix to crawl on.

There were also two pools to choose from, including an indoor pool that showed movies on the giant screen in the evenings, and the outdoor pool at the back of the ship that was nicely heated and had two hot tubs as well. It wasn’t very crowded, which made it perfect for us!

There was also a gym that had regular classes and plenty of machines to choose from. It was never too crowded, even though the ship was fully booked. There’s also a spa, shopping, casino, a few live music venues, and a large theater.

We also enjoyed the jogging track on the 11th floor for panoramic views. It was a great spot to get some exercise and take Felix for his beloved stroller walks with the ever-changing scenery.

As I understand is common on cruise ships, there are some extras, like internet and drinks, that you can opt to pay for as a package. The Quench package included espresso drinks, smoothies, and water cans. Tea, tap water, and regular coffee are free.

To upgrade to the package that includes alcohol runs $55/day, or $60 for top shelf. I don’t drink, so that didn’t tempt me, though it could be a meaningful expense to add onto the trip, as is Wi-Fi, which was $229 for four devices and high speed for the week.

One could just use one’s cell signal in port and disconnect elsewhere, and it’s possible to get an eSIM especially for cruises!

Cleanliness 

With so many people on board, this was another factor that I was a little worried about. Would it really be super clean? However, the guest-to-staff ratio seems to be about 2:1, which is pretty incredible. Everything always looked pretty well taken care of, and things were obviously being cleaned constantly. I regularly saw people servicing the bathrooms, our room got cleaned twice a day, and the pool was regularly serviced. It seemed like there was quite a lot of effort being put into everything feeling spotless.

Final Thoughts: Is it Worth It?

There was definitely a time in my life when I was all about taking small ships , cargo ferries, and local buses, and avoiding experiences like cruises. However, now with a young child, it ended up being such an easy, beautiful way to take a vacation. We didn’t have to worry about logistics, food, cleaning up after meals (which can be messy with a one-year-old), or having things to do while he napped. Each time my son went down for his nap, sneaking out to the veranda with the baby monitor ended up being so lovely, with plenty of wildlife and scenery to take in.

The care that the staff put into making sure our boy was well looked after at our meals was above and beyond. People were always trying to make him smile, and the guests were nice to be around, as well. It wasn’t a party atmosphere (although there may have been some of that in the evenings, which I missed since that was bedtime for my son), but rather a mix of people who were there to enjoy the scenery of Alaska.

The only times things felt a bit busy to me were at the Lido Market at lunchtime and in the Crow’s Nest when we were cruising Glacier Bay. I ended up really feeling that our veranda was the best place to view it all from, and I can’t imagine taking a scenic cruise without one.

Maximizing your time by booking excursions in the ports is also important. That does make things cost a bit more, but it really does make this a bucket-list trip. I think with a veranda, excursions, and some of the higher-end dining, as well as making use of the ship amenities that appeal most to you, will make for a wonderful experience. Although I might never be the type to cruise-hop in the Caribbean, I have a feeling this won’t be my last scenic cruise in some of the more mountainous, glacier-topped destinations.

You can book your experience with Holland America here!

*Thanks to Holland America for inviting me to experience this cruise. All thoughts on the amazing staff, beautiful Alaska, and delicious food are my own. Some links in this post are affiliate links that support us at no extra cost to you when you purchase through them. We only recommend products we love and use ourselves. Your trust always comes first!

About Kristin Addis

Kristin Addis is the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse, a resource for female travelers all around the world since 2012. She's traveled solo to over 65 countries and has brought over 150 women on her all-female adventure tours from Botswana to the Alaskan tundra.

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Tillie says

08/30/2023 at 3:47 pm

AMEN!!! I’ve been blessed to shaparone elders on this cruise. They loved it. The medical staff is also attending to chronic conditions that would prevent an elder to vacation with emotional security in a different setting. Their bed goes with then, so that when they feel well, they are back to wonder.

Lisa Cochran says

09/01/2023 at 5:08 pm

My sister and I just went on a cruise on the Valdomara to Alaska. It was just as perfect as you described. I will go again! We had an excellent time!

Kathleen Curell says

09/06/2023 at 9:01 am

What month did you do this Alaskan cruise?

Kristin says

09/08/2023 at 5:58 am

end of July

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What to Expect on a Holland America Alaskan Cruise

Eagles, moose and bears—oh my! If you’re looking for an unforgettable Alaskan cruise and land experience, look no further. Holland America Line has 149 years of experience (wowza, that’s a lot!), and offers some of the best things to do in Alaska by land and sea tours.

From Fairbanks to Vancouver, you’ll enjoy breathtaking scenery as you sail through iconic destinations such as the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay, and have plenty of time to explore Alaska’s stunning towns and villages onshore. Plus, with their award-winning service and extensive range of onboard activities, you’re sure to have a vacation you’ll never forget!

Holland America’s Alaskan Cruise Fairbanks to Vancouver: The Ship + Best Tours & Excursions

The Holland America 11-Day Double Denali cruise and land tour is the perfect way to see Alaska. The itinerary includes stops in Fairbanks, Glacier Bay National Park, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, as well as a three-day land tour of Denali National Park.

In Fairbanks, travelers can take the Riverboat Discovery Tour or visit the very chilly ice museum. Glacier Bay National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Alaska and is home to glaciers, mountains, and wildlife. Juneau is the capital of Alaska and offers more than just stunning views – visitors can go whale watching, visit the Alaska State Museum, or take a ride on the Mount Roberts Tramway. Skagway is a quaint town with a rich Gold Rush history. And finally, Ketchikan is known as the “ Salmon Capital of the World” and is home to Creek Street, a historic boardwalk lined with shops and restaurants.

Alaska Cruise Ports

Alaska is a popular destination for tours and cruises, and for good reason! You’ll find several national parks and landmarks which offer scenic views of mountains, glaciers, and forests, as well as the opportunity to see wildlife in their natural habitat. Of course, it is not just the landscape that makes Alaska worth visiting. There’s also no shortage of things for visitors to explore and experience in one of its cities, such as their diverse cultures and rich history.

While Fairbanks may conjure images of ice and snow, this vibrant city is actually located in the heart of Alaska’s interior. Despite its secluded location, the city is home to a diverse population and offers a wide range of activities for residents and visitors alike.

The city is situated near numerous waterways, providing ample opportunities for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. The city is also home to a number of parks and hiking trails, making it the perfect place to enjoy the great outdoors. In addition, there are several museums around the city where you can enrich yourself with its history, or if you’re more of an artsy person, ogle at some lovely ice art and sculptures (don’t miss the Fairbanks Ice Museum !).

With its unique mix of urban and rural attractions, there truly is something for everyone at Fairbanks.

Riverboat Discovery Tour

One of the most popular things to do in Alaska’s city of Fairbanks is taking the Riverboat Discovery Tour, and it is an excursion choice on your Holland America Alaskan cruise. The tour starts with a Bush Pilot Demonstration, where you can see how pilots fly in the rugged Alaskan terrain and land on the water. Next, you’ll get a peek at Trail Breaker Kennel, where you can see the dogs that help mushers travel through the wilderness. Finally, you’ll stop at Chena Indian Village Living Museum, where you can learn about the history and culture of the Alaskan Native people.

Denali National Park

Denali National Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Alaska. The park is home to Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, and is known for its stunning scenery and diverse wildlife. Visitors to the park can enjoy hiking, camping, wildlife watching, and much more. In recent years, the park has also become a popular destination for winter sports such as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. No matter what time of year you visit, Denali National Park is sure to impress.

Denali Wilderness Tour

Looking to get up close and personal with some of Alaska’s amazing wildlife? Then the Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour is for you. This narrated excursion takes you on a “school” bus ride deep into the heart of Denali National Park, where you’ll have the chance to see grizzly bears, caribou, Dall sheep, and more.

You’ll also get to experience the stunning landscapes of the park, from its towering mountains to its sprawling tundra. Best of all, you’ll be guided by an experienced naturalist who will help you make the most of your experience. So whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a first-time visitor, the Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour is sure to offer an unforgettable experience.

It’s also a good opportunity to check it off our US National Parks Bucket List: 61 Beauties to Visit in America !

Denali to Anchorage via McKinley Explorer

The Mckinley Explorer train is one of the best (and easiest!) ways to see Alaska. The train takes you from Denali to Anchorage, and the trip takes just under eight hours. The scenery is incredible, and you get to see some of the most beautiful parts of Alaska.

The train has two levels, and the dome-shaped upper level has big windows so you can really take in the views. The lower level has a dining car, where you can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, located in the south-central part of the state. And while the average winter temperatures are below freezing, the summers are warm and sunny, with many different outdoor activities to enjoy, such as hiking, biking, fishing, and camping.

Some of the best activities you can do here include hiking (or biking) the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, learning about history in Anchorage Museum (Alaska’s largest museum), and seeing glaciers on a day cruise or flightseeing tour to Portage Valley. If you’re looking to surprise yourself further, you can also walk around the city and discover tons of cool street art.

Alaska Railroad Anchorage to Whittier

The Alaska Railroad is one of the most scenic railways in the world, and the Anchorage to Whittier route is one of its most popular.

The train travels through some of Alaska’s most stunning landscapes, including the Chugach Mountains and the Kenai Peninsula. The journey takes about 2.5 hours, and there are plenty of opportunities to take in the scenery along the way. 

Hubbard Glacier

An Alaskan cruise is not complete without a sailing through Hubbard Glacier. With a height of 600 feet (350 feet visible above water) and stretching over 76 miles long and 7 miles wide, it is one of the largest glaciers in North America. Because of its size, it’s also one of the most active (moving) glaciers in the world, advancing at a rate of 80 feet per year.

Cruise ships often stop at Hubbard Glacier so passengers can get a close-up view of the glacier (but not too close!) and its calving, where chunks of ice break off from the main glacier. While calving icebergs have become increasingly frequent in recent years due to climate change, it seems to have little to no effect on Hubbard Glacier, even growing more in size.

Glacier National Park

Glacier Bay National Park is home to a staggering 1045 glaciers (50 of which are named). Some of the most beautiful ones include the Lamplugh Glacier and Margerie Glacier.

Lamplugh Glacier is a small but easily accessible glacier located in John Hopkins Inlet (which is also home to several marine life worth seeing like harbor seals). 

Margerie Glacier is another popular destination for cruisers. This glacier is much larger than Lamplugh Glacier and offers breathtaking views of its crevasses and ice sculptures.

Both can be seen from the Holland America Alaskan Cruise.

Skagway is a historic town located in Alaska’s Inside Passage. The town is best known for being the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, when prospectors flooded into the area in search of gold.

Today, Skagway is a popular tourist destination, offering visitors a chance to experience a taste of the old frontier. The town’s main street, Broadway, is lined with quaint shops and restaurants, and there are several historic buildings to explore, including the Red Onion Saloon and the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Depot.

Skagway is also surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, with towering mountains, pristine forests, and glaciers all within easy reach.

Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float

If you’re looking for an adventure that will take you through some of the most beautiful scenery in Alaska, the Chilkoot Trail Hike & Rafting Float is definitely for you.

The Chilkoot Trail was once a vital access route used to get through the Coast Mountains into the Yukon goldfields back in the late 1890s. Today, travelers can experience and walk the same path the prospectors and packers used back in the day. You can arrange the full 33-mile hike, but the Holland America cruise excursion only covers a 2-mile portion. 

The hike itself is a bit challenging (lots of uphill in the beginning!) but incredibly rewarding, and the float down the river is the perfect way to relax after a long day on the trail. Plus, you might get to see some fascinating wildlife along the way.

Juneau, Alaska, is a beautiful place to visit. The city is located in the state’s southeastern corner, surrounded by glaciers, mountains, forests, and diverse wildlife such as bears, eagles, and whales. It is also a fantastic place for visitors looking for excursions to Mendenhall Glacier due to its close proximity (just 12 miles from downtown Juneau.)

Visitors to Juneau can enjoy many activities, including hiking, fishing, whale watching, and kayaking. Some of the things you should not miss out on include a tour through the Tracy Arm Fjord , where the stunning twin Sawyer Glaciers await at the end. You can also learn about Alaska’s culture and history in the Alaska State Museum, which houses over 32,000 historical artifacts, art, and specimens.

Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Guided Walk

You probably already knew that you can see A LOT of glaciers in Alaska, but did you know that you could actually walk on one? Yep, it’s true! Mendenhall Glacier is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Alaska. With a length of 21.9 km and a width of about 2.4 km, plus reaching elevations of up to almost 5,200 feet, it is definitely a sight to behold for any traveler.

There are quite a few Holland America cruise excursions that will take you from downtown Juneau to Mendenhall Glacier by helicopter, which is located just outside of Juneau. We did the standard guided walk where our copter flew us around the glacier for a birds-eye view, then landed on the ice. We hopped out to WALK ON THE GLACIER!! There was even the option to drink glacier water, which I did!

Ketchikan is a beautiful city located in southeastern Alaska. The city is known for its stunning scenery, waterfront location, and mountainous backdrop. And with five different salmon species coming in droves every July to September, it is known as the Salmon Capital of the World.

Ketchikan is also a great place to enjoy the outdoors, with its hiking trails and kayaking opportunities. Some of the best excursions include the Totem Bight State Historical Park, home to over 14 totem poles and a chieftain house, and the Misty Fjords, a nature lover’s paradise accessible only by plane or boat, and comprising almost 2.3 million acres of wilderness and is part of the Tongass National Forest .

In addition, the city is home to a variety of cultural attractions, including the Totem Heritage Center and the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. And, of course, no visit to Ketchikan would be complete without taking a fishing charter or enjoying some of the fresh seafood.

Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer Cruise

The Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer Cruise is a great way to see some of Alaska’s most beautiful scenery. The Misty Fjords is part of the Tongass National Forest (the nation’s largest national forest) and is accessible mostly by boat or plane.

The cruise takes you through the Inside Passage, allowing you to see firsthand the stunning waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, and pristine waterways that make this state so unique. On the way back, you’ll also have the chance to see wildlife in their natural habitat, including whales, bald eagles, and sea otters.

Cruising Inside Passage

Alaska’s Inside Passage is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world—and it’s no wonder why. The Passage boasts some of the most stunning scenery on earth, from towering mountains and glaciers to pristine forests and crystal-clear waterways. 

This renowned coastal route takes you through the waters between portions of Washington (Puget Sound), British Columbia, and Alaska (Lynn Canal).

Wildlife is abundant, and there are plenty of opportunities to see orca whales!

Vancouver is a unique city with a fascinating history. The city has always been known for its beautiful scenery, mild climate, and diversity. It also offers many opportunities for outdoor activities, such as hiking, skiing, biking, sailing, and kayaking.

Some of the things you should not miss out on include walking/biking around Stanley Park (be sure to check out the seawall), exploring the art and food scene at the historic Gastown (and its Steam Clock), and the breathtaking views of Vancouver at Queen Elizabeth Park.

Onboard Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam

Dining experience inside holland american’s nieuw amsterdam cruise ship.

There’s no shortage of great places to eat onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam. For a taste of the Orient, Tamarind offers a delicious menu of traditional Asian dishes. Or, for Italian cuisine lovers, Canaletto serves up mouth-watering pizzas and pasta dishes (I had a delicious lasagna!). 

And if you’re looking for something light and healthy, the Lido Market buffet is perfect for grabbing a quick bite. Of course, no visit to Nieuw Amsterdam would be complete without trying the famous New York Pizza! 

Suites & Staterooms Experience Inside Holland American’s Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise Ship

Guests have plenty of options when it comes to the rooms inside Nieuw Amsterdam that will surely fit their needs. There are six room types to choose from: Inside (no windows), Ocean View, Verandah, Vista, Signature, and Neptune/Pinnacle. For my trip, I opted for the Verandah room.

The Verandah Cabins on board the Nieuw Amsterdam are some of the largest and most popular staterooms on the ship. Located on decks 4 and 8, these cabins offer amazing views of the ship’s wake and also feature a large bathroom with a tub and shower.

Cruise Ship Entertainment

Looking for a place to let loose and have some fun? Then head on over to the Nieuw Amsterdam Mainstage or B.B. Kings Blues Club for some entertainment where each night features a different show. You might see the BBC Earth wildlife documentary paired with live music, a hilarious comedian or entertaining dancers.

Onboard Activities

Looking for something to do onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam? You won’t be disappointed! There are plenty of activities to keep you entertained during your cruise. One popular option is hitting up the casino to try your luck at the slot machines. Or opt for a game of bingo where there’s potential to win some good money!

If you’re looking to relax, take a dip in one of the pools or enjoy a game of ping pong. There’s also a variety of onboard shops where you can browse for a souvenir insulated mug or piece of artwork.

Holland America Alaskan Cruises offer travelers a unique opportunity to experience the stunning natural beauty of Alaska while enjoying the amenities of a luxurious cruise ship. While each cruise is slightly different, there are a few things that you can expect on all of their cruises. First and foremost, you can expect Holland America’s trademark attention to detail and outstanding customer service. Holland America takes care of all the details so that you can relax and enjoy your vacation. You can also expect to see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Alaska is home to glaciers, mountains, fjords, and wildlife, and Holland America’s cruises give you the chance to see it all. If you’re looking for an unforgettable Alaska cruise, Holland America is the perfect choice.

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6 thoughts on “What to Expect on a Holland America Alaskan Cruise”

Your post is very helpful and informative for all readers and for me also.

Did you pick a side room or back end of the ship? What would you recommend?

My room was towards the front of the ship, which was nice whenever they opened the doors to outside for viewing different nature and wildlife.

Holland America’s Alaskan Cruise from Fairbanks to Vancouver is the perfect way to see the stunning scenery of Alaska.

I could not agree more

awesome post very informative.

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Experiencing the Best Of Alaska With Holland America Line

Cruises , Online Exclusives

Holland America Line’s immersive Alaska voyages showcase The Great Land’s amazing wildlife, scenic wonders, rich culture and authentic local cuisine

Alaska is a sought-after destination for leisure group travelers, and cruises are one of the most popular ways to experience the 49th state. Summer Alaska cruise volume climbed to nearly 1.7 million cruise passengers last year, significantly above the record number welcomed in 2019. Cruise lines expect the surging demand for Alaska voyages to continue this year as well.  

Holland America Line is an exceptional choice for Alaska voyages. With more than 75 years in Alaska, Holland America offers a variety of exciting itineraries and shore excursions in the Last Frontier. Holland America Line’s 11 upscale ships feature specialty dining restaurants, entertainment, and outstanding enrichment programming, allowing groups to customize a wide array of experiences to match their travelers’ interests.  

On Holland America Line voyages, guests can enjoy unforgettable adventures and experience Alaska in a memorable way. During our Southeast Alaska cruise, we saw humpback whales breaching and bubble-net feeding, sampled authentic local cuisines, soared above the rainforest on the world’s largest ZipRider, observed bald eagles and massive Alaskan brown bears, and learned about Alaska’s culture and way of life. Throughout our Holland America Line Alaska journey, the enchanting destination was the star of the show.

Holland America Line’s Eurodam (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)

Sailing On A Holland America Line Southeast Alaska Cruise

Our Holland America Line voyage aboard the 2,104-passenger Eurodam sailed round-trip from Seattle, Washington. The classic 7-day Alaskan Explorer itinerary featured alluring ports of call, including Juneau, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, and Victoria, British Columbia. While I’ve explored Alaska multiple times on large and small ships, this itinerary offered the opportunity to visit Icy Strait Point for the first time and return to perennial favorite Glacier Bay. Holland America Line’s shore excursions are outstanding, and the entire journey exceeded my expectations.

Our Alaska adventure departed from Seattle in the mid-afternoon, which allowed a full day and a half of enriching Alaska programming and entertainment before reaching Juneau. Holland America Line’s exclusive Explorations Central (EXC) destination programs are exceptional, and we enjoyed several engaging EXC talks and presentations while bound for Alaska. Holland America Line’s cruises also feature an onboard wildlife expert, and we attended his wildlife spotting sessions throughout the cruise.  

The Juneau cruise port provides convenient access to local shops and restaurants. (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)

Exploring Juneau’s Memorable Attractions

Juneau is a popular Alaska cruise port, offering a wide variety of shore excursions for all interests. Our Holland America Line itinerary gave us nine hours to spend in Juneau, and we used every moment to its fullest. We explored Juneau’s vibrant food scene on a fabulous culinary walk, tasting our way through many of the best food and drink venues in the downtown area. Juneau is home to award-winning eateries and James Beard-nominated chefs, and our fantastic guide provided insights about Juneau’s history, culture, and local culinary gems. 

Next up was our small-group whale-watching tour on a fully permitted research vessel which collects data for university and regional science programs. A whale sighting was guaranteed, and our captain and Mother Nature delivered in a big way. We saw humpback whales breaching and bubble-net feeding, cute seals, lounging sea lions and other marine life. Our naturalist guide was excellent, providing knowledgeable insights about Alaska’s whales and marine environment. 

Massive Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)

Spectacular Scenic Cruising In Glacier Bay National Park

In a cruise filled with extraordinary experiences, our stellar day sailing through Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve was at the top of the list. National Park Service rangers boarded our ship to provide a variety of programming, and our captain opened up Eurodam’s bow deck as we glided up the 65-mile-long waterway. Scenic commentary was offered throughout the journey, and we sampled Holland America Line’s delicious Dutch pea soup out on deck. 

Glacier Bay has more than 1,000 glaciers, and we spent much of the day mesmerized by the iconic ice-filled landscapes and awe-inspiring views. Our captain kept the ship situated in the Margerie Glacier area for some time, allowing us to watch as huge chunks of electric-blue ice cracked and crashed into the water below. We also sailed in front of Johns Hopkins Inlet for my first-ever view of the park’s most active advancing tidewater glacier. Wildlife is abundant, and we spotted graceful humpback whales, harbor seals, brown bears, sea otters, and bald eagles. 

Icy Strait Point’s ZipRider features breathtaking speeds and stunning views. (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)

Thrilling Adventures And Cultural Heritage At Icy Strait Point

After sailing through Glacier Bay National Park, our ship arrived at Icy Strait Point for a several hour visit. Privately owned and operated by Huna Totem Corporation, this lovely port near Glacier Bay immerses visitors in Alaska’s beauty and Native Tlingit culture. Guests can visit a restored 1912 salmon cannery and museum, shop at Alaskan-owned retail stores and enjoy incredible outdoor experiences, including the epic ZipRider Adventure. 

I have looked forward to racing down the world’s largest ZipRider for well over a decade, and the thrilling flight lived up to its bucket list billing. We boarded the SkyGlider Mountaintop Gondola for a scenic ride to the top of Hoonah Mountain, then made our way to the ZipRider launch area. The Icy Strait Point attraction is taller than New York’s Empire State Building and features six 5,330-foot zip lines. Riders accelerate to more than 60 miles per hour, and the adrenaline rush is only matched by the dazzling panoramic views. 

A rescued Alaskan brown bear at Sitka’s Fortress of the Bear (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)

Memorable Wildlife Watching In Sitka

Tiny Sitka is one of my favorite Alaskan ports of call, and it’s loaded with attractions for those interested in nature, history, and culture. Having visited Sitka’s charming downtown multiple times, I opted for an outstanding land and sea adventure focusing on Sitka’s unforgettable wildlife viewing experiences. It proved to be an excellent choice.

We boarded a deluxe catamaran for a beautiful cruise into Southeast Alaska’s marine ecosystem, viewing rafts of sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, and humpback whales along the way. Our excursion continued by bus to the Alaska Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear rescue center in Silver Bay. Our group enjoyed touring the outstanding facilities, learning about Alaska’s wildlife, and being so close to these incredible creatures. 

Entertaining Enrichment In Ketchikan

The final Alaskan port of call on our cruise itinerary was Ketchikan, home to the F/V Aleutian Ballad. The commercial crab fishing boat was made famous in the second season of the Discovery Channel’s award-winning “Deadliest Catch” reality TV series. The seasoned crew brings their captivating tales to life during the popular Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s tour, immersing guests in their personal stories of harrowing adventures at sea.

The Aleutian Ballad sails along the protected waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage during the three-hour excursion, and wildlife is plentiful. We watched as the crew hauled crabs, octopus, fish, and other marine life onboard, and it was fun to hold some of them as well. One of the most memorable highlights was watching dozens of bald eagles circling and diving for fish near lovely Annette Island. Their aerial acrobatics were amazing. 

Wok-seared lobster and other delights at Eurodam’s Tamarind restaurant (Photo credit: Nancy Schretter)

Outstanding Amenities And Culinary Experiences On The Eurodam

Holland America Line’s Eurodam is an ideal size for an Alaska cruise, offering plenty of restaurants and attractions without being overwhelming. Refurbished in 2015, the intimate mid-size ship delivers an amenity-rich, premium cruise experience for guests without the crowds and distractions often found on larger vessels. The ship’s attentive service, World Stage performances, and “Alaska Up Close” guest experiences are exceptional. 

In addition to the immersive Alaska-themed enrichment programming, groups will enjoy the spacious accommodations, a wide variety of dining options, the centralized pool with retractable roof, world-class spa, and the prodigious amount of live entertainment on board. We spent most of our evenings at Billboard Onboard or B.B. King’s Blues Club, listening to the fabulous vocalists and dancing the night away. The ship’s high-octane Orange Party was a fun-filled celebration to remember, too. 

Dining is one of the perennial highlights aboard a Holland America Line Alaska cruise. Holland America Line’s culinary offerings are superb, and the Eurodam features a wide array of award-winning dining experiences to please every palate. The cruise line is passionate about culinary excellence, and its Culinary Council of renowned chefs develops world-class menus for dining venues throughout the fleet.  

We enjoyed the certified sustainable and traceable wild Alaska seafood and regionally inspired cuisine at multiple shipboard restaurants and the delectable Alaska Brunch in Eurodam’s Dining Room. My meals at two of the ship’s specialty dining venues, Tamarind and the Pinnacle Grill, rank among the best I’ve had at sea. We also enjoyed sampling Holland America’s cocktails featuring authentic glacier ice and the fantastic hot coffee drinks at the Explorations Cafe. 

While taking in the panoramic views in The Crow’s Nest on our last day at sea, I spent time thinking back on our incredible Alaska adventures. The Last Frontier is addictive, as is Holland America Line’s idyllic cruise experience. Once you’ve journeyed to Alaska, you’ll find yourself planning to visit again. 

By Nancy Schretter

Lead Photo: Holland America Line ship in Glacier Bay (Photo credit: Holland America Line)

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What our Alaska cruise was like aboard Holland America Line’s Eurodam

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My dad and I just wrapped up a trip of a lifetime to Alaska. We had an amazing time aboard Holland America Line ‘s Eurodam on our 7-day Alaska cruise. This was a very special trip to honor my mom who passed away in October 2021. She had always wanted to do an Alaska cruise but never got the chance, so we did it in her honor.

Let’s get into my Holland America Alaska cruise review!

Table of Contents

Where we went on our Holland America Alaska cruise

I’ll break down each of our port stops below, but here’s our 7-Day Alaskan Explorer cruise itinerary at a glance aboard the Holland America Eurodam cruise ship from June 3-10, 2023:

Saturday: Departed Seattle, 3 p.m.

Sunday: At sea

Monday: Juneau, 1 p.m.-10 p.m.

Tuesday: Glacier Bay scenic cruising & Icy Strait Point evening arrival 6 p.m-10 p.m.

Wednesday: Sitka, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Thursday: Ketchikan, 7 a.m.-1 p.m.

Friday: Victoria, British Columbia 8 p.m.-11 p.m.

Saturday: Seattle arrival, 7 a.m.

Here we are at the Space Needle!

Our Holland America Alaska cruise left from Seattle on Saturday afternoon but we arrived Thursday night, which gave us a bit of a buffer in case our flight was delayed. The early arrival also allowed us to explore Seattle. It was our first time there and the weather cooperated. We had sunny skies and temps in the high 60s F. It was literally a warm welcome!

First up, we visited Pike Place and the original Starbucks in the early morning hours (thanks jetlag!) and retraced my mom’s footsteps from years ago when she went to Seattle on a business trip. We also went to the Seattle Art Museum and the Space Needle before the cruise left and had a lot of fun discovering Seattle.

My dad and I arrived at the ship on Saturday morning around 11am and the embarkation process had us on the boat and in our room at noon. One thing to note is that your luggage will be delivered to your room up to a couple of hours later, so keep any medication and other important items you might need right away in your carry-on.

The ship: Holland America Line’s Eurodam

The Eurodam was Holland America Line’s first Signature Class ship, completed in 2008, and accommodates about 2,100 passengers and is 936 feet long. It’s home to several specialty restaurants, a bunch of entertainment venues such as B.B. King’s Blues Club where you’ll hear all kinds of R&B classics, a World Stage for the dance, other performances, and talks, and Billboard Onboard.

There’s also a pickleball court on the top decks along with a basketball hoop, walking track, ping pong, pools, and hot tubs.

If relaxing at the spa is more your thing, you’ll find the Greenhouse Spa & Salon® up on Deck 9 next to the fitness center complete with hydropools that are perfect for sea days. There’s also a casino down on Deck 2 with both table games and slot machines.

Cabin 6170, Aft Verandah Stateroom aboard Holland America’s Eurodam

We stayed in cabin 6170 of the Eurodam which is an aft verandah stateroom (balcony cabin) at the very back of the ship looking straight out. It has two twin beds that can be pushed together or kept separate, a couch that can be pulled out to a third bed, desk area, and a bathroom that had a bathtub (not just a shower).

I appreciated the different sized pillows and the fact that there were three per bed. They were comfy as well. It’s the little things, right?

Cabin 6170, Aft Verandah Cabin aboard Holland America’s Eurodam

We found the space to be very comfortable with plenty of room and adequate storage both under the bed and in the closets. The balconies on the aft cabins seem to be a little bigger than standard verandah cabins on the sides of the ship and had two chairs with footrests and a small table.

There were several electrical outlets in the cabin to charge your devices right next to the bed and by the desk. They all had USB outlets so you can plug your chargers directly into the USB ports.

The cabin was a 10/10. Zero complaints! We didn’t find it to be any louder or more prone to motion than other cabins so seasickness wasn’t an issue. I appreciate that Holland America ships all have classic styling and a relaxing feel in all the cabins — no crazy colors or anything so you’ll get great sleep!

Ports we visited on our Holland America Alaska cruise on the Eurodam

I told you a little bit about our short time in Seattle above and I’d definitely recommend spending a day or two in Seattle either before or after the cruise. There’s a lot to see and do and it’s well worth leaving yourself some extra time.

Our first port was Juneau and we had a whale watching/glacier excursion booked. It was a small group tour of just 20 people and included an easy hike to the Mendenhall Glacier first, followed up by a scenic trip on a whale watching boat.

The hike to the glacier is slow and easy and only about a mile long. The tour company has access to a private trail that takes you to the glacier, so there were no crowds along the way. Thank goodness our guide had bear spray just in case we encountered any grizzly bears. Luckily, we didn’t and I’m not sad we didn’t see any bears up close.

The Mendenhall Glacier is stunning in person and well worth the trip. We learned that it’s receding little by little each year so we’re glad to have seen it before it disappears. We also learned a bit about the area and its wildlife along the way. We even saw a porcupine in a tree.

Then, it was time to board our whale watching boat. We lucked out and saw about 15 humpback whales! Tour boats needs to stay 100 yards away from the whales, but even at that distance we saw the whales as they came to the surface and even did a few tail flips for us. It was an amazing sight to witness! They moved too quickly for me to get a photo, though.

Definitely wear layers, gloves, and bring a hat or headband to cover your ears. Even though we had nice weather and it was June, you might get a bit splashed like I did. It also got windy and quite cool toward the end of our tour and I was glad I dressed for the weather (high 40s F). More on what to wear below.

I believe this was the Margerie Glacier. Just WOW!

Glacier Bay

The next day in Glacier Bay was one of the highlights of our Holland America Alaska cruise. Just WOW! It reminded me of some of the sights from our Norway trip ! It’s part of the scenic cruising and you stay on the ship and take in the views from the water.

The narrow bay is flanked by majestic terrain on both sides. From snow-capped mountains to glaciers and forests, it’s out of this world. Glacier Bay State Park was a perfect mix of calm and beauty in one. If you have the chance to go, DEFINITELY GO!

Something I appreciated that really helped us to see everything was how the captain stopped several times and slowly turned the ship 360 degrees. Everyone on board was able to see Glacier Bay in all its glory no matter what side their cabin was on.

On our kayaking excursion!

Icy Strait Point

Later that day after hitting the casino a bit and trying our hand at pickleball, we pulled into Icy Strait Point around 6 p.m. and promptly hopped off the ship to head out to our kayaking excursion. Despite the fact that neither my dad nor I have kayaked much in the past decade, we figured it would be fun. Oh boy, were we in for a surprise.

For the life of us, we couldn’t get the dang tandem kayak to go straight for the first half of the tour. We were just laughing the whole time looking like degenerates at the very back of the group with the second tour guide.

We tried our best and finally got a little better and joined the rest of the group. Our group even saw a sea lion and bald eagle (probably laughing at our pitiful kayaking skills lol).

Kayaking is harder than it looks, let me say that. Thank goodness it was a beginner excursion, nothing strenuous, so we didn’t get too far behind. If you can paddle forward, you’re in good shape.

Along the way, the guides told us about the local area including the wildlife, what life is like there, and the price of groceries. They explained how everything has to be flown in and the meat and dairy products are nearly at their expiration date upon arrival.

You do get a bit wet while kayaking and the tour company provided us with special pants, a life jacket, and a leg covering so we wouldn’t get too wet, so rest assured you’ll have all the gear you need for this excursion. 

We finished up around 9 p.m and had to get back to the ship. There was a cool gondola ride that I wish we had time for. Tom would have loved that. Next time, I guess! All in all, the kayaking was fun and once we figured things out, the tour went a lot more smoothly.

Also, if you stop like our group did a few times to listen to the guide, there are midges (insects) that will bite your face. My dad didn’t feel them biting him and when we got back to the ship, I gasped because his whole forehead looked like he had the measles. They faded after a day or so, but be prepared.

We didn’t have an excursion booked and decided to explore Sitka on our own. There’s a free shuttle bus right from the port that’ll get you into town in about 10 minutes. The downtown area is right on the water so you can walk around and take in the beautiful scenery while shopping or grabbing a bite to eat.

Enormous King Crab legs for sale in Sitka, Alaska

Check out the biggest King Crab legs I’ve ever seen. I thought they were fake at first!

We did a little souvenir shopping and then headed back to the ship in the afternoon.

One of the most stunning things I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.

Ketchikan was where we did the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s tour with crew from the Deadliest Catch reality show. It was the highlight of our trip and this gets a 10 out of 10. If you’re on the fence about what Alaska shore excursions might be right for you, definitely go with this one if you’re interested in fishing, wildlife, and good stories.

First up, you board the Aleutian Ballad that’s been outfitted for tours and you have the option to sit either upstairs or downstairs. Make sure you arrive early so you can get a front row seat.

It’s a 3-hour tour that stays within the calm waters of the Inside Passage, so you definitely won’t get seasick. Along the way, you’ll be treated to stories from Bering Sea fishermen and even get to see and hold some of the crabs they catch. The King Crabs were HUGE and the biggest I’ve ever seen. Everything is released back into the sea. 

Only the tour guides were allowed to hold these because if not done correctly, they could break your finger!

Two parts of the tour were especially moving for us. The first was when the fishermen threw bait into the water which attracted about 20-30 bald eagles. We saw them up close as they dove into the water to grab the fish with their claws.

They swooped down and around in this flying frenzy like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It was quite a show! To be able to witness this in nature — not in a zoo — was extremely emotional for my dad and me and we knew my mom was with us. I’m so grateful we got to see that.

Quick aside: I actually made a memorial diamond from my mom’s ashes and she had her homecoming in March 2023. This special trip is the first (hopefully of many) where my mom came along in diamond form.

The second thing which was especially meaningful to us was when the crew members pulled up a crab pot that had a bunch of tags on it. They explained that each tag had a handwritten message from guests who wanted to honor a loved one and we knew it was something we wanted to contribute to as well. It was perfect, considering the whole purpose of our trip — to honor my mom and take her on her bucket list trip.

The donations go toward helping a local group of natives who have lost fishermen over the years. They depend on fishing to live and donations go toward helping their families. We made a donation and got our own blank tag that will then get attached to the crab pot with all the others. I wrote my message, signed the tag, and smiled despite the tears.

Victoria, BC

It was a rainy and cool night, so my dad and I decided to stay on the ship. It was a late arrival, and since we had food and drinks on the boat and were tired, we figured we’d catch Victoria another time and call it an early night.

Holland America Line Eurodam food

OK, let’s move on to what we ate!

For meals, you have several dining options on your Holland America Alaska cruise:

–Buffet on Deck 9, the Lido Deck (for breakfast, lunch and dinner)

–Main Dining Room on Decks 2-3 (for breakfast and dinner, and lunch on certain days)

–Specialty dining restaurants (additional fee, for lunch and dinner)

–Room service (24/7)

— Dive-In and New York Pizza on Deck 9 (Dive-in closes at 6 p.m. but NY Pizza stays open until 11 p.m.)

First, I’ll start with the most important meal of the day! We’re breakfast lovers and had no shortage of choices. Since it’s our favorite meal of the day, we went big and tried almost everything on the menu. Standouts for me were pancakes, French toast, Belgian waffles, omelets, and the sausage patties (you can’t get them in France!).

You can either have breakfast upstairs at the buffet on the Lido Deck 9, in the main dining room at a sit-down table with a menu and waiter, or opt for room service (which is free). We split our breakfasts between the buffet and main dining room.

We opted for a room service breakfast on the morning we arrived in Ketchikan, as we had an early excursion and the main dining room wasn’t open yet (had to be out the door by 7:30am and that’s when it opened). The buffet opens at 6 a.m., though for the early risers.

For lunch, we usually hit the buffet and had a small lunch and saved our appetite for dinner. I tried Dive-In and New York Pizza and both were excellent. Dive-In is kind of a Shake Shack-style place with a bunch of burger, hot dog, and fry options.

For dinner, we ate in the main dining room every night except for the first night where we had booked a table ahead of time at the Pinnacle Grill. You can book specialty restaurants ahead of time or once you’re on board, but if you have your heart set on a specific day and time, definitely reserve a table ahead of time or on the first day since reservations are required. My dad got lamb and I got chicken. Both were excellent. There are also vegetarian options.

To sum up my thoughts on the food, well, I can’t praise the food enough. We didn’t have a single subpar meal on the Eurodam. We ate everything from fish and shrimp to beef and lamb and even escargots. Desserts ranged from tiramisu, to a hot fudge ice cream sundae, to a fruit crumble, and so much more. Portions are on the medium size, I’d say. They were just right.

I’d also like to point out that the entire Holland America staff took extra care with my food allergy and no mistakes were made. I let the dining staff supervisor know about my problem with citrus right when we boarded and everyone was made aware.

This was really important to me because sometimes I get nervous at restaurants when the staff doesn’t seem too confident about what’s in their food, but this was not a problem at all on our cruise. I was so thankful that mealtime wasn’t stressful for me. Thanks, Holland America, for taking food allergies seriously.

What to pack for an Alaska cruise

This could be an entire post in and of itself, but here are a few quick tips for what to pack for an Alaska cruise in June.

A light rain jacket , thin goose down packable puffer jacket , both short and long sleeved shirts, and sturdy hiking shoes/sneakers are a must. It’s a good idea to wear non-cotton pants that won’t absorb water, so leave your jeans on the boat and opt for quick-drying pants on excursions.

A scarf, gloves, and a hat are must-have items as well. I wore a poncho (above) for our Whales & Trails tour and it served me well in the drizzle. An umbrella would have worked as well.

I’d recommend being prepared for a variety of weather conditions including rain and wind, with temps that range from the 40s-70s F. In Juneau, it was about 48 F as a high and it got cool and wet on our whale watching tour. Same for Glacier Bay — not warmer than 50 F and it was cloudy.

The sun came and went and I was glad I layered up. In the cooler ports, I had on a t-shirt, long sleeved medium-weight hoodie, my packable puffer jacket, and a thigh-length rain jacket (plus a scarf and gloves), plus sneakers. And I’m someone who is rarely cold. What I wore was perfect.

Other days, I left the puffer coat on the ship and just wore a long sleeve shirt and rain jacket.

Depending on your excursions, you may want to consider hiking boots and additional gear if you’re doing all-day hiking, fishing, etc. But for the average cruiser, what I’ve mentioned above is sufficient. Also keep in mind that there are laundry services on board.

If you are planning on going to the spa or the hot tubs or pool, don’t forget your swimsuit. On our first day as we left Seattle, it was in the low 70s F and people were in the pool, so it’s not always too cold to swim.

I will point out that our tour guides in Juneau remarked that it was a bit cooler than usual (in the 40s F), but still, definitely bring layers and be ready for anything. June really is the best time to go to Alaska — not quite peak season and not as much rain as later in the summer.

Things I brought that I never ended up wearing : Shorts, sandals, and my dress. The formal/gala nights are pretty low-key in Alaska and plenty of people opted out or just wore nice pants (it’s quite cool on the ship) and a dressy top — not a fancy dress. I also packed about four tops I never touched.

2 Things I should have brought that I forgot : A refillable water bottle. Totally slipped my mind! It’s great for both on the ship and off. This is the one I forgot (with a sports top).

Also, hand cream would have come in handy (couldn’t resist the pun!). While there’s regular body lotion in the cabin, a moisturizing hand cream would have been great to have. This is my favorite . Your hands will get dry from all the hand washing and hand sanitizer, as well as from the cool weather.

What’s a Holland America Line cruise like?

Before last summer when Tom and I went to Norway on Holland America’s Rotterdam , I didn’t know what to expect. As a teen and young adult, I had cruised on Carnival and wasn’t familiar with Holland America Line at all. When I asked around, people said it’s for elderly people and the ships don’t have much going on. 

But the stereotypes didn’t hold true.

Alaska is a pretty active destination with many cruisers opting for active excursions like kayaking, hiking, and more, so I found the other passengers to be on the younger side overall. I’d say over 90% were American (whereas on our Norway trip, the majority were Dutch).

I don’t have stats from the cruise line, but the average age was probably 50 (not 80!), with many couples in their 20s and 30s and lots of multigenerational families cruising together.

Keep in mind that Holland America is an American-owned cruise line — Carnival Corporation is the parent company — and its cruises are for people who want a classic, upscale cruise experience at whatever age.

School is out in June in many areas of the U.S. so it makes sense that we saw a bunch of kids and teens. As we get further into the summer season, I’m sure that will only increase. The average age skews toward an older crowd outside of peak season.

If you haven’t seriously considered Holland America because it has a rep for being a cruise line for senior citizens, I’d urge you to reconsider. Yes, there were older folks on board but it was a nice mix. I definitely didn’t feel like I was on a retirement cruise by any means. Not that that would be a bad thing, but for those of you curious about the average age, I just wanted to share my experience.

While you won’t find water slides, rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, and wet tee shirt contests on Holland America, you will find great live music, destination talks, expertly choreographed dance shows on the World Stage, a casino, gym, spa, and a bunch of daily on-board activities like tai chi, pickleball, origami folding, a game room, and all kinds of other things to keep you busy.

Something I loved was the library where you can borrow a book for the duration of the cruise. I read Lucy Foley’s “ The Paris Apartment ” and loved sitting in the Barnes & Noble-esque library chairs watching the waves from the window. It was a perfect cruise (or beach) read!

Another highlight was the B.B. King’s Blues Club. The musicians ROCKED and often had crowds well after midnight. We also loved the dance shows. The six dancers that made up Step One performed beautifully.

Would I cruise with Holland America Line again?

Absolutely, yes. This was my second Holland America Line cruise ( Norway was my first, and this was my dad’s first cruise with them, of hopefully many) and we had a great time! 

Holland America has a more classic style and feels more low-key than other cruise lines. What I mean is that you won’t find activities on the schedule at 2 a.m. The shows don’t have a cast of 30 people. There’s also no nightclub/DJ, although there is a dance floor at B.B King’s and entertainment that can span well past midnight.

We also didn’t witness any crazy behavior that people sometimes associate with cruises. You know, overly inebriated folks who make a scene and that sort of thing while wearing their swimsuit to dinner. None of that to be found!

Holland America is classy and attracts a clientele looking for an upscale, cultured experience. Even in college, I was 20 going on 60 and am not big into nightlife and partying. I am an early riser and go to bed well before midnight, so some of the more lively nightlife you’ll find on other cruise lines isn’t my thing anyway.

For me, Holland America is suited to my personal cruise style. Great food, a nice selection of music and entertainment, nicely equipped gym, a casino and spa, and loads of areas in which to relax and hang out.

Our Holland America Alaska cruise was absolutely incredible and I hope my mom was able to enjoy it too. I have to believe she was there with us in spirit and is at peace. Cheers to Alaska and thank you to my dad. 😉 This was the most meaningful trip I’ve ever taken and it was brought me so much comfort to have been able to do it with my dad.

I hope you’ll check out Holland America Line for your next cruise to Alaska and that you’ll have as much fun as we did! It was truly a great experience.

Disclosure: Please note our Holland America Alaska cruise was NOT a press trip.

PIN my Holland America Alaska cruise reviews post:

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June 17, 2023 at 3:20 pm

Wow! I’m glad you and your dad had an amazing time, and also that you felt your mom there in spirit! Seattle and Alaska are two places my family and I would love to visit. I’ve wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska for quite a while. The atmosphere on this cruise sounds perfect to me too! We went on a cruise to Nova Scotia out of Boston in June, maybe 10 years ago, and I loved the cool, foggy weather. It was on Carnival, which isn’t really my ideal atmosphere, but my sons liked all the activities. Thanks for a great review, and I hope you have a great summer!

June 17, 2023 at 5:48 pm

Thanks so much, Susan! It’s really a spectacular trip. Hope you have a great summer too 🙂

June 17, 2023 at 5:12 pm

A wonderful post. Thank you, Diane.

June 17, 2023 at 5:47 pm

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for reading!

June 18, 2023 at 11:52 pm

This sounds like the trip of a lifetime, Diane! I’m so glad you got to do this with your dad in memory of your mom. It’s so meaningful that you were able to write a message on the crab pot tag as well.

The photos are also absolutely stunning – I’ve been meaning to ask, but did you get a new camera in the last couple years? Would love to know the model and lens as I’ve been considering getting a new camera for a while (looking at a Sony full-frame).

Hoping you have a wonderful rest of your summer with many more meaningful trips!

June 19, 2023 at 3:08 pm

It really was amazing, thank you so much for reading. 🙂

So glad you like my photos and to answer your question, believe it, or not, all the photos you see here (except kayak pic, that was a GoPro) were taken with my iPhone 11!! I do have a new camera, but I did not bring it with me on this trip in an effort to pack light. Thx again!

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Holland America Alaska Cruise Review (MS Noordam)

When we got married in May 2016, we decided to go to Alaska and go on a cruise for our honeymoon. Picking a honeymoon destination seems like a big deal, with numerous destinations to go to, as well as options on how to get there. In the end, after numerous brochures, and research, we booked a Holland America Alaska Cruise with Holland America Cruises.

Holland America Alaska Cruise Review

Our options, why we chose holland america, your fellow cruisers, the itinerary, shore excursions:, onboard activities:, are you planning to cruise alaska, related posts: , share this:.

It’s not our first time to go on a cruise. We actually went on a smaller one to the Bahamas from Cape Canaveral on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas in preparation for this longer cruise. We figured most people on honeymoon prefer to feel luxury a bit: taking an all-inclusive resort in a sunny beach. We’ve done that before, so why not see nature with the all-inclusive benefit from a cruise?

Before we booked this, we attended 2 AAA events with Holland America featuring Alaska cruises. During travel fairs (AAA sponsored as well), we collected brochures from various cruise companies that go to Alaska. Heck, we even researched smaller cruise ships! Here were the cruise lines that went to our short list and why we didn’t choose them:

• Royal Caribbean – We like the vibe of Royal Caribbean. Their activities are more catered for millennials and younger cruises or those with family. However, their ships are bigger- meaning, you share more space with other people on a floating barge. That turned us off.
• Princess Cruises – We also liked the vibe of Princess Cruises, and we were close to booking it. However, the dates of the cruise we wanted (Southbound from Alaska to the mainland) were not available. Boo. Plus, Princess Cruises is a bit more expensive than Holland America.
• Uncruise Adventures – Now this one I really liked. It’s a small ship where you can be adventurous and do kayaking and stuff in Alaska. The downside is that it’s so much more expensive than the other cruise lines. Maybe in the future we can consider this (when we’re FI and not as cash-poor as now).

Aside from the price, the Holland America southbound cruise that we were eyeing had a stop in Glacier Bay National Park. While we wouldn’t physically go down in Glacier Bay, there’s a park ranger who will be going up on the ship and explaining the various wildlife and providing a commentary about the glaciers.

Not many ships actually include Glacier Bay National Park on their routes. In fact, to preserve the site, the National Park Service limits only two cruises per day in the park. Most other ships include the Hubbard Glacier if they can’t get to Glacier Bay, so if you find a cruise that actually suits your schedule AND stops by Glacier Bay, it’s a shoe in.

The price of Holland America’s verandah is also comparable to the other cruise lines. However, they gave us a deal when we booked through Costco: we got $250 in shore credit to use on the ship. We could use it for anything we would want: drink packages (NOT), shopping, shore excursions, even tips!

In summary, we mostly chose the Holland America cruise because it fit our dates and budget. Oh, and also because Glacier Bay National Park was part of the itinerary, of course.

Holland America attracts certain types of clientele. As our host in one excursion said: newlyweds, nearly dead, and overfed. It was a bit funny, but it’s actually true.

While we didn’t meet a lot of newlyweds, we would say that majority of the cruisers (like 70% +) are.. err… from the baby boomer era. Most of them are pretty cool, but you can’t expect a cruise to be the same level and energy as Royal Caribbean in terms of entertainment.

The cruise that we chose was a 7 Day Southbound from Seward, Alaska and disembarks in Vancouver, British Columbia. I silently complained to Peter – “Why do we have to disembark in Vancouver? Why not Seattle?” But it is what it is.

The 7 Day Alaska cruise itinerary is as follows:

• Day 1 : Seward, Alaska
• Day 2 : Cruising
• Day 3 : Glacier Bay National Park
• Day 4 : Haines, Alaska
• Day 5 : Juneau, Alaska
• Day 6 : Ketchikan, Alaska
• Day 7 : Cruising Inside Passage
• Day 8 : (7AM) Arrive Vancouver, BC, Canada

You can read more on what we did and on which dates in our 2 week itinerary post. You can also read more about our first impressions of Alaska .

In a nutshell though, here are our comments:

I wish we went to Skagway instead of Haines . Seems like there’s plenty more to do in Skagway than in Haines itself. Good thing I managed to find a local Haines company to book a tour with. And we were in our own group when we went to see the bald eagles up close (not to mention we didn’t pay the exorbitant amount the cruise ships were asking for).

I wish the ship spent more time in Juneau . There’s so many things to do there. Also, a good friend of mine lives in Juneau, so we definitely had options and activities. Also saw a humpback whale near the ship, so that was a plus.

Ketchikan was a good stop. It was rainy when we were there, but we made the most of it nonetheless.

Almost every cruise line overcharges you on their shore excursions. They must make such a big markup on every tour that they sell. After talking to one of the local Haines operators, the cruise lines dictate how much you should sell the tour to, and will forbid you to sell activities outside of the cruise lines. The cruise lines take up around 40% of the cut!

We did our research beforehand and we ran the numbers. We won’t be a finance and travel blog if we didn’t do our due diligence, right? Our verdict? Avoid these shore excursions with a ten foot pole. Some of them are crazy expensive like $200+ to go to Kenai Fjords National Park, $400+ on a helicopter tour + something that lasts only 4 hours. That’s like $100/hour… per person. It’s crazy!

We did, however, book one shore excursion… an extended Mendelhall Glacier experience. For almost 3 hours (2 hours exploring, and the other hour just getting to the glacier and back), you get a bus to the Glacier. Granted, you can do it yourself or book in another company outside the cruise line but the difference was only $5-10 per person and we didn’t bother.

Oh, as a disclaimer: we had extra shore credits to spend, so instead of letting it go to waste by buying stuff on the ship or even buying booze/alcohol, we spent it on an experience.

There’s a huge library on the ship, and I think it’s called the New York Times lounge . You can use the computers to read New York Times articles (Peter did, almost daily) or you can also check the ship’s activities in advance. You can borrow a book and take it to your stateroom or you can read in the lounge.

It’s a peaceful place to go to, and some of the other cruisers just sit in there and hang out. There’s also puzzles to be completed which became a communal thing – where anybody can help put the puzzle together.

There are daily trivia contests onboard the ship. You can be in a group with a maximum of 6 people, and if you win, you get Holland America pins. Yay. I think this is one of our most favorite things to do and we ended up trying to join the trivia contests daily. We won two: one from BBC Earth, and another one on our last night of the cruise.

One big event on the ship is the BBC Earth Game Show . This is separate from the BBC Earth trivia show, where three teams of two people compete on stage in front of the other cruisers. The questions were all related to BBC Earth TV shows: nature, animals, maybe even a bit of travel in it (something I am passionate about).

I have to say I got really competitive in the game show. In the end, we won (yay – bragging rights), and everybody got a bottle of champagne as a prize (wish they gave me BBC Earth DVDs or something, but whatever).

The shows are good: except for a comedy show that I had no idea what he was referencing. We decided to leave before it ended and retreated to our room. My favorite shows were the ones with the singers and dancers: they did one with fairy tale themes and I really liked that.

There were onboard talks and presentations like what to expect while cruising, and how to buy stuff on shore. We mostly went to them in the hopes of winning a free item, but sadly we came home empty handed.

My favorite onboard talk was from our shore excursion expert: but I think she did her talk a little bit too late. It was scheduled while we were cruising the inside passage and it was the day before we were set to disembark in Vancouver. The talk highlighted the various animals and places that our director has seen. It would have helped if this was done on the cruise day before we were going to these cities. It may have helped us look for more wildlife.

We were in the MS Noordam – a smaller ship. The shopping options were a bit small – as compared to Royal Caribbean, where the atrium is where everything is happening and makes the ship feel bigger than it is.

The layout of the ship is quite confusing as well. Where you’ll embark/disembark will change depending on your port, and you may need to walk through corridors with rooms just to get to the other side of the ship. I pity those people who stay in those rooms – it must get noisy.

Personally, I prefer the food in Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship. It feels as if the Lido deck is the same as the sit down dinner in Holland America. Like, there’s nothing that will make us want to go have a sit down dinner.

Related Post: Our First Ever Cruise (Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas Review)

They changed our tables so many times in Holland, so we didn’t get to connect with any of the waiters/attendants. In Royal, they made sure to seat us at the same table or area even if we had an open seating plan. In Holland, it is a bit awkward that you’ll end up sitting on a table waiting for other people to join you for dinner as well… until nobody arrives after waiting for a few minutes then you get reassigned to your own private table. Waste of resources, if you ask me.

We did enjoy the choices in the Lido – there were tacos, Asian food, and steak… lots and lots of steak choices everyday. A difference though – you have to wait in a queue for someone to serve you your dinner portions. You can’t just get the food on your own (except maybe for the dessert table).

If so, Holland America may be a good option for you. We would even go so far as to recommend a balcony when you cruise Alaska as the outside scenery is just amazingly beautiful. You don’t want to stay cooped up in an inside room and have nothing to see.

While the activities could have been more entertaining, if you went on the cruise to spend time with your loved ones, or you are happy enough to watch DVDs in your state room, or just to sit and read a book during the cruise down times, then this may be the perfect, quiet cruise for you.

Any tips on cruising in Alaska? Do you think this review helped you out? Please feel free to save this post on your Pinterest for more inspiration!

• Two Weddings and an Alaska Honeymoon

First Impressions of Alaska

• An Alaska Itinerary: What To Do in Alaska for Two Weeks

Travel Hacking Alaska: Planning Our Trip

• Our First Ever Cruise (Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas Review)
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Holland America’s food was average to very bad in my opinion. Sushi in the buffet was inedible and Asian food a variation on the Indonesians cooking it with a different sauce only. Meats like any us buffet choice. Desserts dry and hit and miss. Ice cream cheap in quality. Pizza inedible. Dining room just a step above this with excellent service though

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Save up to 60% on Alaska Cruises!

Alaska cruises have surged in popularity in recent years, and demand to see America's last unspoiled frontier continues to grow. If you decide to cruise Alaska you can see snowcapped peaks, mighty glaciers, steep fjords and such wildlife as whales, black bears, brown bears, bald eagles, sea otters and seals. You'll also find historic gold rush towns, Native American art and culture, Russian heritage and plenty of outdoor adventure. Because of this region's popularity and short season, the per-diem prices for Alaska cruises are among the highest in the cruise industry.

Alaska cruises are generally divided into two types, Inside Passage cruises and Gulf of Alaska cruises. The Inside Passage has been the traditional way to cruise Alaska, with most ships sailing round-trip from Vancouver or Seattle, through glacier country as far north as Skagway or Juneau. Gulf of Alaska cruises cover more territory as they travel from Vancouver through the Inside Passage and up to Seward/Anchorage (or the reverse). Airfare for a Gulf of Alaska cruise is generally more expensive because Anchorage is so far north.

• The Alaska cruise season lasts from May through September.
• Cruises to Alaska are 7 to 12 nights in length.
• You can find the most affordable Alaska cruise rates in May and September, the off-peak periods.
• Nearly half of all passengers add a land tour to their Alaska cruise. Denali National Park, the Yukon gold rush country and the Canadian Rockies are among options.
• Alaska experiences long hours of daylight during summer, lasting up to 23 hours a day in June.
• In addition to popular sightseeing tours via train and motorcoach, cruise lines have added more adventurous shore excursions to Alaska itineraries, such as sea kayaking, mountain hiking and salmon fishing.
• If you have frequent-flier miles, this may be a good time to use a free ticket to fly round trip to Vancouver, the main port of departure for Inside Passage cruises.
• Because in most cases you'll need to fly a long distance to reach your port of departure, we suggest that you arrive at the port city at least one or two days in advance of your cruise. This will give you time to rest and get oriented before boarding the ship. Most cruise lines offer pre-cruise hotel packages.

I tried Holland America's 'Have It All' package. For just $55 a day, my cruise felt way more luxurious.

• I tried Holland America Line 's Have It All package on a recent cruise to Alaska.
• For $55 per person per day, we got complimentary drinks, special meals, and other perks.
• The price was so worth it we already booked this package for future cruises. 

Cruise bookings are predicted to reach record levels this year, and travelers are especially interested in luxurious sailings.

But as many of us know, luxury doesn't always equate to value, even when it comes to upgrades and special packages.

So, on our recent cruise to Alaska, my husband and I put one of many cruise packages to the test: Holland America Line's "Have It All" package, which costs $55 per person per day.

It includes perks like a beverage package, ship credit for shore excursions, onboard WiFi, and dinner at specialty restaurants.

Here's why we found it to be such a great value we're going to add it to future cruises.

The beverage package was great, and it included special drinks without alcohol

The biggest perk of the "Have It All" package was the ability to order drinks without worrying about the bill at the end of the cruise.

Our previous cruises had us drinking only tap water, drip coffee, tea, and an occasional glass of wine with dinner to avoid any sticker shock at the end of the trip. We felt restricted in enjoying our vacation.

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But this time, we had the freedom to enjoy ourselves. The "Have It All" package we booked came with 15 drinks a day under $11. If you want a drink over $11, you only pay the difference.

The beverage package also covers non-alcoholic drinks. It was perfect for when we wanted espresso drinks for cold Alaska days or a bottle of water for a shore excursion.

The shore-excursion credit helped push us to have more fun

We knew we had to do a whale-watching excursion in Alaska, but didn't consider booking other excursions due to price. Many of the ones we were interested in cost over $100 per person.

But with the package, we each got credits to use toward shore excursions during our cruise. The value of the credit varies depending on the duration of your cruise — ours was less than 10 days, so we each got a $100 credit.

The $200 worth of credits made us feel more comfortable booking an incredible excursion to kayak the wild waters of Sitka.

We probably would've hesitated to book an excursion and missed an incredible experience if we hadn't felt compelled to use the credits in the package.

Specialty dining helped us celebrate our anniversary

Our "Have it All" packages each included at least one dinner at one of the ship's specialty restaurants. If you're on a longer cruise, this package would get you access to more dinners.

We used our credits to eat at the Pinnacle Grill, known for its premium steaks and intimate dining experience. Our anniversary dinner was extra special because of the access to premium dishes unavailable in the main dining room, five-star service, and a luxurious setting.

WiFi kept us connected

The package included WiFi, which really came in handy as we shared photos with friends and family throughout our trip.

We were able to use the internet to search for whatever we needed and research the highlights to visit at the next port of call.

We've already booked the package for future cruises

For less than what a few drinks cost per day, the package helped us relax, have fun, and enjoy each port of call with a shore excursion. Plus, we got to indulge in the ship's specialty restaurants.

We loved it so much we've already purchased this same package for three future cruises.

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Koningsdam Alaska cruise review 6/17-6/24

By bookmomoftwins , June 29, 2023 in Holland America Line

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After relying on the CC boards so much as I planned our trip, I want to pay it forward by sharing our experiences on our Alaskan cruise aboard HA's Koningsdam. We were a group of 6, ranging from 40-80 in age, and everyone had cruised before, although not with Holland America. Since it was our first trip to Alaska, we narrowed down the options to just those itineraries which visited Glacier Bay, and then chose the Inside Passage itinerary out of Vancouver with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and a day in Glacier Bay National Park.

Before I go into detail about various aspects of the cruise, I need to say that I found my perfect cruise vibe on this ship!  I'm not sure if it was unique to this itinerary or if the same can be said of Holland America cruises in general, but for this educator in her late 40s, it was just what I was looking for.  Fellow passengers were adults and families with young adults from all over the globe, with a smaller number of younger children on board than I'd seen on other cruises. The young children we did see on board were enjoying time with their families and well behaved.  I would describe the passengers as friendly and intellectually curious.  Betty Ann, the cruise director, was warm and positive without being silly, which we appreciated.  It was a refined cruising experience without being stuffy.  

I will share our experiences in the comments by topic. Please feel free to ask questions and I'll answer them if I can!

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I feel the same as you do about the vibe of HAL!  I DO avoid those jam-packed holiday cruises that sound chaotic with many little kids unsupervised, but otherwise it's a nice atmosphere on board for me.

I'll watch for your review.

Getting to Vancouver :  We opted to book our flights to Vancouver independently, and found our flights more direct than those in our group who used the cruise line to book their flights.  However, we were traveling from different parts of the US, so that may have also been a factor in our differing experiences. Those who made travel plans with HA used them to provide their transportation from the airport and their hotel and also to the cruise ship on sailing day and that went smoothly.  DH and I flew into Vancouver & took the Canada Line mass transit system to get to the port area. Be sure to hang on to your ticket so you can scan it to exit the transit hub. It was a bit rough pulling our suitcases a few blocks over uneven sidewalks through the crowds to get to our hotel, but that may be because we went the wrong direction at first, haha.  This trip was to celebrate my husband's retirement, so we splurged & stayed at the Pan Pacific. We booked the cruise package which included breakfast and delivery of our bags from our room directly to the ship. Our room was lovely, larger than my first apartment, and offered incredible views of the waterfront.  

Embarkation:  Our hotel was attached to the cruise terminal and the hotel staff gave clear directions for where we needed to go to start the embarkation process.  We had a fairly early boarding time, 10:20, and despite my worries after reading others' experiences at the Vancouver port, it went very smoothly.  We moved through every step in the boarding process without pause until the final waiting area, where we sat on folding chairs for about 25 minutes until the ship could be boarded.  HA staff kept us notified of the wait time and where to find bathrooms, water fountains, etc during our short wait.  I think that we were cruising far enough into the season that staff was more experienced and that is why it went so smoothly.  Once on board, we had about 10 minutes before staterooms were ready and then completed the muster drill--SO much easier than the old days when you would crowd into your stations, you now simply watch the instructional video on your stateroom tv and then have your ship card scanned at your muster station.

Coming up next: ship and stateroom!

Koningsdam:   This ship is light and bright; a nice departure from the dark woods and heavy fabrics found on our 2 previous cruises.  We liked the music-theming throughout and the abundant sitting areas which could accomodate our group of 6.  The two level lido pool area has a retractable roof and although we did not swim, we spent time in this well-appointed area to eat food from the Lido Market, play cards, read, and hang out.  Our other favorite hangout was the Dutch Cafe--nice seating and yummy snacks.  The Crow's Next at the top of the ship had great views and was consistently busy, although the adjacent art room was open when not being used for a class and was the perfect spot for a good inside view when we needed to come inside to warm up at Glacier Bay.  When I saw the brand new library onboard, it made me regret that I had packed my own books!  Far from a shelf with others' discarded paperbacks as I've encountered on cruises elsewhere, this full-fledged library was organized by genre and full of the latest bestsellers, books pertaining to our ports of call, and top rated books in several categories.  I'm a school librarian by trade, and I was very impressed.  The one area on board I didn't care much for was the aft pool deck.  I thought it would be a nice place for outdoor views, but smoking is allowed at the outdoor bar there, and not being a smoker, I found it smoky and unpleasant.

Stateroom:  This verandah stateroom (5209) has ruined me for all other staterooms, haha.  It was so well thought out and nicely appointed with lots of closet space and storage, a large glass shower, a nice sized deck with 2 chairs and a table, and included bathrobes, an umbrella, blankets to wrap up in while on deck, vanity lighting at the desk, hairdryer, and a magnified makeup mirror.  The under cabinet lighting in our cabin would pop on at night when it sensed motion so we avoided stubbing our toes in an unfamilliar place and I liked the reading lights on either side of the bed.  We did bring magnetic hooks to have additional spaces to hang coats and bags, although there were some in the room as well.  We also packed an over the door shoe hanger, which we attached to the connecting door for additional organization space although we didn't really need it.  The curtains closed completely and were nice and dark for keeping out the early morning sun.  My only regret was relying on the included shampoo and conditioner.  My hair is very fine / thin, and it turns out the voluminizing products I use at home really do make a difference, haha.  

We booked our cruise only a few months in advance (way too late for the advance planner that I am) and so rather than getting a room midship like usual, our cabin was pretty close to the rear of the ship.  Because of this, I did feel more movement than usual as well as some ship vibration.  I already take motion sickness medicine when I cruise, and that was enough to keep me from getting sick, but I wanted to mention it in case it would be a factor for others.  We didn't hear any sound from the passenger cabins on either side of us, or above or below, for that matter. Because we were at the aft of the ship and some of our group were near the front and on different floors, we did a fair bit of walking, but that just offset the yummy food we were eating.

Tomorrow I'll continue my review with onboard activities, food, and ports of call, Thanks for reading!

friendswithdave

Reading, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for a great start to your cruise review.  I look forward to more as I have yet to experience Alaska on a Pinnacle-class ship (April '24)..

Was there a taco bar near the Dive In as reported on the Rotterdam?

On 6/30/2023 at 12:42 PM, Crew News said: Thanks for a great start to your cruise review.  I look forward to more as I have yet to experience Alaska on a Pinnacle-class ship (April '24)..   Was there a taco bar near the Dive In as reported on the Rotterdam?

I did not see a taco bar on Koningsdam 😞

Getting back to this a little later than I intended...it's a bummer that mundane household and bill paying tasks are still there when we return from a blissful vacation, haha.

Evening Onboard Activities / Entertainment:   One of the frequent criticisms I have heard about the HA line is a lack of things to do in the evening.  I must confess that I am not a "close the place down" sort of person, but I was never lacking in entertainment options on board.  There was entertainment at the World Stage each evening which we attended-- either the Step One dance group (the performance Humanity was absolutely incredible and not to be missed), a singing group, a comedian, a movie, or the one night we missed as we were still in port, a Tlingit speaker.  We were always able to find good seats near the front by arriving about 15 minutes early.  After that, we would head to the comfy seating in the Dutch Cafe or upper level of the Lido pool deck to play cards, or head down to Music Walk, which currently has 3 music venues--Billboard Onboard dueling pianos, Rolling Stone Rock Room, and BB King Blues Club.  The times of their sets were staggered, so you could float from one space to another if you wished, although to get a prime seat, you would want to be there in advance of the start of a set.  My favorite by far of these 3 was BB King's Blues Club, both because of the music selection and the fact that it had a dance floor.  I am not usually one to head straight for the dance floor, but it was a friendly space with people of all ages moving to fun music, and I couldn't resist.  The musicians also did a lot to interact with and encourage the audience, which was nice.  One member of our group did feel like this band was too loud and preferred the dueling pianos.  We caught an incredible sunset one night outside on deck 3, although the sun sets so late, it's hard to witness it if you have an early shore excursion the next day!  

We did not utilize the casino or the bars in the evening, so I don't have any input on that.

I'll be back later to cover the activites offered during the day.

Daytime Activities Onboard:   There was more to do each day than we had time for!  Our group of 6 tended to splinter and try different things so I will report on what we tried.  

We really enjoyed the EXC multimedia presentations on the World Stage, which gave us more information about various aspects of what we would be seeing on shore.  We attended ones on an overview of Alaska, whales, Native people and their culture, behind the scence on how a cruise ship is run, the history of HA, and the ididarod.  We also attended a presentation called Fire and Ice given by the wildlife specialist about how glaciers and volcanoes shape the landscape, and also visited his drop in hours on board with questions we had during the trip.  Trivia was offered every day--sometimes general categories and sometimes with a theme, like food or sports.  We did the general trivia once and did not do too well, but it was fun.  We had no interest in the jewelry or shopping presentations, although one member of the group did attend the art auction and said she felt the starting bids were very inflated. My husband enjoyed a presentation / meet and greet with the comedian on board who spoke about his career and what it is like working on a cruise ship. We spent a lot of time just relaxing and enjoying the views, both from our verandah and the public areas of the ship. There is so much to see on an Inside Passage itinerary, even on sea days!  

Although we walked the promenade deck while still in port in Vancouver, it was quite windy while at sea, so we didn't utilize it as much as we expected.  One member of the group bought a day pass to the spa and really enjoyed the thermal spa and quiet lounge area.  Two others had an incredible couples massage there which was a highlight of the trip for them.  The pedicure experience, in contrast, was just so-so, overpriced, and marred by constant upselling. A few in our group enjoyed participating in the ballroom dancing offered before dinner on formal nights.

One issue we did run into several times was activities which were full so we couldn't partticipate, even when we arrived 10 or 15 minutes early.  This happened for the morning stretch class, a wine tasting, adult coloring, and a watercolors class, so if you are interested in those activities, be sure to show up really early to secure a spot.  

Onboard Dining / Drink Packages:   We did not pay for Club Orange and only visited one specialty restaurant during our cruise, but none of us are big foodies, so that suited us just fine.

In our group, we tried the entire realm of drink packages.  One in our group did not get a package at all as she drank mainly water and tea.  One in our group bought the soda package.  She had to hunt down her refillable mug on embarkation day and did experience times when the Freestyle Coke machine was down, but at the bars, they could fill her mug with fountain drinks, if not with canned sodas, so it wasn't too bad.  DH and I bought the nonalcoholic drinks package and took advantage of it by getting lots of specialty coffees, smoothies, and fun mocktails available at the bars and pools.  It wasn't a necessity, but a fun extra for our vacation.  The other couple in our group opted for the "Have it All" package and enjoyed trying a large variety of wines and mixed drinks on board.

We ate in the Lido a few times, and it was decent food, but a bit chaotic trying to find a table for 6 and then pick up and bring food and drinks back to the table.  I like that the food was mostly plated by servers to limit the spread of germs, etc, and I took advantage of the fresh fruit at every meal.  When it was especially busy, we would bring our plates out to the Lido deck and use the ample and less busy seating there instead.

We used the advice read here and used the Navigator app when we wanted to order from the Dive in Burger place and the pizza place.  It was pretty seamless-- we didn't have to stand in line and the app told us when food was ready so we'd just go up and get it instead of waiting in line.  The online app doesn't have the full in person menu, but we still found things we liked.

We used the free room service option for a couple of early mornings.  It always arrived on time, although the quality was not as good as food in the restaurants, probably because it had to be carried across the ship to us.  Still a handy option for days with an early day in port.

The Dutch Cafe was our favorite snack place by far, both for the offerings and the cheery blue and white ambiance! DH would pick up specialty coffees and chocolate croissants there in the morning and we visited several other times for a snack or a drink.  

We ate in the MDR for most dinners and one lunch, and were very pleased with the service and timing of the courses.  It was neither rushed nor dragged out.  We had anytime dining and when I tried to book a reservation the first night, there were only very late times available.  However, I was advised that half the tables were reserved for walk ins and to just show up when we were ready to eat.  I had heard horror stories about long waits, but we didn't experience that at all.  We usually showed up between 5:30-6:00.  The first night there was a short line but we were seated within 5-10 minutes.  All other nights we were seated immediately.  There were always appealing options for the 2 in the group who did not like seafood as well as great choices for those who did. I have read that portion sizes have gotten smaller recently, but I felt they were just right.  You could actually eat an appetizer, main, and dessert, enjoy them and feel satisfied, but not overly full and uncomfortable. No one in our group felt the need to ask for seconds.

We ate at Tamarind for dinner one evening.  The ambiance was nice and although the menu was a little daunting for the less adventurous eaters among us, we all really enjoyed what we ordered.

Service in all the sit down locations was good, even though we didn't have a fixed seating time and therefore different servers each time.  Occasionally, there was a short wait for drink refills, but this was a very minor quibble in an otherwise enjoyable experience,

• 4 weeks later...

NewCruiser-2023

Thank you @bookmomoftwins for this helpful review! We are first-time cruisers in our 50s setting sail in a few wks with our sons in their 20s. I'm encouraged by the demographics you mentioned. We should fit in nicely 🙂 I've been told that the only no-no in terms of dress code in the MDR is no shorts during the dinner hour. I assume then that jeans, sport pants, capri pants, etc should be okay? Also, does anyone reading this know what the expectations are in terms of dress code in the Pinnacle Grill? We've got reservations there our first evening (ALL other nights were booked-even though I was checking months in advance. Whoa) and will not have had a chance to feel out the ship yet at that point. Thanks for any guidance you can offer!

32 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said: T.......I've been told that the only no-no in terms of dress code in the MDR is no shorts during the dinner hour. I assume then that jeans, sport pants, capri pants, etc should be okay? Also, does anyone reading this know what the expectations are in terms of dress code in the Pinnacle Grill? We've got reservations there our first evening (ALL other nights were booked-even though I was checking months in advance. Whoa) and will not have had a chance to feel out the ship yet at that point. Thanks for any guidance you can offer!

You are correct on jeans, sport pants, and capri pants are acceptable in the MDR.  On Gala Nights, the MDR rquires a collared shirt and slacks for males.

No shorts in the Pinnacle Grill but almost all other casual clothing is acceptable.  Many wear sport jackets but are not required.

Here is a link to your MDR menus:   Alaska 7-Day MDR Menus

21 minutes ago, Crew News said: You are correct on jeans, sport pants, and capri pants are acceptable in the MDR.  On Gala Nights, the MDR rquires a collared shirt and slacks for males.   No shorts in the Pinnacle Grill but almost all other casual clothing is acceptable.  Many wear sport jackets but are not required.   Here is a link to your MDR menus:   Alaska 7-Day MDR Menus

@Crew News Thank you for the dress code guidance! That is helpful for packing. And, wow, thanks for sending the MDR dinner menus.  I have already checked the dessert options for every night, hee hee.

48 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said: @Crew News Thank you for the dress code guidance! That is helpful for packing. And, wow, thanks for sending the MDR dinner menus.  I have already checked the dessert options for every night, hee hee.

Dessert does not need to wait until dinner on the Koningsdam.  Pick up a few free almond cookies, with almond past centers, at the Grand Dutch Cafe.  While there, grab a free giant, chewy, chocolate chip cookie for emergency sweet needs.  There is a Gelato Bar by the indoor pool on Deck 9 if you like cold desserts.

There is also a Late Snack Buffet in the lido Market at 10:30 PM with more dessert selections:  Lido Market Late Snack 7-Day Menus

Good golly! All these options. I will definitely be a regular at the Grand Dutch Cafe 😄 And the Gelato Bar sounds intriguing. So in places like that where prices are posted, those are for purchase and not "included," right? Also, I'm a sucker for a pile of hot french fries, so that Late Snack line-up is exciting too.

Thanks for this!!

28 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said: Good golly! All these options. I will definitely be a regular at the Grand Dutch Cafe 😄 And the Gelato Bar sounds intriguing. So in places like that where prices are posted, those are for purchase and not "included," right? Also, I'm a sucker for a pile of hot french fries, so that Late Snack line-up is exciting too.   Thanks for this!!

That is correct. 

Here is a link to the free NY Deli & Pizza located up the steps on the balcony overlooking the Deck 9 indoor pool:  NY Deli & Pizza

Those little almond cookies are great with a cup of coffee 

17 minutes ago, Jenhilmc said: Those little almond cookies are great with a cup of coffee 

canadianbear

@Crew News   are the milkshakes at the gelato bar included in the HIA?  

Good question! I'd like to know the answer to that one too 😁 I'd rather have a milkshake than a drink from the bar.

10 minutes ago, NewCruiser-2023 said: Good question! I'd like to know the answer to that one too 😁 I'd rather have a milkshake than a drink from the bar.

It’s been a few years since on the Koningsdam but their milkshakes were delicious!   

50 minutes ago, canadianbear said: @Crew News   are the milkshakes at the gelato bar included in the HIA?  

It depends on who you ask. 

2 minutes ago, Crew News said: It depends on who you ask. 

Darn. Lol. Guess I’ll find out in November!  You’d think it would-cheaper than getting an alcoholic drink. 🤷‍♀️

On 7/29/2023 at 7:20 PM, Crew News said: You are correct on jeans, sport pants, and capri pants are acceptable in the MDR.  On Gala Nights, the MDR rquires a collared shirt and slacks for males.   No shorts in the Pinnacle Grill but almost all other casual clothing is acceptable.  Many wear sport jackets but are not required.   Here is a link to your MDR menus:   Alaska 7-Day MDR Menus

Wow thank you so much for the MDR file . Everything looks yummy!  I didn’t realize that you could pay extra for certain items.   This may seem silly, but what month should I check back for Kogingsdam Alaska 2024?  I’m just a little excited! Thanks again for the great information.

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Travel | Alaska is ready for another record-breaking…

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Travel | day of protest: crowds block golden gate bridge, i-880 in oakland, travel | alaska is ready for another record-breaking cruise season.

Alaska is home to more than 30,000 grizzlies, but the state’s cruise industry is experiencing anything but a bear market as momentum of last year’s record-breaking season is expected to continue in 2024.

The most-visited Alaskan port, Juneau set a new mark a year ago with 1.65 million passengers descending on the capital city during cruise season, which generally runs from April to late October. That figure from the Juneau Chamber of Commerce is a Denali-sized jump of 30 percent compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

Coinciding with Alaska’s 65th anniversary of statehood, the upcoming cruise season appears to be just as robust, with 19 cruise lines sending 43 ships to the Last Frontier. Kicking things off for the second straight year is the 4,008-passenger Norwegian Bliss, which docked in rustic Skagway last week. With four mainstream-category ships homeported in either Seattle or Vancouver, Norwegian Cruise Line  has nearly 100 more after that.

Two competing companies have staked out even larger claims in this modern-day, maritime Alaskan gold rush. Holland America Line is sending seven premium-class ships for 141 total cruises. And at the top of the totem pole is Princess Cruises , which is celebrating its 55th year in these waters with seven premium ships sharing 158 departures.

Not counting grand voyages with itineraries so rich they make a visit to Alaska seem more like a pit stop, this cruise season will see more than 800 trips of mostly seven to 10 days starting or ending on this side of the Pacific. Where they’re all going is a destination rich in unparalleled wilderness, wildlife and native culture. In other words, bucket list stuff.

“Alaska is one of those places that draws you in and sets the hook right away,” said Kristi Switzer, destination marketing manager for Travel Juneau. “Visitors come for the otherworldly experience of being in the presence of glaciers and fjords, seeing whales and bears and finding the balance of Alaska Native cultural heritage with the rustic sophistication found in the capital city.”

Although Switzer recommends visits lasting several days instead of several hours, the city’s destination evangelist hopes that a partial day in Juneau and each major Alaskan cruise port will have 1.5 million passengers wanting more.

“This magical corner of the world has so much to offer beyond being a checkmark on people’s bucket lists,” she said.

Alaska is a checkmark for about three-quarters of all passengers headed there, according to the Alaska Tourism Industry Association, and the same can be said for two ships this season.

Starting with a six-day sail out of Vancouver on May 11, the namesake of Celebrity Cruises ’ popular Edge class will make its Alaskan debut with weeklong roundtrips from Seattle through Sept. 13. The 2,918-passenger vessel features a unique “outside-in” architecture that provides more floor-to-ceiling glass on the exterior and expanded outdoor spaces to soak up the Alaskan coastlines.

Edge will be joined by a pair of fleet mates for the season, albeit Summit’s seven-day roundtrips are turnarounds out of Anchorage or Vancouver, and Solstice’s weeklong jaunts are solely based in the British Columbian seaport. Celebrity, a premier-category cruise line has 57 departures to Alaska scheduled this year.

The other new recruit is Silver Nova, the youngest Silversea Cruises  ship in the luxury fleet to ever service Alaska. Capped at 728 guests, Silver Nova was launched last year and has the goods to do justice to a dreamlike place that captures the imagination of wilderness lovers and history buffs.

“Silver Nova is the ideal ship for Alaska cruising,” said company spokesman Brad Ball. “Her innovative design, which incorporates an unprecedented 4,000 square meters of glass, immerses guests into the incredible scenery of Alaska from virtually all venues and suites, with far-reaching views at every turn.”

The ship’s reimagined pool deck, which overlooks the water on her starboard side, and all-new outdoor venues — the Dusk Bar and the Marquee — allows unique openness to view spectacular Alaskan glaciers and wildlife. Those who want to experience an older and smaller Evolution-class Silversea vessel can book the Silver Muse, which also will sail mostly seven- to 14-day trips between Anchorage and Vancouver.

Because nearly every Alaskan cruise includes the staples — Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Inside Passage and Denali with a land add-on — some cruise lines like to shake things up with unique itineraries.

Holland America has a roundtrip that makes it easy to visit the 49th and 50th states without a long flight. A new “Glaciers & Volcanos: Alaska to Hawaii” cruise, part of the premium line’s Legendary Voyages collection of journeys from 25 to 59 days, departs on Aug. 31 from Seattle or Sept. 1 from Vancouver aboard the 1,916-passenger Westerdam. The nearly four-weeklong itinerary includes seldomly visited Kodiak and Dutch Harbor before heading down to the tropics to make four calls to three Hawaiian islands.

Seabourn  strives to offer a more tasteful Alaskan cruise and not only because it’s an ultra-luxury cruise line. “Caviar on the Ice” is a savory and swanky soiree on every Alaskan voyage, and when the 450-passenger Odyssey is in Sitka, a town originally built by Russian traders in the early 1800s, Seabourn guests can enjoy a culinary adventure that includes a scenic drive to a taproom for a sampling of local brews and a few eateries to try Siberian-rooted pelmeni dumplings and a hot dog made with caribou that the locals call “reindeer dawgs.” Sorry, vegetarians and friends of Santa, but Blitzen on a bun is da bomb.

Disney Cruise Line  is sending its 2,700-passenger Disney Wonder out of Vancouver for 15 week-long roundtrips, one five-day spin leaving on July 24 and an extended nine-day voyage on July 15.

Other cruise lines showing passengers a whale of a time in Alaska include Crystal, Cunard, Hurtigruten, Lindblad/National Geographic, Oceania, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas and Viking.

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