Holland America Line is celebrating 75 years of Alaska exploration this year, and is offering journeys on six ships to the 49th state in 2023.
From April through September 2023, guests can embark on Holland America Line’s cruises to Alaska aboard Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Volendam and Westerdam. Besides seven-day itineraries, guests can also choose the 14-day “Great Alaska Explorer” cruise with two departure dates.
For visitors who want to travel farther into the "Great Land," 16 Cruisetours (formerly Land+Sea Journeys) combine a three-, four- or seven-day Alaska cruise with an inland exploration of Denali National Park. Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends land tours up to Canada’s Yukon Territory. Cruises sail round-trip from Seattle, Washington; round-trip from Vancouver, B.C.; or one-way between Whittier (Anchorage), Alaska and Vancouver.
Every Alaska cruise includes a visit to one or more of its glacier destinations: Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier and Twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm.
The 14-day “Great Alaska Explorer” itinerary returns in 2023 to offer an in-depth adventure. Round-trip from Vancouver aboard Nieuw Amsterdam (May 7) and Noordam (September 17), the cruise calls at the Alaskan ports of Kodiak, Anchorage, Valdez, Sitka, Skagway and Ketchikan, and features Glacier Bay.
The seven-day “Glacier Discovery Northbound” and “Glacier Discovery Southbound” itineraries cruise between Whittier and Vancouver aboard Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. The seven-day “Alaska Inside Passage” cruises sail round-trip from Vancouver on Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam and Volendam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, except for Noordam, which stops at Sitka in lieu of Skagway.
The seven-day “Alaskan Explorer” cruises sail round-trip from Seattle aboard Eurodam and Westerdam, and include calls at Victoria, British Columbia (evening stay); and Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka. All ships cruising in Alaska include expanded onboard programming: guests can engage with an Alaska naturalist, special EXC presentations explore local topics such as Alaska’s bush pilots and the Iditarod race, and cruises with Glacier Bay take on a National Park Ranger and local Huna Tlingit guides.
Denali Cruisetours, ranging from nine to 14 days, will be offered aboard Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. All Denali Cruisetours include a seven-day “Glacier Discovery” cruise featuring Glacier Bay, besides a visit to either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier (depending on the direction), Inside Passage, and up to three nights at the McKinley Chalet Resort at the entrance to Denali National Park. All Double and Triple Denali itineraries include the “Tundra Wilderness Tour.”
The line owns its motor-coaches, railcars and hotels, so schedules are preferential. Each Cruisetour offers a ride on the luxury-domed McKinley Explorer, including select itineraries that offer direct service to Denali, taking guests from their ship to their Denali hotel room on the same day.
Yukon and Denali Cruisetours range from nine to 18 days and include either a three- or four-day Inside Passage cruise aboard Koningsdam or Volendam, or a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam; a two-or three-night stay at Denali; and a journey into the Yukon. Every Yukon and Denali Cruisetour includes the services of a professional Journey Host, besides a ride on the McKinley Explorer full-dome railcars, while select itineraries add on the historic White Pass and Yukon Route railroad from Skagway.
Yukon and Denali Cruisetours include two nights in Dawson City, affording guests more time to relive Gold Rush history. Additional overnight experiences vary depending on the Cruisetour.
An included tour on the Klondike Spirit paddle-wheeler takes guests along the Yukon River; most Yukon and Denali Cruisetours include a “Gold Dredge 8” tour; and every Yukon and Denali itinerary includes the “Tundra Wilderness Tour” at Denali National Park.
Cruisetours includes a stay at the McKinley Chalet Resort. The property is the line’s 68-acre hotel on the Nenana River. The resort features dining facilities and guestrooms, including a 99-room complex featuring Denali Suites with balconies and larger living areas.
Centrally located between the resort and riverfront guestrooms, Denali Square is a gathering area with restaurants, an amphitheater, fire pits, outdoor seating, retail shops and an artist-in-residence cabin where Alaska natives and local artists display and discuss their works.
Alaska cruise pricing starts at a “Have it All” package rate of $999 per person, based on double occupancy for a seven-day trip, which includes one shore excursion, a Signature Beverage Package, one night specialty dining and a Wi-Fi Surf Package. Cruise-only fares start at $684 per person, double. Taxes, fees and port expenses are additional.
For more information, visit hollandamerica.com.
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