I’m presently on a seven evening cruise to Alaska on Holland America Line’s Koningsdam. Though I’ve beforehand sailed on cruise ship, that is my first time cruising to Alaska with Holland America Line. I’ve visited Alaska with different cruise strains.
Be aware: All images on this article have been taken throughout my cruise to Alaska with Holland America.
I’m crusing with my spouse and three yr previous son on this journey. We’re crusing as company of the cruise line with a gaggle of media on board. You’ll be able to learn my earlier assessment of Koningsdam right here once I sailed on the ship a couple of years in the past.
After spending almost every week on the ship, listed below are 10 the reason why I believe that your subsequent cruise to Alaska needs to be on Holland America Line.
Cruising to Alaska Longer Than Any Different Cruise Line
Holland America Line has been cruising to Alaska longer than every other cruise line on the earth. Due to all of this expertise, they’re able to present the very best cruise to the forty ninth state.
Holland America Line has been cruising to Alaska since 1947, longer than most of us have been alive.
Higher Docking Areas
At each port that we visited, Holland America Line ships had the perfect docking areas out of all of cruise strains. We have been typically in port with one or two different of HAL’s ships.
A greater docking location means much less strolling to get into city, and this is available in actually useful since it should probably rain on a number of days of your cruise. Hey, that’s simply the climate in Alaska. It may be 70 and sunny or 40 and raining, extra probably the latter.
Whereas we have been docked proper on the town, different ships have been a great 15-20 minute stroll away.
On our day in Juneau, it rained nearly the complete day so having the perfect docking location was very nice.
Recent Fish Program
Whereas I used to be onboard the ship, I had the chance to sit down down with Michael Stendebach, VP of Meals and Beverage, and John Mulvaney, Director of Culinary Operations for Holland America Line.
The cruise line’s new recent fish program presents the freshest fish you’ll discover on any cruise ships on the earth.
How recent it’s? On my Alaska cruise, recent fish was introduced on board in Vancouver, Juneau, and Ketchikan. It’s by no means frozen and goes from fished to plate inside 48 hours.
In Juneau, the fishing boats deliver the fish to the processing plant that’s 50 meters from the ship. The fish is then introduced on board and it’s so recent, it’s by no means quite a lot of hundred toes inland. No different cruise line presents fish this recent.
They’re additionally in fixed talks with the fisherman and to allow them to modify the menu based mostly on based mostly on the recent fish that’s caught. The menus are based mostly on the recent fish that’s out there, not on frozen fish that was caught weeks or months earlier than.
Crew
Whereas the crew on most ships are improbable, there may be one explicit factor that occurred throughout my Koningsdam cruise that actually stood out.
One evening whereas I used to be having fun with Billboard Onboard with my household, I walked over to Rolling Stone bar and requested for a Crimson Bull. The person working behind the bar mentioned,
“We’re all out, however I keep in mind you additionally asking for one yesterday. I’m going to get you one, let me go discover one for you.”
He then left and got here again a couple of minutes with an ice chilly Crimson Bull. In my 15 years of cruising, I’ve by no means had that occur earlier than. We went utterly out of his strategy to serve me.
He wasn’t the one crew member to face out. Music, who works within the spa, did such an incredible job on my haircut, that my son additionally obtained one and he or she styled my spouse’s hair. She actually is wonderful.
The crew members within the World Cafe remembered my son’s title from day one and at all times greeted him by it.
I actually can’t say sufficient nice issues concerning the crew members on Koningsdam.
Glacier Assure
Holland America Line lately added a Glacier Assure on all cruises to Alaska. In case your ship doesn’t go to a glacier, you’ll obtain a 15% credit score in direction of a future cruise.
They’re the one cruise line to supply this. Their ships go to Glacier Bay, School Fjord, Dawes Glacier, Hubbard Glacier and the Tracy Arm Fjord’s Twin Sawyer Glaciers.
Entry to Glacier Bay
Talking of glaciers, Holland America Line has extra permits to go to Glacier Bay Nationwide Park than every other cruise line.
Visiting Glacier Bay was a spotlight of our cruise and I can’t think about taking a cruise to Alaska and never visiting this nationwide park.
Not each cruise line can go to Glacier Bay. In 2024, solely 5 cruise strains have approval to go to with Holland America providing probably the most sailings.
You’re doing your self a disservice should you e book a cruise to Alaska and not using a cease in Glacier Bay.
They opened the bow of the ship on the day we visited Glacier Bay to deliver you as shut as attainable to the glaciers.
Onboard Programming
With Holland America Line, you aren’t simply visiting Alaska, however in addition they deliver Alaska to the ship. The onboard leisure and programming will immerse you deep into Alaska so you can also make probably the most out of your cruise.
Within the World Stage (theater), the ship had the next programming through the cruise:
- Vacation spot Alaska: The Route. The Ports. The Excursions.
- When and When to Spot Wildlife
- Alaska Up Shut: Pacific Giants
- The best way to Use Your Binoculars
- Alaska Up Shut: The Iditarod
- Alaska Up Shut: Ancestral Recollections
- A Spectacular Day in Glacier Bay
- Film: Thriller Alaska
- Glacier Bay Park Ranger Program
- Native Voices: Tales of the Tlingit Folks
- Salmon: Keystone Species
For particular Alaska associated actions, they have been marked with WE ❤️ ALASKA in The Every day so you can simply discover them.
Ships Have Pool With Retractable Roof
All of Holland America Line’s cruise ships which might be presently crusing in Alaska have a fundamental pool with a retractable roof over it. This significantly enhances cruises for 2 causes.
First, it permits this space for use it doesn’t matter what the climate is. As I discussed earlier, the climate isn’t at all times the perfect in Alaska so the pool can be utilized for the complete cruise.
Secondly, it creates extra space the place you look out the home windows and benefit from the unimaginable views in Alaska. On most ships, you’ll be chilly or moist when the climate isn’t the best. On Holland America Line, they simply shut the roof and you’ve got a extra gratifying expertise.
As an added bonus, the lined space by the aft pool on Koningsdam had heaters so you can benefit from the views and never be so chilly.
Statement Lounges
All Holland America Line ships that go to Alaska have an statement lounge, aka the Crow’s Nest. This offers a local weather managed space the place you may see each the port and starboard aspect of the ship.
Early one morning, they’d a whale watching celebration right here as this space offers 270 diploma views from the highest, entrance of the ship.
Wildlife and Wilderness Alternatives
A cruise to Alaska is not like every other cruise and Holland America Line presents extra wildlife and wilderness viewing alternatives than every other cruise line. This contains almost 180 totally different shore excursions that may take you on a wildlife or wilderness encounter.
They’ve a wildlife knowledgeable on board that can assist you spot humpback whales, orcas, bald eagles, sea otters and black bears. Their each day program tells you what time you may meet the knowledgeable so you may see wildlife of their pure habitat.
Vancouver or Seattle?
When taking a cruise to Alaska, you’ve gotten the choice of crusing from Seattle or Vancouver. Whereas lots of the ports that you just go to are the identical, crusing from Vancouver has two distinct benefits.
The primary is that you just get to sail by way of the Inside Passage twice. As I’m penning this, we’re crusing by way of the Inside Passage and just some hundred toes offshore. The views are spectacular as we cruise by way of this pristine wilderness.
The second benefit is that you just don’t need to make a port cease in Canada. All round-trip cruises from Seattle to Alaska need to make one cease in Canada and that’s normally a brief go to in Victoria. It may be as quick as three to 4 hours, which makes it pointless to even go to. Nevertheless, it’s required as a result of Passenger Providers Vessel Act of 1886.
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