Alaskan adventures await

Holland America Line (HAL) is currently celebrating 150 years of service, having started life carrying passengers and goods across the Atlantic to the New World. Today the luxury cruise line sails to all seven continents, but is best known for its Alaska itineraries.

That’s because HAL has been visiting Alaska since before it became an American state in 1959 – that’s longer than any other cruise line – and has established itself as an expert in the market.

And for good reason. HAL’s fleet of 11, timeless ships are mid-sized meaning that, unlike larger competitors, they can dock just steps away from everything – think icy glaciers, incredible wildlife such as bears and bald eagles, rugged mountains, and pretty port towns – that Alaska has to offer.

Every Alaska cruise with HAL also guarantees a close-up glacier experience, including the famed 3.3-million-acre Glacier Bay National Park. As the authorised concessioner of Glacier Bay, HAL offers more sailings to the Unesco World Heritage-listed site than anyone else, plus privileged insider access to the park.

The Alaskan experience continues onboard too where National Park Service Rangers bring the sights to life while wildlife experts will help you get up close and personal with the wondrous creatures of the Last Frontier.

With their help, you could see whales breaching, otters gliding through icy waters, sea lions basking on rocks, bears hunting for salmon along the shore, and so much more so keep your camera close.

Meanwhile, the mouthwatering cuisine you’ll consume in the two-deck Main Dining room – whose chandeliers made from strings of tri-colour, hand-blown glass bulbs do their best to steal the show – has been inspired by your surroundings.

Expect to feast on dishes such as sustainably caught wild salmon, roasted fennel-crusted Alaskan halibut, and king crab safe in the knowledge that HAL is the only cruise line serving Alaskan seafood that is certified sustainable and traceable by the Responsible Fisheries Management.

As the Alaska expert, HAL offers a number of ways to explore the Great Land including a cruise tour – an award-winning cruise through Alaska's Inside Passage paired with a scenic train ride into interior Alaska, and up to three nights at McKinley Chalet Resort, the line’s immersive lodge at the gates of Denali National Park.

However if, like us, you only want to unpack once, the popular Alaska Inside Passage cruise is the answer.

This seven-day round trip cruise from Vancouver onboard Koningsdam – the first ship in HAL’s contemporary Pinnacle-class which features a US$4 million art collection – has regular departures through May to September 2024 (and again in 2025).

The itinerary starts with a day of scenic sailing in the legendary Inside Passage which offers the chance to immerse yourself in the dramatic glacial wilderness. Next up is Tracy Arm Inlet – an immense, glacier-framed fjord that’s the ideal spot to view wildlife, including seals and humpback whales, from Koningsdam’s deck – followed by Juneau, Alaska's state capital. Thrilling excursion options here include ziplining and sea kayaking.

Then it's on to Skagway, Alaska’s most famous gold rush town, and the mesmerising Glacier Bay – the undisputed highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage. Ketchikan, with its colourful totem poles, and another day of scenic sailing, affording time to savour the dramatic scenery and strike up friendships with like-minded people, round off the itinerary before Koningsdam returns to Vancouver – a vibrant city where HAL can happily arrange for you to spend a few days pre- or post-cruise.

If all of the aforementioned sounds tempting, now is the time to commit to an Alaskan cruise with the line who knows the Last Frontier inside out. The Great Land isn’t going anywhere but, leave it too long, and your best chance of seeing it just might…

To book or find out more, call 0344 338 8605; visit hollandamerica.com, or contact your travel agent.