UNESCO World Heritage Site, New Itinerary and Included Tours Featured in Holland America Line’s 2026 Alaska Cruisetour Season

New 2026 Alaska Cruisetours to provide more opportunities to experience glaciers, wildlife and untamed beauty of Denali and Canada’s Yukon

Westerdam calls in Sydney marking the return of Holland America Line to Australia

Itinerary highlights include 14-day Christmas Cruise from Auckland to Sydney

Holland America Line celebrates 150th anniversary in 2023, one of the longest operating travel companies in the world

 

Westerdam captured at Circular Quay on 7 November 2022

Holland America Line's Westerdam was the line's first ship to return to Sydney since the pandemic. It is Westerdam's first season in Australia and New Zealand waters.

Westerdam arrived in Sydney Harbour after her repositioning voyage from Vancouver and will be homeported in Sydney for her 2022-23 Australian and New Zealand wave season, during which she will sail four itineraries around Australia and New Zealand ranging from 13 to 15 days.

At 283 meters long and 32 meters wide, Westerdam can carry 1,964 guests in 984 staterooms, looked after by approximately 800 crew.

Westerdam arrived at on Monday 7 November at 11am, giving her passengers two days to head ashore and explore Sydney and environs, generating substantial spend and bolstering the State's tourism economy.

"Our sailings in Australia and New Zealand will ensure local cruisers will have a close-to-home travel experience which goes way beyond what you could find in any guidebook", Holland America Line VP Sales and Marketing Ryan Taibel said.

"Our programming brings the destination to life via immersive shore excursions, stimulating port talks and Port to Table cooking classes which make the most of the very best in local produce. There is no better way to explore our own backyard than with Holland America Line", Mr Taibel added.

Westerdam features some of the line's lauded entertainment venues such as B.B. King's Blues Club and Lincoln Center Stage, exemplary dining experiences including celebrated steakhouse, Pinnacle Grill, and Italian specialty restaurant, Canaletto.

Holland America brings you the world

The 145-year-old Dutch shipping line, now a Carnival brand, brings a luxury touch to their fleet of 15 mid-sized cruise ships all over the world.

While Holland America’s (HAL) unrivalled global reach extends across the globe with more than 470 ports of call, it’s here in Alaska where the venerable brand is in its element.

Claim as they might, no one other premium cruise line can match HAL’s coverage of this fabulous territory, filled with stunning scenery, photogenic wildlife and activities to match.

I’ve come all the way from Australia, just like many thousands of fellow Aussies do every year, to the crisp, clear air of this wilderness wonderland. Here, I’m aboard the ms Eurodam, HAL’s first Signature-class cruise ship which entered service in 2008.

And I’ve diligently preselected my shore excursions from the vast catalog offered to everyone who travels here - and on any HAL ship elsewhere in the world.

Even though I must watch my fellow fishers gloat over their prize king salmon during fishing excursion in Ketchikan, it’s is just one of countless shoreside offerings throughout Holland America’s network of port calls as we cruise serenely through the placid channels of Alaska’s Inside Passage.

Occasionally we stop to ogle the great glaciers while keeping an eye out for bears and moose as bald eagles wheel overhead.

During our stop in Juneau, I choose a thrilling hovercraft ride in a tiny 6-person machine. We skim across the water, mudflats and grassland as if it were nothing, all the way to the foot of the massive 56-kilometre Taku Glacier.

In Sitka I opt for a calming kayak paddle around the quiet nooks and crannies away from the township and the milling passengers. Add helicopter flightseeing, floatplane adventures, dog-sledding and sea kayaking and you have some idea of the scope of activity laid out for us when choosing what to do when you go ashore.

Cruise passengers throng the streets of Juneau (R Eime)

Getting out of the ports and onto an excursion is my idea of experiencing any destination. When the ship is alongside here during the busy summer cruise season, around 2000 people from each ship, plus crew, are wandering the streets and retail strip. There’s quite a hustle and bustle along the frontier-style shopping strip with everything from craft beer, faux fur coats and hats, gemstones and jewellry being hawked in a style not unlike the enterprising merchants who “mined the miners” in the goldrush days, selling them everything from eggs at a dollar apiece to gold-sniffing gophers.

Holland America Line (HAL) now operates an unequalled seven ships in Alaska. The 49th state is a firm favourite and once you’ve been aboard with HAL, it’s easy to see why so many diehard HAL fans keep coming back. An envied reputation for dining, whether in the main dining or a specialty restaurant, quality entertainment and shows as well as cabins, suites and staterooms that other cruise lines are always trying to match, keeps HAL at the forefront.

HAL is now a familiar sight in Australia and New Zealand ports too, with ships sailing all around our coastal waters and throughout the South Pacific. The Vista-class Ms Noordam (1924 pax) and Statendam-class ms Maasdam (1258 pax) are regular visitors, bringing HAL’s famous quality reputation right to our doorstep with most voyages either departing or arriving in Sydney, Melbourne or Auckland.

Apart from that, there’s very little of the world left that is not visited by a HAL ship. You can find comprehensive itineraries throughout North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe and all of the Pacific including Asia and Japan.

Eurodam carries a maximum of 2104 guests, about half that of the biggest ships currently being launched. She recently received many updates, including new lounge, dining and entertainment venues, and completely refreshed suites.

Speciality dining venues such as Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto and Tamarind offer tantalising alternatives to the quality main Dining Room. Plus there are many ‘food court’ style venues like Dive-In burger bar and New York Pizza as well as the wide range on offer in the Lido Market buffet.

Entertainment comes in rockin’ style at B.B. King's Blues Club or sophisticated classics on Lincoln Center Stage. The Main Stage is the venue for live, Broadway-style shows and performances.

Onboard activities include exclusive America’s Test Kitchen cooking shows and workshops, BBC Earth Experiences (which combine live music against a backdrop of mesmerizing footage from the BBC Earth television series), computer classes, extensive Greenhouse Spa and salon facilities, as well as wine, beer and whisky tastings.

Kids (or grandkids) 3-17 have their own supervised activities and dedicated ‘Club HAL’.

Cabins, suites and staterooms range from the presidential-style, 126sqm Pinnacle suite through Verandah and Ocean View to Interior, all with quality bedding, bathtubs and flat panel TVs with on-demand programming.

While reading about all these features and benefits will make you feel confident, it isn’t until you are aboard a HAL ship until you fully realise just why cruisers keep coming back and why this premium cruise line has the reputation of the best in its class.

Mediterranean cruise, Barcelona, Rome and Milan from $4899 from Australia

A boat cruise on Italy's Lake Como joins in-depth guided tours of Barcelona, Rome and Milan to add special flair to a new 18-night holiday centred on a 12-night Mediterranean cruise. The price has just been reduced and you can book until the end of March 2016, unless sold out or withdrawn from sale.

The latest exclusive offer from Worldwide Cruise Centres involves a Mediterranean cruise aboard ms Oosterdam, one of Holland America Line's premium Vista-class ships.

Called 'Roman Walls to Northern Lakes' and very competitively priced (starting from A$4899 twin share per person, a reduction of A$100 on the previous price), the holiday lasts 18 nights and includes hotel stays and tours in Barcelona, Rome and Milan (two nights each), as well as the ms Oosterdam cruise.

The Barcelona and Rome tours come complete with special arrangements that skip the queues to some of those cities' best-known attractions. The stay in Milan includes an excursion to the village of Bellagio, with its tiled roofs, stone staircases, cypress groves and lakefront boat moorings. A cruise on Lake Como, against the backdrop of the snow-capped Rhaetian Alps, is the perfect highlight.

The centrepiece of 'Roman Walls to Northern Lakes', the 12-night ms Oosterdam cruise from Barcelona to Rome, visits Cadiz, Gibraltar, Malaga, Alicante, Mallorca, Marseilles, Corsica, Monte Carlo and Livorno, gateway to Florence and Pisa.

'Roman Walls to Northern Lakes' includes flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth to Barcelona, returning from Milan.

The holiday departs Australia on 8 July 2016 with a flight to Barcelona, one of Europe's most popular cities, where you'll spend two nights in a four-star hotel.

Full-day sightseeing Barcelona sightseeing, concentrating on artists and historic heritage, includes Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's fabulous cathedral. A special dispensation lets you skip the tourist queues and discover the magnificent interior. See also the elegant Passeig de Gracia, home to the most famous Gaudi houses, Casa Batllo and La Casa Mila.  The Olympic Village, the beach, the Gothic quarter, La Rambla pedestrian mall – all are covered.

Embark now on ms Oosterdam. The ship's centrepiece is a magnificent Waterford crystal globe, prominently displayed in a three-story atrium. ms Oosterdam amenities include The Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine Magazine; Greenhouse Spa & Salon; Vista Dining Room, Pinnacle Grill and Vista Show Lounge. All shipboard main meals (excluding specialty restaurants) are included.

Ports of call are fabulous. From Moorish-inspired Cadiz, sail to Gibraltar, Britain's Mediterranean outpost, known for its lively troop of Barbary apes. The Spanish seaport of Malaga, one of the world's oldest cities, is where Picasso was born. Bask in the warm, Spanish vibes of Mallorca, then explore shops and cafés of the beachfront Explanada de España at Alicante in sun-soaked Valencia, before sailing on to Marseilles, capital of the South of France. Corsica, birthplace of Napoleon, leads to opulent Monte Carlo on the Riviera and Livorno on the Tyrrhenian Sea, gateway to Florence and Pisa.

Disembarking in Rome, your home for the next two nights (staying in a four-star hotel) you'll see a lot of the city in one day. The tour starts at the Colosseum, where you will skip the queues and learn of gladiators and of the mock sea-battles staged by Nero. Wander the streets and piazzas of the city, taking in sights from the Spanish steps to the Piazza Navona with its Bernini Fountain.

By first-class train now, journey from Rome to Milan. Your two nights in a four-star hotel in Milan include daily breakfast, as with all hotel stays in 'Roman Walls to Northern Lakes'.

From Milan, a day trip to the Italian Lake District visits Lake Como and the village of Bellagio, almost impossibly photogenic. Bellagio has since ancient times been a centre for the production of silk. A walking tour of the city with local guide includes a visit to the Cathedral, with its gothic facade and interior tapestries. A boat cruise sets the seal on a superb day.

Time to explore Milan at your leisure before jetting back home to Australia.

To find your local Worldwide Cruise Centres agent go to:

www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au

HAL's Statendam rescues stranded passengers in Alaska

file image of vessel Baranof Wind

source: eGlobal Travel Media

Holland America Line’s ms Statendam has picked up 103 people from a sightseeing boat wallowing without power in frigid seas near an Alaskan glacier. Another Holland America Line cruise liner rescued passengers from the same sightseeing boat a year ago.

While leaving from Margerie Glacier to depart Glacier Bay on Friday, Statendam received a call for assistance from the 24-metre sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind. Mechanical troubles had cut all power on the Baranof Wind in the ice near John Hopkins Glacier.

Statendam lowered two tenders, which collected 102 tourists and one Glacier Bay National Park ranger, bringing them back to the ship, a company statement said. A Glacier Bay National Park ranger aboard Statendam helped coordinate the assistance from the ship’s bridge.

The sightseers were taken in the evening to Bartlett Cove, where the Baranof Wind’s excursion originated. Statendam then sailed for Seward, Alaska, where it is expected to arrive on schedule today.

“Statendam’s Captain Jochem Bakker and his crew responded quickly and professionally to assist the passengers of Baranof Wind,” said Richard Meadows, executive vice president marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. “We are proud of our officers and crew.”

Almost exactly a year ago, Baranof Wind, described as a high-speed catamaran, ran aground in Glacier Bay with 72 passengers aboard. It was on a day-time sightseeing trip that time, when it struck a rock, a report said.

On that occasion, Holland America Line’s ms Volendam was one of the first to arrive on the scene. Crew helped transfer passengers from the Baranof Wind to the Volendam, taking them to Bartlett Cove where they were transferred to Juneau by another vessel. The Baranof Wind was later towed back to port.

The US Coast Guard launched an investigation into the August 2012 incident and will no doubt investigate the latest episode as well.

Written by Peter Needham

Holland America Line Summer Sale

Moose and Marsupials. Two great cruises unite South Pacific and Alaska

A double cruise aboard two fine Holland America Line cruise ships this year explores Alaska’s renowned Inside Passage and visits Los Angeles, Hawaii, Samoa, Vanuatu and Noumea before sailing back to Australia.

It’s part of a holiday from CruiseAway (cruiseaway.com.au) that also ventures into Canada’s Rocky Mountains on a two-day tour and spends five nights in Vancouver.

Rocky Mountaineer

‘Moose and Marsupials’ (as the holiday is named) uses Holland America Line’s ms Zuiderdam and ms Volendam. The latter ship will visit Australia this October, providing the perfect means of sailing back home across the Pacific after this great North American adventure.

‘Moose and Marsupials’ lasts over five weeks – 37 nights, to be precise. It costs from A$5599 twin share per person, valid at that rate till 30 June 2013 or until sold out, whichever comes first. That’s a reduction of A$400 on the previous price levels.

This fly-double-cruise Canada and Alaska adventure begins on 12 September 2013 with a flight from Sydney to Vancouver. Your hotel is the Rosedale on Robson in the heart of Vancouver’s entertainment district. Accommodation is in a deluxe suite, with time to explore one of North America’s most livable and scenically dramatic cities.

Then board ms Zuiderdam for a fabulous seven-night round-trip into the dramatic fjords of Alaska’s Inside Passage. Despite the snow-capped mountains, the region’s mild, maritime climate makes it prime habitat for bald eagles, sea lions, porpoise and whales. Highlights among these forested islands include the historic town of Juneau at the foot of mountain peaks, the Klondike gold-rush settlement of Skagway, Ketchikan with its totem poles and phenomenal Glacier Bay, where bears forage and 16 tidewater glaciers plunge into icy fjords.

All shipboard main meals (excluding specialty restaurants) and most onboard entertainment is covered. ms Zuiderdam amenities include The Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine Magazine; Greenhouse Spa & Salon; and Explorations Café powered by The New York Times.

After another night in Vancouver, set out along the scenic Sea to Sky Highway on a two-day Discover Whistler mini-stay. The journey to Whistler includes free entry to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, focusing on the culture of two local indigenous nations. The Rocky Mountaineer rail trip back, from Whistler to Vancouver, is one of Canada’s great rail journeys, taking in the magnificent scenery of Howe Sound and British Columbia’s coastal mountains.

Your Whistler accommodation is the gracious Fairmont Chateau Whistler alpine resort, located dramatically between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

Two more nights in a deluxe suite at the stylish Rosedale on Robson hotel give you time to relax in Vancouver. Perhaps saunter the cobblestone streets of Gastown, the city’s oldest neighbourhood, full of artists’ studios and boutique designer shops in refurbished heritage buildings.

The main cruise of the holiday is now about to begin – 24 nights from Vancouver to Sydney aboard ms Volendam, a ship known for flowers, art and fine dining. First port of call is Los Angeles, with time to visit Hollywood, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills or those famous LA shopping malls.

Four days at sea gives time to explore ms Volendam. Artwork aboard runs from pre-Columbian sculptures to Renaissance-era Italian fountains. Dining can involve five-course menus or you can opt for vegetarian or low-carb choices. Take time to explore the lounges, bars, Lido Pool and Frans Hals Show Lounge. Once again, all shipboard main meals (excluding specialty restaurants) and most onboard entertainment is covered in the price.

Next stop Hawaii – first at Hilo on the Big Island, then a full day in Honolulu to visit Pearl Harbor, stroll Waikiki Beach or do as you will. Onward to Pago Pago (pronounced pango pango), capital of American Samoa.

On the other side of the date line lies Suva, Fiji, for a full day to shop, take it easy, maybe sip kava. ms Volendam also visits Port Vila in Vanuatu and Lifou on the Loyalty Islands – perfect beaches on a far-flung archipelago. Then visit Noumea, capital of New Caledonia. Perhaps find a café, sip a Pernod; contemplate practicing your French.

The next stop is super-special. Try to rise early to catch dawn arrival in Sydney, ending your holiday on a serene and beautiful note.

For details, contact Cruiseaway 1300 887 590 www.cruiseaway.com.au

Holland America Cruise Deals

Unbeatable Europe cruise deals.

Holland America Line, the Europe cruise experts are on sale with incredible offers celebrating 140 years of premium cruising across the globe.

Book your Europe cruise holiday through Travel the World by 29 March and benefit from a range of amazing offers:

§  Exclusive onboard credit of up to $340 per stateroom on select sailings in oceanview staterooms
§  Unbeatable savings fares of less than $130 per day
§  Free onboard bonuses including Bon Voyage Sparkling Wine and Pinnacle Grill dinners
§  Onboard, spacious accommodations, gourmet meals and a wealth of activities combine with timeless elegance, modern amenities, and intuitive service - all adding to your dream cruise holiday!

Itineraries on sale:

11-night Ancient Mysteries, Istanbul to Athens onboard the ms Noordam departing 26 August 2013. Oceanview from $1,499* per person – Receive a $340 per stateroom onboard credit plus FREE Bon Voyage Sparkling Wine and a Pinnacle Grill Lunch for two.

22-night Adriatic and Roman Explorer Collector Voyage, Rome roundtrip onboard the ms Noordam departing 09 October 2013. Oceanview from $3,096* per person – Receive a $340 per stateroom onboard credit plus FREE Bon Voyage Sparkling Wine, Pinnacle Grill Dinner, Pinnacle Grill Lunch and US$ 50 Beverage Card for two.

10-night Gems of the Baltic, Copenhagen roundtrip onboard the ms Eurodam departing 21 May 2013. Inside from $1,499* per person -  Receive a $340 per stateroom onboard credit.

19-night Mediterranean Serenade, Venice to Barcelona onboard ms Nieuw Amsterdam departing 24 September 2013. Inside from $3,199 per person - Receive a $340 per stateroom onboard credit.

These offers are subject to availability and space is limited. Call Travel the World by 29 March on 1300 950 622or visit www.traveltheworld.com.au to secure your stateroom and departure date of choice.

 *Conditions apply. Ask for details at time of booking.