Cruises - Holland America Line

Our Cruise Product Manager was fortunate enough to attend an educational hosted by Holland America Line in Alaska, here's what he had to say about the 7 Day Alaska Inside Passage voyage on Koningsdam: 'I’ve wanted to visit Alaska for such a long time and this month I was lucky enough to get the chance to do it with Holland America aboard the stylish Koningsdam. New to Touchdown, Holland America is a cruise line I know little about compared with our other partners and so this cruise was the perfect chance to get to understand the brand.

As part of our training onboard we were given a presentation explaining they’re a premium cruise line dedicated to explorers, foodies and music lovers with perfectly-sized, refreshingly uncrowded ships. After experiencing seven nights on Koningsdam, I couldn’t agree more.

The ship itself is luxurious and every aspect from amenity design, colour scheme and flow of the deck layout falls perfectly in line with HAL’s premium status. I loved the musical themed décor, from artist portraits and sculptures to instrument-themed carpet to help guests keep track of which direction was forward or aft. As with many ships, the hub was around the atrium at very popular Grand Dutch Café, where guests can choose from cold beers, coffees or other Dutch specialty beverages and food.

The Lido Pool area had a retractable roof, so was always nicely filled with guests relaxing and venturing into the jacuzzis and pool even on colder days. Braver guests could try the aft Sea View Pool, which was fantastic to unwind in whilst taking in the beauty of Alaska passing by.

The standout aspect for me though was Holland America’s passion for live music. Deck 3 boasted the Music Walk, which hosted B.B. King’s Blues Club band, who filled the dancefloor each night. If you walk further forward you can choose from Billboard Onboard with dualling pianos or Rolling Stone Rock Room – which turned out to be our group’s favourite venue. The performances are around 45 minutes per set with two or three sets per night. As one set finishes, there is an instant switch to the venue opposite so that the music never stops. On some occasions, the Rolling Stone band would start playing the end of the final song coming from Billboard, so the handover was seamless. We loved it there. Proceed further forward and you have The World Stage venue, a really impressive theatre, which hosts a variety of performances day and night, whether that be talks from local experts, BBC Earth footage, dance shows or music concerts.

After a gorgeous day cruising north in the Inside Passage, our first port of call was Juneau. The capital city of Alaska and is inaccessible by road and is home to the Mendenhall Glacier. We took a hike up the Mount Roberts Trail to look out for bears, bald eagles and mountain goats and then took the Goldbelt Tram back down to the port, which was great fun. Sadly, our whale watching excursion was cancelled late in the day so instead we explored more of Juneau.

Skagway is a very relaxed port of call, with a rich gold rush history. You can explore the town at your own pace or take one of the many trails. The most popular thing though is to take the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, which links the port of Skagway in Canada with Whitehorse in the USA. It takes about three hours for a roundtrip and you get to experience the breathtaking panoramic scenery of mountains, glaciers, rivers & tunnels from the comfort of vintage train carriages. You can even leave the carriage and take in the sights (and take great pictures) from outside. I would thoroughly recommend this trip and the train journey starts and ends right next to the ship.

Although the first two ports were fantastic, you could feel the excitement building for Glacier Bay National Park throughout the cruise. It’s the highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site. We were told to be up by 6am to see the Bay as we entered, as you we were likely to see activity in the water. I was on my balcony by 5:30 and had already seen a humpback whale by 6. I then ventured up on top deck and it was amazing to see so many people up with their binoculars and winter gear on so early. The day continued to be fascinating as we slowly cruised through the Bay, looking at wildlife and glaciers as we cruised. I managed to see a few more humpback whales, sea otters and bears strolling along the shoreline. I was really impressed with the with fantastic audio, over the ship’s tannoy, from park rangers who joined the ship just to cruise Glacier Bay. They answered questions, provided commentary and informed us when there were sightings in and out of the water. It was a day I’ll never forget.

Our final port of call was Ketchikan. I was really excited about this one as we’d booked Tatoosh Islands Sea Kayaking. We were picked up and it was only a 25-minute transfer to our boat, where we then took a speedy trip to the Islands. Within ten minutes we’d been briefed, kitted up and were ready to go. As soon as we were all in our kayaks, we spotted a pod of humpback whales gathering in the distance. It was incredible. We made our way closer and managed to get some footage. The kayaking was stunning; we were spoilt with bald eagles flying above our heads and seals swimming alongside us. There was a lovely silence in our group as everyone just took in what we were seeing and how lucky we were. I though Glacier Bay would be the highlight of our trip, but this definitely was for me.

During the cruise we were lucky enough to sample every dining option and they were all exceptional. The Dining Room and the Lido Market had a perfect variety to choose from and the service was great. For relaxed pool-side options there is Dive In (burgers and dogs) and New York Deli (bagels, pizza and more). Speciality option were in abundance and there is Canaletto (Italian), Pinnacle Grill (steak and seafood), Tamarind (pan-Asian), Nami (sushi) and Rudi’s Sel De Mer (French seafood). You truly are spoilt for choice and each exquisite experience just added to what was an incredible cruise. We couldn’t think of anything better than dining in one of these restaurants whilst admiring the scenery outside.'

I now see that Holland America is about history, quality and – something very close to my heart – music. They strike me as a very loyal cruise line – not just to their 150-year heritage, but to their connections with the regions they cruise. This is what enables Holland America to maintain such desirable cruise berths when in port in these sought-after destinations. The service from all staff was exceptional and you can tell they love working for HAL. I thoroughly recommend purchasing the ‘Have It All’ package, where guests can pay £40pppd and receive WiFi, signature beverage package, at least $100 credit towards excursions and one night in one of the many fantastic speciality restaurants. It makes the cruise even more effortless and is amazing value. For more details about their ‘Have It All’ package, please give our expert sales team a call.

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