On Location: HAL’s Alaska excursions bring the wow factor; Canadians keep cruising

STORY BY DIANE TIERNEY 

Despite changing sentiments toward the United States, Alaskan cruises remain popular, captivating passengers with animal encounters—spotting whales, bears, otters, seals, and eagles — and spectacular scenery, such as massive blue glaciers and enchanting emerald-green forests.

PAX recently sailed aboard Holland America Line’s (HAL’s) Koningsdam cruise to Alaska, on a roundtrip from Vancouver from May 10 to 17, to check out the cruise line’s new and most popular shore excursions.

There are about 180 excursions to choose from and Alaska generally has some of the most expensive tour programs worldwide due to its remote region and use of seaplanes and helicopters.  

Of the 2,650 passengers on board our ship, there were about 777 Australians, 678 Canadians, 583 Americans and 419 from the U.K., according to the cruise line.

The main age range is 66 to 74. However, age demographics drop during the summer when kids are out of school and families and multi-generational groups arrive.

There are six Holland America ships sailing this season – Koningsdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam and Zaandam.

Rob Coleman, senior vice president, sales, at Holland America Line, recognized that travel to the U.S., right now, is a sensitive issue.

“We value our Canadian guests and crew, as well as the amazing Canadian ports and destinations that warmly welcome us into their communities. We also understand their concerns about the complex macro-economic and geo-political dynamics in play beyond our control and share their hope that the volatility decreases soon,” Coleman said. “Canada remains an important market to us – both because Canadians love sailing our cruise line around the world and because we have great relationships in our homeports such as Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City, and the dozens of ports we visit on our cruises from Victoria to Halifax.”

The array of excursions that are available in Alaska can be overwhelming for clients. It could take hours to study and compare them all.

HAL’s prices range from $43 for a lumberjack show to about $749 for a helicopter and glacier landing with hiking and dogsledding. (All prices quoted are per person and in USD.)

“In general, Juneau is the best place for glaciers," said Janessa Solis, shore excursions manager on Koningsdam. "Skagway is great for a train ride to the summit. Ketchikan has a focus on whale watching and great food such as salmon and crabs. We highly recommend that guests book pre-cruise – especially for flight tours – because there are a limited number of seaplanes and helicopters." 

All tours also have an activity level rating from easy to strenuous and there are several wheelchair accessible tours.

“But always be prepared for a tour to be cancelled,” Solis said. “While it may be sunny where the ship docks, it can be raining or windy on the other side of the mountain.”

Alaska excursion breakdown 

Here’s a breakdown of HAL’s new and most popular tours.

Top five new tours

Cruising Endicott: Endicott Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer $309

Anchorage: Talkeetna Train and Day Tour $399

Ketchikan: Crabbing, Fishing, Wildlife Watching $489

Valdez: Valdez Glacier Explorer by Helicopter TBA

Vancouver embarkation tour: Capilano Canyon Walk and City Highlights plus hotel to ship transfer $139

Top five most popular returning tours

Juneau: Pilot's Choice Glacier Explorer by Helicopter (with two landings) $579

Sitka: Wilderness Sea Kayaking Adventure $194

Skagway: White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad: A Luxury Travel Experience $414

Ketchikan: Adventure Kart Expedition $299

Juneau: Discover Alaska's Whales: Small Group Experience $229   

Top five wildlife tours

Juneau: Discover Alaska's Whales: Small Group Experience $229.

Ketchikan: Black Bear, Wildlife and Nature Walk $309

Sitka: Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest $179

Icy Strait Point: Whale Watch and Marine Mammal Safari $199

Ketchikan: Crab Expedition Wildlife Cruise and King Crab Snack $259

Top five tours the shore team highly recommends

Juneau: Taku Lodge Feast and Five Glacier Seaplane Discovery $484

Skagway: Ultimate Musher's Camp Experience: Dog Sled Ride, Gold Panning and S'mores $284

Sitka: Best of Sitka: Otters, Raptors and Bears $259

Ketchikan: Rain Forest Sanctuary Walk and Totem Park $134

Cruising Hubbard Glacier: Excursions by Catamaran: Hubbard Glacier and Enchanting Disenchantment Bay $359

Holland America and the History Channel also have an exclusive partnership that will better allow guests to not just be told about a destination’s history, but to experience it.

For Alaska, the channel has curated and elevated these tours:

Juneau: Gold Panning and Underground Mine Exploration $89

Skagway: White Pass Rail, Summit, Gold Panning and Barbecue Lunch $254

How to prepare

Solis said it’s also important for guests to dress in layers and bring hats, sunscreen and sunglasses, as weather temperatures can change extremely quickly from being hot in town to snowing at the 3,000-foot (914 metres) summit on a train tour.

The glare from a glacier on a sunny day is bright. Wear closed-toe footwear with a quality tread for safety. Some glacier tours include hiking boots and walking poles.

While taking a shore excursion is the best way to experience the beauty of Alaska, if your client doesn’t have the budget, the towns have quaint shops, restaurants, bars, small museums, cultural centres, parks with totem poles, gardens, hiking trails and more that they can explore on their own.

From the ship while cruising, clients can see glaciers up close and possibly whales and bears using binoculars.

A wildlife expert on board announces sightings over the PA system and in the Koningsdam’s cozy Observation Lounge. Many venues have large windows and a large pool has a retractable roof. 

There are also outdoor decks, providing a warm, safe, easy and comfortable experience.

Alaska-style dining

The fresh air and exercise your clients will enjoy – and the sun not setting until 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. in summer – can lead to longer and stronger appetites.

There’s a special Alaska Brunch that features blueberry pancakes, salmon and potato chowder, wild forest mushroom, tarragon crepes, Kodiak steak and egg, crab and hot smoked salmon cakes, biscuits with gravy, sausage and smoked cod.

Many new meals have been added to the variety of restaurants on board and Alaska-focused options include large lobsters, black cod and fresh halibut.

The line also continues to build on its “Global Fresh Fish” program that brings locally-sourced fresh fish from port to plate in less than 48 hours.

For more information on planning Alaska cruises for your client, review this Alaska Planner. 

For an A-Z reference guide on HAL’s Alaska Shore excursions, click here.

Diane Tierney has been on 98 cruises to 57 countries and has 143,000 followers on Instagram at Cruiseguru. She has cruised to Alaska three times with three different lines.

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