Bookings Open for Holland America Line’s 2025 Alaska Season

It’s time to make your plans to head to the ‘Last Frontier’ with Holland America Line. The cruise line has officially opened bookings for its 2025 Alaska season. Holland America offers one of the most extensive Alaska programs, with over 75 years of sailing in the region. 

From April through October 2025, Holland America Line will sail Alaska cruises aboard Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam, and Zaandam. Departures are roundtrip from Seattle and Vancouver, or in either direction between Vancouver and Whittier. 

For the 2025 Alaska season, Holland America will offer the most Glacier Bay permits in the cruise industry, allowing guests more glacier and wildlife viewing experiences. The line will offer over 180 shore Alaska excursions that take guests on wildlife and wilderness encounters. 

“Guests choose an Alaska cruise because they want to see a glacier up close and whales in the wild, and we’re proud to be number-one in these areas by offering our guests more ways to experience glaciers, wildlife and wilderness than any other cruise line,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer of Holland America Line. “As we open bookings for our 2025 season, we’re offering an unmatched Alaska: Up Close experience and incentives to start planning now.”

Following is a look at Holland America Line’s 2025 Alaska season itineraries and voyage highlights. 

2025 Alaska Itineraries

These are the itineraries being offered by Holland America Line in the upcoming Alaska cruise season: 

• A 28-day “Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice” cruise aboard Westerdam. Departing June 8, 2025 (in time for the Summer Solstice), this voyage sails from Seattle to the Bering Sea and into the Arctic Circle. Port visits include Anchorage (overnight), Dutch Harbor, Haines, Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Nome, Seward, Sitka, Valdez, Wrangell, and Prince Rupert. Scenic cruising includes Glacier Bay, Inside Passage, Tracy Arm, College Fjord, Little Diomede Island, Prince William Sound, and Hubbard Glacier.
• 14-day “Great Alaskan Explorer” roundtrip from Vancouver on two ships with eight Alaska port stops. Nieuw Amsterdam (May 4, 2025) - Anchorage, Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Skagway, Valdez, and Wrangell, with Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier; Noordam (Sept. 14, 2025) - Anchorage, Homer, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Prince Rupert, Skagway, Sitka, Valdez, and Glacier Bay.
• Seven-day ‘Northbound Glacier Discovery’ and ‘Southbound Glacier Discovery’ itineraries cruise between Whittier and Vancouver aboard Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.
• Seven-day ‘Alaska Inside Passage’ cruises sail roundtrip from Vancouver on Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Zaandam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.
• Seven-day ‘Alaskan Explorer’ cruises sail roundtrip from Seattle aboard Eurodam and Westerdam. Port visits include calls at Victoria, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka. Eurodam includes visits to Alaska’s Icy Strait Point and Glacier Bay, while Westerdam explores Dawes Glacier.

Scenic Glacier Viewing Experiences

Westerdam cruising in Glacier Bay. - Photo by Holland America Line

Every Holland America Alaska cruise will include a scenic stop at one or more glaciers. On these visits, the ships sail up to the ice formations and rotate for a 360-degree view. Holland America most notably will have more permits in 2025 to visit Glacier Bay National Park than any cruise line. During scenic cruising of Glacier Bay, a park ranger will visit the ship for the day to engage with guests and talk about the famous national park.

Other scenic glacier sailing on 2025 Holland America itineraries includes College Fjord, Dawes Glacier, Hubbard Glacier, and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm.

In addition to scenic viewing from the ship, guests can also choose to get even closer to glaciers with a shore excursion. Some glacier excursion highlights include the Excursions by Catamaran of Hubbard Glacier & Enchanting Disenchantment Bay, the Tracy Arm Inlet and Glacier Explorer to Sawyer Glacier, a Helicopter Glacier Trek in Juneau, the Five Glaciers Seaplane tour over a section of the Juneau Ice Field, and the Wilderness, Wildlife and Glacier Experience in Anchorage.

Alaska Wildlife Excursions 

Numerous opportunities to see wildlife onshore and at sea. - Photo by Holland America Line

For 2025, Holland America will offer nearly 180 tours dedicated to wildlife viewing, the most excursions of this type from any cruise line. 

Tour highlights include whale watching in Juneau, the Sea Otter Quest and Alaska Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear in Sitka, a Wilderness Zodiac Quest in Ketchikan to view bears, eagles and seals, the Spasski River Wildlife and Bear Search in Icy Strait Point, and the Haines Eagle Preserve Float and Wildlife Quest to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Skagway. 

Wildlife viewing is not reserved exclusively for excursions, with numerous opportunities to see animals while sailing. Holland America will have a wildlife expert onboard each ship while sailing. Between 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., wildlife sightings are announced for guest viewing, and daily shipboard programming will include presentations from the experts. All cruises on Westerdam roundtrip from Seattle feature a presentation by The Alaska Raptor Center at Sitka. Hosted by the wildlife expert, one of the center’s Avian Care Specialists comes aboard with a raptor (eagle, hawk, owl, etc.) to share insights about Alaska’s majestic birds. 

Onboard Programming 

Holland America Line’s ‘Alaska Up Close’ onboard programming is designed to deeply immerse guests in the local culture with workshops, activities, and more. The cruise line invites EXC Talks to deliver these exclusive experiences. Additionally on all Alaska cruises, a Huna Native Interpreter in historical dress comes on board during the evening stay at Juneau to introduce guests to the history of the Tlingit people. 

On the culinary side, Holland America has added dishes and experiences to celebrate Alaska. Some highlights include cocktails made from real glacier ice, an Alaska-themed brunch, a ‘Gold Rush’ themed dinner, seafood boils, salmon bakes, and themed stations in Lido Market. 

In 2022, Holland America Line was awarded a Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification, making it the first cruise line to achieve this credential. Of note according to the line, on any Alaska cruise Holland America serves more than 2,000 pounds of Alaska salmon, 1,000 pounds of Alaska cod, 800 pounds of Alaska halibut, and 500 pounds of Alaska rockfish! 

Bookings Now Open

Are you ready to plan your Holland America Line Alaska Cruise for 2025? Bookings are now open. 2025 Cruisetours (Holland America’s offering that combines an Alaska cruise with an overland expedition to Denali and the Yukon) are scheduled to be available in the fall of 2024. Search and find your DREAM cruise today!

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