Adventure traveler and Dutch TV personality Charlotte Van Hoorn was on board Zaandam for an Alaska cruise and will be sharing her adventure with us.

All agreed, this was the complete package…On board, on shore, on the water in small craft, in the sky, in smaller aircraft and even by dogsled…this cruise was the perfect HAL choice for a group of first timers and seasoned Mariner Society members. Beyond my usual “relax with the ship’s premium wine tasting amenity after snorkelling or a cultural visit ashore” routine, my goal was to experience the pricey, but peak experiences offered in the Special Collection of HAL excursions. To enjoy the ship’s  On Location programming as well, I chose to sail both up and back the itinerary to fit in the Encore and Wonders of the World tours. A revisit to a port meant spending the day entirely differently, although most of my chums left in Seward to explore with the Land Tour options.

So – Weigh Anchor for The Alaskan Fish Camp. This was OUTDOORS in your face. I chose the woman guide right away, hoping she had been a Girl Scout, if we got into trouble on rough waters. But, the skiff was very stable at rest or on plane and we each had a padded swivel chair for seating and were dressed in oilskins, overboots and safety gear with life vest. It was EXCITING skimming over the waters to the bay site on her GPS where the sea bed rose to ONLY 200 feet below the surface so that we could drop line for halibut or hit a school of other types of fish in the bay. 4 of us got 7 fish …

I felt then and throughout this trip that HAL had chosen competent partners ashore who took the time and made the commitment to explain safety procedures on the various small boats, planes, helicopters and around the sled dogs and wild animals we encountered throughout the voyage. Again, these experiences were more pricey than relaxing on board or shopping ashore, but I wanted very much to EXPERIENCE Alaska and I hope the video snippets will share some of the genuine thrill I felt.

Topics: Alaska, Cruise Diary, ms Zaandam, Shore Excursions, Videos | | No Comments

Today Oosterdam is at Sitka, Alaska, and the ship’s Security Officer John Pris was able to capture stunning Mount Edgecumbe up close and from a distance. From any angle it looks just breathtaking!

Nice day in Sitka with Mount Edgecumbe, a 3,200-foot tall dormant stratovolcano, located on southern Kruzof Island.

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Topics: Alaska, ms Oosterdam, Postcards from... | | No Comments

Thanks to guest Nancy Goforth for sending in these photos from Glacier Bay, Alaska.

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Topics: Alaska, ms Westerdam, Postcards from... | | No Comments

Thanks to Mariner Linda Bair for sharing with us this heartwarming story about her last cruise with her father-in-law.

My husband’s father passed away one year ago at the age of 97. One of the happiest memories we have of him is the Alaska cruise on the Volendam that we shared together. We remember his joy in the breathtaking scenery, his delight in the beautiful ship and his amazing compliments about the superior meals and service we received. This weekend we’ll celebrate Father’s Day, and even though he is no longer with us, we’ll spend part of the day reviewing the photo album of our Alaska cruise and celebrate his wonderful life and remember how much we love and miss him.

Topics: Alaska, Holidays, Mariner Voices, ms Volendam | | No Comments

With the Alaska Season starting up again, the crew can play soccer in Juneau. The Zuiderdam is in Juneau, together with our sister ship the Westerdam and also the Star Princess.

This makes for some good games. The Zuiderdam players beat both the Westerdam & Star Princess Team! We hope they are up for a rematch in two weeks.

Great job, Zuiderdam Soccer Team!! Keep it up and celebrate your victory!

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Thanks to guest Giles Bobersky for sending in such stunning pictures from his Alaska cruise aboard Zuiderdam. He was able to capture some amazing shots of glaciers calving in South Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord. 

Here are a few shots from a most memorable trip. Looking forward to a return someday!— Giles Bobersky

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Thanks to Zaandam guest John Arnold for sharing some photos of Glacier Bay.

Look at the snow mountain in the middle of the pic. Do you see a face?

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This was taken on our Holland America Alaska cruise for our 45th wedding anniversary. — Karl and Karen Schorno

Topics: Alaska, Postcards from... | | No Comments