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

Thanks to Niño L. Lagare, Eurodam‘s second electrician, for sending in this great photo from Ephesus at Kusadasi, Turkey.

The world-famous ancient Greek-Roman city of Ephesus offers a breathtaking scenery. The panorama itself will drag your imagination to the past. This is a city St. Paul once visited and wrote about in his Letter to the Ephesians.

Topics: Europe, ms Eurodam, Postcards from..., Shore Excursions | | No Comments

Five-Star Mariners Jan and Dick Yetke set sail on Prinsendam’s 64-day Grand Mediterranean Voyage in March, and we’ll catch up as quickly as possible. Enjoy the journey with Jan and Dick!

Now headed back across the Atlantic with just a few stops left. Today we docked in Ponta Delgada, Azores. This is a beautiful island that’s got a very nice town in it.

We signed up for and took the ship’s tour: Whale and Dolphin Safari. This was a three-and-a-half-hour tour out on a Zodiac with 12 seats, two-by-two, facing forward. What an adventure it was!

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Topics: Cruise Diary, Europe, Grand Voyages, Mariner Voices, ms Prinsendam, Shore Excursions | | No Comments

Thanks to Zaandam guests Shannon and Sebastian for sending us pictures from their recent vacation, including an adorable photo from the Dolphin Encounter shore excursion.

We went on the 7-Day Mexican Riviera in April and had a blast! This was our first cruise and our first time to Mexico. Attached are four photos I would like to share. Thanks so much for letting me share my cruise memories with you! — Shannon and Sebastian

Swimming with the dolphins on our HAL shorex.

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Topics: Mexico, ms Zaandam, Shore Excursions | | No Comments

Five-Star Mariners Jan and Dick Yetke set sail on Prinsendam’s 64-day Grand Mediterranean Voyage in March, and we’re catching up as quickly as possible. Enjoy the journey with Jan and Dick!

We had a beautiful day here! The ship was anchored in a bay (Naxos) at the base of the Sicilian city of Taormina (high up on the hillside). We took a HAL shore excursion called: Taormina & Mount Etna. Wow, what a great all-day tour that was!

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Topics: Cruise Diary, Grand Voyages, Mariner Voices, Mediterranean, ms Prinsendam, Shore Excursions | | 1 Comment

In honor of the launch of our new Land+Sea Journeys and the return of our ships to the region, this week Holland America Line is celebrating all things Alaska! Thanks to HAL guests Joanna and Trygve Anderson for sending in these great photos from their Alaska cruise.

We have taken many wonderful Holland America Line cruises and some of our best excursion memories are from our Alaskan cruise. We got great shots while on our Whale Watching adventure, Kayaking adventure and Photographer’s adventure tours. What a great time! — Joanna and Trygve Anderson

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Topics: Alaska, Shore Excursions | | No Comments

In honor of the launch of our new Land+Sea Journeys and the return of our ships to the region, this week Holland America Line is celebrating all things Alaska! We have some wonderful posts to share that showcase the amazing experiences that await in the Last Frontier. Enjoy!

I was so impressed by Alaska, it’s now one of my favorite spots in the world! I was on the Volendam from Kobe to Vancouver, April 15 to May 1. What a great trip! Hurray and kudos to our captain and crew, they were amazing!

Here are a few pics from Kodiak and Ketchikan and the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour aka Deadliest Catch. — Judy Nivert

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Topics: Alaska, ms Volendam, Postcards from..., Shore Excursions | | 2 Comments

Guests Jan and Dick Yetke set sail on Prinsendam’s 64-day Grand Mediterranean Voyage in March, and we’ll catch up as quickly as possible. Enjoy the journey with Jan and Dick!

This country and port were a first for us, and for most of the passengers on this ship for that matter. It was a beautiful, great stop! We all loved it!

The local people were very friendly and welcoming. And because we are on this fairly small ship, as cruise ships go these days, we were able to dock right downtown! Awesome! I have also included a map photo showing our route into the town/harbor. Very unique we think.

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Topics: Cruise Diary, Grand Voyages, Mariner Voices, Mediterranean, ms Prinsendam, Shore Excursions | | 1 Comment