By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line (HAL) is to redeploy Oosterdam from Europe to Alaska for the summer 2017 season.
Oosterdam will sail 21 seven-day cruises roundtrip from Seattle, Washington, from April until September. Guests will call at Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They will also enjoy scenic cruising in Puget Sound upon departing Seattle, as well as in Stephens Passage and Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.
The ship will join Amsterdam, Eurodam (which replaces Westerdam), Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Volendam and Zaandam for a total of 135 Alaska departures in 2017, more than any other cruise line. This will be the 70th anniversary of HAL’s Alaska cruises.
"Our award-winning Alaska cruises are at the heart of our global itineraries, and adding Oosterdam to the region in 2017 will allow even more guests to join in celebrating the exciting milestone of our 70th year in Alaska," said Orlando Ashford, HAL’s president. "As Seattle's hometown cruise line, we're thrilled to be sailing three ships from our local home port for the next Alaska season."
HAL will offer 126 seven-day cruises and nine 14-day ‘Great Alaskan Explorer’ sailings that begin in late April and run until late September. Highlights include 46 seven-day cruises roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Nieuw Amsterdam, Volendam, Noordam and Zaandam. In addition, Noordam and Zaandam each will sail 18 one-way, seven-day cruises between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska.
Eurodam will depart Seattle on 22 roundtrip seven-day cruises, while Amsterdam is scheduled to sail one seven-day itinerary from Seattle followed by nine 14-day Great Alaskan Explorer voyages. Meanwhile, Amsterdam replaces Maasdam in 2017, sailing nine itineraries that visit Anchorage, Icy Strait Point, Homer, Kodiak and Hubbard Glacier.
All Seattle departures include calls at Sitka; Ketchikan; Juneau; and Victoria, British Columbia, and guests choose between either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. The Glacier Bay itineraries include park ranger and Huna native speaker presentations.
Guests can also benefit from HAL’s Land+Sea Journeys programme to combine a three-, four- or seven-day ‘Inside Passage’ or ‘Glacier Discovery’ cruise with in-depth overland tours to the Yukon and Alaska's interior. Offering up to three days at Denali National Park, Land+Sea Journeys are designed to highlight the best of Alaska's wilderness, wildlife, native culture and history.