Named “Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice,” the voyage sails roundtrip from Seattle and is set to depart on June 9, 2024.
Cruising during the Summer Solstice, the port-intensive itinerary features visits to Alaska’s Anchorage, Dutch Harbor, Haines (Skagway), Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Nome, Seward, Sitka, Valdez and Wrangell, as well as Prince Rupert, in Canada.
Before returning to its homeport in Seattle, the Westerdam also offers scenic cruising in Glacier Bay, the Inside Passage, the Tracy Arm, the College Fjord, Little Diomede Island, the Prince William Sound and the Hubbard Glacier.
According to Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer of Holland America Line, the cruise is the most immersive ever offered by the company in the region.
Among the exclusive destinations of the itinerary is Nome. In addition to the Westerdam, the Alaskan city is not receiving any other mainstream cruise ship in 2023 and 2024.
Dutch Harbor and Homer are also less usual calls, with each having fewer than 15 cruise ship visits scheduled for 2024.
Part of a six-ship summer season in the region, the “Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice” is one of over 100 cruises being offered by Holland America Line in the Last Frontier in 2024.
Sailing onboard the Eurodam, the Koningsdam, the Nieuw Amsterdam, the Noordam, the Westerdam and the Zaandam, the program features a total of 12 Alaska ports and, in addition to mostly week-long itineraries, also includes 14-day voyages.
Departing from Vancouver, the longer cruises offer what Holland America calls “an in-depth adventure,” visiting eight Alaska ports, such as Anchorage, Kodiak, Wrangell, Valdez and more.
