Holland America adds third Alaska cruise

[sobore]

08:23 AM PST on Friday, January 6, 2006

 

Associated Press

Holland America Line is adding a third ship for its Seattle-to-Alaska cruises this year, nearly doubling the number of round trips.

Seattle-based Holland America operates the route from May until September. Last year, it had 37 seven-day cruises on two ships from Seattle. Adding a third ship will raise the total to 61.

 

The M-S Westerdam and M-S Oosterdam, which hold more than 18-hundred passengers each, will make 40 sailings this summer. The new addition, the 14-hundred-passenger M-S Zaandam, will make 21 trips.

 

The 61 sailings will be 40 percent of Holland America's total on Alaska routes this year. Other Holland America ships sail from Vancouver, British Columbia.

[Himself]

Two ships will be new to ALASKA this year. The WESTERDAM will not go to Europe this Summer. The AMSTERDAM will go to Europe rather than Alaska. The Westerddam will be the Sunday sailing rather than the AMSTERDAM. The Zaandam will move down to Seattle and abandon Vancouver this year. She will sail on Friday out of Seattle. Replacing her in Vancouver will be the ZUIDERDAM and this will be the ZUIDERDAM's innaugural season in Alaska.

[Wini18]

What about the Ryndam? She sails the Vancouver route. At least I hope so since we're booked on her for August.................

Wini Sell :rolleyes:

[RevNeal]

The rest of the fleet's Alaska operations are unaffected by this change.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hope that HAL doesn't decide to make any more changes. We have already booked our air for the Statendam in June.

 

Wonder if anyone had already booked for those ships that have had changes??

[Himself]

Oley: I was just commenting on what ship was leaving and what ships were changing home ports for the summer and which ships were new to Alaska. Soooooo.........................................................From Seattle we have three explorer cruises each week: Zaandam on Friday, Oosterdam on Saturday and Westerdam on Sunday.

Two inside passage cruises each week out of Vancouver: The Volendam and the Zuiderdam.

Three ships going out of Vancouver every other week and going all the way to Seward and back. Those ships are: The Statendam, the Ryndam and the Veendam. Hope this helps.

[stebul]

From the HAL website, there are 152 sailings to Alaska this summer on 8 ships (including 3 Vista class). That is a lot.

[jhannah]

It will be interesting to see how this season goes from the ports standpoint. There are going to be some very crowded times in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, etc.

[Himself]

The times are usually crowded in the ports you site.

[Budget Queen]

It will be interesting to see how this season goes from the ports standpoint. There are going to be some very crowded times in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, etc.

 

 

Has been ongoing for the last several seasons, it is not uncommon for Juneau to unload 12,000+++ passengers/day. Certainly a lot in these small ports, that is way it is so important to do your homework on touring and make good choices.

 

You will find that the "odd" sailing days superior for ships in port, if possible, consider the Wed. sailings. Carnival also sails Wed. as well as the Volendam.

[Himself]

The "odd" sailings are good advice. This year I am sailing on Friday.