On Thursday, April 6th, the Knockturnal was invited to spend twenty-four hours on Holland America’s revered MS Rotterdam.
A highlight of the day was attending a visual production of Holland America Line’s history. Holland America’s head of entertainment gave the presentation.
The company began in the ocean liner business transporting immigrants and visitors across the Atlantic Ocean. One tenth of immigrants who came through Ellis Island arrived on Holland America ships. Something that set Holland America apart was that even passengers in steerage were treated well in comparison to their treatment on other lines. For example, Holland America took hygiene seriously, going so far as to cover the fee for the return voyage of passengers who were turned back at Ellis Island for poor health.
As a company, Holland America was always inventive, exploring new possibilities for enhancing the comfort and ease of Transatlantic travel. The company even opened up an affordable hotel for immigrants to stay at while awaiting their departure for the New World. The hotel offered lessons in English and etiquette.
In the age of Prohibition, Holland America sold tickets for ten-dollar booze cruises where for just ten dollars guests could board a ship and be taken out to sea where they could drink as much liquor as they pleased outside the purview of the law. When World War II began, Holland America volunteered its ships for use by the Allied Forces, bringing thousands of soldiers from South Africa to Europe to fight in the war.
By 1959, shortly after Holland America finished building its beloved ocean liner the Rotterdam V, jet airplanes were severely disrupting the industry. Whereas an ocean liner would take six days to cross the Atlantic, a jet airplane could do so in just six hours. Airplanes emerged as the preferred mode of travel. For Holland America, all was not lost, however, as with the Rotterdam V, the company was poised to shift its focus from transportation to offering cruises for pleasure. The Rotterdam V, which was equipped luxuriously for vacation cruises, sustained Holland-America through the difficult years following the arrival of the jet engine.
The company again brought innovation to the cruise industry when it began the world’s first Alaskan cruises, which soon became a staple of the market for cruises in America. Holland America has been cruising in Alaska for over 75 years! In the days before global positioning systems, the captain of the cruise ship bound for Alaska had to navigate by a map alone of foggy nights, and the crew spotted land a day early. It turned out they had off the coast of Vancouver!
The afternoon of April 7th the MS Rotterdam embarked on its 150th anniversary voyage from New York to Holland.
Highlights for 2023 Alaska Cruises:
- Every Alaska cruise includes a visit to one or more of Alaska’s iconic glacier destinations: Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier and Twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm.
- The 14-day “Great Alaskan Explorer” itinerary returns in 2023 to offer an in-depth adventure. Roundtrip from Vancouver aboard Nieuw Amsterdam (May 7) and Noordam (Sept. 17), the cruise calls at the Alaskan ports of Kodiak, Anchorage, Valdez, Sitka, Skagway and Ketchikan, and features Glacier Bay.
- Seven-day “Glacier Discovery Northbound” and “Glacier Discovery Southbound” itineraries cruise between Whittier and Vancouver aboard Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, Alaska.
- Seven-day “Alaska Inside Passage” cruises sail roundtrip from Vancouver on Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam and Volendam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, except for Noordam that stops at Sitka vs Skagway.
- Seven-day “Alaskan Explorer” cruises sail roundtrip from Seattle aboard Eurodam and Westerdam, and include calls at Victoria, British Columbia (evening stay); and Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka.
- All ships cruising in Alaska feature expanded onboard programming: guests can engage with an Alaska naturalist, special EXC presentations explore local topics such as Alaska’s bush pilots and the famous Iditarod race, and cruises with Glacier Bay take on a National Park Ranger and local Huna Tlingit guides.
Highlights for 2023 Denali Cruisetours:
- Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam will offer Denali Cruisetours ranging from nine to 14 days.
- All Denali Cruisetours include a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise featuring Glacier Bay, plus either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier (depending on the direction), Inside Passage, as well as up to three nights at the McKinley Chalet Resort at the entrance to Denali National Park.
- All Double and Triple Denali itineraries include the Tundra Wilderness Tour, which provides the best wildlife viewing through Denali National Park.
- Holland America Line owns its motorcoaches, railcars and hotels, so schedules are preferential. Each Cruisetour gets a scenic ride on the luxury-domed McKinley Explorer, including select itineraries that offer Direct-to-Denali service, taking guests from their ship to their Denali hotel room on the same day.
Highlights for 2023 Yukon & Denali Cruisetours:
- Holland America Line is the ONLY cruise line to offer an Alaska cruise combined with an overland tour to Denali and the Yukon.
- Yukon & Denali Cruisetours range from nine to 18 days and include either a three- or four-day Inside Passage cruise on Koningsdam or Volendam, or a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam; a two-or three-night stay at Denali; and a journey into the Yukon.
- Every Yukon & Denali Cruisetour includes the services of a professional Journey Host, who makes time on land easy, convenient and insightful.
- All Yukon & Denali Cruisetours include a ride on the McKinley Explorer full-dome railcars, and select itineraries add on the historic White Pass & Yukon Route railroad from Skagway.
- Yukon & Denali Cruisetours feature two nights in Dawson City, affording guests more time to relive Gold Rush history. Additional overnight experiences vary depending on the Cruisetour.
- An included tour on the Klondike Spirit paddlewheeler takes guests along the Yukon River past stunning tall pines, historic towns and wildlife; nearly all Yukon & Denali Cruisetours include a Gold Dredge 8 tour; and every Yukon & Denali itinerary includes the Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali National Park
Highlights for 2024 Denali Cruisetours:
- Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam will offer Denali Cruisetours ranging from nine to 14 days between Vancouver, Canada, and Anchorage or Fairbanks, Alaska.
- All Denali Cruisetours include a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise featuring Glacier Bay – Holland America Line has more permits to visit Glacier Bay than any other line — and the Alaskan ports of Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, plus either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier (depending on the direction) and Inside Passage. The land side includes up to three nights at Holland America Line’s McKinley Chalet Resort at the entrance to Denali National Park.
- All Double and Triple Denali itineraries include the Tundra Wilderness Tour, which provides the best wildlife viewing through Denali National Park.
- Holland America Line owns its motorcoaches, railcars and hotels, so schedules are preferential. Each Cruisetour gets a scenic ride on the luxury-domed McKinley Explorer, including select itineraries that offer Direct-to-Denali service, taking guests from their ship to their Denali hotel room on the same day.
Highlights for 2024 Yukon & Denali Cruisetours:
- Yukon & Denali Cruisetours range from nine to 18 days and include either a three- or four-day Inside Passage cruise on Koningsdam or Zaandam, or a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam; a two-or three-night stay at Denali; and a journey into the Yukon.
- Every Yukon & Denali Cruisetour includes the services of a professional Tour Director, who makes time on land easy, convenient and insightful.
- All Yukon & Denali Cruisetours include a ride on the McKinley Explorer full-dome railcars, and select itineraries add on the historic White Pass & Yukon Route railroad from Skagway.
- Yukon & Denali Cruisetours features up to two nights in Dawson City, affording guests more time to relive Gold Rush history. Additional overnight experiences vary depending on the Cruisetour.
- Nearly all Yukon & Denali Cruisetours include a Gold Dredge 8 tour and many include a tour on the Klondike Spirit paddlewheeler that takes guests along the Yukon River past stunning tall pines, historic towns and wildlife. Every Yukon & Denali itinerary includes the Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali National Park.
