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Holland America's 'Glacier Day,' fresh catch, special drinks enhance Alaska cruises

Holland America Line is debuting 'Glacier Day' on Alaska cruises as it rolls out new programming within its 'We Love Alaska' on-board experience.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

April 19, 2024

2 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

The offerings include 'Alaska Up Close' presentations as well as culinary and beverage experiences.

April 27 season start

The 2024 season kicks off April 27 from Vancouver, BC and May 4 from Seattle. Through September passengers can embark aboard Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam and Zaandam on seven-, 14- and a new 28-day 'Arctic Circle Solstice Legendary Voyage' that includes 12 Alaska ports.

Cruise-tours range from nine to 18 days and include a one-, two- or three-day visit to Denali National Park. Some cruise-tours also include a journey into Canada's Yukon.

Every Alaska cruise includes a visit to one or more glacier destinations: Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, Dawes Glacier and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm. Shore excursions give the opportunity to visit additional glaciers, including Mendenhall and Portage.

'Glacier Day' highlights

'Glacier Day' includes sighting times, scenic commentary, presentations, informational viewing stations, photo opportunities, Dutch pea soup on deck, glacier ice cocktails, talks by Glacier Bay National Park Rangers and Huna cultural interpreters, an open bow for viewing, and more.

Fresh fish

Holland America continues to build on its global fresh fish program, which includes being the only cruise line with Alaska seafood certified sustainable by Responsible Fisheries Management and bringing locally sourced fresh fish from port to plate in less than 48 hours. In addition, ships in Alaska will serve three exclusive dishes created by the brand's Fresh Fish Ambassador Chef Masaharu Morimoto: fresh black cod yuzu, Morimoto epice lobster and fresh halibut XO.

A new Alaska seafood boil will be offered once per cruise in the Lido Market for a surcharge. This includes Ivar's Northwest-style clam dhowder, dungeness cruise clusters, Alaska salmon, Penn Cove clams, Penn Cove mussels and a shrimp bucket, with triple berry crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Offered once per cruise, dishes on the Alaska Brunch menu in the dining room showcase fresh, local Alaskan and Pacific Northwest ingredients. The selections range from sweet to savory and include Alaskan blueberry pancakes, salmon and potato chowder, wild forest mushroom and tarragon crepes, Kodiak steak and egg skillet, crab and hot smoked salmon cakes, biscuits with gravy and Alaskan reindeer sausage, and home-smoked Gulf of Alaska cod benny.

Alaska-themed cocktails and Seattle pale ale

Acclaimed bartender Sam Ross created an Alaska cocktail menu that will be featured in the bars on all Alaska ships.

Plus, Holland America is debuting a new 'Killer Whale Pale Ale' produced in collaboration with Pike Brewing, Seattle's oldest craft brewery, with label artwork by Native artist Rico Worl, a member of the Tlingit and Athabascan community, who also designed the Native artwork on the Alaska menus.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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