Alaska Inside Passage Cruise

Cruising has never been particularly on my radar. I remember as a young boy taking an infamous school cruise on the SS Nevasa (late 60’s) and being violently ill going through the Bay of Biscay. That probably sparked my love and interest in travel. Not the Bay of Biscay obviously!

My wife and I had planned a trip to Vancouver Island to attend a family wedding. A lot of our friends, including the bride and groom, were taking this trip after the wedding so we thought, why not? Alaska is always somewhere I had wanted to visit and being on a ship is the best way to explore the area.

The trip was on the Koningsdam operated by Holland America. This is the ship’s premier season in Alaska and this was her first trip.

It’s true to say therefore that the crew were as excited about cruising the Inside Passage as we were and the scenery is just spectacular. I have often taken the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria and I would say it is one of the most beautiful ferry trips of all.

Our check in at Vancouver Cruise Terminal was straightforward. You tag your baggage in advance and when you are dropped off a bag handler takes your bags away. They are scanned and the next time you see them they are in your cabin. They are sometimes even there before you or arrive a little later. An important travel tip in these days of contactless payments is to take some local currency with you.

Getting through security was challenging as you enter the USA.  You have to make sure you have all the necessary paperwork both in the apps that are used as well as a paper copy, for safety and speed. Holland America use their app Navigator and VeriFLY is an app used by most airlines.

Our cabin was a fairly good size. We had gone for the restricted view balcony and the lifeboats were just below our line of vision so we were able to look at the fabulous scenery as we cruised out of Vancouver Harbour and under Lions Gate Bridge.

Onboard you have a variety of meal options. The Lido Buffet is open from early till late and serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon teas and dinner. There are also 4 or 5 more dining opportunities where for a small additional cost you can have table service.

There are a variety of activities to enjoy onboard whilst you are at sea; a large gym and fitness studios where they have yoga, stretch and pilates. More leisurely activities take place in a number of locations. You have music and trivia quizzes, talks on various subjects, a large library with a coffee shop, an outdoor pool (heated), a hot tub and an indoor pool.

We visited Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau all of which had interesting excursions planned.  The highlight for me and all onboard the ship was cruising into Glacier Bay and up to the furthest point to marvel at the Margerie Glacier. Only one cruise ship at a time is allowed in the vicinity of the Glacier and only two ships a day. The ship gets to within a few hundred metres of the Glacier and engines are turned off as the Captain cruises around in a circular motion so everyone can view the stunning landscape. Most passengers will come outside and in the silence you can almost hear the cracking of the ice. If you are lucky you will witness the glacier calving as huge chunks fall into the ocean. It’s a four hour cruise into Glacier Bay and it was at the furthest most northerly part of our cruise.

I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone. The waters are very calm so even the worst sailor should not suffer. If anyone would like to talk to me about this trip please get in touch.