Noordam on Holland America’s 28-Night Cruise to Alaska

Noordam on Holland America’s 28-Night Cruise to Alaska

The Noordam sailed from Seattle earlier this month to kick off Holland America Line’s 28-night Legendary Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice Voyage.

As one of the company’s longest cruises in the region, the month long itinerary includes visits to a wide range of destinations across Alaska and British Columbia.

After departing from its homeport in Washington, the Noordam sailed to Ketchikan, Sitka and Icy Strait Point.

The 2006-built vessel then visited Valdez before calling at two of Alaska’s less-visited destinations: Dutch Harbor and Nome.

Holland America is the only large cruise line visiting the latter through 2027, with a second visit scheduled for the Noordam next summer.

Continuing its cruise, the Noordam is now scheduled to visit Kodiak ahead of an overnight stay in Anchorage. Other ports of call include Haines, Juneau and Wrangell, as well as Prince Rupert.

The itinerary also features scenic cruising near Hubbard Glacier, the Inside Passage and Endicott Arm Fjord. Concluding the legendary voyage, the Noordam is scheduled to return to Seattle on July 5, 2026.

The 1,900-passenger ship will then offer Holland America’s Alaska Explorer itinerary, which sails to Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria over seven nights.

In early September, the vessel will offer another month long legendary voyage: the 27-night Glaciers & Volcanoes cruise.

It also sails roundtrip from Seattle, combining destinations in Alaska and Hawaii, including Anchorage, Sitka, Dutch Harbor, Honolulu, Kahului and Hilo.

Later this year, the Noordam reposition to Australia via a 34-night legendary voyage that will sail from Seattle to Sydney.

The vessel is scheduled to spend the 2026-27 winter season sailing to destinations in the South Pacific from Sydney and Auckland.

First Two-Ship Alaska Program for Disney Sails from Vancouver

First Two-Ship Alaska Program for Disney Sails from Vancouver

Disney Cruise Line’s first two-ship season in Alaska is underway. Marking the company’s largest deployment in the region, the cruise program includes the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder.

The vessels arrived in the region in May, kicking off a series of cruises departing from Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.

The Disney Magic started its first season in the region in late May following a drydock in Victoria.

The 1998-built ship is now offering week long cruises that sail roundtrip from the Canada Place Cruise Terminal and include visits to Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan and Skagway.

Following a winter deployment on the West Coast, the Disney Wonder also began its season in Alaska in May.

Offering similar itineraries, the 1,750-passenger vessel is sailing roundtrip from Vancouver for seven-night cruises to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.

Disney’s itineraries in the region are also highlighted by scenic cruising at Dawes Glacier and the Inside Passage.

The two ships are set to remain in Alaska through late September, each offering over 15 departures in the region.

Both ships are scheduled to offer fall cruises on the West Coast after the record-breaking season in the Pacific Northwest.

The Disney Magic will operate a series of itineraries to the Mexican Riviera and Baja California before embarking on a repositioning cruise to Texas.

The vessel’s season in the region runs through early November, when it is scheduled to offer a 14-night Panama Canal voyage that ends in Galveston.

Operating on the West Coast year-round, the Disney Wonder is set to offer cruises from San Diego through early 2027.

The vessel’s schedule includes both short cruises to Baja California and six- and seven-night itineraries to the Mexican Riviera.

In addition to Isla Catalina and Ensenada, the 1999-built ship is scheduled to make visits to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán.

Carnival Miracle Sails from Long Beach on a 14-Night Cruise to Alaska

Carnival Miracle Sails from Long Beach on a 14-Night Cruise to Alaska

Concluding its summer program in the region, the Carnival Miracle recently sailed from Long Beach for a 14-night cruise to Alaska.

Part of the Carnival Journeys program, the voyage sails to seven different destinations in the region, including Prince Rupert, in Canada’s British Columbia.

According to Carnival, the less visited cruise destination offers photo-worthy natural sights, in addition to vast wildlife, and cultural activities including museums and restaurants.

The Carnival Miracle is also scheduled to visit Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point and Sitka.

Before returning to Long Beach, the itinerary also includes scenic cruising at the Tracy Arm Fjord.

One of the three Carnival ships sailing to Alaska this summer, the Carnival Miracle spent the last few months sailing from San Francisco.

Between May and August, the vessel offered an alternating schedule of four-night cruises to Baja Mexico and ten-night cruises to the Last Frontier and Canada.

After repositioning to Long Beach earlier this month, the Miracle is scheduled to offer a series of cruises from the port during the 2023-24 winter.

Ranging from four to 15 nights, the itineraries sail to different destinations, including the Mexican Riviera, Baja Mexico and Hawaii.

Before becoming Carnival Cruise Line’s fourth ship in Galveston, the vessel is scheduled to offer an additional season in Alaska next year.

Part of the company’s four-ship Spirit Class, the Carnival Miracle was built in Finland and originally entered service in 2004.

Extensively refurbished over the years, the vessel underwent another drydock in late 2022. In addition to regular upkeep and technical maintenance, the 2,124-guest ship also received Carnival’s new blue, white and red livery.

Created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company, the new look was inspired by officers’ uniforms and features a navy blue bow along with red and white accents running the entire length of the ship.

Review: Norwegian Spirit

Norwegian Spirit features an outdoor beer garden and lounge.
Credit: 2023 Norwegian Cruise Line

Cruisers onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) smallest ship will delight in both Norwegian Spirit’s mega refit and its Alaska itineraries.

Sailing between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seward, Alaska, seven-night cruises offer several less-travelled stops with intriguing excursions. Docked at Icy Strait Point on day three, I jumped at the chance to spot humpback whales, otters and porpoises in one of Southeast Alaska’s liveliest marine playgrounds. Hours earlier, I found myself soaring above the treetops, strapped into a seat on one of the world’s largest ziplines. On the last full day in Valdez, Alaska, a small boat excursion navigated through the floes to Columbia Glacier, a massive icefield renowned for its rapid retreat.

In between, the ship called at the popular ports of Juneau and Skagway, and then cruised to Hubbard Glacier. Disembarkation in Seward offered one final adventure, a scenic five-hour train journey to Anchorage where cruisers headed for Denali and beyond, or flights home.

Renovated Spaces and Amenities

Time onboard Norwegian Spirit added to the excitement in unexpected ways. Carrying 2,032 passengers, the ship was built in 1998 for Star Cruises’ Asia market. Ship age, however, is relative, as the decor, furnishings and public spaces are new again following a 2020 bow-to-stern refurbishment priced at more than $100 million.

In contrast to NCL’s colourful, family-oriented mega-ships, the refit intentionally caters to upscale adult cruisers. The ship’s Mandara Spa is double its original size and now offers an extra-fee Thermal Suite sporting heated tile loungers, a coed sauna and a steam room. Plus, the adults-only Spice H2O pool and hot tub retreat on Deck 10 is a quiet spot at the base of the terraced aft decks. And traditionalists will love the wraparound promenade deck and the Spinnaker Observation Lounge for whale and glacier viewing.

The Spinnaker Lounge offers great views.

Credit: 2023 Norwegian Cruise Line

Staterooms have been redone with minimalist decor and muted colours. Most welcome is the bathroom shower with its glass (not plastic curtain) door.

For those who appreciate a variety of dining options, the revamped Norwegian Spirit offers 14 venues. Le Bistro features tempting French classics. Onda by Scarpetta serves Italian. Cagney’s is primarily a steakhouse, though I loved the cedar-plank steelhead trout. Teppanyaki’s enlarged footprint is set in the three-part Asian venue that includes the Sushi Bar and complimentary dinner at Silk. A variety of dining packages are offered for the a la carte or set-charge hot spots.

The ship’s Atrium provides a comfortable place to relax.

Credit: 2023 Norwegian Cruise Line

For included dining beyond Silk, clients can check out the Garden Cafe buffet or The Local’s fast-food menus. Of the two main dining rooms, the remodelled, aft-facing Windows is classier, featuring views on three sides. Smaller, dinner-only Taste stretches from port to starboard, midship.

Holland America Line: ‘Growing Interest’ for Alaska in 2023

Holland America Line: ‘Growing Interest’ for Alaska in 2023

MS Nieuw Amsterdam cruising the Inside Passage Alsaka, photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Following a full season of 107 cruises and cruise tours onboard six ships, Holland America Line recently completed its 2022 Alaska program.

According to a press release, the season in the destination came to an end on Oct. 6, with the Eurodam and the Koningsdam completing final port visits at Ketchikan before heading to Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, respectively.

“As this successful season winds down, we’re pleased to see growing interest in Alaska 2023,” said Gus Antorcha, president, of Holland America Line. “Alaska is a bucket-list destination and people are excited to travel more. We’re seeing bookings well above levels from similar periods in the seasons prior to the industry pause.”

The 2022 season was Holland America Line’s milestone 75th Anniversary exploring Alaska.

To mark the occasion, the cruise line launched the “Love Letters to Alaska” contest, as well as new “Alaska Up Close” shipboard programming, a “We Love Alaska” marketing campaign, and two new partnerships that celebrate the brand’s commitment to serving sustainable Alaska seafood.

“Holland America Line’s 75th Anniversary in Alaska got off to an incredible start with Koningsdam as the first ship back in Canada in more than two years, and we kept building momentum with new immersive programming, partnerships that focused sustainability and more,” added Antorcha.

“No other cruise line can deliver Alaska like Holland America Line, and this season we focused all of our expertise and passion on giving guests a memorable Alaska experience that touched all elements of their vacation, from enrichment to culinary to shoreside tours,” he added.

At the start of the season on April 8, the Koningsdam became the first cruise ship to return to Canada in over two years with a call at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The ship’s call marked 905 days since a cruise ship had visited the port, and it also was a maiden call for the 2016-built vessel. The next day the Koningsdam arrived in Vancouver for the start of its Alaska season.

During the 2022 season, Holland America launched its “Alaska Up Close” program that, according to the company, immerses guests on Alaska cruises in the local culture with authentic onboard programming, cruise activities and award-winning shore excursions.

Holland America Line also highlighted its partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute which saw the company using seafood Alaska exclusively on all six ships serving the region.

The Carnival Corporation premium brand also mentioned its certification in Responsible Fisheries Management.

During the course of the season, it became the first cruise line to achieve this credential by serving only fresh, certified sustainable and traceable wild Alaska seafood, the company said.  

As part of the celebration of its 75 years of Alaska exploration, Holland America also added a “We Love Alaska” logo below the bridge of all of its six ships sailing in the destination.

According to the press release, the campaign was conceived as a way to show the locals its devotion to the region.

One Ocean Expeditions Details Challenges in Court Filing

Andrew Prossin, managing director of One Ocean Expeditions (OOE), has detailed the company’s challenges in a recent affidavit filing for the company’s bankruptcy with the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Highlights:

• Each year, prior to the company’s difficulties it ran about 70 voyages.
• “We were considered one of the largest private Canadian vessel companies and had anticipated gross revenues in 2020 to exceed $75 million,” Prossin said.
  Prior to the company’s financial difficulties, OOE had 30 to 40 full-time land-based employees, 15 to 20 land-based contractors, 300 full-time field contractors and 200 full-time independent crew contractors.
• Difficulties started in August 2018, according to the filing, with the grounding of the Akademik loffee (Al), which was on a charter deal with PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology and its related company Terragelida Ship Management Limited.
• The PP Shirshov Charter was originally entered into in 2012 and granted One Ocean the option to renew each year indefinitely. The PP Shirshov Charter had been renewed most recently on June 1, 2018.
• One Ocean paid a flat rate for the vessels for a minimum of 195 revenue days per year.
• The grounding of the Akademik loffee led to nine cancelled voyages that were mostly sold out, according to the filing.
• One Ocean suffered costs and liabilities associated with the grounding of the ship, repairs, and subsequent delay in excess ofS$6.5 million, which primarily represents lost revenue from cancelled trips, but includes other costs associated with last-minute cancellations and handling of passengers, the company said.
• Following the running aground, from September 2018 to April 2019, One Ocean entered into negotiations with PP Shirshov to settle its claim for losses due to the grounding. Under the PP Shirshov Charter, according to One Ocean, the PP Shirshov was liable for the losses associated with the nine voyage cancellations and the repairs of Al. However, PP Shirshov contested its liability, Processing said.
• In April 2019, after eight months of discussions, the PP Shirshov withdrew from all negotiations regarding the foregoing claim and purported to terminate the PP Shirshov Charter, according to the filing. 
• In May 2019, PP Shirshov repossessed both ships and sailed them back to Russia. The repossession was said to have happened suddenly and without notice to One Ocean.
• At the time of the repossession, there was approximately $400,000 in prepaid charter hire on one vessel and $200,000 in prepaid charter hire on the other, in addition to other One Ocean assets aboard the vessels such as food and drink inventory.
• One Ocean was forced to cancel all remaining scheduled voyages on the Russian ships, which resulted in costs and liabilities of approximately $12.5 million, which primarily represents lost revenue from cancelled trips, but also includes other costs associated with last-minute cancellations and handling of passengers.
• That, in turn, put an enormous financial strain on One Ocean, according to the affidavit. One Ocean's sales revenues dropped from an excess of $1million a week to less than $100,000 a week.
• In the summer of 2019, recognizing the financial difficulties resulting from these events, One Ocean sought operation financing from various sources, and by September 2019 had been negotiating long- term financing commitment to cover short term capital costs associated with replacing the lost vessels, as well as to provide long-term financial stability.
• The financing deal fell through, and the company was forced to halt operations on the Resolute.
• One Ocean was not able to make the scheduled charter payments owing to Bunnys Adventure, the shipowner, due October 1,2019, and November 1, 2019, and as a result, on or about November 9, 2019, Bunnys Adventure terminated the Bunnys Charter and repossessed the Resolute.
• The company had chartered the Resolute in 2018 on a bareboat charter deal for three years with an option to renew for 10 more years.
• One Ocean has also initiated arbitration proceedings against PP Shirshov, looking for damages of $6.5 million from the results of the grounding, and an additional $12.5 million for wrongful termination of the charter. The company also is asking for the charter deal to be reinstated.
• The company said it still has goods aboard the Resolute with a book value of $1.5 million and goods aboard the Russian vessels with a book value of $1.5 million.

World’s most dangerous cruise? 1,070-Passenger Ship To Enter Northwest Passage

The 1,070 passenger (plus 655 crew) ship Crystal Serenity.

by Ethan Lou (Reuters) The first commercial cruise ship to sail through Canada’s Northwest Passage was set to depart on Tuesday, part of a growing Arctic tourism industry spurred by rising temperatures and receding ice.

The ship Crystal Serenity was to depart from Anchorage, Alaska, and cut through frigid northern waters before reaching New York in one month, according to a schedule from its American operator, Crystal Cruises.

The route was first navigated more than a century ago by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, but has been ice-free only in recent years. The journey raises questions about further human degradation of a region disproportionably affected by climate change, where temperatures are rising twice as quickly as the world average.

The World Wildlife Foundation recognizes that Crystal Cruises has been planning this voyage for years and tried to minimize its environmental impact, but the area lacks the infrastructure to deal with potential accidents, said Andrew Dumbrille, a foundation specialist in sustainable shipping.

Crystal Serenity likely will not cause problems, but more cruises will follow, said Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia who studies Arctic sovereignty and the environment.

Byers said ships, which can traverse the waters only because of melting ice, have large carbon footprints, and an accident would be devastating for the fragile Arctic.

“They take advantage of climate change, and they cause even more climate change,” Byers said. “That is an enormous problem and also a terrible irony.”

Crystal Cruises did not respond to requests for comment.

The cruise was priced at a minimum of $19,755 per passenger, which is more than $600 per day higher than last year’s average daily cruise price of $168.43, according to the industry analytics firm Cruise Market Watch.

Crystal Cruises has said the trip is sold out and that it is planning another cruise in 2017.

The Arctic has been warming quickly because a thaw of white ice and snow exposes darker ground and water below that absorb more of the sun’s heat.

Tourism has grown in some polar areas. The number of nights spent by visitors to the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard north of Norway rose to 107,000 in 2013 from 24,000 in 1993.

While Canada claims sovereignty over the Northwest Passage that flows through parts of the country, the United States and the European Union have disputed that, calling the waters an international strait.