Undisputed Value from Holland America
Search no farther for the best value in the Great Land. It is here, shining bright as Klondike gold, in Holland America's Five-Star Alaska The Leader the Great Land - In the 55 years we've been showing visitors around Alaska & The Yukon, we've come to appreciate the enormity of the land, and the many natural wonders it holds. We've slowed down the pace to create Alaska Vacations that will put you in the right place at the right time. You never know when a grizzly will amble into view. Or a glacier will calve. Or the Northern Lights will sparkle. We'll hang around long enough to find out.

CruiseTour Choices
Our Alaska is so vast it spills over into the Canadian Yukon. And your vacation dollar goes further too. Only Holland America cruisetours include top national parks, the historic Trail of '98, the scenic Alaska Highway and more. If you're looking for Denali National Park, Kluane National Park and the Trail of '98 showcasing Mt. McKinley and Klondike gold rush history then a Great Land Klondike CruiseTours is for you. If you want to include Denali National Park, Kluane National Park and the scenic Alaska-Canada Highway, then a Great Land Wilderness CruiseTours  would be your choice - this also includes the most economical tours for nature lovers! For those that prefer a seven-day cruise featuring either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier can also enjoy the excitement of an adventure on land. Denali National Park via the McKinley Explorer with overnights at the best cruisetour lodge within the park is an unmatched experience. You can stay at the five-star Alyeska Prince Hotel or at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge just beyond the park to enhance your enjoyment of Alaska's legendary heartland. Select a Glacier Discovery CruiseTours.

         More Scenic Wonders

• A spacious, outside Alaska view stateroom included on every cruisetour.
• More sailings to the ice castle world of Glacier Bay than any other cruise line.
• The mv Yukon Queen II, the only sightseeing boat on the famed Yukon River - 
  cruising 102 miles of pristine wilderness between Dawson City and Eagle, Alaska.  
  The mv Yukon Queen II, designed specifically for travel on the storied Yukon River, 
  is a highlight of all Alaska & Yukon Explorer Escorted CruiseTours that feature 
  Dawson City. The outdoor viewing deck with large photo platform, a spacious Captain's lounge, and custom-upholstered, reclining seats make the Yukon Queen II the most relaxing way to journey on the "River of Gold."
• Close-up views of Portage Glacier from Holland America's own dayboat, the mv Ptarmigan. As the only sightseeing vessel on the lake, Holland America's mv Ptarmigan provides a way for travelers to approach the glacier and observe "the action" up close. The 80-foot dayboat was constructed specifically for safe navigation of iceberg-strewn waters and to maximize the glacial sightseeing experience while minimizing the environmental impact. Moving carefully through a field of bobbing icebergs, the Ptarmigan heads toward the far shore of Portage Lake. The vessel seats 200 passengers and features both a fully enclosed, heated cabin with expansive windows and a topside deck for outdoor viewing of the glacier. Amazingly, the Ptarmigan can cruise to within 100 yards of this Ice Age wonder, allowing for superb views and photography.
   
• Grand Alaska Journeys^TM that cover it all... glacier-clad coastlines, Klondike Gold Rush Country, the wild heart of Alaska, and a special visit to the "Great One," Mt. McKinley.
  
  
  More Wildlife Sightings
  
• The six-hour Tundra Wildlife Search in Denali National Park (included on all tours) ensures 71% more wildlife sightings than the shorter Natural History Tour offered by others. Enjoy a 6-hour narrated tour as you travel 53 miles into the park and reach 4,000 feet above sea level. Come within 30 miles of Mt. McKinley and overlook the entire mountain from base to summit offering incredible panoramic photographs. Experience the diverse landscape and keep your eyes out for Grizzly Bears, Dall Sheep, Caribou, Moose and native wolves.
• "Wildlife Seeker" shore excursions in every port; go in search of bald eagles, tufted puffins, sea otters, black bear, Sitka blacktail deer...
• An on-board naturalist to point out wildlife, so you won't miss a thing!
• Along the Yukon River, "inside" Alaska, watch for the rare peregrine falcon or moose wading in the shallows.
• Optional tours to watch the brown bears of Katmai swat fat salmon from Brooks River and Falls.
  
   
  More Service & Comfort
  
• Upon embarkation, a string ensemble plays, and a white-gloved steward escorts you 
  to your stateroom.
• More crew members per guest than any other cruise line in our class and the largest shoreside staff in Alaska and Canada's Yukon
• On land, the services of a tour director who will travel with you every mile of the way, making sure you see what you came to see (included on all tours). Holland America's famous five-star, on board service continues on land as your friendly, knowledgeable 
  tour director meets you at the pier and travels with you every mile of the way making sure you see what you came to see.
• A "tipping not required" policy on board that ensures you will never, ever be solicited.
• Fewer passengers carried means more space per guest than any other cruise line in Holland America's class.
• Generous staterooms, including suites and minisuites with private verandahs and separate sitting areas that on average are 25% larger than other ships in their class.
• A teak promenade deck that completely encircles the ship, perfect for lounging, walking or whale watching.
• The finest full-domed McKinley Explorer railcars to Denali National Park, carrying 25% fewer passengers than similar railcars. Holland America's 13 McKinley Explorer full-length dome railcars are from the classic 1950's fleet of 30 Budd and Pullman cars. Each car has been fully restored and the railcar's elegant interiors create an onboard ambiance reminiscent of the classic era of rail travel. They also provide a very comfortable venue for viewing the spectacular scenery beyond their glass-domed windows. Guests enjoy dining service in a private dining room set with china and fine linens. Each car carries 66 guests, with more forward-facing seating than other Alaska railcars.
• The finest hotels throughout Alaska and the Yukon, including our own Westmark properties; plus, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, featuring the newest view of Mt. McKinley. The new Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge offers all the comforts of a first-class hotel, in a stunning mountain setting. Built on 35 acres in the quaint town of Talkeetna, just 2 1/2 hours north of Anchorage on the George Parks Highway, this deluxe facility overlooks the lush Talkeetna River Valley and offers unsurpassed views of the highest mountain in North America, 20,320-foot Mt. McKinley.
  
   
  More History & Culture
  
• At our authentic gold camp in Fairbanks, learn about the region's glittering gold 
  rush history, pan for nuggets, enjoy hearty miner's stew. Visitors to Gold Dredge 
  No. 8 are treated to a guided tour inside the dredge where they'll hear tales of the
  rough-and-tumble gold rush days and the hardships faced by the original dredge operators. They'll also learn that this "workhorse of the riverbed" removed more than 33 tons of gold from Goldstream Valley. A video presentation gives visitors insight into the gold mining operations, and they can see for themselves relics from the dredge's early days, including mining artifacts and the workers' bunkhouses at Fairbanks Creek Camp
• On each Holland America ship, a talented Native Alaskan Artist in Residence who will demonstrate traditional artforms.
• An up-close and personal visit with each of Alaska's fascinating Native groups at the 
  new Alaska Native Heritage Center -- included on every Anchorage sightseeing tour.
  Located on a 26-acre site, the Alaska Native Heritage Center portrays Alaska's rich
  Native cultures. Full-scale models of typical dwellings are open for you to peek into.
  Village elders and apprentice youth - known as Native Tradition Bearers - demonstrate
  the time-honored customs and crafts of the various Native groups. Watch with awe and appreciation as an Athabascan Indian embroiders a leather moccasin, one tiny, fragile bead at a time. As a Tlingit carver transforms a formless cedar log into an intricate 
  story in wood. Or as an Inupiat Eskimo fashions a sealskin boat.
• A ride in a vintage parlor car of the narrow-gauge White Pass & Yukon Route railroad, along the goldrush Trail of '98. The adventure begins when you board a vintage parlor car, polished green and brass and straight out of the 1890's. Route map in hand, you settle into your comfortable seat and peer through the big, wide window. Suddenly, you are on your way, following in the footsteps of the stampeders over the historic Trail of '98. In less than two hours, you've traversed the wildly rugged mountain country that once posed weeks of agonizing ordeals for the Klondikers.
• A Native interpretive presentation in Glacier Bay to provide rare, cultural insight through the eyes of a Huna Totem member.
• Optional Arctic adventures across the Arctic Circle to Nome and Kotzebue.