The Alaska coastline and landscape is truly spectacular. Alaska is a vast state and a lot of it is uninhabited wilderness. For this reason, you cannot drive to most of it. Small planes are the best way to see a lot of it from the air. Of course, cruise ships are the most popular way to see the coast. I definitely rank an Alaskan cruise as one of the top things everyone should enjoy at least once in their life. There are various routes to choose from. There are one way cruises from Anchorage, out of the port of Whittier, to Vancouver or vice versa. There are also round trip cruises, primarily out of Vancouver and Seattle, which make a loop within the Inside Passage. The Passage is the ocean and islands that are on the southeastern Alaska and British Colombia border. Of course, the one way cruises passes by more of the Alaska Coastline. The Southeastern part of Alaska is the small strip that is an afterthought when everyone thinks of the distinct shape of the state but a lot of its bigger cities, including its capital Juneau, are located there. I sailed on Holland America Line (HAL) Noordam. It was a 7 day roundtrip cruise out of Vancouver. Originally, the stops were Juneau, Glacier Bay, Skagway, and Ketchikan. Due to the amount of ship traffic, Glacier Bay and Skagway were swapped with Hubbard Glacier and Sitka. I did not look at Glacier Bay or Skagway before my trip. I figured that any destination in Alaska would be fantastic if I did not know any better. In retrospect, Hubbard Glacier was an amazing day. Looking at the pictures of Glacier Bay, both glaciers look stunning and comparable. As such, I do not feel shortchanged by Hubbard Glacier. In terms of Sitka, it is a cute town nestled in the middle of mountains. I liked it but there are definitely more activities to do in Skagway when I looked at the shore excursions there out of curiosity. I feel like I missed out a little bit but not too much. My family and I booked our trip in the fall when we saw a deal. The price actually dropped afterwards. For this reason, it is probably better to book your trip closer to the sail date (2-3 months out) when the route is definite.

In regards to the HAL Noordam, it is an older ship. Nevertheless, it has all the amenities you would expect from a cruise ship. Like other cruise ships I have been on, everything [food, entertainment, etc.] is at a very good level of quality. They are trying to take care of a ship full of people so you really cannot expect more than consistently very good in all aspects. It has a casino, gym, basketball court, ping pong tables, hot tubs, pools, etc. Holland America is also for an older clientele. For context, the cruise director made a joke that they are committed to keeping the Northern Lights nightclub open until the last guest is ready to go to bed and that he was sure they could beat 11:02 PM from the night before. I spent most of my days eating and enjoying the views we were sailing past. There is decent entertainment provided by the ship but it is definitely not a party ship if you are looking for one. I was with my family and on the Noordam to enjoy Alaska so I had a great time. For anyone who has never been on a cruise, the ships are very big but the rooms are very small. The Noordam is similar but I had enough room to sleep comfortably with two other adults and a four year old in my room. There is a king sized bed, a bunk bed that pulls out from the wall over it if you need it, and a sofa bed. The one aspect that has impressed me the most on any cruise I have been on are the crews. The Noordam is no exception. The crews on ships are hardworking, decent people who go out of their way to make sure you have a great vacation.

Of course, the star of the voyage was the views along the Inside Passage. While the Noordam met my expectations for a cruise ship, Alaska blew away my wildest expectations. As such, I will speak about the views and the ports we stopped at first. There are plenty of options for shore excursions to pick. Activities can be expensive. They are probably fun but I had a great time doing stuff that was a lot more economical. Consequently, I will share my tips and recommendations on what I did at Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan but definitely consider the seaplanes, whale watching, and dogsledding. For example, I took a helicopter ride in Kauai and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I am sure a plane ride over Alaska is just as if not more spectacular. Afterwards, I will touch upon my thoughts on various aspects of the Noordam, primarily food.