Every year, without fail, my family commits to a trip so that we can all come together from around the world. We inform our clients and CEOs ahead of time about the trip and we do not allow anything to stop us from going; there’s nothing urgent enough to prevent us from attending or missing any part of it.
As time has gone on, our clients and CEOs appreciate this tradition and ask early in the year about when our family trip will be. Some of our clients and CEOs have adopted this tradition as their own and brought it to their families, which brings me tremendous satisfaction.
Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam
For 2024, our family planned a cruise to celebrate Mom’s 80th birthday. I had never been on a cruise before, so this post, or review if you will, comes from the context of a newbie “cruiser,” a term I learned while onboard the ship. It also comes from the perspective of someone that travels all over the world and can compare value for money in different environments.

Holland America is a well-known cruise line with a rich history dating back to 1873. They offer a variety of cruise destinations, including Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and the Mediterranean. When we were doing our research, we found they’re best known for:
- Destinations: Holland America cruises visit numerous exciting destinations worldwide, from the icy landscapes of Alaska to the sunny beaches of the Caribbean.
- Onboard Experience: Their ships are known for their spacious and elegant design. You can enjoy a range of amenities, including world-class dining, entertainment, spas and fitness centers.
- Special Packages: They offer packages like the “Have It All” fare, which includes popular amenities such as shore excursions, beverage packages, dining, Wi-Fi and crew appreciation.
The latter Special Packages will be a topic we’ll dive into a bit later. It turns out that “Have It All” is not really an accurate description of what you get when you’re onboard.
7-Day Alaska Inside Passage Cruise
Our family decided on a seven-day cruise to Alaska’s Glacier Bay. While researching, we saw that they have options ranging up to 28 days, with three departure ports of Seattle, Vancouver and Whittier. The cruises have the choice of different routes, including Glacier Bay National Park and Hubbard Glacier, with our family choosing the former.

On the Holland America “7-Day Alaska Inside Passage” tour we booked, we would embark in Vancouver, B.C., Canada on September 22, 2024, and then make stops in Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska, USA. The itinerary included some scenic cruising and an epic scenic turnaround at Glacier Bay National Park and at Tracy Arm.

For 2025 cruises, it appears that Holland America has dropped Sitka and added Skagway. I’m a bit disappointed at this change because Sitka now holds a place in my heart because of what happened to my elderly father on our cruise.
Rooms Booked
Because I wanted to take lots of pictures of the scenes going by, I booked a Signature Suite Verandah Room (SS 5096). This type of room ranges in size from 25-45 sqm, and ours was likely on the smaller end. The location, however, was ideal as it was two units away from mid-ship, so we didn’t have to walk long to get to our room from anywhere on the ship.
The cost to book the Signature Suite SS 5096 was CAD $5,764.46 for two people, inclusive.
It should be noted that several of my family members booked similar units on the floor below (4th floor) and found that the lifeboats fully obstructed their views, so be sure to get 5th floor or higher on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Even our 5th-floor unit had smaller balconies than the higher floors due to the lifeboats being right under our balconies.

For my parents, we booked the Neptune Suite (SA 7037), which had 35 sqm of interior space and a large 10 sqm balcony. The room included a sofa with chairs, a large desk, a large washroom, a closet, and plenty of space to host friends and family. It would turn out to be our epicenter after what happened to my father.
The cost to book the Neptune Suite SA 7037 was CAD $8,550.46 for two people, inclusive.
Several family members booked rooms with no view or with obstructed views and found their experience was nowhere near as satisfying as those with a balcony. Therefore, I’d highly recommend booking a room with access to the outdoors and with a view, so that you can maximize the enjoyment.
There are several moments where having a balcony paid off as people competed to find the perfect position at the glaciers to take photos; we had the glaciers to ourselves from our balconies and could use tripods and take as much time as we wanted. It was a luxury that turned out to be well worth it.
Pre-paid Packages
Since this was my first cruise, I was not prepared for the myriads of different drink packages and internet packages available. I think the goal is to overwhelm and confuse the customer so that they end up picking the “Have It All” package, which is exactly what we did. Again, as a newbie cruiser, I wasn’t ready for the price, which cost CAD $510 per person.
Excursions
Holland America offers several excursions at the port cities. I noticed that they would sell out very quickly, which encouraged us to book other tours that we perhaps didn’t want. A few days later, the original tour would open more spots, and we then had to cancel the unfavorable one and book the ones we originally wanted.

Holland America has a price guarantee that they will match any price available at the port cities so you can book with confidence that the prices are reasonable. We found this to be the case when we cross-referenced some of the bookings we made at the port rather than with Holland America.
One concern I had with booking with a port tour company was that we might not make it back in time for our embarking, however, that was me showing my inexperience. The port tour companies are almost always the same ones that Holland America subcontracts, and even the ones that they don’t, they know exactly when the ship will disembark and embark and work their agendas around that.

If by chance you didn’t book anything ahead of time, rest assured that you’ll find something to do at the port. There are kiosks lined up at the port, and you can definitely book something. However, the most popular and limited seating excursions do sell out, such as the helicopter glacier tours, whale and bear watching.
Our family of 20 booked several excursions, both through Holland America and directly with port tour operators. I experienced whale watching in Juneau, which was a highlight of the trip, while others in our group went to see bears and toured the towns. Because of the time of the year we went in September, bear watching would have limited opportunities, so I skipped it.
Pre-trip Preparation
Holland America does a pretty good job of giving information to the passengers on how to prepare and what to expect. However, weather plays a huge role in what you need to pack, so it pays off to take some time to understand the conditions you’ll face (especially on the excursions) and pack accordingly. Layers are a good strategy which gives you options as the weather changes.

Holland America has what may be the worst travel app I’ve ever experienced. It’s called Navigator and barely works before you’re onboard, and then when you’re onboard, it doesn’t update quickly enough to provide good information. When I asked their customer service why their app is so bad, they remarked that their clientele prefers face-to-face conversations, so their app is a low priority. I think this is a mistaken strategy.
The Navigator app would not stick to my booking, requiring me to re-enter the details each time before embarking on the ship. The app didn’t update the daily spend (this is important because tipping staff starts to add up and the “Have It All” package has fairly low limits of 15 drinks per day). It also was slow to update on our geolocation at any given time, which is again important to photographers that want to capture specific parts of the glaciers.

Prior to leaving for the Cruise Terminal in Vancouver, B.C., we had pre-printed our luggage tags and included one sheet in our luggage and one in a tag holder. We were told our luggage would be scanned for any drinks (no outside drinks or food allowed), drones, or anything else deemed unsafe or illegal. Our luggage would be taken when we check in and would be delivered to our rooms.
The logistics behind this must be incredible because when we did get on the ship, most of my family found our luggage arrived very quickly. There appears to be a tiered system because all of us in the Signature or Neptune suites got our luggage first and then the lower-tiered units later; a smart strategy.
Day of Embarking
Getting 20 family members from point A to point B is a challenging task, especially when it includes an ailing 85-year-old father, an 80-year-old mother and several aunts and uncles who have various forms of mobility issues and challenges. To reduce the chance that someone will not make it, we rented a huge luxury bus to take us from the suburbs to the Vancouver Cruise Terminal. It was a great idea and everyone loved the ride downtown together.

When we arrived at the Vancouver Cruise Terminal, because we had the large bus, we were asked to go into a special unloading zone. The regular car unloading zone looked like a mess with a long line of cars waiting to get inside. The bus unloading area was well designed to manage high volumes and we were out in less than five minutes.
The terminal staff took our luggage because we already had luggage tags on them and we didn’t see them again until we were on the ship. This was a great service and took a lot of load away from my parents and family. However, what was to come next was surprising and totally unexpected.

We arrived at the Vancouver Cruise Terminal at 10 AM with the goal that we would be onboard by noon and could enjoy a family lunch together. Perhaps it was our bad luck, but it turned out that three cruise ships were embarking at the same time. The terminal was jam-packed! Even my father and brother, who were in wheelchairs, took an astounding four hours to get through check-in, USA immigration, USA customs, and then physically getting on the ship.
By the time we sat down for lunch, it was already 2 PM and most of the elderly family members were exhausted. No blame to the cruise company, but certainly the cruise terminal can do a better job with this. It’s a stifling environment at the Vancouver Cruise Terminal as all these activities happen in the underground level, so it felt like we were trapped in a parking lot for four hours surrounded by thousands of people coughing and sneezing.
Onboard
The excitement really built as we got onboard. For many of us, it was our first cruise, and we were excited to look at the amenities and learn the deck plan of the ship. However, before we could have any fun, we had to report to the Muster Station to learn about the ship’s safety emergency features and how we should disembark using the lifeboats. The Muster Station training lasted about five minutes and then we returned to the Main Dining Room (MDR) for lunch.
After a fun lunch with the family, we explored the ship and found a few great spots that would become our usual places to hang out. Crow’s Nest was our family’s favorite as you get an exceptional view, coffee and/or drinks at most times of the day. It’s a bit hard to get to, so it tended to be quieter than the other areas. We also spent a lot of time in the well-equipped Fitness Centre, which also had a fantastic view.

The other facilities were a bit of a letdown compared to what we expected. The two pools were relatively small, and the hot tubs laughably small (1-2 large people and they would be full); it was clear that the focus of this cruise was on the scenery, eating and drinking because that’s all there was to do. You can view the deck plan here.

I wish we had purchased the Spa package so that we could have had exclusive use of the hot tub in that area; it didn’t seem to be used much at all. The good thing about a small ship is that it was easy to walk around, but the bad was that there just wasn’t much to see or do onboard.
Cruisers
By far the best part of the cruise was the people. Every person we encountered was friendly, upbeat, sincere and helpful. We made many new friends on the cruise and attracted a lot of attention too. Nineteen of us wore a t-shirt with “Happy 80th Birthday Ma” while my mother wore a t-shirt with “I’m not 80, I’m 19 with 61 years of experience!”. We got a lot of photo requests that first day!
When disaster struck us later in the cruise, many fellow cruisers found out about our plight and came over to wish us good luck and let us know that we were in their thoughts and prayers. It was really touching to see strangers come together in such a powerful way. I really enjoyed meeting people from all over the world (mostly from the USA and Canada) and from all ages and walks of life.

Disaster Strikes
After a wonderful lunch with the family where my father insisted on being seated in the middle of the 20 family members (it was an ordeal to get the wheelchair up to the inside table and to get him seated in that spot), we all explored the ship and eventually returned to our rooms.
Since we had a late lunch, many of us ate in the MDR and then made our way to my parents’ suite to see how they were doing. Both Mom and Dad were in great spirits and super happy to be on the ship with family. We hung out in their Neptune Suite for a few hours, telling stories from the past and laughing a lot.
My father was finally getting hungry again, so we ordered room service. We were surprised that nobody answered our calls. Since we had a Neptune Suite, we have a dedicated assistant, so we engaged her to help get Dad some food. She notified us that the kitchen is overwhelmed and that food will take between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours to arrive.

We placed the order and then decided to get some food from the MDR and bring it back for Dad. This whole process ended up taking 30 minutes, and the room service food would eventually arrive after more than one hour. While Dad was eating, he asked us to get something for him, but we couldn’t quite make out what he wanted.
Then his head fell on the desk, and he slumped in his chair! We immediately tried to prop him up and speak to him, but he was speaking gibberish, with half his body unresponsive. We called the medical number on the ship; they were super professional and fast and took Dad to the medical centre within minutes.
The diagnosis from the amazing South African-born doctor was that Dad suffered either a stroke or a temporary arterial blockage. They suggested it was likely the latter rather than the former, given how quickly he bounced back in the medical centre. He was talking and smiling within an hour of arriving down there.

The next morning, Dad returned to the room and had a quiet day hanging out in the Neptune Suite to help him recover. The following morning, however, disaster struck again, with Dad suffering another fall and this time being unable to speak. The staff and medical team onboard the ship were again amazing and immediately took Dad to the medical centre.
Given this happened twice, they recommended he disembark for the day (we were at port at Sitka) and get a CT scan or MRI at the local hospital. We agreed, and off Dad went with a few of my family members. We’ll talk more about the hospital in Sitka in the next post, but suffice to say, the staff there were amazing.
Camera Gear Used
I did a lot of research on what camera gear to bring on this trip, and I think it turned out pretty well. I took the following:
- GFX100S II
- GF32-64 f/4
- GF110 f/2
- GF50 f/3.5
- GF55 f/1.7
- GF250 f/4
- GF 1.4x teleconverter
- Leica M11
- Voigtlander 35MM f/2 Ultron
In hindsight, I should have used the 1.4x teleconverter more or purchased the new GF500 f/5.6. I could have taken some epic images of the glacier at Glacier Bay National Park. It was only after I got home did I realize there was a tiny ship in front of the massive glacier which provided context on the magnitude of its size and scale; the image would have been 10x better if I had longer reach.
Conclusion
This is one of many posts on the Holland America Alaska “7-Day Inside Passage Cruise”, so there’s much more to come about the restaurants, ports that we stopped in and excursions. To give readers a sense of the overall experience, we as a family rated it slightly above average, or a 7 out of 10.

The food in the MDR was consistently good, however the “fine dining” options were expensive and a let-down; our frame of reference may be too high, coming from culinary cities like Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong, but we expected more for the price and didn’t get it.
We also found the activities onboard to be rather basic. The art classes were pretty chill, and the events and shows were all 6/10. There was nothing that stood out as a 9/10 or 10/10, except for the medical staff and a few of the customer service staff. We later found out that many of the staff onboard were new hires preparing for the Caribbean Cruises, so that could be why our service experience was variable.

The excursions that we did were a 10/10, especially the whale watching in Juneau. We saw amazing grey whales and orcas. Our guide was incredible and super passionate about what he was doing. I think he’d be out on the water whale watching even if there were no customers. He knew every whale by heart (I confirmed by looking in the book).
The best part of the cruise was the people. We really enjoyed everyone we met. I again want to highlight how amazing the medical staff were with my father’s situation. They were super professional, empathetic, helpful and ensured everyone knew what was going on so that we could still enjoy the cruise. As you’ll later read about, disembarking for medical purposes is something that happens frequently on cruises, so they’re very organized in handling these emergencies.

Our experience could have also been improved if we had gone earlier in the season. This was the last cruise of the year to Alaska which meant many stores at the ports were closed or in the process of closing. It also meant that it rained a lot; I’m from Vancouver and I’m accustomed to rain, but we experienced a lot of rain and changing weather; it paid dividends to be well prepared with waterproof layers of clothing.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my first cruise experience. In the next part of this series, we’ll visit the city of Sitka, Alaska!
Discover more from fcracer - Travel & Photography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Thank you Jonathan. I’m looking forward to what you think of the inside passage images which will be coming up in a few posts. Happy Chinese New Year!
Beautiful photos as always! Hope your dad is OK.