Holland America Is Selling Alaska the Way It Did in the 1940s

Holland America Line is marking 80 years in Alaska with a collection of Heritage Tours for its 2027 season. The collection includes more than three dozen excursions on select cruises and Cruisetours, covering railways, glaciers, wildlife, wilderness and national parks. Some trace their roots to the line’s earliest Alaska years in the 1940s. Booking is open now.

Featured excursions include the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, a historic line tied to the Klondike Gold Rush, and the Riverboat Discovery through Alaska’s interior. Others are the glass-domed McKinley Explorer train, the Mendenhall Glacier Explorer in Juneau, a Kenai Fjords National Park cruise and Denali tours focused on tundra wildlife or natural history.

What is included depends on the itinerary. Denali and Yukon Cruisetours all include the McKinley Explorer and a Denali tour, and select Yukon trips add the White Pass railroad. Alaska Explorer and Inside Passage cruises include Mendenhall Glacier excursions, while voyages starting or ending in Whittier get Southcentral Alaska options. A 28-day Arctic Circle itinerary stops in Haines, Valdez and Anchorage.

Prices and departure dates were not listed in the announcement. The collection sits within a broader program of more than 200 shore excursions. Travelers considering 2027 should review which sailings include the heritage experiences, since inclusion varies, and compare the cost against booking excursions separately.

Sources: TravelPulse, Holland America Line