Holland America’s Koningsdam ship sails to Alaska

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I’ve heard it said that there are no do-overs in life, but I disagree with that notion. As I stood on the deck of Holland America’s Koningsdam ship on an inside passage cruise to Alaska with my husband and our four grandchildren, I was pretty sure that life had given me a do-over. Almost 24 years earlier, we had taken our four children on the same cruise aboard a different Holland America vessel, and it had been one of our all-time favourite family vacations. We decided to repeat the experience with our four grandchildren — inviting their parents to come along too.

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Alaska cruises have long been a popular travel option for seniors and when we experienced our first one 24 years ago, there weren’t many children on board. There were facilities for children and teens, but our children had those amenities mostly to themselves. They loved the Holland America Kids Club activities, the swimming pool, the sports games and other activities onboard.

Flash forward two decades and the first thing we noticed as we boarded the ship was the number of families onboard. There was still an abundance of adult couples, but there were also quite a few families.

Since our children had enjoyed the Kids Club so much on the original voyage, we made sure to register the grandkids on the first night of the cruise. This time there were plenty of other children participating — enjoying expanded facilities and increased programming. Our oldest granddaughter, Amelia, was in the tween group (ages seven-11 years), all by herself and I couldn’t help worrying that she might have trouble fitting in as one of the youngest members of that age group.

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One of the things we love about cruising is the incredible dining options and on most evenings we all dressed up for dinner in the main dining room. We had pre-booked an early dining time with two tables close together. Even though dinner took a little longer in the main dining room than it would have at the buffet, the serving staff made each evening special for the children — presenting them with handmade origami creations each night. When I proposed that we dine at the buffet restaurant one evening — the entire group shut me down.

Specialty dining is something that has been added to the cruising experience since our original cruise and we made a reservation for our group at the Pinnacle Grill, a high-end steak house that is an additional charge. With Holland America’s specialty dining restaurants, kids pay half price when dining off the regular menu, or they dine for free off the children’s menu.

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On our first cruise, our five-year-old son, Dylan, wore a Christian Dior tuxedo jacket I purchased from a thrift store. On this cruise, his four-year-old nephew, Phineas, wore the same jacket for our fancy dining evening at the Pinnacle Grill.

One of the best things about cruising the Inside Passage is the incredible scenery that is visible from the balcony of the cabin and the deck of the ship — thick forests and ocean waters teaming with wildlife, long fiords, snow-capped mountain peaks, enormous glaciers and more. We all enjoyed hanging out on the balcony watching for wildlife and beautiful vistas. The grandkids kept a running score of the number of whales and seals they saw.

In addition to remarkable scenery and onboard activities, we stopped at three ports — Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan — for further exploration on land.

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At our first port, we took a shuttle to the Mendenhall Glacier, the only glacier in southeast Alaska accessible by road. Just outside Juneau, you can see the face of the glacier and watch it calve into the lake directly below it. At the visitor centre, our grandchildren took part in educational activities, were sworn in as junior rangers and presented with junior ranger badges. It’s something their parents had done before them.

When the ship passed through Glacier Bay, park rangers came onboard and led the junior ranger program there. In all, our grandchildren earned three junior ranger badges on the trip. These types of free programs offered in national parks in the United States and Canada are designed to encourage children to engage with the natural world and help to inspire a lifelong connection to nature.

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At Skagway, my husband and I took our oldest granddaughter on a hiking excursion along a section of the Chilkoot Trail, a national historic site that stretches from the United States into Canada. The trail became famous when it was stormed by Klondike Stampeders from 1896 to 1899, during the Klondike Gold Rush. Even though it was pouring rain, we had a great time and saw some beautiful scenery up close.

Our group explored Ketchikan on our own — renting a fishing pole and fishing for salmon in the place that bills itself as “the salmon capital of the world.” On our first Alaskan cruise, we fished in every port — catching and releasing the fish. In all, our group caught four fish on this trip.

On our last night onboard, we decided to watch the Step One Dance Company perform on the World Stage. Amelia was so insistent that she wanted to attend the tween kids club that we took her there instead — fitting in with the tweens wasn’t an issue. Our three-year-old granddaughter cried when the show was over, because she wanted to dance on the big stage, and we wouldn’t let her.

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Overall, our multi-generational family cruise was everything we hoped it would be — allowing us to relive unforgettable experiences with our children and make new memories with our grandchildren.

When you think about do-overs in life, it’s common to focus on regrets and mistakes, but it’s best to let those lie in the past. The best do-overs are centred on experiences that bring joy. Those adventures are worth doing over and over again.

More Info: hollandamerica.com. Holland America Line celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2023 — making it one of the longest-operating travel companies.

Debbie Olsen is an award-winning Métis writer and a national bestselling author. Follow her adventures at www.wanderwoman.ca.

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