Holland America Line is looking back at nearly eight decades of Alaska cruising with a new collection of shore experiences for its 2027 season. Alaska Heritage Tours brings together more than three dozen excursions that highlight railways, glaciers, wildlife, wilderness and national parks that have helped shape the cruise line’s history in the region.

The collection will be available on select 2027 Alaska cruises and Cruisetours, with some experiences tracing their roots back to Holland America Line’s earliest years exploring Alaska in the 1940s. While the tours have evolved over time, the cruise line says they continue to connect travelers with many of the same landscapes, communities and traditions that attracted earlier generations of Alaska visitors.

What are Holland America’s Alaska Heritage Tours?

Rather than introducing an entirely new type of excursion, Alaska Heritage Tours groups together established experiences that have played a long-running role in Holland America’s Alaska program. The collection includes more than three dozen options spanning Alaska’s rail history, glaciers, national parks, wildlife and interior wilderness.

Among the featured experiences is the White Pass Summit Scenic Railroad from Skagway, following a route associated with the Klondike Gold Rush. The collection also includes the McKinley Explorer Railroad, Holland America’s glass-domed train through Alaska’s interior.

Other highlighted Heritage Tours include:

• McKinley Explorer Railroad, offering a glass-domed rail journey through Alaska’s interior.
• White Pass Summit Scenic Railroad, following the historic Klondike Gold Rush route through the mountains above Skagway.
• Mendenhall Glacier Explorer, giving travelers an opportunity to experience the glacier from Juneau.
• Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise, featuring tidewater glaciers and opportunities to look for whales, sea otters and other marine wildlife.
• Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour, traveling into Denali National Park for wildlife viewing opportunities and tundra scenery.

Holland America Line Vice President of Onboard Revenue Carole Biencourt said many of the experiences travelers seek in Alaska today are connected to the same places and activities that attracted visitors decades ago. The cruise line sees the Heritage Tours collection as a way to connect its 2027 guests with that history while continuing to offer modern versions of those experiences.

Cruisetours offer the broadest Heritage Tour access

Travelers who want to combine an Alaska cruise with inland exploration will find the largest selection of Heritage Tour opportunities through Holland America’s Cruisetours.

All of the cruise line’s Alaska Cruisetours include a journey aboard the glass-domed McKinley Explorer and either the Denali Natural History Tour or Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour. Some itineraries add Heritage Tour options in Seward or Fairbanks.

Yukon Cruisetours add another major rail experience by including the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. That allows travelers on those itineraries to experience both the White Pass railway and the McKinley Explorer during the same land-and-sea journey.

Heritage Tours are available on several Alaska itineraries

The new collection is not limited to Cruisetours. Holland America says Heritage Tour options will also be available across several of its Alaska cruise itineraries in 2027.

Alaska Explorer and Inside Passage itineraries that call at Juneau will give guests multiple options for visiting Mendenhall Glacier. Holland America’s 28-Day Legendary Alaska Arctic Circle voyage will offer access to a broader selection of Heritage Tours while calling at destinations including Haines, Valdez and Anchorage.

Glacier Discovery itineraries beginning or ending in Whittier will also provide access to Heritage Tours focused on Southcentral Alaska.

Holland America prepares for its 80th Alaska season

The Heritage Tours collection is part of Holland America Line’s broader celebration of 80 years of Alaska exploration in 2027. The cruise line says its current Alaska program includes more than 200 shore excursions, ranging from whale watching and bear viewing to glacier trips, cultural experiences and wilderness adventures.

Guests also encounter Alaska-focused programming during their journeys through National Park Service rangers, Alaska Up Close presentations, onboard experts, and local and Native voices sharing perspectives on the region’s history, wildlife and cultures.

Holland America’s Alaska itineraries feature glacier destinations including Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, Dawes Glacier, Tracy Arm and College Fjord. The cruise line also offers its Alaska Glacier Guarantee.

Food is another part of the regional focus. Holland America’s Destination Dining program includes Alaska seafood, an Alaska Brunch, an Alaska Seafood Boil and other dishes and beverages inspired by local flavors.

For guests traveling farther inland, the cruise line also offers experiences including a private wilderness lodge and overnight journeys into Dawson City, Yukon.

What the new collection means for Alaska cruisers

For travelers planning a 2027 Alaska vacation, the Alaska Heritage Tours label provides a way to identify excursions and experiences that Holland America considers part of its long history in the destination. That could be particularly useful for guests interested in classic Alaska experiences such as historic rail travel, glaciers, Denali and wildlife viewing.

The Alaska Heritage Tours collection is now open for booking on select Holland America Line cruises and Cruisetours in 2027. Availability depends on the itinerary and destinations included in each sailing or Cruisetour.

Source: Holland America Line