Holland America Line

Within the past week, three cruise ships have broken free from their secured moorings in port, disrupting thousands of passengers. 

The chaos started with Norwegian Epic on Friday, May 30. While visiting Catania, Sicily, a powerful wind gust struck the vessel's port side around 1:00pm. Consequently, the mooring lines began snapping one at a time. 

Holland America Line's Eurodam has reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on its current sailing with over 70 passengers ill onboard. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Eurodam has 79 sick guests onboard its current voyage which departed on February 18, 2025. 9 crew members are also reportedly ill. 

The outbreak was reported to the CDC on February 23, 2025. 3.8% of passengers and 1.1% of crew members reported gastrointestinal symptoms. There are 2,057 guests and 834 crew onboard.

Carnival's Holland America Line has reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on its current sailing with over 100 ill passengers onboard. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Holland America Line's Rotterdam has 152 sick guests onboard its current voyage which departed on February 2, 2025. 17 crew members are also reportedly ill. 

I've always thought of Cruise Directors as A-list celebrities on a cruise. You'll rarely disembark without having heard their voice over the PA system or seen them interacting with other passengers. However, their duties go far beyond being pretty faces who introduce events—they're also hosts, entertainers, planners, and problem-solvers. 

During their contracts, Cruise Directors live onboard their ships for multiple months. While you'll see them frequently in guest areas, their "home away from home" is below deck where passengers can't go.

If you're looking for an itinerary-focused cruise to Alaska, look no further than Holland America Line. They've been sailing to Alaska for over 75 years, longer than any other cruise line, and now, they're guaranteeing that guests will see one or more glaciers on their cruise. If not, passengers are entitled to a Future Cruise Credit.  

I joined Holland America’s Eurodam for a weeklong cruise through southeast Alaska, visiting some of the charming port towns and cities along this popular route.

I have enjoyed Alaska on both big cruise ships and smaller expedition vessels that ranged from 60 to 200 passengers, so I know there are different ways to see this magical destination.

While Holland America Line is a well-known mainstream cruise line that sails across the globe, they only operate a fleet of eleven ships, most of which were constructed in the early and mid-2000s. 

The cruise line was founded in 1873 in Rotterdam, Netherlands as a shipping and passenger line. It would not be until 1989 that Holland America Line would be purchased by Carnival Corporation, making it a United States-owned cruise line. 

Holland America’s Eurodam isn’t going to be the first ship you hear about when you start looking for cruises.

It’s a little older now. And it’s not flashy. Certainly, nothing about it really stands out.

And that’s exactly what makes Eurodam a perfect ship for your first cruise to Alaska.

A Holland America Line beverage package offers the choice to enjoy alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for a fixed daily price for the duration of your cruise vacation.

Your base cruise fare includes entertainment, accommodations, transportation between ports of call, and select food and beverages. Unless you book Holland America's "Have It All" fare, you will find that there are some cruise add-ons you have to purchase separately, including alcohol.