Each Alaska/Canada summer season sees many changes in that large and important cruise market. Among the offerings for this year is a new program of 14-day round-trip Alaska sailings from San Francisco.

The vessel for this series is a medium-size ship which was launched in 1988 at the Wartsilla Marine Industries yard in Turku, Finland. She served auspiciously as the "Royal Viking Sun" for Royal Viking Line and as Seabourn Cruise Line's "Seabourn Sun" before being acquired by Holland America in April of 2002. To be named Prinsendam, this new addition to the Holland America fleet has undergone a 35-day drydocking involving extensive remodeling, refurbishment and the addition of 14 staterooms, bringing her standard passenger capacity to 794. An appended box provides the vital statistics.

It has been more than a dozen years since I last was aboard this fine ship, but she lingers in memory as a most comfortable vessel. Press releases from the company mention a new alternative restaurant; a new Ocean Bar; Internet Center; a new concierge lounge for exclusive use of suite guests, and a reconfigured dining room to accommodate two dinner sittings. The 4-deck-high atrium features a specially commissioned sculpture, and $350,000 worth of modern art and antiques were installed to supplement the existing artworks.

Itinerary

The 14 days of these eight sailings offer not only unusual but also more port calls than most ships in this service, as well as glacier cruising in two regions: Yakutat Bay and Tracy Arm. The smaller size of Prinsendam can allow for cruising deeper among the more narrow Inside Passage channels into which many of the larger vessels cannot venture.

Saturday departures from San Francisco are scheduled for May 17 & 31, June 14 & 28, July 12 & 28 and Aug. 9& 23.

Accommodations

The grades of accommodations range in size from a Penthouse Verandah Suite at 724 square feet (including verandah) to standard inside cabins at 128 square feet. There are 151 suites and staterooms in four gradings that offer the outside "balcony" feature.

Eight staterooms are equipped to accommodate physically challenged passengers, and all staterooms feature private bathroom, individually controlled air-conditioning, telephone with computerized wakeup service, multichannel music system and closed-circuit television. Four elevators serve the eight passenger decks.

Not to be overlooked

It must be mentioned that there are two other major cruise lines offering round-trip cruises from San Francisco in this service which also could be well considered: Princess Cruises, with their new Pacific Princess, will sail on 11-day itineraries and Crystal Cruises will sail 12-day itineraries for that, region with the Crystal Harmony.

Your local travel agent should have full details on all of the above-mentioned ships and companies, for your planning.

San Francisco-Alaska itinerary

                                          Arrrive    Depart

Sat.  SAN FRANCISCO                                  5 p.m.
Sun.  At sea
Mon.  Astoria, Oregon                      8 a.m.    4 p.m.
Tue.  At sea
Wed.  Wrangell, Alaska                    11 a.m.    8 p.m.
Thu.  Sitka, Alaska                        8 a.m.    6 p.m.
Fri.  Cruising Tracy Arm                   5 a.m.    9 a.m.
      Juneau, Alaska                   12:30 p.m.    7 p.m.
Sat.  Cruising Yakutat Bay & Hubbard       9 a.m.    5 p.m.
      Glacier
Sun.  Skagway, Alaska                      8 a.m.    4 p.m.
Mon.  Ketchikan, Alaska                      Noon  Midnight
Tue.  Scenic cruising, Tracy Arm           6 a.m.      Noon
Wed.  Scenic cruising, Inside Passage
Thu.  Victoria, British Columbia           7 a.m.    1 p.m.
Fri.  At sea
Sat.  SAN FRANCISCO                        8 a.m.

RELATED ARTICLE: Prinsendam facts and figures

Ship's registry: The Netherlands

First entered service: December 1988

Entered service for HAL: June 2002

Gross tonnage: 38,000

Length: 670 feet

Beam: 106 feet

Draft: 22' 11"

Engines: four Wartsilla diesels Passenger capacity: 793 (lower berths)

Maximum passenger capacity: 837

Crew: 443

Service speed: 18.5 knots

Maximum speed: 21.8 knots

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