My wife Marty and I have sailed over 150 days with Holland America Line to the Caribbean. We were both glad to hear that Holland America Line has now resumed cruising to Alaska.
KOMONews.com is reporting, “Shouts of joy and chanting filled Pier 91 Saturday morning, as crew members aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam, dressed in their finest uniforms, waved orange flags and yelled, “Welcome back! Welcome back! Welcome back!”
The crew and passengers were on the first sailing of a ship operated by Holland America Line, which is based in Seattle, since the coronavirus pandemic forced an industry shutdown in March 2020.
Once passengers completed their security and medical checks and walked past the welcoming crew, there were hands raised high with waves, high fives and smiles.
The first to board was a couple from White Horse, Alaska who said they love cruising to their home state.
Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, was on board to greet them.
“It talks to what we do onboard (and) the experience,” he said. “They live in Alaska and come down and spend a week with us.”
Others, from across the country, made their way onboard next and were full of expectations.
Linda Fong, ready to take her first ever cruise, said she was anticipating, “a lot of fun (and) a lot of excitement!”
Her companion, Glenn Miyahira, boarded the ship after flying in from their home in Hawaii.”
I can’t put into words how happy I am for the crew on the ship. For over a year they haven’t been able to see the passengers they’ve come to know and love. They haven’t been able to meet new cruise passengers and show them first hand why my wife and I love Holland America Line, their smiles!
I wish Holland America Line and all cruise lines the best as cruising resumes.
Click on the link below for the full story mentioned in this blog post:
https://komonews.com/news/local/holland-america-ship-departs-seattle-as-cruise-industry-makes-return
