Most Alaska cruises are a week long and tick off the same four or five ports. Holland America Line's Zaandam is doing something different to close out its 2026 Alaska season: an 18-night "Great Bear Rainforest and Alaska Explorer" sailing, roundtrip from Vancouver, with 11 stops across Alaska and Canada.
The itinerary leans on ports the big ships rarely visit — Prince Rupert on BC's north coast, Homer, and Anchorage, where the 1,440-passenger ship stays overnight so you can actually spend time there. Kodiak, Sitka, Valdez, Wrangell, Juneau and Ketchikan round out the list, with slow scenic cruising past Hubbard Glacier and through Glacier Bay along the way. The voyage wraps in Vancouver in early October.
What happens after is arguably more interesting for anyone with a long-holiday budget. The Zaandam repositions to San Diego for a winter of long-haul itineraries. Mid-October brings the 35-night "Legendary Hawaii, Tahiti & Marquesas" voyage, roundtrip from San Diego, hitting 13 destinations with overnight stays in both Tahiti and Honolulu, plus calls at Fanning Island, Nuku Hiva, Bora Bora and Huahine. Before the ship heads to Fort Lauderdale in December, there's also a 12-night Sea of Cortez cruise taking in Guaymas, Topolobampo, Loreto, La Paz, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Ensenada and Mazatlán.
Then things get genuinely ambitious: in early 2027 the Zaandam departs Port Everglades on a 70-night circumnavigation of South America. Alongside Caribbean stops, that sailing includes scenic cruising along the Antarctic Peninsula and around Cape Horn, a call at Belém near the mouth of the Amazon, and a three-day stay in Buenos Aires.
Why it matters: this is the growing "destination-heavy" end of cruising — longer trips, fewer crowds, overnight port stays and remote regions that a seven-day itinerary simply can't reach. If you've done the standard Inside Passage loop and want Alaska with more depth, or you'd rather unpack once and see half the Pacific, these kinds of Legendary Voyages are built for exactly that. They suit travellers with time — retirees, remote workers, anyone combining a cruise with a sabbatical — rather than first-timers wanting a quick taster. Prices weren't listed in the source, but as a rule of thumb the per-night cost on long repositioning-style cruises often undercuts shorter mainstream sailings, which is part of their appeal.
If the Alaska option tempts you, note that early-September departures shoulder into the shoulder season: fewer crowds, decent wildlife viewing and cooler, wetter weather. Booking far ahead matters on the flagship long cruises — the 70-night South America loop and the five-week Tahiti trip are the kind of itineraries that sell to repeat cruisers early.
