Holland America Makes Anchorage A Port Of Call

Holland America Line will make a regular cruise ship stop in Anchorage, Alaska in 2010.

The Amsterdam, which carries 1,380 passengers and a crew of 615, will be the first ship of a major line to call regularly in Anchorage. The port call will be part of a 14-day cruise.

Some Alaska tourism officials prefer seven-day cruise ship tours because it means twice as many passengers are carried on a vessel over a two-week period.

Many passengers on seven-day cruises continue tours away from the coast to destinations such as Denali National Park and Fairbanks.

Two companies, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, have announced they will operate vessels elsewhere in 2010, blaming a $50 head tax and other issues tied to a 2006 citizens initiative.