At 10:00 a.m. on June 20, 2025, the 1,964-passenger Westerdam officially crossed into the Arctic Circle.
Guests onboard are currently enjoying a 28-night Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice cruise, which arrived at the Arctic Circle on the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere.
During the longest day of the year in this particular location, the sun does not set, giving passengers the coveted opportunity to experience the midnight sun.
To commemorate the occasion, passengers were invited to gather and celebrate at the bow of the ship as it entered the Arctic Circle.
During this celebration, the vessel’s horn was sounded, and all of the guests were allowed to take a photo while on the bow.
Beyond that, passengers also got a chance to mingle with both the crew and the ship’s officers — and even received a commemorative certificate to remember the occasion.
“As we crossed into the Arctic Circle beneath the endless summer sky, it wasn’t just a line on a map—we hope it will be a memory for our Holland America Line guests that shines as brightly as the midnight sun,” shared Westerdam‘s Captain, Eric van der Wal.
Navigating the sea safely to enter the Arctic Circle comes with its fair share of challenges, mostly due to the extreme weather that can significantly impact ocean conditions.
Captain Eric van der Wal worked closely with his staff, making constant real-time decisions through the interpretation of shifting ice patterns and cloudy satellite images in order to make the passage possible.
While things were looking shaky for a while, the ice conditions improved enough at the best time possible to allow Westerdam to continue heading towards the Arctic Circle.
Having departed from Seattle back on June 8, 2025, this voyage is offering guests an opportunity to witness the beauty of Alaska’s wilderness while also giving passengers the chance to see a full day of sunlight on the longest day of the year.
This scenic cruise also includes viewing opportunities of the Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay and calls on several ports in Alaska, such as Nome, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Haines, and Sitka.
Guests will disembark when the vessel returns to the Pacific Northwest on July 6, 2025.
Where is Westerdam Deployed This Summer?
Currently, the 82,348 gross-ton Westerdam is homeporting in Seattle, frequently doing 7-night itineraries around Alaska.
These voyages primarily call on Juneau, Tracy Arm Fjord, Sitka, and Ketchikan in Alaska, as well as Victoria, Canada.
When Westerdam arrives in Seattle on July 6 to disembark guests from the current 28-night solstice sailing, it will resume its shorter 7-night voyages later that same day.
There is only one more 28-night cruise available on Westerdam departing from Seattle, which is scheduled to depart on August 31, 2025.
Unlike the solstice sailing, this voyage is focused on glaciers and volcanoes, first calling on ports in Alaska and then Hawaii, all before heading back to Seattle one last time.
Read Also: What is the Best Time of Year to Cruise Alaska?
After that voyage concludes, Westerdam is set to depart on September 28, 2025, for a 29-night repositioning cruise which will arrive in Tokyo on October 27.
Westerdam will then spend the rest of 2025 into early 2026 homeporting in Yokohama and Tokyo in Japan, as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore.
While the ship will return for more Alaskan sailings out of Whittier in 2026, there are no plans for the vessel to homeport in Seattle anytime soon.
For those cruisers interested in going on one of Holland America Line’s summer solstice cruises in 2026, Nieuw Statendam will be offering guests the opportunity to enjoy the solstice while in North Cape in Norway.
Noordam will also be doing a 2026 summer solstice voyage departing from Seattle, where it will cross over the Arctic Circle on the day of the solstice, just as Westerdam has done this week.
While Westerdam will be departing from Seattle in September, it is clear that Holland America Line has no intention of stopping its Alaskan voyages or summer solstice offerings anytime soon.
