Alaska Archives - A Side of Sweet

Alaskan Cruise Excursions on Holland America Review

A review of Alaskan Cruise Excursions during our Holland America Koningsdam cruise. What to do in Alaskan port stops: Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau. Read more in our Alaska Travel Guide.

Alaskan Cruise Excursions Review – Holland America

Excursions on your Alaskan Cruise allow you to explore Alaska by land, air, and sea. It’s the chance to see wildlife and get a closer look at what Alaska has to offer. These activities are offered at an additional fee. They can get quite expensive, but are so worth it!

Holland America Alaskan Cruise Dining Review

A review of all the dining options on our Holland America Alaskan Cruise, including specialty restaurants, what is included, and prices. Check out my other posts about traveling to Alaska.

Dining on the Holland America Koningsdam Cruise Ship

Being huge foodies and spoiled with outstanding cuisine here at home in San Francisco, food quality was a huge factor in choosing a cruise line for our Alaskan cruise. I spent hours on Cruise Critic and reading blog posts about dining, and it was clear that Holland America is known for the best quality food and the widest variety among all the cruise lines that sail to Alaska.

We had so many memorable meals on board, it made me appreciate even more how important it is to have top-tier dining options on a cruise.

Holland America Alaskan Cruise Review

A review of our Holland America Alaskan Cruise and everything you need to know about life on board the Koningsdam cruise ship!

Why we chose a Holland America Alaskan Cruise

We booked the Holland America Vancouver — Vancouver 7-Day Alaska Inside Passage cruise on the Koningsdam Ship, which came highly recommended. Holland America has somewhat of a cult following, for good reason! They have mid-sized ships that tend to be more upscale and have a refined experience.

Read on for more!

Denali National Park Guide, Alaska

Everything you need to know when you visit Denali National Park in Alaska including the best hikes, bus tour information, and wildlife viewing!

At an astonishing 6 million acres, Denali National Park should truly be considered a wonder of the world. It’s the home to an estimated 300-350 grizzly bears and the tyga – the largest terrestrial biome in the world. Outside of Alaska you can only find tyga in Siberia, Scandanavia, Canada and Russia.

Denali is the 3rd largest national park, after Gates of the Arctic and Wrangell – St Elias, both of which are also in Alaska.

In the words of our bus guide, “Get out there and listen because Denali just might be speaking to you.”

Read on for my guide to Denali National Park…

What to Do in Fairbanks, Alaska – Travel Guide + Interactive Map

A handy guide for what to do in Fairbanks, Alaska all summer long! Thai food, an ice museum, sled dogs, walking reindeer and so much more.

What to Do in Fairbanks Alaska - Where to eat, hotels, activities, what to see and more!

This was my first time in Alaska. It was the 49th state I’ve visited, which is pretty crazy! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Fairbanks turned out to be the perfect home base for our Alaskan adventure. They have a great food scene with lots of attractions, friendly locals and great access to nature. It’s also really easy to get to Denali National Park from Fairbanks.

When the weather forecast predicted temperatures in the 70’s, I was skeptical. Would I really be wearing sundresses in Alaska? We had absolutely amazing weather every day. We also had nearly 24 hours of daylight.

Read on for my guide to Fairbanks, Alaska!