7 Night Cruise sailing from Seattle roundtrip aboard Westerdam.

The ms Westerdam is the third in Holland America Line's series of Vista-class ships. As such, she embraces the latest industry and environmental technologies such as her use of a diesel-electric power plant for optimal energy efficiency and an Azipod propulsion system. Most of her staterooms have ocean views and many have private verandahs.

The theme of ms Westerdam's art collection is Dutch heritage in the New World. Art ranges from paintings of historic Dutch ships, such as Henry Hudson's Half Moon, to a huge Indian silver-overlaid wood palace doorway, a bone tobacco pipe carved in the shape of a woman's head to a collection of 5,000-year-old pre-Columbian carved limestone figures from Ecuador. Contemporary pieces include an original Andy Warhol portrait and signature sculptures by Sedona artist Susanna Holt.

Highlights of this cruise:

Seattle
The Emerald City of the Pacific Northwest, Seattle is known for its stunning waterfront. "Catch" a salmon at Pike Place Market, ride to the top of the Space Needle, sample a local microbrew in funky Fremont, or down a cup of java in the coffee capital of the world.

Juneau
Located at the foot of grand mountain peaks on the Gastineau Channel, the town of Juneau has the massive Mendenhall Glacier and the immense Juneau Icefields at its back door. Juneau is the place to let your imagination run wild. Explore the lush Tongass National Forest. Visit the rustic shops in town. Or get out and kayak, dogsled, raft, hike, whale watch, flightsee or fish. There s no end to the adventure because of the long daylight hours. Climb aboard the Mt. Roberts Tramway for a great spot to hike and shoot a souvenir photo.

Glacier Bay
As Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Glacier Bay National Park; protects a unique ecosystem of plants and animals living in concert with an ever-changing glacial landscape. How does it feel when a monumental chunk of ice splits off a glacier and crashes into the sea? The sound is like thunder. The impact shoots water hundreds of feet into the air. You hold your breath as you catch the moment on film. Then you wait for it all to happen again. And it does. Glacier Bay has more actively calving tidewater glaciers than anyplace else in the world.

Sitka
The onion domes of St. Michael's Cathedral are your first clue that Sitka was once a Russian settlement - the colonial headquarters of Count Baranof, no less. Discover the echoes of its heyday at a performance by the New Archangel Dancers. Be greeted by Tlingit native people, then stand on the spot where the United States took possession of Alaska in 1867 for $7.2 million, less than two cents per acre. The dramatic setting in the shadow of Mt. Edgecumbe is one of the lovliest in the Great Land. Take a stroll through old growth forest in Sitka National Historical Park, shop the downtown district, and poke around the Sheldon Jackson Museum for a close-up look at some of the city's most prized arts, crafts and Russian relics.

Ketchikan
Built out over the water and climbing weathered stairways, Ketchikan clings to the shores of Tongass Narrows and drapes the mountains with a cheerful air. Besides the main attractions - Creek Street, the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Village, try a flightseeing trip to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument--a transformational adventure not to be missed. These deep water fjords left by retreating glaciers left granite cliffs towering thousands of feet above the sea and countless waterfalls cascading into placid waters. The souvenir photos you'll take from the pontoons of the plane are worth the trip alone.

Victoria
A touch of England awaits: afternoon tea, double-decker buses, the famed Butchart Gardens - a brilliant tapestry of color spread across 50 blooming acres.