Ships
MS Volendam in Kodiak: The Off-Script Alaska Port
MS Volendam called at Kodiak Island on April 24, 2026 — a rare cruise stop on Alaska's Emerald Isle, on day 110 of a 133-day Holland America world voyage.
MS Volendam, Holland America's 1999-built R-class ship, called at Kodiak Island, Alaska on April 24, 2026 from 08:00 to 17:00 — a rare cruise call on the Emerald Isle. The stop came on day 110 of a 133-day Grand World Voyage that left Fort Lauderdale in January and returns in May, making Kodiak Volendam's first Alaska port and the only off-script port on her brief three-stop Alaska leg.
Quick facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ship | MS Volendam (Holland America Line, R-class, built 1999) |
| Tonnage / length | ~63,000 GT / 778 ft (237 m) |
| Capacity | 1,432 guests, ~615 crew |
| Voyage | 133-day Grand World Voyage, FLL → FLL |
| Departure | January 4, 2026 (Fort Lauderdale) |
| Return | May 17, 2026 (Fort Lauderdale) |
| Kodiak call | April 24, 2026, 08:00–17:00 |
| Alaska ports on this leg | Kodiak · Sitka (Apr 26) · Ketchikan (Apr 27) |
Why Kodiak doesn't show up on most Alaska cruises
The standard Alaska cruise itinerary runs the Inside Passage — the protected channel between Vancouver Island and the Alaska Panhandle. Ships work a loop or one-way arc through Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Ketchikan, and (for the lines with concession permits) Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier scenic days. Kodiak Island is south and west of all of that, sitting on the Gulf of Alaska where the protected-channel geography ends.
Adding Kodiak to a normal seven-day Alaska itinerary would require a lot more open-water sailing and a longer round-trip — neither is a fit for the Caribbean-and-Mediterranean operating model that drives most Alaska summer schedules. So Kodiak's calls come almost entirely from voyages that already have the days to spare: world cruises, longer one-off repositionings, and small-ship lines that build their itineraries around uncommon ports.
In numbers: Juneau handles 500+ cruise calls per Alaska season; Kodiak typically sees 25–35, mostly clustered around late-April world-cruise arrivals and a handful of small-ship summer visits.
What Kodiak offers passengers
Kodiak is a working port, not a tender-and-shop tourist call. The Emerald Isle is the second-largest island in the United States by area (after the Big Island of Hawaii), home to the largest Coast Guard base in the country, the headquarters of one of Alaska's biggest commercial fishing fleets, and an Alutiiq cultural history that pre-dates Russian-American contact by thousands of years. Most cruise calls dock at the Pier 2 cargo facility downtown — passengers walk into town, browse the Alutiiq Museum, or take excursions out to Fort Abercrombie (a WWII-era coastal defense site, now a state historical park) or up to the salmon-spawning streams.
For a world-cruise passenger arriving from a winter that spanned Cape Horn, Polynesia, Singapore, and Japan, Kodiak is the first taste of Alaska — and a quieter one than what's coming next.
What's on the itinerary after Kodiak
| Date (2026) | Stop | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 24 | Kodiak Island | Cargo dock at Pier 2 |
| Apr 26 | Sitka | Russian-American port; tender |
| Apr 27 | Ketchikan | Inside Passage transition |
| Apr 29 | Seattle | First major port out of Alaska |
| May 1+ | San Diego → Mexico → Panama → Cartagena → FLL | Repositioning home |
After Ketchikan, Volendam exits the Alaska season the way she came in — quickly. She does not sail Glacier Bay (Holland America has the permit but doesn't use it on this rotation), does not touch Whittier or Seward, and pivots straight back south.
Why this matters for the season
Volendam is the second ship of the 2026 Alaska season — Norwegian's MS Noordam called at Ketchikan on April 22 — and the first to take an off-script route. Her sister-in-pattern this year is Princess's Coral Princess at Whittier, which arrives April 28 with the more traditional Inside Passage finale. Both ships left Hakodate, Japan within three days of each other and emerged into Alaskan waters within four days, having gone opposite ways around the planet to get here.
If you want to follow Volendam after Kodiak, watch her on the ship tracker or check the Kodiak port schedule for the next call.
Sources
- MS Volendam itinerary — CruiseMapper
- MS Volendam — Wikipedia
- Holland America 2026 Alaska Season — Cruise Industry News
- Kodiak Cruise Calls — Alaska Cruise Lines Agency
- Position and ETA timing: CruiseMigration AIS feed (live)
Frequently asked questions
- Did a cruise ship call at Kodiak in April 2026?
- Yes — MS Volendam (Holland America) called at Kodiak Island on April 24, 2026 from 08:00 to 17:00, on day 110 of her 133-day Grand World Voyage.
- Why is Kodiak unusual for a cruise ship?
- Kodiak is off the standard Alaska itinerary. Most Alaska cruises run Inside Passage or Glacier Bay loops anchored on Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. Kodiak is a working fishing port on the Gulf of Alaska, and only world cruises and a handful of small-ship operators add it to their schedule.
- How big is MS Volendam?
- Volendam is a Holland America R-class ship built in 1999. She is 778 feet (237 m) long, about 63,000 GT, and carries 1,432 guests with ~615 crew.
- What is MS Volendam doing in Alaska?
- Volendam is wrapping a 133-day Grand World Voyage that departed Fort Lauderdale on January 4, 2026 and returns to Fort Lauderdale on May 17. After Kodiak she sails to Sitka (Apr 26) and Ketchikan (Apr 27), then on to Seattle, San Diego, Mexico, the Panama Canal, Cartagena, and home.
- Are other cruise ships calling at Kodiak in 2026?
- A handful — primarily world-cruise calls from Holland America and Seabourn, plus small-ship operators like UnCruise and Lindblad. Kodiak typically logs 25–35 cruise ship calls per year, compared to 500+ for Juneau.