80 Years in Alaska Has Led to a Reimagined Denali Lodge

Holland America has been exploring Alaska since 1947, and 80 years of experience have shaped how we bring guests closer to the Great Land by sea, land, and rail. In 2027, that expertise comes to life in a transformed Holland America Denali Lodge.

A $70 million renovation is reimagining the Lodge from the ground up. The main interior, guest pavilions, and rooms have all been remodeled. A new coffee shop is open, trail signage and scenic viewpoints along the river have been upgraded, and new guest rooms have been added. Guests can first experience the transformed Lodge when it opens for the 2027 season in May.

The refreshed main Lodge is designed to feel like Alaska: open, warm, and built to last.

Here’s what’s updated:

• Soaring timber-frame ceilings, a river stone fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows in the reimagined main Lodge
• 192 new guest rooms across two newly built guest buildings
• Fully renovated, reimagined Basecamp Coffee café
• New menus developed with Culinary Ambassador Ethan Stowell, built around Alaska and Pacific Northwest ingredients
• Upgraded riverside trail with new scenic viewpoints along the Nenana River & new signage
• Expanded seating at Karstens Public House

Before construction began, furnishings from approximately 115 guest rooms — including bedframes, headboards, dressers, nightstands, chairs, and lamps — were donated to the Armed Services YMCA of Alaska, filling an entire 45-foot shipping container with items now serving military families in Anchorage.

“Grandest thanks to you and everyone in your team.”

– Josie Hofstad of the Armed Services YMCA of Alaska.

This sort of focus on the local community reflects how Holland America has operated in Alaska for 80 years, and the knowledge that that caring for our planet is just as important as caring for the people who call it home.

Don’t just cruise Alaska. Get into it. A Holland America cruisetour takes you beyond the coastline aboard the glass-domed McKinley Explorer® and into Alaska’s interior, where Holland America Denali Lodge sits along the Nenana River at the doorstep of Denali National Park & Preserve.

Every cruisetour includes a Lodge stay and a guided Denali Park experience, giving you time to experience the wildlife, wilderness, and scale of the Great Land beyond the ship. The 2027 season runs May through September across 19 itineraries, from 9 to 17 nights, and the Alaska, Denali, and Yukon itineraries extend into Canada’s Yukon Territory.

“Holland America Denali Lodge is big, busy, and exceptionally convenient…with Denali National Park practically next door.”

– Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler

The dining program at Denali Lodge has been refreshed alongside the property itself, with new menus across multiple venues. Some of the food options include:

• Karstens Public House: Expanded seating and new Alaska-leaning menu featuring meals such as halibut and chips, sockeye salmon BLTs, fried cod tacos, and all-you-can-eat breakfast
• Canyon Ridge Grill: Dinner overlooking the Nenana River. Think Dungeness crab cakes, weathervane scallops, king crab, and dry-aged steaks
• Outpost Coffee + Provisions: A new coffee and convenience concept with smoked salmon bagel sandwiches, reindeer sausage with Beecher’s cheddar, seasonal Spritz cocktails, and more

“You could easily eat every meal here without repeating the same food twice, a genuine advantage in a destination where dinner can otherwise require another shuttle or drive.”

– Bailey Berg

Holland America’s Alaska cruisetours connect the ship, the rail, and the land into one seamless journey, and 2027 brings the best version of the Lodge yet.

Experience the transformed Holland America Denali Lodge when you explore 2027 Alaska cruisetours and discover what 80 years in Alaska has led to.

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