Holland America Line‘s Sip Savor Sail initiative takes a base cruise vacation experience already rich in culinary effort and makes it better.  Bringing on board guest chefs, winemakers and brewmasters, the ships of Holland America Line travel the world, adding location-specific bonus content: a solid win for cruise travelers.  With each bonus event priced ala carte, Holland America keeps the cruise fare price low on Sip Savor Sail itineraries.  That distinction effectively puts destination immersion with a culinary focus well within reach of even the most budget-sensitive traveler.

Nightly ‘Sip Savor’ events happen as part of normal programming on Holland America Line ships.  The $5 per guest fee includes a glass of wine, an appetizer of some sort and some chat with a chef from the ship, the ship’s cellar master or some other interesting member of the crew.  Held in the ship’s Cultural Arts Center display kitchen, this is a wonderful way to start the evening on any sailing.  On a Sip Savor Sail itinerary, those Sip Savor events include the guest chef, winemaker or other celebrity as well.

Featured Events are exclusive to the Sip Savor Sail content.  The Best of the Northwest Wine Tasting with Wine Expert Bob Bertheau ($15 per person) included a number of wines from the rapidly growing Pacific Northwest wine region.

A Last Frontier Brunch Hosted By The Guest Chefs ($19 per person) brought Pacific Northwest cuisine from chefs Jeff Maxfield and Seis Kamimura.

The Brewmaster‘s Lunch ($29 per person) hosted by Alaska Brewing Company paired five courses with five Alaska Brewing Company beers.

All of the above, plus onboard programming specific to the itineraries run by Holland America Line ships make for a total immersion into the places they visit.  On our Alaska sailing, for example, other events included a North to Alaska Sailaway Party, an Alaskan Salmon Bake on deck, talks from time to time by the ship’s Location Guide and more.

Simply put, the Holland America Line Sip, Savor, Sail element bumps up onboard programming to a level in the ballpark of Food and Wine-themed sailings on premium-priced cruise lines.  This is a great stand-alone product worthy of a try by fans of big ship cruising that want a bit more than the standard fare.   If those fans are located in the Pacific Northwest, as many on our sailing were, this ‘drive to the port, sail to Alaska’ itinerary is a no-brainer to book now.

Find Out More About Sip Savor Sail

Here is more about the outstanding experience we enjoyed on Holland America Line’s ms Westerdam, sailing 7 days round-trip from Seattle.

At ChrisCruises.com:

• Alaska Cruise Season Begins As We Sip Savor And Sail Away
• Alaska In Sight: Sailing Away On Holland America Sip Savor Sail
• Sip Savor Sail Sea Day Full Of Food And Wine
• Alaska Wonder Awaits, One Way Or Another
• Alaska Scenic Cruising On Holland America Sip Savor Sail
• A Day In Sitka With Holland America Line
• Ketchikan Takes Back Seat To Sip Sail Savor Events, Briefly
• A Few Wonderful Things To Like About Sip Savor Sail

Check These Other Resources Too:

• Our Live Instagram Feed – a photo a day of our adventure, maybe two
• Live Flickr Photo Albums*all the photos, (good and bad) updated throughout the voyage, Internet signal permitting.  Check back each day as we add more photos to each of these albums:
  • Port of Seattle– an engaging port authority, get to know the Port of Seattle
  • Seattle Sheraton– A great pre- or post-cruise hotel property
  • Seattle Space Needle– I thought it would be “great view, lousy tourist food” but it was in fact, “great view, delicious Northwest cuisine”
  • Chateaux St Michelle winery– a nice little place not far from Seattle- a great pre- or post-cruise activity
  • Chef Jeff Maxwell– From the Seattle Space Needle
  • Wine Expert Bob Bertheau– From Chateaux St Michelle
  • Beer & Wine Labels On Board– From Alaska Brewing Company products to local wineries
  • Westerdam Ship Shots– all around the ship, captured throughout the voyage
  • Sail Away From Seattle– our first night at sea and a lovely afternoon sail away party
  • BB King Jazz Club On Holland America Line
  • Chef Jeff Maxfield Stinging Nettle Soup Demonstration
  • Northwest Wine Seminar with Bob Bertheau
  • Chef Seis Kamimura- Now from Centurylink Statdium, Kamimura brings a rich pedigree of accomplishments to the Sip Savor Sail cruise.
  • On The Way To Juneau– a day at sea was not your typical big ship day at sea, normally competely surrounded by water in all directions- see what is different here.
  • Glacier Bay– A collection of what we saw throughout the day, including a rare sighting of a magnificent glacier not normally available for viewing this time of year
  • Wine And Cheese On The Bow- is a signature event for Holland America Line’s Alaska operations where the forward bow section of the ship, normally closed, is opened up for passengers to engage the destination.

• Live Twitter Posts

Facebook Photo Albums photos added throughout the voyage here as well.

• Captain’s Dinner
• Sip-Savor-Sail: Alaska In Sight
• Sip-Savor-Sail: Food And Wine Events
• Glacier Bay In Photos
• A Day In Sitka
• Crab Feast Flyby

*Flickr account required – Sign up here