Table Of Content
2023 will offer a more in-depth exploration of western and northern Europe than many past World Cruises. The itinerary then takes travelers to Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway—including its stunning fjords—Scotland, Ireland and the Azores. Additionally, Koningsdam was voted the top mid-sized cruise ship in the 2020 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Holland America Line is the expert cruise line for the Alaska market and this year they are celebrating 75 years of Alaska exploration.
Panama Canal Sunfarer itinerary
The line's Signature and Pinnacle classes both have added-fee Asian-fusion cuisine at joint venue Tamarind and Nami Sushi, and Pinnacle Class vessels also are home to quirky seafood restaurant Rudi's Sel de Mer and the Holland-themed Grand Dutch Cafe. The latter is a fantastic place to seek out complimentary between-meal snacks and extra-charge alcohol and specialty coffee beverages. Holland America has also had a commanding presence in Alaska for decades, offering some of the most robust opportunities to visit the 49th State. In fact, the brand is so established in the region that it owns and operates its own lodges near places like Denali National Park, making for the perfect pre- or post-cruise add-on.
Search and you shall (hopefully) find!
Guests ages 5–18 (“children”) can travel when booked as a 3rd and/or 4th guest on select cruises. Whether the matter is room repair requests, dietary restrictions in the dining room or mingling with the talent onboard, interactions were positive and genuine. We saw the same smiling faces across different venues depending on the time of day, and we were always remembered and addressed like acquaintances. Little things like having a last-minute spa appointment accommodated or seeing the cruise director ashore, still greeting and interacting with passengers, gave the cruise the carefree vacation feeling that people crave when they board a ship. The assistant cruise director doing the DJ-ing, refused to take requests and played music that quickly scared everyone off the dance floor.
History, Review, Itineraries, Ships, Deck Plans, News
Guests will be treated to an extensive menu of sights and tour possibilities in Sydney, Australia, when Zuiderdam spends an overnight there. Additional ports of call in Australia include Port Arthur and Hobart (Tasmania), Adelaide, Penneshaw (Kangaroo Island) and Fremantle (Perth). Cruises sail roundtrip from Seattle, Washington; roundtrip from Vancouver, B.C.; or one-way between Whittier (Anchorage), Alaska, and Vancouver. Wraparound decks and an abundance of verandah staterooms bring guests closer to Alaska's natural wonders, while enriching Explorations Central (EXC) programming presents the opportunity to learn about the culture and history from authentic experts. (May-October 2022) 6- through 8-day "Canada and New England Discovery" between Boston and Quebec. MS Nieuw Statendam sails on longer "Newfoundland and New England Discovery" voyages between Boston and Quebec.
In Sept 2022 HAL announced the 94-day "Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage 2024" (San Diego roundtrip on MS Volendam), leaving on January 3, 2024. 18-day with calls at Lahaina, Hilo, Honolulu (overnight), Nawiliwili, Kona, and Ensenada. The other itinerary (7-day "Inside Passage") is roundtrip from Vancouver Canada. Passengers who violate the company's ship' smoking policy will be fined a cleaning fee USD 250 per day.
HAL-Holland America unveils 2025-2026 Mexico and Pacific Coast seasons
Designed with lone travelers in mind, they feature full-size beds in lieu of queens, and they're available in the outside category only, ranging from 127 to 172 square feet of space. Passengers on Holland America's ships tend to be well-traveled retirees (largely couples but with some singles in the mix) and multigenerational family groups usually consisting of grandparents, parents and children traveling together. The sheer breadth of destinations Holland America covers is impressive for such a small fleet.
Book cheap cruises with new Holland America standby program - USA TODAY
Book cheap cruises with new Holland America standby program.
Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The technology allows docked ships to receive shoreside power supply (from the port city's grid) and turn off their diesel engines/generators, thus reducing to zero emissions and noise. Nowadays, the company's main assets are the Westmark hotel chain (Alaska-Yukon region), Worldwide Shore Services (warehouses and logistics) and the Caribbean private island Little San Salvador Island (approx 160 km / 100 mi southeast of Nassau Bahamas). Widely known as Half Moon Cay, the island is an exclusive port destination for all Carnival Corporation-owned vessels. I mean, it’s bad enough that I have to cruise with the smell and scream of my own kid.
Designated smoking areas are available outdoors and in specific areas of the casinos on select ships. E-cigarettes are allowed to be used in passenger cabins but not on balconies. Unless you prepay gratuities or purchase a cruise fare that has them included in the price, you will be charged $16 per person during each day of your cruise ($17.50 if you're booked in a suite). You can adjust the amount up or down or remove it completely (which we don't recommend doing) by visiting the guest services desk. Unless you're sailing a closed-loop cruise (one that leaves from and returns to the same U.S. port) to one of a handful of destinations, you'll need a passport in order to sail with Holland America. If you are taking a closed-loop voyage, you can sail with your original birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, instead of a passport.
HAL also added Play Pickleball tutorial videos (on the interactive cabin TV programming) and started selling branded pickleball starter kits at the ships' retail shops. One of my favorite activities on my latest HAL cruise was the EXC multi-media lectures given by our cruise director. They were highly engaging, well-written, fascinating, moving at times, and many of them were specific to our itinerary. I also enjoyed the other EXC programming, including cultural talks given by local experts brought onboard at port and nature experiences. To maximize the return on your investment, carefully consider the type of card you're using to make the purchase.
You might say that Volendam is the perfect "Goldilocks ship" -- big enough to offer plenty of activities and enrichment, but not so big that you get lost in the crowd. Ms Noordam (deployment September 2024-April 2025) offers overnights in Yokohama, Kobe-Osaka, Laem Chabang-Bangkok, and Da Nang. The program (running between October and April) features voyages that offer a day cruising in the Panama Canal's Gatun Lake. All the 6x HAL Caribbean ships (Nieuw Rotterdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Volendam, Zaandam) visit the private island Half Moon Cay Bahamas.
The amount of gratuities is split between the ship's staff (dining, housekeeping, cabin stewards). Since February 2019, passengers on all HAL ships (fleetwide) can enjoy the new specialty coffee "Rotterdam 1873". The new brand was created exclusively for Holland America Line via partnership with Beukenhorst Coffee USA Inc (Dutch coffee house in West Palm Beach, Florida). The list of new suite cabin amenities includes a premium duvet, luxury bathrobes, and slippers, luxury bath products (by Elemis). BOSE SoundDock (iPod docking station), umbrella, binoculars, complimentary mimosa cocktails (with in-cabin breakfast), Nespresso coffee machine.
HAL's Caribbean program is based mainly on ex-Florida roundtrips (7- to 21 days) and 6 ships - all leaving from homeport Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale Florida. Volendam's 13- and 14-day relocation voyages (RepositionCruises.com) are along the Atlantic Coast and between Quebec Canada and Florida USA (Montreal to Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades) in 2024 (April and October). Zuiderdam's 7-day "Canada and New England Discovery" itinerary is between Boston and Quebec City, with weekend departures from/overnight stay in Quebec City (at the beginning/end of the trip) and call ports Bar Harbor, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax. A 24-day voyage (departing on July 27th on Volendam) sails roundtrip from Boston and circumnavigates Iceland. The trip visits 6 ports in Iceland plus 10 others (in Maine USA, Canada's Nova Scotia, Labrador, Newfoundland, and Greenland).
The announcement also mentioned that Masaharu Morimoto (1955-born Japanese chef) was appointed as HAL's Fresh Fish Ambassador. Dishes made with fresh fish are also available in the MDRs/main dining rooms at no charge. The best part about the changes to Oosterdam, and the Holland America fleet overall, is that the concepts being introduced -- including the Music Walk -- work really well for cruisers who are already fans of the line, as well as first-time passengers. The upgrades are thoughtful and, rather than serve as a temporary jolt of energy to attract attention, the partnerships and enhancements feel more like a natural progression for a notoriously traditional line that's keeping up with the times.
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