Key Aspects:
- Holland America Line has opened bookings for its expanded 2028 European season.
- The year-round season will feature five ships sailing to destinations across Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and more.
- This comes at a time of rapid growth for Holland America Line and the cruise industry as a whole.
Holland America Line is expanding its offerings across Europe in 2028. The Carnival-owned cruise line just opened bookings for its 2028 season, featuring the most European ports in nearly a decade for the cruise line.
Five Holland America ships will sail routes throughout the region: Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Volendam, and Zuiderdam. This accounts for nearly half of the cruise line’s 11-ship fleet.
These deployments will span the entire 2028 year, from January to December. Itineraries feature voyages across Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Canary Islands. They will also feature a record number of visits to Norway, Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
“We built each season around moments travelers can only experience at certain times of year,” said Paul Grigsby, vice president of deployment and revenue planning for Holland America Line. “From the Netherlands in full bloom during spring to winter escapes in the Mediterranean and Canary Islands and long summer days along Europe’s coastlines.”
Bookings for the 2028 European season are now open. Holland America Line is offering incentives for early booking, including extra perks for the Have It All premium package and an Early Booking Bonus.
European sailings have exploded in popularity recently. The move to year-round European sailings comes just over a year after Holland America Line announced a six-week expansion to its European season for 2026. The 2026 season saw advance bookings running one-third ahead of the previous year for Holland America compared to the previous year.
Cruise Hive also reported when the cruise line recently expanded its Caribbean offerings for 2027-2028, with 47 departures across 29 itineraries. Moves like this demonstrate the rapid expansion in popularity the cruise industry has seen in recent years, particularly across Europe.
What Itineraries Are Offered?
Holland America Line’s 2028 European season will offer a wide range of itineraries. These sailings range from seven days up to massive 48-day voyages. The itineraries offered will vary by season, with overnight stays, extended calls and late-night departures in select ports.
From January to March, the 99,500 gross-ton Nieuw Statendam will sail itineraries from seven to 14 days, visiting the Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal and Morocco. These itineraries will feature ports like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Lisbon and Casablanca.
From March to May, Nieuw Statendam will be joined by Rotterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Zuiderdam for seven-to-14-day itineraries. These will visit locations across the Mediterranean, the Low Countries, and Northern Europe. The four ships will visit ports such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Bruges, Barcelona, Athens and Naples.
The 61,214 gross-ton Volendam will join the others from June to August. The five ships will sail to destinations across Norway, Iceland, the British Isles, the Baltic, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey. These voyages will range from seven to 35 days.
For autumn, Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Volendam will visit ports in Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Ireland and the Netherlands. These voyages will range from seven to 48 days from September to November.
From November to early December, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam will continue sailing Mediterranean, Canary Islands and transatlantic itineraries. These end-of-the-year voyages range from seven to 14 days.
