Holland America releases its plans for six cruise ships that will restart operations from the U.S. this fall. Two ships will begin sailing from the West Coast and four ships out of Florida.
This news comes as cruise lines plan on resuming operations safely with health protocols in place. Holland America has already announced that cruises will restart out of Seattle to Alaska in July.
Holland America Cruise Ships to Resume Sailings
The Carnival-owned cruise line is gearing up for a big return to service this fall with six cruise ships. Koningsdam and Zuiderdam will be based out of the Port of San Diego in California from September 2021.
Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Statendam, and the all-new Rotterdam will be based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a range of Caribbean cruises along with calls to the cruise line’s private island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line said:
“San Diego has always been an incredible homeport for our ships, and we are eager to restart on the West Coast with two ships operating an expanded season, including the debut of Koningsdam on these itineraries and close-to-home California cruises that our guests are going to love.”
“We’ve also been anticipating announcing our plans for the Caribbean and we’re thrilled to have four ships in the region, including our new Rotterdam. Cruising is back and having vaccinated ships for these cruises in 2021 ensures that we can deliver the experience just how our guests remember and expect. We’re ready to cruise!”
The cruise offerings from Holland America Line will be guests who are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure. this pretty much follows the trends of other cruise lines with guests also needing to show proof of being fully vaccinated including out of Florida.
Cruises from San Diego:
- Zuiderdam: Sept. 18, 2021, to April 22, 2022: 17 cruises from San Diego — eight Mexico, four California coast, three Hawaii and two Panama Canal.
- Koningsdam: Oct. 10, 2021, to April 3, 2022: 23 cruises from San Diego — 15 Mexico, six California coast and two Hawaii cruises.
- Seven-day cruises along the California coast include a new itinerary that calls at Catalina, Santa Barbara and San Francisco for a late evening stay, along with Ensenada, Mexico. Additional “Classic California Coast” cruises include California calls at Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Avalon, and at Ensenada.
- A new 21-day Panama Canal cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam from Seattle, Washington, to Fort Lauderdale departs Oct. 2 and includes calls at San Diego; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Fuerte Amador (Panama City), Panama;; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Half Moon Cay.
- All seven-day “Mexican Riviera” cruises feature three Mexican ports of call: Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas.
- “Mexico and Sea of Cortez” itineraries are between nine and 12 days and call at a combination of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas, Guaymas, Topolobampo, Pichilingue (La Paz) and Loreto, Mexico.
- “Circle Hawaii” cruises are 17 or 18 days and call at the Hawaiian ports of Lahaina, Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili and Kona, and Ensenada.
- Two 14-day cruises through the Panama Canal from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale on Zuiderdam depart Jan. 2 and Jan. 30, 2022.
Cruises from Fort Lauderdale:
- Nieuw Amsterdam: Oct. 23, 2021, to April 7, 2022: 24 cruises to the eastern, western and southern Caribbean. All itineraries are seven days except a nine-day holiday cruise departing Dec. 30.
- Rotterdam: Nov. 3, 2021, to April 10, 2022: The ship kicks off its maiden season in the Caribbean with a series of 22 cruises, ranging from three to 11 days covering a wide offering of Caribbean ports.
- Eurodam: Nov. 14, 2021, to April 10, 2022: 15 departures, including 12 10- and 11-day Panama Canal Sunfarer cruises featuring a partial Panama Canal exploration of Gatun Lake and three seven-day eastern Caribbean itineraries.
- Nieuw Statendam: Nov. 21, 2021, to March 27, 2022: 15 cruises to the eastern, western, southern and tropical Caribbean ranging from seven to 11 days.
- All itineraries include a call at Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s private Bahamian island. This quintessential sanctuary features the finest beaches in the Caribbean; a natural 700-acre lagoon; incredible two-story villas and private cabanas; delicious dining venues like Lobster Shack; and a variety of fun-filled shore excursions for nature lovers, adventurous travelers and explorers.
Even though Holland America is returning to service in the U.S., the situation in other parts of the world are not as good. there are further cancellations for cruises in Asia, Australia and New Zealand and South America for the remainder of 2021.
Also Read: Holland America Line Cancels Cruises, New Ship to Remain on Hold
The further cancellations impacts cruises for Noordam based in Asia, Oosterdam down under in Australia, and Westerdam in South America. There are also fall cancellations for Volendam and Zaandam. Impacted guests are being provided with options, including the choice of moving to a similar cruise in 2022, a 110% future cruise credit, or even a full refund.
