For HAL-Holland America's 2024 Europe season, the line is adding a number of new itineraries that combine regions, increasing the number of sailings of 14 days/longer, and enhancing Northern Europe with brand new departure ports.
From April through to November dozens of unique itineraries that range from 7 to 35 days will be offered on 2 of the company's Pinnacle Class ships, ms Nieuw Statendam and ms Rotterdam, along with ms Oosterdam and ms Zuiderdam.
The 4 Holland America ships will cover the entire region on cruises especially designed for cultural immersion. 9 overnight ports and 33 late-night departures provide more time ashore while the liners explore the British Isles, Baltic, Canary Islands, Mediterranean, French and Spanish rivieras, Israel, and Northern Europe, including Greenland, Iceland, and Norway.
Highlights of Holland America's 2024 Europe cruising season feature:
- 9 overnight ports, including Barcelona (Spain); Civitavecchia-Rome and Marghera-Venice, Italy; Istanbul (Turkey); Haifa (Israel); Reykjavik (Iceland); Valletta (Malta), Piraeus-Athens, and Rhodes (Greece)
- 11 departure cities, including Rotterdam (Netherlands)
- 33 evening departure cities (between 10:00 p.m.-midnight).
NORTHERN EUROPE
MS Rotterdam returns to Northern Europe with a season offering new itineraries. The vessel returns to the namesake city with roundtrip sailings from Rotterdam, including:
- New 7-day cruises to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
- New 7-/14-day itineraries to Norway and Scotland
- New 14-day voyages to England, Ireland, Scotland, and Belgium
- New 14-day cruise to Norway, Iceland, and Scotland
- 7-day Norwegian Fjords
- 14-day itineraries to North Cape and the Norwegian Fjords
- 14-day Baltic to Denmark, Germany, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
MS Nieuw Statendam offers Northern Europe voyages to the British Isles, Baltic, and Norway up to the North Cape, and the Northern Isles of Scotland & Iceland. The itineraries range from 7 to 14 days and sail roundtrip from Copenhagen (Denmark), Rotterdam, or between Copenhagen-Rotterdam.
- New in 2024 are 7-day cruises between Copenhagen-Reykjavik with calls in Norway/Scotland and Iceland.
- A new 11-day voyage from Copenhagen to Reykjavik features visits to Iceland, Greenland, and Norway, while the 10-day return out of Reykjavik to Copenhagen explores Iceland, Norway, and Scotland.
- A 21-day "Ultimate Viking Explorer" journey roundtrip from Copenhagen visits 13 ports in Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and Scotland, retracing the route that the Vikings.
In May, ms Zuiderdam sails on a 14-day Northern Europe voyage that explores Germany, Estonia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, followed by a 21-day "Ultimate Viking Explorer" around Iceland, Greenland, and Scotland, roundtrip from Ijmuiden. The itineraries can be combined into a 35-day sojourn including 10 countries, 23 cruise ports, and is also in a prime locale for the Summer Solstice.
MS Zuiderdam heads from Ijmuiden to Boston MA in June on a 21-day "Viking Passage" voyage that includes exploration of Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and Canada. The departure can be combined with ms Zuiderdam's "Ultimate Viking Explorer" in order to form a 42-day Collectors' Voyage with 26 port calls.
CANARY ISLANDS
MS Nieuw Statendam returns to the Canaries on a 14-day voyage departing April 21st roundtrip from Rotterdam, also including Gibraltar, Madeira, and Spain.
MEDITERRANEAN
MS Oosterdam sails the entire 2024 Europe season in the Mediterranean on roundtrip cruises from Athens-Piraeus, or between Barcelona, Trieste, Civitavecchia-Rome, and Piraeus. The itineraries range from 7- to 14 days and cover the eastern & western Mediterranean, including Greece, Turkey, Israel, Tunisia, Italy, Croatia, France, Spain, and Montenegro.
MS Nieuw Statendam sails 14-day voyages between Civitavecchia-Rome and Piraeus-Athens, and roundtrip from Piraeus. The itineraries explore the eastern Mediterranean. MS Nieuw Statendam also sails to the Holy Land on a 14-day voyage in October that features an overnight at Haifa (Israel).
TRANSATLANTIC
The "Voyage of the Vikings" is back in 2024 aboard ms Zuiderdam. Departing July 20th, the 35-day journey sails roundtrip from Boston (Massachusetts) and calls at ports in Canada, Maine, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Norway. The itinerary is offered in 17- and 18-day segments from Boston to Rotterdam/from Rotterdam to Boston.
In 2024, Bermuda is back on 2 transatlantic itineraries out of Fort Lauderdale FL: ms Nieuw Statendam crosses in April with calls to Bermuda, France, Belgium, and Guernsey en route to Rotterdam, while ms Zuiderdam visits Bermuda, England, Ireland, Belgium, and France on a May crossing to Ijmuiden.
In April, ms Oosterdam and ms Rotterdam cross the Atlantic, departing from Barcelona and Fort Lauderdale, respectively.
In October & November ms Nieuw Statendam, ms Oosterdam, and ms Rotterdam make their way back to Fort Lauderdale FL via Civitavecchia, Barcelona, and Rotterdam, respectively.
Many of the sailings can be extended into Collectors' Voyages. By combining a couple of 7-day itineraries, 7- and 14-day cruises/longer non-repeating journeys, the artfully crafted trips of up to 42 days combine back-to-back sailings, enabling passengers to visit more ports/spend extra time discovering centuries of history, art, and culture.