HAL-Holland America Line scheduled its 133-day "Pole-to-Pole World Voyage" (roundtrip from Florida USA) in 2025, alongside a simultaneous 124-day 2025 Grand World Voyage.
This marks the first time that the company is offering two Grand Voyages of 120+ days simultaneously.
"Grand Voyage: Pole-to-Pole" (ship ms Volendam) will take travelers across 5 continents (south-to-north route), while "Grand World Voyage 2025 (ship ms Zuiderdam) will cover 6 continents (east-to-west route). Curiously, both voyages depart in January 2025 from a USA port.
To book the unique itineraries customers must contact HAL's World Cruise Reservations Desk or a travel agent, starting from April 20th. Customers with a deposited Future Cruise Request get priority booking confirmation before these voyages officially open to the public on May 24th, 2023.
Volendam's 2025 Grand Voyage: Pole-to-Pole's highlights include:
- 133 days, departing on January 25th, 2025, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Florida).
- The route takes a south-north-south course through the Panama Canal, along the west coast of South America to Antarctica, then up to Argentina and Brazil and into the heart of the Amazon River. Afterward, the ship crosses the Atlantic Ocean to Africa, then sails north to Europe, up to the North Cape (Nordkapp), and west across the northern Atlantic Ocean via Iceland and Greenland before heading down the eastern shores of North America.
- 68 ports across 5 continents and 28 different countries.
- 8 overnight calls: Fuerte Amador (Panama City), Callao (Lima), Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Reykjavik.
Memorable Moments: Panama Canal transit, Cape Horn, Antarctica, the Falklands, Gibraltar Strait, Amazon River, North Cape, Norwegian Fjords, Iceland and Greenland.
Zuiderdam's Grand World Voyage 2025's highlights include:
- 124 days, departing on January 4th, 2025, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale FL.
- The ship travels through the Panama Canal and heads towards Easter Island, and then goes across the South Pacific to reach Australia. During the journey towards Indonesia and Sri Lanka, it also explores the Great Barrier Reef, and then sails southwards to Cape Town, South Africa, passing through Seychelles and the eastern coast of Africa. Finally, the ship goes through the Suez Canal to reach Portugal before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
- 46 ports in 32 different countries across 6 continents.
- 9 overnight calls: Callao (2 nights), Hanga Roa/Easter Island, Papeete, Sydney, Singapore, Cape Town, Mombasa, Safaga, and Barcelona.
- 7 late-night departures: Manta, Seychelles, Cape Town, Durban, Aqaba, Civitavecchia-Rome and Gibraltar UK.
Memorable Moments include passing through the Panama Canal, spending two nights at Callao to visit Machu Picchu, exploring Easter Island, enjoying scenic views while cruising through the Great Barrier Reef, spending two entire days in Cape Town, and having the chance to visit Petra in Jordan and experience Luxor from Safaga.
On April 24th, 2025, Volendam and Zuiderdam are due to meet in Barcelona for a joint overnight stay, bringing both Grand Voyages together for a unique celebration. Barcelona's festivities will mark the occasion of the dual visit.