Sugar and spice make everything nice, especially when you’re the fleet executive pastry chef for Holland America Line. Though Pam joined our cruise family in 2010, she’s been baking up joy in the kitchen since she was 12. “Both my grandmothers were great cooks, so I would always see them preparing special dishes. We also ...

Lights, camera, action! The high-seas penultimate episode of season 21 of Bravo’s Top Chef debuted last night on Wednesday, June 12, and we couldn’t be more excited about all the mouthwatering moments. For starters, our Fresh Fish Ambassador, Chef Morimoto, made a surprise visit to the final four cheftestants, showcasing our Global Fresh Fish Program. The winner of the ...

Meet our friends at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center When you embark on an unforgettable journey to Alaska, you set sail to a world of towering, majestic glaciers, lush green forests and awe-inspiring mountain peaks. Known as the Great Land, it’s also home to abundant wildlife that depend on mother nature for food and shelter. Unlike their human ...

It’s International Women’s Day, and we’re especially grateful for the incredible women across our team – at sea and ashore – who share their talent and expertise with us. It’s in that spirit we’re highlighting some of the women making waves in support of the Holland America Line cruise experience. Maria, First Officer Maria’s ...

On this Employee Appreciation Day, we want to share our heartfelt gratitude for our people who provide award-winning service with care and kindness from ship to shore. We recently caught up with some of our leaders around the world to ask what they love most about our incredible team. Here's what they had to say: ...

Love was in the air for Holland America Line crew members, Ammar and Faye, when they met aboard Koningsdam in 2023. Ammar had recently joined the team as the onboard crew doctor, and Faye was the hotel executive assistant. Intrigued by one another, they decided to go on a date – a date that was anything but ordinary. After ...

At Holland America Line, we love helping our guests see the world from their doorstep through amazing cruise experiences. We also love bringing the joy of cruising to guests at home through fresh recipes and vacation-inspired activities. In summary, we love...love. It's in that spirit we invite you to celebrate Valentine's Day – or HALentine's Day – using the ...

Calling all seafood lovers! Are you ready to delight your senses with mouthwatering flavors? We recently teamed up with Vital Choice®, a leader in premium wild-caught fish delivery, to help you enjoy vacation-inspired flavors at home. To support your culinary journey, Sinu Pillai, Holland America Line’s fleet executive chef, hosted a cooking demo featuring our Gold Gala Pan-Seared Sea ...

Above: Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (right); Holland America Line President Gus Antorcha (left); and Roel Dusseldorp, General Manager of Hotel New York, pour champagne over the commemorative 150th anniversary bell.  On April 18, Holland America Line’s flagship Rotterdam arrived at the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, following a 150th Anniversary crossing that departed ...

A fundraising effort by cruise line passengers, which took place on the high seas around six different continents, has resulted in a $450,000 donation for Ukraine relief. Funds were raised through Holland America Line's On Deck for a Cause campaign, and the check was presented on Jan. 31, 2023, to the global humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief. For 10 ...

Holland America Line’s Rotterdam VII departed the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, today on its historic 150th Anniversary Transatlantic Crossing. The 15-day journey recreates Holland America Line’s maiden voyage of Rotterdam I that departed the city 150 years ago today. The crossing follows the path of that first sailing to New York, with calls at Le Havre, France, and Plymouth, ...

A middle school project to deliver books to a library halfway around the world is almost complete, thanks to some good timing and an alert travel advisor. Students from Odyssey Middle School in Bainbridge, Washington, brought over 400 books to Holland America Line’s ship Westerdam on Sunday for delivery to a new literacy library in Papua New Guinea. Students at ...

Foodies and culinary novices alike, who are ready for a gastronomic adventure can set sail on a Holland America Line “Culinary Cruise” in 2022 with a member from the line’s Culinary Council. The celebrity chefs will share their expertise and secrets on everything from the correct way to make a sushi roll and how to perfectly temper chocolate to preparing ...

Holland America Line is debuting three new dishes from Culinary Council Member Chef Ethan Stowell that were developed in alliance with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). The partnership between the two organizations is a shared commitment to serving sustainably sourced Alaska seafood on all six of our ships that sail to the Great Land. This is the first formal ...

On Valentine's Day, Holland America Line launched a contest asking fans to pen love letters to Alaska. This year we celebrate 75 years of Alaska exploration, and the Love Letters contest is a tribute to the beloved cruising region. Thousands of people entered their thoughts on why they love Alaska or why they would like to visit Alaska. Holland America ...

Holland America Line's Volendam will be used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees as part of an agreement announced by Netherlands and City of Rotterdam government officials. The ship will dock in Rotterdam for three months to provide a temporary home for approximately 1,500 Ukrainians, part of a larger commitment from the Netherlands to accommodate 50,000 people who fled the war in ...

Holland America Line took delivery of Rotterdam today, July 30, 2021, officially making it the 11th ship in the fleet. A handover ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy the evening of July 29. The ceremony was attended by the ship’s master, Captain Werner Timmers, and Cyril Tatar, Holland America Group’s vice president of newbuilding services. Giuseppe Bono, ...

This past weekend, after an 16-month pause of operations, Holland America Line returned to service! Nieuw Amsterdam arrived at Port of Seattle earlier in the week to get ready for a Saturday departure to Alaska. Holland America Line President Gus Antorcha, Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald and Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz all were on hand to mark ...

Paul Thornton, author of “The Joy of Cruising”, has a new book out called “Cruising Interrupted”, and in it he features Holland America Line guest Kandes Bregman. Paul and Kandes have granted us permission to share an excerpt of Kandes' chapter to give a glimpse into her passion for cruising and Holland America Line. Enjoy the segment, and then be ...

International Women's Day is a day to celebrate the achievements of women. It's also a day to rally for women's equality. Did you know, National Women's Day began in 1908 and the first gathering for International Women's Day occurred in 1911? Campaign themes over the years have included: #EachforEqual, #BalanceforBetter, #PressforProgress, #BeBoldforChange, #PledgeforParity, #MakeItHappen, #TheGenderAgenda and more. The campaign theme ...

Holland America Line announced that Amsterdam, Maasdam, Rotterdam and Veendam will be leaving the fleet and transferring to undisclosed buyers. The ships have been sold in pairs, with the S-Class Maasdam and Veendam transferring to one company in August 2020, while the R-Class Amsterdam and Rotterdam will move to another company in fall 2020. Holland America Line will cancel cruises ...

Holland America Line announced today the appointment of Gustavo (Gus) Antorcha as president of the cruise line. Antorcha joins the company effective immediately from sister brand Carnival Cruise Line, where he has served as chief operating officer. “We are fortunate to welcome Gus to the Holland America Line team for a new chapter at our brand,” said Stein Kruse, Group ...

Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford has spent his working life leading human resources teams for various companies, so it’s not surprising to hear him say, “People are our most important asset.” How Ashford intends to leverage employees’ strengths to propel Holland America Line into the future is the topic of an interview he conducted recently with Seatrade Cruise News. ...

Here are some scenes from Thanksgiving Day celebrations throughout the HAL fleet. Enjoy! Amsterdam’s Culinary Operations Manager Bart Groeneveld submitted these photos from the ship’s on board festivities: …