No matter where you go on a cruise, food is an important part of the onboard experience, and it's also a gateway to the cultures we visit. Today, more people are traveling with dietary restrictions, and we don't want that to deter anyone from enjoying their vacation! Onboard all of our ships, we have plenty of options to make sure ...

Updated and republished February 12, 2026 As many cruisers know, Holland America Line combines personalized service and once-in-a-lifetime experiences with innovative and engaging onboard amenities. One of the amenities that best shows Holland America Line's unique ambiance is "The Retreat." Currently on board Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, and Eurdodam, The Retreat is an outdoor area that ...

Holland America Line is known for graceful mid-sized ships with a generous amount of personal space for guests as they cruise the world. Some cruisers might be surprised to learn that Holland America extends this roomy cruise experience to the promenade deck on five of our ships: Amsterdam, Maasdam, Rotterdam, Veendam and Volendam with our Lanai staterooms. Lanai Stateroom ...

Holland America Line dominated Porthole Cruise Magazine’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards with eight honors. Readers from Porthole, one of the world’s leading consumer cruise travel publications, recognized Holland America Line in areas that covered everything from destinations to onboard and shoreside experiences. The awards include Best Canada/New England and Northern Europe Itineraries; Best Shore Excursions; Best Spa Facilities; Most Eco-Friendly ...

On a Holland America Line cruise, our goal is to provide our guests with an all-around memorable experience. From our destinations and dining to our staterooms and service, we go above and beyond to provide top quality in each and every aspect of your voyage. A major highlight of cruising with Holland America Line is our fantastic entertainment options. Whether ...

Wild Mushroom Filling and Brown Butter & Pine Nut Sauce: From America’s Test Kitchen to Yours Food allows us to experience the world and bring a piece of it into our homes. Inspired by the rich, earthy flavors often found in Italian cooking, both the Wild Mushroom Filling and Brown Butter & Pine Nut Sauce can be used in any ...

Holland America Line guests can now experience America’s Test Kitchen’s enticing selection of live onboard cooking shows and hands-on workshops where guests learn proven techniques for making delectable dishes with confidence. For more than 20 years, America’s Test Kitchen has inspired home cooks with their unique, science-based approach to creating delicious, foolproof recipes, and now our guests can learn from ...

When Holland America Line’s ms Westerdam emerged from a 12-day dry dock at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Palermo, Italy, in late April, the ship debuted major renovations that added many new public spaces and amenities, including two firsts for the fleet: Explorations Central, or EXC, in the Crow’s Nest and Rijksmuseum at Sea. Westerdam also received the popular Music Walk venues ...

For more than 140 years, Holland America Line has been exploring each corner of the world. But now imagine coupling your amazing Holland America Line journey with an exclusive and luxurious one-of-a-kind experience. Our recently launched Signature Experiences for the 2018 cruise season currently are available pre- and post-cruise on select Canada/New England, Europe and South America itineraries and include ...

Whether you're having a holiday party or not, it's always fun to have some specialty cocktails on-hand to serve to friends, family or yourself this time of year! We enlisted our Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff to show us how to make some of his signature must-have holiday drinks, and these certainly won't disappoint! Enjoy these recipes. We're making sure you ...

Holland America Line asked Guest Roland if he would send in an article about his recent Journeys Ashore experience in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on his recent Westerdam cruise, and he was more than happy to oblige! Roland took the "Cabo San Lucas Ziplining Adventure" and it certainly is a great option for guests who like an adrenaline rush in ...

While the Alaska cruise season is coming to a close, we're sure you're already dreaming of booking your Alaska adventure for 2017. After all, Holland America Line is celebrating our 70th year in The Last Frontier next year so it's the perfect time to go. One of the highlights of every Alaska cruise is the wildlife. Not only can you ...

Holland America Line offers thousands of Journeys Ashore appealing to a wide variety of interests. Whether you seek active and adventurous or cultural and calm, we showcase some of the best sites and activities at each port. While there can be much to see on land, a tour that takes you below the surface without getting wet makes for a ...

Holland America Line is turning its culinary programming up a notch with the introduction of dynamic shipboard cooking shows produced in partnership with the long-running public television show America’s Test Kitchen, the most popular how-to-cook show on TV. Holland America Line is a sponsor of America’s Test Kitchen on public television, and is proud to make this experience possible at ...

All the buzz about Koningsdam's staterooms has been focused on the new Family and Single stateroom categories — both a first for Holland America Line! The Family Staterooms can accommodate up to five people, while the Single Staterooms are perfect for the solo traveler. However, the ship also has several other stateroom categories, ranging from modest insides to the grand ...

Call all horse-lovers and those who just seek an adventure! Saddle up for a gallop across the globe! From the warm beaches of the Caribbean to breathtaking mountains of Iceland, Holland America Line offers many shore excursions for cruisers to go horseback riding. Whether you’re a cowboy, cowgirl or just someone looking for a little excitment, “tack up” and hold ...

During a Holland America Line cruise to Alaska, the sights and sounds of the Last Frontier are front and center during the seven-day voyage. From interesting ports like Haines, Juneau and Ketchikan to the spectacular scenery of Glacier Bay, the Inside Passage and Tracy Arm Fjord, guests marvels at the beauty of the region. In 2016, Nieuw Amsterdam makes its ...

At Holland America Line we believe cruising is better together, and a group cruise is the perfect way to elevate your time onboard. Whether it’s a group of friends, family or coworkers, and whether you call them your crew, your squad or your entourage, there are plenty of perks to traveling with them … and you can start to enjoy ...

The Panama Canal is an incredible man-made marvel that can be uniquely experienced on a Holland America Line cruise. If it's not on your bucket list, it should be! There's an incredible wave of awe that comes over every cruiser transiting the lakes and locks of this spectacle that made the list of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. ...

Thanks to Erik Tomren, senior specialist of hotel & tour management at Holland America Line, who wrote this post in collaboration with Danielle Rosenow, manager of hotel & tour management, to inform readers about the transfer services for guests that are offered to/from the ship. ------ A Holland America Line cruise is an exciting adventure, and part of the appeal ...

You've booked a Holland America Line cruise to the South Pacific ... or you're thinking about it. You've read the itineraries pronouncing the tropical island names as you imagine yourself sunbathing in a tiki hut over sparkling waters and drinking from a coconut. With more than 20,000 islands, 35 million inhabitants and 28 official languages, each of Oceania's islands is ...

Travelers new to cruising might not know that the Caribbean presents itself in very different ways. There are several common options -- from the ease of the eastern Caribbean to the adventure of the western and exotic charm of the southern Caribbean, each itinerary has its own characteristics. Comparing and contrasting these destinations can give you an idea of what ...

On two recent cruises, both Zuiderdam and Zaandam were called upon to assist vessels in need of assistance. At 2:10 a.m. Jan. 3, 2015, while en route to Oranjestad, Aruba, Zuiderdam answered a distress call from the Bahamian inter-island vessel Excalibur that was sinking with eight crewmembers onboard. Zuiderdam was approximately 15 miles away and the closest ship in the ...

Guests can now make bookings for the highly anticipated Premiere Voyage and Premiere Sailings of Holland America’s Line’s ms Koningsdam, due for delivery in February 2016. Open for reservations today, Dec. 1, the first sailings of the line’s new flagship will be one seven-day cruise followed by a series of six 12-day itineraries throughout the Mediterranean.   “Since Holland America ...

When it comes to ancient ruins, there's more to explore than just Europe and South America. Mexico boasts some of the most incredible and significant ruins in the world. The Mayan civilization spanned more than 2500 years, and hundreds of ruins in Mexico have been documented. In fact, there are so many sites that it's believed that more than 4,000 ...

For those not familiar with a “repositioning cruise,” it’s moving a ship from one sailing region to another, like moving from a season in Alaska to a season in Australia. The cruise that takes the ship from Alaska to Australia is a repositioning. …

With the array of culinary options, exciting activities, spectacular shows and entertainment at your fingertips, it can be relatively easy to forget to relax on your cruise. …

The wait is over! Holland America Line ships are back in Alaska for a full season of cruising to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the state. …

In 2015, Holland America Line is returning to the pink sands and pastel-colored skyline of Bermuda on seven-day cruises aboard ms Veendam. …

Food is a passion for many people, and a cruise presents an array of opportunities to dine on some of the finest cuisine in the world. …

Alaska is scenic, full of history, offers plenty of nature adventures and once-in-a-lifetime experiences … making it the perfect cruise destination for a family vacation. …

Alaska is a land of possibilities when it comes to sightseeing. There’s something for history buffs, nature lovers, photo enthusiaists, thrill-seekers and those who simply want to have a look around town. …

During a Holland America Line cruise to Alaska, the sights and sounds of the Frontier State are front and center during the seven-day voyage. …

Some of Hollywood's most legendary films were shot on location on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Guests looking to explore those sites and feel like they are in the movie themselves can take the "Hollywood Hawaii: Movies & Waterfalls" tour. This special excursion is ideal for movie buffs, as well as those who simply want to experience the beauty ...

Grand Turk is a beautiful island that is relatively new to cruise ships. The port facility was completed in 2006 and it is one of the newest and most impressive anywhere in the Caribbean. A small island in the British West Indies, it is a part of the commonwealth that is known as the Turks and Caicos. Only 7 by ...

As highlighted in the above video, Holland America Line’s seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises feature the gorgeous port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in addition to Grand Turk, St. Maarten and Half Moon Cay. Puerto Rico is the largest island that the ships visit on this exciting itinerary. Rich in history and culture, it is always a guest favorite. Dating back ...

We asked Holland America Line Facebook fans to share their “must-haves” when they go on a cruise. Here are the Top 10 responses, along with some other great ideas and unusual suggestions. Is there something not on these lists that you always bring with you? Let us know in the comments below! Family and friends are tops when it ...

We left off the last post when it was decided that Panama would serve as the location of the canal. Frenchman Bunau-Varilla then went to Washington, D.C. He got there before the official delegates of the new Republic of Panama arrived and negotiated a treaty between the U.S. and Panama allowing the U.S. to build a canal. The treaty provided ...

With so much to see and do, a trip to Australia and New Zealand is made all the more exciting by taking part in one — or several — of our exciting shore excursions. Each tour is carefully crafted to offer the most fulfilling experience possible, and our reputable tour operators ensure that our guests are well taken care of ...

Photo courtesy of Controller Yono Sudarto. Alaska: the last frontier. The untouched quality of Alaskan wilderness lends itself to a sense of adventure and exciting natural occasions. Alaska Inside Passage cruises offer guests incredible views of one of the most exciting natural attractions in the state, glacier calving. Glacier calving is a natural event that occurs when large ...

The Galapagos Islands are composed of 120 volcanic islands. Their extreme isolation has led to some pretty interesting animal species, and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Shore Excursion Manager Judy Hu dreamed of visiting the island for years. That dream became reality when she led the Galapagos Overland Adventure shore excursion during a 2012 South America Grand Voyage. The reason ...

HAL fans, if you’re thinking about taking one of of popular Alaska CruiseTours, we wanted to share with you that we rebranded them and they are now called Land+Sea Journeys! This change reflects substantial program updates designed to appeal to the desires of today’s travelers. Now our guests will have more opportunities than ever to explore and personalize Great Land ...

I know this island well, one might say ‘intimately’, for not only did I call here on the ‘Mail’ run, but I also spent over a week here, after abandoning my ship, along with 83 others, we were brought back here by the tanker which sighted our lifeboats and rescued us. Having nothing but a rather dirty-white uniform to my ...

Here are pictures of the latest addition to Eurodam's Crew Bar -- a new pool table! We received the final pieces upon our arrival to Madeira. The first game and table commissioning was hosted by Captain Jeroen van Donselaar and Assistant Culinary Operations Manager Paul Kerr. Since the commissioning it has been non-stop games! The movement of the ship has ...

Holland America Line just announced that in keeping with the majority of guest preferences, a change is being made to the shipboard smoking policy on its fleet of 15 ships effective for sailings departing on or after January 15, 2012. The new smoking policy now designates staterooms as nonsmoking areas in addition to the indoor public areas already defined as ...

Recently during a call to San Juan, Puerto Rico, some of our talented beverage personnel took a tour out to the Bacardi Rum factory during the San Juan City Tour and Bacardi Distillery excursion. They toured inside the distillery and learned some informative facts about the history of rum and other rum production details. All who participated found it very ...

The Westerdam crossed the equator at 10:08 a.m. (one hour past GMT) and commemorated the special event with a “Crossing the Line” ceremony. To a completely packed Lido aft deck, the Westerdam ‘troop’ translated the event in German for our guests and made this a very festive and playful occasion for all! It was a hit! ‘Pirates’ and ‘doctors’ all ...

Marine navigation lights are simply coloured electric lights fixed on ships and used to indicate the size of the ship, the direction in which the ship is travelling and the angle where they should be visible. They must be exhibited by law between sunset and sunrise and in poor visibility. The location (on the ship), the range (distance at sea ...

Hallo HALbloggers, Today, April 30, is marking the Netherlands' national holiday Konninginen dag (Queen's day). Today we celebrate the birthday of Queen Beatrix. It's not Her Majesty's official birthday, she was born on January 31, 1938. April 30 was the birthday of Her Majesty's mother, Queen Juliana. When Queen Juliana abdicated, Her Majesty ordered that April 30 stays Queen's Day ...

Amsterdam’s arrival Saturday, October 31 at about 7:30 a.m. was a bit cloudy, but it was a great day. Coming into the harbor is always very special and seeing the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Syndey Opera House from the water is fantastic. …