A cruise to Europe can be the ideal family vacation. There is something for everyone, from history and culture to sun and fun. And every Holland America Line ship is welcoming to guests of all ages. In fact, the Club HAL program is set up to entertain kids from three through teen. Guest Joost van… read more of “Cruise Diary:…”
“The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars.” -Benjamin Franklin Wine is among the oldest human indulgences – dating back to ancient Mesopotamia. Bottles of wine were buried in the Pharaoh’s tombs so they could entertain guests in the afterlife, the… read more of “Shore Excursions…”
Holland America Line ships call at dozens of ports throughout Europe. From the smallest of Greek isles to the remotest of Norwegian towns, each itinerary is carefully crafted to feature lesser-visited calls, as well as visits to some of the most well-known and popular ports in the region. The names of certain cities go hand-in-hand… read more of “Touring the Great…”
On a recent visit to Dublin, Ireland, Rotterdam’s bar team went to the Guinness Brewery and Jameson Distillery to learn more about the beverages they serve onboard. Passengers have the opportunity to visit these places, too, during a call at Dublin on the A Taste of Dublin: The Guinness Experience and the A Taste of… read more of “Beer Tastings, Rum…”
On a recent Noordam cruise guests were treated to a call at Ashdod, Israel, one of the more unique places that Holland America Line visits. Among the hundreds of ports on the line’s roster are dozens of off-the-beaten-path destinations and rarely visited locales. If you’re looking to take a cruise this fall or winter to… read more of “Jerusalem and Other…”
Many of our European cruises feature a call at Zeebrugge (Brugges/Brussels), Belgium, and it’s close enough to the Netherlands to drive there for an overland adventure should you arrive for your cruise out of Amsterdam or Rotterdam a few days early and choose to explore. Guests Jan and Dick Yetke joined us again and they… read more of “Featured Country:…”
If you’re looking to join us for a European holiday, you’ll have 105 chances in 2014. We just released details on the 2014 season, and there’s a lot of exciting news. We added six new itineraries, six maiden calls and 17 of the ports feature overnight calls. Eight of our 15 ships will be in… read more of “2014 Europe Season…”
Wendy R. London, HAL Mariner and corporate affairs manager/founder of CruiseBubble.com, sailed aboard Prinsendam and shared her vacation experience. This is her farewell post. There’s something very special about the Prinsendam, something very special indeed. She’s extremely elegant, spacious for a small ship, beautifully appointed, extremely passenger-friendly, and may I dare say, cute? But most… read more of “Cruise Diary:…”
