Holland America Offers Longer Cruises, More Ports in Europe 2024

Holland America Line has completely refreshed and rejuvenated its typical European itineraries for the 2024 season, offering longer itineraries, new departure ports, and longer stays to give guests the ultimate in immersive experiences. Four different ships will be sailing in the region, giving travelers plenty of options for their ultimate exploration of Europe.

Four Ships to Offer Dozens of Itineraries

Four outstanding Holland America ships will offer European sailings in 2024, including two Pinnacle-class vessels, Nieuw Statendam and the brand-new Rotterdam, as well as the Vista-class sister ships Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.

With just four ships, however, Holland America Line is presenting dozens of itineraries, with options to combine non-repeating voyages for even longer sailings for the ultimate in cultural, historical, and artistic immersion in the region.

“Holland America Line’s 2024 European season is the biggest refresh we’ve done in the region in a long time,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer of Holland America Line. “We’re excited to feature new itineraries, more voyages that are 14 and 21 days, different departure cities and unique country combinations.”

Departure Flexibility

Nine departure cities are available in Europe during the 2024 season: Amsterdam, Ijmuiden, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Civitavecchia (Rome) and Trieste (Venice), Italy; Copenhagen, Denmark; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; and Reykjavik, Iceland.

When transatlantic sailings repositioning to Europe are included as departure cities, Boston, Massachusetts and Fort Lauderdale, Florida are added to the list, for a total of 11 unique departure points.

This gives guests great options no matter what their travel interest for pre- or post-cruise plans, and provides the opportunity for travelers to further immerse themselves in European culture to fully appreciate the experience without feeling rushed.

Overnight Ports and Late Departures

Other options for deeper experiences in famous European destinations are the overnight port visits and late night departures planned into Holland America Line’s 2024 itineraries.

Overnight visits are scheduled for nine outstanding cities in seven different countries: Barcelona, Spain; Civitavecchia and Marghera (Venice), Italy; Haifa, Israel; Istanbul, Turkey; Reykjavik, Iceland; Piraeus (Athens) and Rhodes, Greece; and Valletta, Malta.

In each of these cities, guests can experience longer excursions and exciting nightlife rarely seen on cruises with shorter and more limited port visits.

Yet overnight visits aren’t the only option for deeper tours and longer says. Holland America Line has arranged for late departures (between 10 p.m. and midnight) in 33 different cities across 17 different countries.

Included in late departures are such stunning ports as Dublin, Ireland; Marseille, France; Liverpool, England; Mykonos, Greece; Port Said (Cairo), Egypt; Tallinn, Estonia; Stornoway, Scotland; and Warnemünde (Berlin), Germany.

Together, these late stops, overnight visits, and port-rich itineraries offer eager guests unparalleled opportunities to cruise Europe. “Holland America Line’s 2024 season is the most diverse we’ve ever offered that truly has an itinerary for everyone,” said Bodensteiner.

Which Ship Is Where

Northern Europe is a heavy focus for Holland America Line in 2024, with three of the four ships offering northern itineraries at least for part of the season.

Rotterdam will be offering roundtrip sailings from its namesake city Rotterdam, including both 7- and 14-night options visiting destinations in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, England, Iceland, Finland, and the Norwegian fjords.

Nieuw Statendam will be sailing Baltic, British Isles, Northern Isles, and Norway itineraries from both Copenhagen and Rotterdam, with both roundtrip and one-way sailings. The ship will also offer a 14-night sailing to the Canary Islands, visiting Medeira, Gibraltar, and Spain along the way, and later in the season, the ship will offer Mediterranean itineraries from a variety of departure ports.

Zuiderdam will offer longer itineraries, including a 14-night Northern Europe sailing as well as a 21-night “Ultimate Viking Explorer” journey, which can be combined for a longer 35-night exploration of 10 countries and 23 ports of call. Another pair of longer cruises can also be combined aboard Zuiderdam for a total 42-night voyage visiting 21 unique ports of call.

Oosterdam will spend the entire 2024 Europe season in the Mediterranean with both eastern and western regional explorations from various departure points, including Athens, Barcelona, Trieste, Civitavecchia, and Piraeus.

Each ship will also offer engaging transatlantic sailings in both spring and fall.