Holland America Cruises

With well over a hundred years of experience, Holland America is one of the most established and award-winning names in the business, offering extensive itineraries, first-class service and a classic and elegant cruise experience. The company offers 500 cruises from 33 ports - sailing to 280 different ports in 7 continents, and carries over 720,000 passengers each year. As well as popular itineraries such as the Caribbean, Alaska and the Mediterranean, Holland America also offer destinations such as Australia and New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Amazon and Antarctica.     

 

The company operates a fleet of 13 ships, all mid-size and offering their own unique character and experience. There are 8 different classes of ship, and each Dutch-named vessel is individually decorated and offers a traditional understated cruise with classic touches. A recent $425 million upgrade programme known as the 'Signature of Excellence' has seen extensive additions and improvements to each ship, with upgrades featuring 24-hour concierge service in the suites, a Culinary Arts centre with show kitchens and visiting chefs, enhanced children’s' facilities and reservation-only restaurants. Holland America was one of the first cruise lines to offer cruises to Alaska, and now can also boast their own private island in the Caribbean, Half Moon Cay, ideal for intimate shore excursions. 

 

Originally founded as the Dutch-America Steamship Company back in 1873, Holland America started as a shipping and passenger line, and took its name from its base in Rotterdam and trips to America (the company was used extensively to transport immigrants from Europe across the Atlantic to the 'New World'). In 1971, the company made the decisions to purely operate a passenger service, and in 1989 became part of the largest cruise company in the world when it was made a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. Although the cruise line moved its headquarters from Holland to the US in 1978, the company still maintains a strong Dutch heritage.