Your Cruise Your Way Cruise Blog

Holland America Line’s 2008 Europe cruise season will be its most expansive and most innovative, with 57 unique itineraries from March through November that visit nine maiden ports and feature six ships, including the debut of the ms Eurodam, and a unique Celtic Isles cruise on ms Prinsendam, calling in to the home port of Cumbria Cruises. Next year also will mark the 135th anniversary of the premium line’s first cruise from Rotterdam to New York.

“We are introducing our first Signature Class ship with the launch of the Eurodam, and we have the Zuiderdam sailing in Europe for the first time,” stated Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. “With six ships and nine maiden ports, we have a 35% capacity increase in cruises and the opportunity to see every region of Europe. From the polar ice across the Arctic Circle to the shores of North Africa and the Black Sea, we offer an in-depth view of the continent and beyond.”
The season offers 57 unique itineraries of seven to 35 days covering classic Europe from the North Cape of Norway to Egypt and the Black Sea. Nine new maiden ports include Lulea, Hudiksvall and Karlskrona, Sweden; Aalborg, Denmark; Newcastle upon Tyne and Barrow in Furness (home of Cumbria Cruises!), England; Santander, Spain; Portimao, Portugal; and Split, Croatia.
The Eurodam will spend its inaugural season on alternating 10-day Northern Europe itineraries, sailing roundtrip from Copenhagen. The new 10-day Norwegian Fjords & Scotland cruise combines breathtaking Norwegian fjords with Invergordon (famous for Loch Ness) and Edinburgh, (home of the famous Castle & Scottish Crown Jewels), Scotland; and the maiden port Newcastle upon Tyne, England (gateway to the city of York). The 10-day Gems of the Baltic, a perennial guest favorite, combines an overnight stay on board in St. Petersburg, Russia with Scandinavia and northern Germany.
Four popular Kiel Canal & Baltic itineraries are offered on the intimate Prinsendam, including a new 16-day Midnight Sun Explorer itinerary that includes a maiden exploration of the Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and Finland. Holland America Line is the only premium cruise line that offers sailings in the Gulf of Bothnia. The sleek draft of the Prinsendam allows the ship to cruise the Kiel Canal’s spectacular lock system where few other major cruise lines venture.
The Prinsendam sailing to Barrow-in-Furness will depart from Amsterdam 17 June 2008, entitled Ultimate Northern Europe. The itinerary is: Amsterdam, Warnemunde, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Lulea, Hudiksvall, Stockholm, Karlskrona, Copenhagen, Alborg, Oslo, Amsterdam, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Rosyth, Invergordon, Belfast, Barrow-in-Furness, Liverpool, Dublin, Waterford, Milford Haven, St. Peter Port, Dover