Huge information, New Englanders: Now you can cruise to the Caribbean with out ever getting on an airplane.
Holland America this week introduced it’s going to add a crusing from Boston to the Caribbean and again to its schedule for 2024.
The 21-night voyage is a primary of its type on the storied cruise model, in line with a spokesperson — no less than when considering what data the corporate has accessible for checking. Holland America’s origins date again 150 years, which makes monitoring each previous itinerary tough.
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No different cruise line has a round-trip crusing to the Caribbean from Boston on its schedule. Till this week, probably the most northerly port from which any cruise line was working round-trip sailings to the Caribbean was New York Metropolis.
Most Caribbean sailings depart from Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Galveston, Texas; and New Orleans. Different residence ports for round-trip Caribbean sailings embody Baltimore; Tampa; Cellular, Alabama; Norfolk, Virginia; and Charleston, South Carolina.
Whereas Boston serves as a hub for cruises, it is usually used for sailings to Bermuda or New England and Canada. A handful of cruise corporations supply occasional sailings from Boston to the Caribbean. Nonetheless, all of them are one-way sailings.
The brand new round-trip Holland America itinerary from Boston to the Caribbean, which is known as the “Good Caribbean Escape,” will kick off on Oct. 19, 2024. It would hit all kinds of stops within the Caribbean, together with Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s personal island within the Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Curacao; Aruba; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; and Bimini within the Bahamas.
Associated: The 5 finest locations you’ll be able to go to on a Holland America ship
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The voyage additionally will characteristic a partial transit of the Panama Canal — one thing that’s a part of solely a small portion of Caribbean sailings. This can supply New Englanders who drive to the port of Boston the very uncommon choice of with the ability to go to the Panama Canal with out ever taking a flight.
Moreover, the itinerary will embody a go to to Bermuda and a cease in Port Canaveral, Florida, permitting passengers to take daytrips to the theme parks round Orlando.
Given the time of yr that the crusing is scheduled, the climate must be comparatively nice for the crusing down from Boston to the Caribbean and likewise for the return voyage. However cruisers who guide the journey ought to be aware that it’ll begin and finish with a number of sea days on the ship works its method to and from the area.
The crusing will happen on Holland America’s 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam.
A 2nd crusing to Fort Lauderdale
Along with the 21-night, round-trip crusing from Boston in 2024, Zuiderdam will function a 14-night, one-way crusing from Boston to the Caribbean that ends in Fort Lauderdale.
Scheduled to start Nov. 9, 2024, the “Southern Caribbean” itinerary will carry stops in St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, Curacao and Half Moon Cay. It would additionally characteristic a name in Bermuda.
The 21- and 14-night departures might be mixed to kind an extended 35-night Caribbean expertise that begins in Boston and ends in Fort Lauderdale.
The brand new itineraries have been amongst a protracted checklist of latest Caribbean voyages unveiled for late 2024 and early 2025.
Amongst different uncommon sailings, the road has plans for a 21-night Caribbean journey out of Fort Lauderdale departing Jan. 4, 2025. That voyage contains calls at Half Moon Cay; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tortola; St. Maarten; Antigua; Dominica; St. Lucia; Barbados; St. Vincent; Grenada; Bonaire; Aruba; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Grand Cayman.
The brand new voyages are a part of a shift at Holland America to supply extra lengthy and strange voyages — one thing for which it has lengthy been identified. In doing so, the road is focusing ever extra on what has set it aside through the years from such rivals as Superstar Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
A brand new crop of longer sailings that Holland America introduced in latest months additionally contains an epic 28-night voyage to Alaska deliberate for 2024. Unveiled in January, it is going to be 4 instances the size of the standard Alaska crusing and take cruisers far past the southeast Alaska ports that the majority ships go to, similar to Juneau and Skagway.
Holland America additionally introduced plans for 2 14-night sailings to Alaska in 2024 that embody visits to Anchorage — one thing that’s comparatively uncommon. Few ships take the time to sail up the Prepare dinner Inlet to achieve the town.
Moreover, in latest months, the road additionally introduced plans for extra Europe cruises lasting 14 nights or longer in 2024. They embody extra 21-night “Final Viking Explorer” sailings to Iceland, Greenland and Scotland that may be mixed with 14-night voyages to Norway, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark to create extra-long 35-night sailings.
In March, Holland America introduced a brand new assortment of Legendary Voyages that can vary from 25 to 59 nights in size and supply particular programming.
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