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Plan a 19-day Panama Canal holiday from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego, a 10-day Western Caribbean holiday, round-trip from Ft. Lauderdale, or even a 7-day Southern Caribbean holiday, from and back to Ft. Lauderdale, and you can experience all the charm of travelling by a Holland America Line ship. Of course there are many more cruises out of Florida to various destinations like Montréal, Vancouver, Québec City, or Boston as well.
These are besides the many routes that Holland America charts out for the happiness of her guests. Cruises are planned for Alaska, Asia & Pacific, Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific, Bermuda, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, Pacific Northwest & Pacific Coast, Panama Canal and South America. Besides these routes, Grand Voyages and Special Holidays are planned by the Holland America Line.
Travelling on a HA liner is a gourmet’s delight. Master Chef Rudi Sodamin is a celebrity in his own right. His second book Holland America Line’s new cookbook was released as recently as March 9, 2009. This is a sequel to A Taste of Excellence. Recipes that the Master Chef uses in the ships’ dining room as well as in other venues, give you an idea of the table that Holland America keeps. New recipes to tickle the palate are from the pan-Asian restaurant, Tamarind, on board the ms. Eurodam. The 14-day Southern Caribbean Cruise on board ms.Maasdam is a round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, FL. The ms.Maasdam touches the following ports: Half-Moon Cay, Bahamas, Road Town, Tortola, Gustavia, St.Bart’s, Fort-de-France, Martinique, Bridgetown, Barbados, St.George’s, Granada, Bonaire, Antilles, Oranjestad, Aruba, Willemstad, Curacao, and back to Fort Lauderdale.
There are 4 days at sea, when the guests are free to take part in all the activities that the ship has planned out for them. At each of the ports of call, there are shore excursions. Lectures and briefings help the guests to understand and fully appreciate what they are going to see on shore. There are beautifully and elegantly appointed staterooms, and lounges where the guests are enveloped in luxury and comfort. The Holland America Line is the most historic ship on the high seas. The Rotterdam was the Line’s first ship and it sailed between Holland and New York. The original name of the Line was The Netherlands-America Steamship Company.
Now, though, it is known as the Holland America Line. The Line’s first passenger ship was launched in 1973. The Line offers the most fabulous vacation travel possible. Having maintained its signature traditional touch, has added great charm to the time spent on their liners. Though Holland America moved its headquarters from Rotterdam to Stamford, they celebrated their 130th anniversary in Rotterdam. Today, the Holland America Line has been acquired by Carnival Corporation, but it continues to maintain its strong ties with the Netherlands. Ships bear the suffix – dam in honor of the dams that span the rivers of the Netherlands. Some ships have been named after the points on a compass. The Signature of Excellence is the new initiative of this Line.