To commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the official opening of the Panama Canal back in August of 1914, Holland America Line has scheduled 28 sailings through this historic waterway starting this month. The sailings are onboard six of Holland’s acclaimed ships: ms Veendam, ms Zaandam, ms Zuiderdam, ms Westerdam, ms Amsterdam and ms Statendam. The sailings will include 16 partial transits and 12 full transits.
The partial transits are aboard the ms Zuiderdam and leave and return to Fort Lauderdale. These 16 cruises come in 10- and 11-day itineraries. On those sailings you’ll get the opportunity to explore the Panama Canal, sailing both east and west, and you’ll also visit several islands in the Southern Caribbean, such as Aruba and Curacao, along with stops in Central America, which stay beautifully warm during the winter months.
The remaining 12 sailings are all full transits, with many different itinerary options. For instance, you could sail on a 21-day itinerary from Boston sailing down the coast of the U.S. visiting Key West and the Cayman Islands and then crossing over and seeing Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico before arriving in San Diego.
There are also shorter sailings and cruises from the West Coast of the U.S. or Canada. For example, there’s a 15-day sailing leaving from San Diego and ending in Fort Lauderdale. For the ultimate Panama Canal experience, Holland America offers a 29-day cruise sailing roundtrip from San Diego. This sailing includes two full transits of the Panama Canal. This sailing also visits Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica which is one of three tropical fjords in the world.
While each sailing may have a different itinerary, you will always get an exceptional level of service and delightful food on board. Holland America also has an expert canal historian onboard to recall the building of this great waterway. Plus, Holland America’s new On Location program will also allow you to participate in local customs, like a Mexican fiesta.
For more information on any of these amazing Panama Canal itineraries, be sure to reach out to your cruise consultant at The Cruise Web by calling 1-800-377-9383.
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