Holland America Cruise Line: To the Equator and Beyond!
February 8, 2006
Holland America Cruise Line, a Carnival Corporation cruise line, is riding the success of its South America cruise program all the way to the Equator and beyond. Holland America Cruise Line's new voyages for 2006 and 2007 will enhance passengers' ability to experience sights, sounds, and adventure on multiple continents.
Three new sailings will take guests to a myriad of exotic ports and destinations. Sail on a transatlantic crossing from Africa to Brazil. Make your way through the great locks of the Panama Canal. Cruise along the mighty Amazon River, second in length only to the Nile, with an annual outflow that accounts for one-fifth of all the fresh water that drains into the world's oceans. Look out for penguins watching in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost town.
These unique 15- to 66-day voyages complement Holland America Cruise Line's immensely popular 16-day South America Explorer and 20-day Antarctic Experience voyages. Four ships will visit a total of 60 ports on 25 sailings during 2006 and 2007, with several cruises offering multiple ports of embarkation. Shore excursions feature the Argentine Pampas, Chilean wine countries, Antarctic landscapes, penguin colonies and rushing waterfalls. The ships will stay overnight in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as Rio de Janeiro and Manaus, Brazil.
"We've gone to great lengths to deliver the diversity of this stunning continent, and it is showing in the increasing popularity of South America cruises," said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, senior vice president, marketing and sales for Holland America Cruise Lines. "Holland America Line is committed to being an innovator of intriguing itineraries and offering guests special features, including our award-winning Explorations Speaker Series to complement the destination and inside passage sailing for optimal scenic viewing of the Chilean Fjords."
So now that you know where you can go, how about how you get there? Through Cruise Network, you can choose from three ships: the 793-passenger ms Prinsendam, the 1,316-passenger ms Rotterdam, and the 1,258-passenger ms Veendam. From January until April and then again from September through December in both 2006 and 2007, you'll be able to experience the ultimate in luxury and the best in adventure.
As part of Holland America's Signature of Excellence series, experts from the Royal Geographic Society will join several of the cruises to give insights on ancient civilizations, wildlife, forests, glaciers and other natural and cultural regional phenomena.
There are twelve 16-day South America Explorer cruises, which are available on the ms Rotterdam. Sail between Valparaiso, Chile, and Rio, January through March, November and December of 2006 and 2007. Holland America Cruise Line features inside-passage sailing through the Beagle, Cockburn, and Darwin channels and the Strait of Magellan.
There are also three 20-day Antarctic Experience cruises will put the "cool" in cool vacation. Holland America Line, the first of major cruise lines to explore Antarctica, will offer three in-depth Antarctic Experience sailings on Dec. 22, 2006 and Jan. 11 and Dec. 18, 2007. See places that evoke true exploration: Elephant, Paulet, Deception, Anvers and Petermann islands. The Rotterdam will reveal the resplendent inlets, natural ice sculptures and waddling penguins of these most remote places.
On Sept. 24, 2006, take an Amazon River and Panama Canal Adventure cruise of a lifetime. The Veendam will leave from Vancouver, Seattle, or Los Angeles for a 34-, 33- or 30-day, respectively, cruise to Tampa. The ship will cruise along the Pacific coast and cross through the Panama Canal. Along the way, the ship will stop at Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica; Oranjestad, Aruba; and St. George's, Grenada. Then, she will spend a week in the Amazon, calling at Parintins, Santarem, Boca da Valeria, and Manaus.
The Rotterdam offers a mix of port cities and tropical vistas on four Southern Transatlantic crossings between Rio de Janeiro and Lisbon in spring and autumn of each year. The Canary and Cape Verde islands, Salvador, and Recife, Brazil are among the ports of call.
On Oct. 17, 2006, the magnificent 793-passenger Prinsendam sails from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale. The ship will call at 20 ports from along the West Coast of Africa to those drenched by a Caribbean sun. Explore Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Walvis Bay Namibia; Georgetown, Ascension Island; Fortaleza and Belem, Brazil; and Bridgetown, Barbados.
On Nov. 24, 2007, the Prinsendam will begin a roundtrip journey from Ft. Lauderdale on an Amazon Explorer cruise. Spend some time with ms Prinsendam, including five days in the Caribbean, visiting Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Gustavia, St. Barts; Castries, St. Lucia; and Kingston, St. Vincent. Then, cross the season-less Equator and come to Devil's Island, a beautiful place that's hard to believe once was the harshest of prisons. Continue through the Amazon River to the captivating jungle villages before returning to more Caribbean port calls like St. Georges, Grenada; Road Town, Tortola; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.
Last, but most definitely not least, journey over 17,000 nautical miles and stop in over a dozen countries on a the 66-day Circle South America & Antarctica Grand World Voyage. Travel down the captivating Amazon River with four days of scenic cruising around the nival wonders of Antarctica. The ship calls at nine ports in Brazil and seven in Chile. The cruise also offers overnights in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Callao (Lima), Peru; and Manaus, Brazil. Other highlights include Devil's Island, Caribbean Turks and Caicos, and the charming San Blas Islands.
So, pick a date and call Cruise Network. Before you know it, you'll be exploring our world in the lap of luxury!
