With over 50 years in business we’ve planned a LOT of cruise tours. So, it’s safe to say we’ve tried all the major cruise lines and many of the smaller ones too! And yes, we do have a few favourites based on our experience. One of the cruise lines we choose to partner with most frequently is Holland America. We love cruising with them and here are just a few of the reasons we think you will too:
Classic Style
With over 145 years of history, Holland America is one of the most traditional cruise lines. The vessels are all outfitted in classic, maritime style and boast wrap-around teak promenade decks like those of the grand ocean liners. With elegant fine dining, live music, and well-dressed travellers, the evening atmosphere on board is perfect for a mature crowd.
Great Value
One of the reasons we choose Holland America so frequently is because we think they offer our clients excellent value for money. Their ships offer spacious accommodations, high-end amenities, excellent service, and complimentary room service. On some ships they can also offer rooms for solo travellers and families.
Exceptional Service
Holland America is known for their high level of service and their high crew-to-guest ratios. Their friendly and professional staff are there to ensure that your cruise experience in a pleasant and memorable one.
Right-Sized Ships
Holland America’s fleet of eleven ships are an ideal size for our groups. We find them to be large enough to offer a range of amenities and plenty of space but not as large or crowded as some other cruise lines. Holland America’s largest ships are about 60% smaller than Royal Caribbean’s largest ships and 40% smaller than Norwegian’s largest. And some of Holland America’s smallest ships are similar in size to those operated by more expensive “small ship” cruise companies like Oceania. Holland America’s mid-sized ships also allow access to smaller ports that are off limits for larger ships.
An Excellent Range of Destinations
Holland America offers something for everyone through a wide-range of itineraries with destinations on every continent. From their short and sweet 1-day Pacific Coastal Cruises to their 128-day Grand World Voyages there are so many different cruises to choose from.
Amazing Dining Options
One of the best things about a Holland America Cruise is the food. You’ll find an extremely high standard across a wide variety of dining options from casual snacks by the pool, to the main dining rooms, and specialty restaurants serving seafood, asian fusion, steak, Italian and more! You can choose a traditional set dining time or As You Wish open dining. 24-hour room service is always complimentary. If you’re a foodie, you can also visit the Culinary Arts Center for hands-on cooking classes, wine tastings, and even market tours in some ports.
Wide Variety of Entertainment
You definitely won’t be bored on a Holland America Cruise! Your first stop should be Explorations Central where you can learn about all the destinations you’ll visit during your cruise and can book excursions. Here you’ll find helpful staff, interactive exhibits, and a library of relevant material. The diverse live music venues on each ship offer world-class performances across many musical genres. Take in Memphis R&B at B.B. King’s Blues Club, classical performance at Lincoln Center Stage, duelling pianos at Billboard Onboard, rock’n’roll at Rolling Stone Rock Room, or larger productions at the in-the-round World Stage. Holland America has further upped the entertainment options through partnerships including BBC Earth educational programs, Oprah Winfrey health and wellness offerings, Afar Travel Magazine travel guides, and Microsoft digital workshops.
Join Our Upcoming Webinar to Learn More about the Holland America Cruises We’ll be offering in 2023
We’ve heard from many of you that you’re excited to get cruising again and we’re thrilled to have several cruise tours planned with Holland America in 2023. We’d love to tell you more about them at our upcoming webinar on Thursday, September 15th at 1:30 Pacific Time. Join our very own Kerrie Niemeier and Joshua Ogden, from Holland America, to learn more about cruising with Holland America and all the tours we have planned.
Click Here to Register for this Webinar
There are currently four available tours and one soon-to-be-released tour that will be discussed during the webinar. There’s something for everyone!
Caribbean Cruise with Panama Canal on Eurodam
January 22, 2023 – 16 Days
Experiencing the Panama Canal should be on everyone’s bucket list! This 11-day cruise calls at Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curaçao; Cartagena, Colombia; Colón, Panama; and Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. A unique experience is cruising halfway through the Panama Canal to Gatun Lake, and returning the same way. The ship is the Eurodam which carries only 2,100 passengers and was launched in 2008. She has lots of veranda staterooms which are the most popular nowadays, but insides, outsides, and suites are also available. The cruise starts and finishes in Fort Lauderdale. We stay 2 nights at the Embassy Suites Hotel and take a tour of the Everglades with an airboat ride.
Antarctica, Argentina & Chile Cruise on Oosterdam
January 29, 2023 – 30 Days
Wells Gray Tours only offers this special opportunity to visit the 7th continent every few years. There are so many highlights on this tour, but the most astounding will likely be the four days cruising among the gigantic icebergs of Antarctica. On-board experts will present lectures about glaciers, geology, natural history, and history, plus the ice pilot may take a break from the bridge to explain his route-finding skills. Other memorable experiences include elegant Buenos Aires, awesome Iguazu Falls, the isolated Falkland Islands, the thrill of rounding Cape Horn, the End of the World Steam Train excursion at Ushuaia, the Chilean Fjords, Darwin Channel, Glacier Alley, and the vast Amalia Glacier. What an incredible journey!
San Diego to Vancouver Cruise on Eurodam
April 20, 2023 – 9 Days
This tour begins with 4 nights in San Diego staying and lots of activities, including a harbour cruise, a pass to your choice of 4 museums in Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, Maritime Museum, Birch Aquarium, Botanic Gardens, and Museum of Making Music. A locally-guided tour of San Diego highlights is also featured. Each evening at the hotel, there is a reception with wine, beer and cocktails when you can visit with other travellers. On board Eurodam, we take 4 days to cruise up the coast to Vancouver with an afternoon call at Victoria. Four days of San Diego highlights plus a relaxing cruise with great food and entertainment make this a wonderful spring getaway.
Trans-Atlantic Cruise to Spain on Nieuw Statendam
April 5, 2023 – 21 Days
There has always been something enticing about cruising across the Atlantic Ocean on a passenger liner. Perhaps it was the fine food, attentive service, or superb entertainment. Today’s crossings are more leisurely and the ships are bigger, offering even more amenities. A Trans-Atlantic cruise appeals to people who love leisurely days at sea without the bustle of a new port each day. What better ship to do it on than Holland America’s second newest, Nieuw Statendam, launched in 2019 featuring a revolutionary design with beautiful architectural elements inspired by music! This cruise features 8 days at sea and 5 days visiting ports in the Azores, Gibraltar, and Spain, plus the port of disembarkation, Barcelona.
Iceland & Greenland Cruise on Zuiderdam – August Dates TBD
Tune in to the webinar to learn more about this not-yet-released tour.
For more information about our Holland America tours or any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact your local office!