Planning for 2025? Some Pretty Incredible Cruise Itineraries Were Just Announced

Holland America Line has launched new, longer itineraries.

Holland America Line will launch new longer itineraries sailing in 2025 and 2026. Longer than standard sailings, but not quite the length of a Grand Voyage (Holland America’s moniker for world cruises), the itineraries are designed to offer new, different itineraries departing from U.S. home ports.

The cruise line trialed the new itinerary length, which it called “Legendary Voyages” in 2023, and is expanding the concept to four new sailings. The concept allows travelers to explore a specific region of the globe on a longer-than-normal sailing. Holland America, like many other cruise lines, also sells segments of the Grand Voyages separately, but the longer sailings will offer a distinctive experience—rather than a portion of the ship’s company staying on for the entire voyage, to be joined periodically by “segment” cruisers at specific intervals, the passenger complement on board will remain the same.

The company is also focusing on unique ports and extended overnight stays dockside at select ports. Shipboard programming will focus heavily on the history and culture of the destinations visited during the voyage.

The collection of four longer voyages offers three new itineraries in the Pacific and one in the Caribbean and South America.

“Our Legendary Voyages have proven to be popular with our guests since launching this year, and we’ve worked to craft more of these longer itineraries as we plan 2026 and beyond to meet the demand,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line.

He adds that the company is very excited about the itinerary that visits Alaska and Hawai‘i as both regions are popular, but rarely offered in a single sailing. Antorcha also notes the opportunity to embark on a sailing to the Amazon from New York City is rare.

Departing in late August 2025, the new 28-Day “Glaciers & Volcanos: Alaska to Hawai‘i” onboard the Westerdam offers an extraordinary collection of ports in northern and central Pacific. The roundtrip from Seattle offers travelers both “bucket list” states, starting with five unbeatable ports in Alaska: Sitka, Seward, Anchorage, Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor.

While Sitka and Seward are part of the typical rotation for many Holland America sailings to Alaska, Anchorage, Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor will give cruises glimpses into parts of the state rarely visited by cruise passengers. After crossing the Pacific, Westerdam will visit four ports in Hawaii: Nawilili, Kaua‘I; Honolulu, O‘ahu; and both Kona and Hilo on the Island of Hawai‘i (the Big Island), offering scenic cruising around Kilauea Volcano.

The itinerary will also include overnight port calls in Honolulu and Anchorage, giving passengers more time to discover the urban excitement of each state’s largest metropolis.

Departing in September 2025, the 51-Day “Tales of the South Pacific” sails roundtrip from San Diego onboard Zaandam. Guests also have the option to embark on a 56-day sailing from Vancouver. There will be 25 ports including San Francisco and Avalon, California, in addition to calls in Hawai‘i, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands. The ship will call overnight at Honolulu, Hawai‘i, and Papeete, Tahiti.

It’s extraordinary for a Holland America ship to call at many of these ports. Some—like Fakarava in French Polynesia—rarely see ships of this size, so this itinerary is well-developed to explore a broad cross-section of the South Pacific.

A similar, shorter voyage will depart in February 2026 from San Diego onboard the larger Nieuw Amsterdam. That 35-day “Hawai‘i, Tahiti, and Marquesas” sailing will call in Hawai‘i, Kiritibati, and French Polynesia before returning to San Diego. There will be overnight port calls at Moorea and Papeete, Tahiti, and a late-night departure from Honolulu, allowing guests a chance to take in the city’s vibrant dining and nightlife scenes.

In November 2025, the 30-day “Amazon Explorer” will depart New York onboard Volendam, finishing in Fort Lauderdale. Passengers can also embark at Fort Lauderdale for a 27-day roundtrip sailing. The voyage includes six Caribbean Islands (three of them are Dutch: St. Maarten, Curaçao, and Aruba), and six ports in Brazil, including ten days cruising to Amazon River to Manaus, where the ship will call overnight.

Holland America Line is offering early booking bonuses for these sailings, with additional value-adds for members of the line’s Mariner Society past guest program.