Cruise

Bookings Open for Statendam’s Inaugural Season

Bookings are open for the Premiere Voyage and 2018-19 inaugural Caribbean cruise season of Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam.

Due for delivery Dec. 1, 2018, the second Pinnacle Class ship in the fleet is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy.

When Nieuw Statendam departs the yard, it will be delivered in Venice, Italy, Dec. 1. After arriving at Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, Statendam departs Dec. 5 on its Premiere Voyage – a 14-day transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale. The ship will then spend the winter season cruising roundtrip from the South Florida port on seven-day Caribbean itineraries, with select three-, four- and 10-day options.

“Every milestone we reach with Nieuw Statendam brings us closer to delivery, and opening for bookings in the inaugural season is an exciting step as we officially give guests the opportunity to start planning their vacations on this beautiful new ship,” said HAL president Orlando Ashford. “The crossing is a great chance for guests to really get to know the ship and explore every corner during the sea days, and the Caribbean season is a perfect blend of ports that highlight the beauty, diversity and relaxed ambiance of that region.”

Statendam’s first Caribbean cruise is a four-day itinerary that calls at Half Moon Cay and Key West, Florida, departing Dec. 19. The ship then embarks on a series of seven-day sailings, including a Dec. 23 Holiday cruise that calls at Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Half Moon Cay. A Dec. 30, 2018, New Year’s cruise departure calls at Half Moon Cay; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. A similar Jan. 6 cruise replaces Ocho Rios with Montego Bay, Jamaica. The ship then sets sail Jan. 13 on a seven-day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay.

Guests looking for an extended Caribbean adventure on Statendam can depart Jan. 20 on a 10-day cruise to the ABC Islands with calls at Half Moon Cay; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Willemstad, Curaçao; and Oranjestad, Aruba.

For a quick get-away, a three-day cruise departs roundtrip Fort Lauderdale Jan. 30 and includes a call at Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.
For the remainder of the season, the ship will feature western and eastern Caribbean itineraries: the first calls at Half Moon Cay, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, while the second features calls at Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay – with the March 17 departure swapping Amber Cove for Grand Turk.

(http://www.hollandamerica.com)