Veteran vessel set for its comeback

Holland America sends Maasdam to exotic ports as part of its new list of itineraries

This week’s column comes to you direct from the Caribbean Sea aboard Holland America Line’s Veendam as she sails around Cuba. It’s too early in the voyage to write about it just yet, but it seems the perfect time to talk about some other exciting things Holland America has in store for 2018.

To me, Holland America has always epitomized classic cruising. But a series of recent partnerships with BBC Earth, America’s Test Kitchen and O, The Oprah Magazine, ensure this classic experience is also firmly rooted in the contemporary.

And this year, Holland America has some very cool experiences in store for guests.

Perhaps the company’s boldest move is coming this fall. I’m not talking about the December launch of the Nieuw Statendam (which is exciting), but rather the new role Holland America is carving out for its venerable Maasdam.

Starting in October, Holland America is sending Maasdam on a series of Explorations Central (EXC) In-Depth Voyages — longer and more exotic itineraries that focus heavily on destination immersion through unique port visits and overnight stays in more places. Voyages will run 12 to 34 days, and will offer an expedition-style experience that focuses on immersion through guest lectures and courses on photography, walking tours, and culinary exploration.

The first kicks off Oct. 14, as Maasdam sails round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, on an exotic 14-day voyage through the South Pacific. Other itineraries include

a 12-day exploration of New Zealand (Nov. 26, Auckland to Auckland); a South Seas Sampler voyage (Nov. 11; Papeete to Auckland); and even a 16-day Southern Ocean Holiday cruise (Dec. 21; Sydney to Perth).

Here’s the really cool bit: Holland America will be outfitting the 1,258-guest Maasdam with its own fleet of zodiac rafts.

“The addition of Zodiac tours will allow guests to be modernday explorers, and Maasdam will visit many ports that we have never been to or haven’t visited in years,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

The task of scouting locations for Maasdam’s first zodiac landings is left to Dr. Peter Carey, Holland America’s director of explorations. An extensively travelled zoologist, Carey is director of the Sub-Antarctic

Foundation for Ecosystems Research; contributing lecturer at the University of Canterbury and an affiliate professor with the geography program at the University of Alaska.

I’m excited about this for another reason: it keeps the pretty, 1994-built Maasdam in the fleet, giving her a renewed purpose she is perfectly suited for thanks to her modest size. Together with sister-ship Veendam’s new role as the company’s ambassador to Cuba, expect to see these attractive S-Class ships in the fleet a while longer.

Holland America has also crafted some great itineraries this year, one of which is the Voyage of the Vikings. Sailing aboard the 1,404-guest Rotterdam, this grand transatlantic crossing from Boston is on my bucket list. You can take it as a 38-day voyage sailing round-trip Boston, or as a 19-day journey between Boston and Rotterdam or reverse. Stopping in Atlantic Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands, it is a powerhouse itinerary.

Finally, if you want to sail aboard Holland’s latest and greatest, some short preview cruises are offered aboard Nieuw Statendam when she debuts, including a four-day cruise to the Bahamas (Dec. 19) and a threeday Half Moon Cay cruise (Jan. 30, 2019).

Happy cruising.

Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com