With the 2,650-guest Koningsdam towering over a mariachi band that set the festive mood for the celebratory event, Holland America Line (HAL) last week announced its return to cruising at the B Street Terminal on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
Gus Antorcha, the cruise line’s president, and Port of San Diego chairman Michael Zuchett were joined by Julie Coker, CEO and chairman of the San Diego Tourism Authority, as well as Todd Gloria, the city’s mayor, in welcoming both HAL and San Diego back to the cruising fold.
“Our cruise terminals are ideally situated so close to our downtown hotels, restaurants, attractions and international airport,” Gloria said. Holland understands that, and we so appreciate the partnership, particularly at this crucial time for our tourism industry.”
Since the early 1990s, San Diego has been one of the most popular home ports for the Seattle-based company, so it was fitting that the hub is slated to kick off a planned season of 40 departures from September 2021 through April 2022.
Twenty-three of those cruises will range from seven to 18 days in length onboard Koningsdam, which will be sailing to Mexico, Hawaii and the California Coast. Meanwhile, Zuiderdam will make 17 sailings to Mexico, Hawaii, Panama and the Pacific Coast. There will also be one call from Eurodam and two calls from the 2,106-guest Nieuw Amsterdam during Panama Canal voyages. All in all, 92,000 guests are projected to bring in some $35 million in revenue to the San Diego economy.
Janine Joseph, president of San Diego-based Kohala Travel, noted that travel agents on the U.S. West Coast are especially happy to have the state-of-the-art Pinnacle Class Koningsdam, one of HAL’s newest ships, based in San Diego.
“This is great news, and we’re so excited to have Holland kicking off its return in such a beautiful port with attractions like the waterfront and Balboa Park close by and easy to access,” she said.
Additionally, starting in late October, HAL will return to the Caribbean with a full season of departures, ranging from seven to 11 days onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam, the Eurodam, the 2,650-guest, Nieuw Statendam and the 2,650-guest Rotterdam, which will be launching its maiden season on Nov. 3.
The San Diego event also coincided with the Koningsdam’s crew receiving their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which was administered by Sharp HealthCare, a nonprofit regional health care group. All Holland America guests and crew are currently required to have proof of full vaccination at least 14 days prior to departure, and the line will continue to follow the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as local, state and federal officials in all ports visited for the near future.
Get in Touch With Holland America Line
For the latest developments on HAL’s COVID-19 policies, travel advisors can connect with their business development manager and the sales team through www.GoHAL.com, by emailing [email protected] or calling 1-800-426-0327.
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