Holland America Line to sail Nieuw Statendam out of Dover in 2026
Holland America Line will deploy Nieuw Statendam out of Dover for a series of ex-UK cruises during its 2026 season
During the deployment, four ships will take guests to 35 countries across the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and transatlantic on voyages ranging from seven to 42 days.
The 2,666-guest Nieuw Statendam and 2,668-guest Rotterdam will be positioned in Northern Europe, with the former offering 10 roundtrip UK sailings between April and October, taking in the Canary Islands, British Isles, Arctic Circle, North Cape, Norwegian Fjords, Baltics and Scandinavia.
The 2026 European season also includes an increased number of seven-day cruises to Norway’s fjords as well as seven-day sailings between Reykjavik, Iceland, and Rotterdam.
A series of 14-day Baltic and Scandinavian Capitals cruises are also available, many of which feature overnights or late-night calls in Oslo, as well as ports in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark.
The 1,964-guest Oosterdam will offer seven- to 14-day itineraries in the Mediterranean from five homeports: Lisbon, Piraeus (Athens), Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Trieste (Venice).
New for 2026 are seven-day sailings in the Mediterranean, including Mediterranean Marvels: Ancient Egypt & Greek Isles, Iberian Idyll: Spain & Morocco and Mediterranean Splendor: Corfu, Sicily & Spain.
As part of the line’s recently announced Celestial Cruises programme, the 1,964-guest Zuiderdam will sail roundtrip from Boston on a 17, 18 or 35-day Voyage of the Vikings: Solar Eclipse itinerary.
Guest feedback inspired Holland America Line season, says deployment lead
Paul Grigsby, vice president of revenue planning and deployment at HAL, said: “There’s so much to see throughout the Mediterranean region and by creating itineraries from multiple homeports we’re giving our guests the opportunity to explore more ports and countries in an exciting way we haven’t offered before.
“Further, we made sure to listen to guest feedback when crafting these itineraries: we’ve included some of our most requested ports, including Bari and Portofino — two of 11 ports of call in Italy. And for the first time in over 15 years, we’re returning to St. Tropez, France.”
The announcement comes after more than 100 agents boarded Nieuw Statendam in June for HAL’s largest-ever UK trade ship visit.
