Holland America Line has announced that Prinsendam will leave its fleet on 1 July 2019 and transfer to the German cruise company Phoenix Reisen.

With the sale of the 835-guest Prinsendam complete, the ship will be chartered back to Holland America Line to continue sailing its planned voyages until the transfer date.

Prinsendam’s itineraries from 1 July 2019 onwards are expected to be assimilated by Rotterdam, Volendam and Veendam. Holland America Line will be contacting booked guests and their travel professionals to re-accommodate guests on these cruises.

“Prinsendam has proudly served our guests since 2002, and we share in the fondness that many of our loyal cruisers have for this special ship,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

“As we look to the future and focus on delivering the programming and innovations that our guests are asking for, we remain focused on exceeding guest expectations on every cruise and will continue to offer the unique itineraries that Prinsendam sailed on our other smaller ships.”

Prinsendam was built in 1988 as Royal Viking Sun for Royal Viking Line. The ship was operated by Cunard Line from 1994 to 1998, and then transferred to Seabourn Cruise Line, where it became Seabourn Sun in 1999. In 2002, the ship joined the Holland America Line fleet and was renamed Prinsendam.

Phoenix Reisen is a travel agency that also operates a fleet of cruise ships. It started operating cruises under its own brand in 1988 and today its ships include MS Amadea, MS Artania, MS Albatrosand and MS Deutschland. The company also operates approximately 50 riverboats.