According to a press release issued today, Holland America Line is adding a second commemorative transatlantic crossing aboard the Rotterdam to celebrate it’s 150th anniversary, which falls on April 18, 2023. Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 3, 2023, the 16-night itinerary sails to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, retracing in reverse the company’s first voyage.
After leaving Fort Lauderdale, the ship heads to New York City and makes an overnight call, giving guests extra time to experience any number of points of interests, including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Broadway and more. Rotterdam will then spend eight days at sea crossing the Atlantic Ocean, stopping at Plymouth and Dover (London), England, before arriving April 18 — Holland America Line’s 150th anniversary — at Rotterdam for an overnight full of festivities.
“As we got deeper into planning the events surrounding our 150th, we knew that the best place to celebrate the date of our founding was in the city of Rotterdam where it all started,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “These voyages that mark our first departure and our anniversary are going to be incredibly memorable as we retrace our first sailing from the 1870s, but on a modern, luxury cruise ship. We anticipate the April cruise to be as popular as the October sailing.”
To kick off a season of celebrations, Holland America Line announced the first special 150th anniversary crossing that will depart Rotterdam Oct. 15, 2022, exactly 150 years to the date of the departure of Rotterdam I’s maiden voyage. The crossing will recreate that first sailing, going from Rotterdam to New York, with calls at Plymouth and Dover, then on to Fort Lauderdale. The ship will stay overnight in New York for special celebrations.
To accommodate the new April 3 departure three voyages were cancelled, and all guests and their travel advisors were notified. Bookings for the new eastbound transatlantic crossing will open to the public July 14, 2022.
For more information about this cruise and many others that Holland America Line has to offer, please visit them at https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US.html.
