VANCOUVER — What’s old is new again, as Holland America Line is proving with its new Legendary Voyage.
Newly added to its roster of lengthier cruises, the 42-day ‘42-day Ultimate Mediterranean & Atlantic Passage’ aboard Volendam, which departs Nov. 9, 2024, was inspired by a voyage the cruise line operated nearly 100 years ago.
Perfectly designed for today’s traveller, the 2024 departure sails roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale and visits 16 different ports across nine countries, all without international air.
The original voyage that served as inspiration departed New York City on Feb. 4, 1925 aboard Rotterdam IV, carrying just 550 guests across the Atlantic Ocean. The 2024 iteration follows in the footsteps of the 1925 journey, visiting Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Gibraltar (United Kingdom) and Spain.
“Holland America Line was one of the first companies to feature cruise vacations that went beyond a transatlantic crossing, and today we’re continuing to innovate our itineraries by offering memorable voyages like this ultimate Mediterranean and Atlantic passage sailing,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer, Holland America Line. “Since introducing this new Legendary category of cruises that offer an in-depth focus on one region, they’ve been very popular. We’re excited to add a longer voyage that makes it easy to explore the Med in depth without a long-haul flight.”
The ’42-day Ultimate Mediterranean & Atlantic Passage’ route will first visit Horta and Ponta Delgada in the Azores after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. A call at Tangier, Morocco is followed by overnight visits to both Livorno and Civitavecchia, Italy. From Livorna, guests can explore Florence or Pisa before making their way to Naples, Catania in Sicily and Piraeus (Athens). They’ll then explore the Holy Land at Haifa (Tel Aviv) and Ashdod (Jerusalem) in Israel, followed by Port Said and Alexandria (Cairo) in Egypt. The final ports on the voyage include La Goulette (Tunis), Gibraltar, Cadiz (Spain) and Casablanca (Morocco), with the cruise concluding on Dec. 21 at Fort Lauderdale.
Most of Holland America Line’s Legendary Voyages sail roundtrip or to/from a North American homeport on a variety of the line’s ships. For more information go to www.hollandamerica.com.
