SEATTLE — Holland America Line has become the latest ocean liner to set its sights on Cuba, after announcing that sailings from Fort Lauderdale will commence Dec. 22.

The cruise line, which has already received approval to sail to Cuba, will head to the island for the first time on Dec. 22 with a 12-day holiday cruise aboard ms Veendam. With this voyage, Holland America Line will become Carnival Corporation’s third cruise line to be approved to sail to Cuba following the company’s historic inaugural sailings to the island last year.

Nine seven-day itineraries will feature the capital city Havana, and three of these will add another Cuba call at Cienfuegos. The 12-day holiday cruise showcases both Cuban ports. Depending on the departure day, cruises will include the Cuba ports as well as a combination of Caribbean ports, including: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Belize City, Belize; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Key West, Florida; and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

In addition to the seven-day cruises, an 11-day spring cruise sails March 17, 2018, and also features the Cuban ports of Havana and Cienfuegos, as well as Key West, Cozumel, Montego Bay and Georgetown. The final seven-day Cuba sailing departs on April 18, 2018.

Onboard, the Cuba experience will be enhanced through the line’s Explorations Central, or EXC, program, featuring EXC Guides who will bring the destination to life through presentations and EXC Talks. Also enriching the Cuba experience for guests are EXC Port Maps created for the Cuban calls, EXC Encounters that will showcase the culture and history of Cuba to guests before they visit the ports, and much more. In addition, educational and cultural EXC Tours are being developed in and near Havana and Cienfuegos with a highlight being Trinidad, one of the best-preserved historic towns in the Caribbean.

Bookings for Holland America Line’s cruises to Cuba will open May 26, 2017. Guests booked on Veendam’s previous deployment will be given a full refund and opportunity to book on another Holland America Line voyage. Fares for Cuba cruises begin at $899 per person, double occupancy. Taxes, fees and port expenses are additional.