Holland America Line: Sailing in style for 150 years

In association with: Holland America Line

Ia congested market, which cruise line can you implicitly trust to give your clients the very best cruise experience possible? Holland America Line, a company steeped in experience, heritage and tradition, has to be the answer. It celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, with an extra‑special transatlantic crossing from New York to Rotterdam, retracing the very first HAL sailing in reverse.

The line is also launching 48 Heritage Cruises, including special itineraries in Alaska, the Caribbean, Northern Europe, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and more. Clients will be able to learn from special destination factsheets highlighting fun trivia about heritage ports, enjoy a special Dutch high tea with classic sweets from the Netherlands, and attend a throwback happy hour with drinks priced at 75 cents.

“As a beloved company that’s been around for 150 years, these special Heritage Cruises allow us to continue celebrating Holland America Line with our guests in a meaningful way,” says HAL president Gus Antorcha. “And we’re excited to show how each destination has shaped our brand.”

Plus, across all Holland America Line cruises this year clients will find classic dishes from years past on the Captain’s Gala Menu, cocktails created using a new exclusive Holland America Line gin and a limited-edition celebration pilsner made by Seattle’s Pikes Brewing – not to mention plenty of 150th anniversary merchandise in the ships’ gift shops.

Three of the line’s vessels – including the new Rotterdam – will be on show for ship visits at ports around the UK and Ireland including Dover, Edinburgh, Cobh, Belfast and Liverpool, and with a range of dates from April to October. And with a new dedicated UK sales and marketing team focused on building brand awareness and developing relationships with the trade, there’s never been a better time to find out more about Holland America Line.

Karen Farndell, UK sales and marketing director, reveals HAL’s exciting new itineraries and destinations, and its plans to host 350 agents on ship visits

What should agents know about Holland America Line?
Holland America Line, part of Carnival Corporation, is a pioneer of cruising. We’ve been exploring the world for 150 years with expertly crafted itineraries, extraordinary service and genuine connections to each destination. Our fleet of mid‑sized ships visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries worldwide, and has shared the thrill of Alaska for 75 years – longer than any other cruise line.

What kind of customers should agents look to target?
Our guests are ‘modern explorers’ who enjoy discovering destinations and immersing themselves in new cultures. They love our great selection of longer cruises. Our new 25 to 59-day Legendary Voyages offer an enticing range of itineraries. Our Alaska voyages are perfect for new-to-cruise clients. We have more Glacier Bay permits than any other cruise line, and land programmes that give access to the Yukon.

Alaska is a big focus for the cruise line – what can agents book their customers on to in 2023-24?
Our ever-popular Alaska Inside Passage itinerary sails from Vancouver, visiting the Unesco World Heritage Site of Glacier Bay National Park. In 2024, we also have a brand‑new, unique 28-day itinerary on board Westerdam, sailing to the Arctic Circle.

And our Cruisetours are an opportunity for guests to explore Alaska further by road, rail or air. These itineraries typically include a land stay at McKinley Chalet Resort, our very own hub and retreat right on the doorstep of Denali National Park, where guests can dine, relax and soak up the Alaska experience.

What other destinations are you expecting to be popular?
Our Europe itineraries are always popular. Next April, we have a brand-new Canary Islands sailing on our flagship Rotterdam. In our 2024-25 season of Exotic sailings, South America and Antarctica sailings will feature a four-day Antarctic expedition.

Plus, we’re visiting dozens of ports across Japan, with more overnight stays. To celebrate our 150th anniversary, we have also launched our Legendary Voyages programme, full of curated itineraries with a focus on storytelling to enhance the journey.

How do you plan to engage with the trade this year?
We really wanted to start the year and the Wave period by saying a huge thank you to our travel agent partners. The competition we ran with Travel Weekly, in which we gave away 150 prizes in our ‘Have it All with HAL’ incentive, was extremely popular.

We’re working in partnership with CLIA to ensure we’re supporting as many events and initiatives as possible. And we’re really excited that we will soon be hosting some incredible fam trips to Alaska.

Will there be any UK ship visits?
We’ve invested in one of our biggest UK ship visit programmes of recent years. We’ll be bringing 350 agents on board to provide training and immerse them in some of the experiences we offer to guests. There’ll be regional visits on three of our ships in ports around the UK, including Liverpool, Belfast, Edinburgh and more.

Who in your sales team should agents look out for?
Our UK and Ireland sales team is led by our business development managers, Lucy Davies and Gemma Withers, and supported by our business development representatives, Emma Paolino and Serena Bourne. A good way to contact us is via our Travel Agent Facebook page.

What is HAL doing to celebrate its 150th anniversary?
On April 18, we’ll be hosting a celebration in Rotterdam – where Holland America Line was founded – commemorating this fantastic milestone. The day will honour our history while also looking forward. We’ll be joined by guests sailing on our 150th anniversary transatlantic crossing, retracing our very first sailing in reverse – departing from New York and visiting Plymouth and Dover before reaching Rotterdam.

On this cruise – and on all HAL cruises throughout 2023 – guests will be treated to a Captain’s Gala Menu, with every dish drawn from a previous Holland America Line menu. Drinks will include our new and exclusive Holland America Line De Lijn gin and HAL Pils, a limited-edition 150th anniversary pilsner made in partnership with Pikes Brewing from Seattle.

On the World Stage we’ll be showing Origin Story, a visual telling of our history, using LED screens. Plus, members of our Mariner Society will receive a limited-edition 150th anniversary Royal Goedewaagen tile.

Celebrate 150 years with up to $150 onboard credit and more

Holland America Line is offering your clients up to 25% off fares and up to $150 Onboard Credit per person when they book a Summer 2023 to Spring 2024 cruise or Cruisetour to Alaska, Europe and beyond!

They can even secure their spot on board with a Reduced Deposit of just £150 per person. Help your clients have the time of their lives as they make history with Holland America Line. Hurry — offer ends 4 May 2023!

Contact HAL

For more about Holland America Line, visit hollandamerica.com.

For the latest information for travel agents, head to our social channels, where you can stay up to date with useful links and training tools.

Holland America Line’s recently announced UK sales and marketing team for the UK and Ireland, headed by Sales and Marketing Director Karen Farndell, is focused on building brand awareness and developing relationships with the trade. Contact them on: salessupport@hollandamerica.co.uk

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Website: hollandamerica.com

PICTURES: Holland America Line; Jaap Vork; Unsplash/Tom Donders