Holland America Line (HAL) offers travelers a traditional cruise experience with up-to-the-minute amenities and activities. Cruisers who enjoy life at sea, a good enrichment program with special emphasis on the culinary arts, and a more subdued ambience will enjoy a Holland America cruise.

The big excitement at HAL his year is the July 2010 launch of Nieuw Amsterdam, the fourth HAL ship to bear that name. A sister ship of the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam has décor that pays tribute to the city of New York. From a chandelier that echoes the Manhattan skyline to a yellow cab in the teen area, the design comes together quite successfully. The city is also celebrated in the multimillion dollar fine art and photography collection displayed throughout the ship.

Nieuw Amsterdam

The Pinnacle Grill steak house and the Tamarind Asian restaurant offer diners more variety, and passengers willing to pay $89 per person can enjoy a seven-course dinner with wine pairings at the Master Chef’s Table. A casual Italian trattoria in the Lido called Canaletto that serves pastas and antipasti is another option.

New with this ship are staterooms with direct access to the spa, and some with floor-to-ceiling windows. All but inside cabins have tubs.

Other amenities that were a hit when Eurodam was launch have returned, including the private cabanas near the pool area.

Eurodam sails in the Mediterranean until October 18, which she leaves from Barcelona for the start of her repositioning cruise to America. She calls at Monte Carlo, Livorno, Rome, Valencia, Cartagena, Almeria, Portimao, and Lisbon before crossing the Atlantic. After eight days at sea, she arrives in the Bahamas on November 6 and disembarks passengers in Fort Lauderdale on November 7.

This is an excellent repositioning cruise on several levels. First of all, there are ten Mediterranean ports at the beginning of the voyage – more than most repositioning cruises include. And the ship will be new enough to still be shiny and bright, but any early service glitches will likely have been worked out by then.

October transatlantic repositioning cruise on Noordam and Westerdam.

Funchal

The 1,918-passenger Noordam was launched in 2006. She’s slightly smaller than Nieuw Amsterdam, but she offers many of the same amenities. The two-level Vista Dining Room has sweeping views of the ocean, and the innovative Culinary Arts Center has cooking demonstrations and wine-tasting classes on some days at sea.

Noordam sails from Rome on October 18 and has port calls at Livorno, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Cartagena, Malaga, Cadiz, and Funchal in Madeira. She arrives in Fort Lauderdale on November 3 after a week at sea.

Westerdam, which launched in 2004, is one of the roomiest ships in the HAL fleet. She carries 1,916 passengers in a space that often carries many more. She sails from Rome on October 25 and also calls at Livorno for Florence, Monaco, and four ports in Spain. She overnights in Funchal on November 3, so passengers have the opportunity to experience Madeira nightlife. She arrives in Fort Lauderdale a week later on November 12.

Find other Holland America repositioning cruises here.

Nieuw Amsterdam Image Flickr: Mike Knell
Funchal Image Flickr: Jean & Nathalie

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A Pacific coast repositioning cruise makes a wonderful, early fall getaway, especially if you live on the west coast yourself. Once the weather in Alaska becomes too rough for cruising, the ships head south to sail in the Caribbean, Mexico, or Panama Canal.

For residents of California, Washington, or Oregon, these repositioning cruises are a terrific value and a hassle-free way to enjoy everything that cruising has to offer – good food, entertainment, cool amenities, and a complete escape from the same old routine.

Victoria’s Inner Harbor

This September, there are five Holland American ships sailing down the Pacific coast from Vancouver to California. Known for their classic-style cruise ships, impressive art collections, and excellent service, Holland America also has innovative new programs and amenities that will make your days at sea stimulating and enjoyable.

The flagship of the line, Rotterdam VI, features one of the most exciting additions to Holland America ships in recent years – the Culinary Arts Center. This state-of-the-art exhibition kitchen is where you’ll go for cooking classes, wine tastings, demonstrations, and more. It’s a great facility that’s been a big hit with passengers. And it’s now available on all Holland America cruise ships.

Rotterdam VI leaves Vancouver on Sunday, September 19 and spends two days at sea before arriving in San Diego on Wednesday morning, September 22. Which means that you can have a relaxing mini-vacation and still be back at work by Thursday. At press time, Southern California residents could fly one-way to Vancouver for less than $200, and cruise fares were as low as $199 per person. So it’s very affordable.

Their Ryndam adds an extra day to the voyage, so if sea days are your thing, it’s a great choice. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the two pools, one of which is under a retractable glass dome, tennis, the spa, sauna, and steam bath. Like Rotterdam VI, she sails from Vancouver on September 19, but she doesn’t arrive in San Diego until Thursday, September 23 – giving you an extra night to enjoy a Broadway-style show in the Vermeer Show Lounge.

Bay Area residents can board Zuiderdam in Vancouver on Saturday, September 25 and disembark in San Francisco on Tuesday, September 28. With one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the Holland America fleet, Zuiderdam is a delight. The huge spa has a hydrotherapy pool, aroma therapy rooms, a sauna, steam room, and eleven treatment rooms. You can arrange to be pampered to your heart’s content. A variety of dining options make it possible eat in a different restaurant every night of your cruise.

Holland America’s Ryndam

On Sunday, September 26, Statendam sails from Vancouver bound for Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is a charming town, that’s very British in feel. Passengers can explore the Provincial Museum with it’s impressive totem poles and coastal art, visit the beautiful Empress Hotel on the Inner Harbor, or go for an optional tour of Butchart Gardens. She arrives in San Diego on September 30, following two days at sea.

Like Zuiderdam, Osterdam has lots of extra room and extensive spa facilities. And with two port calls and two sea days, her fall repositioning cruise offers a good balance of sightseeing and relaxing. Osterdam sails from Vancouver on Monday, September 27, so consider spending the weekend there before boarding the ship. She calls at Astoria, Oregon the next day. From there, you can take a side trip to Cannon Beach or Seaside. Passengers will have two days to enjoy the ship’s amenities before calling at Catalina Island. There’s plenty to do on Catalina, and in the surrounding water. Go for a snorkeling trip, take a glass-bottom boat ride, or do some shopping in Avalon. Osterdam arrives in San Diego on Saturday morning, October 2.

Victoria’s Inner Harbor Image Flickr: dbaron
Holland America’s Ryndam Image Flickr: wch14

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It’s been a long, wet winter, and a vacation sounds pretty good right about now.   But there’s not a lot of discretionary income left over this year, and it’s hard to take much time off from work because things are so busy.

If any of this strikes a chord with you, we have just the solution — a repositioning cruise from California to Vancouver, British Columbia.  Fares start $149, and that includes all your meals, transportation, accommodations, and entertainment.   And if you watched the Winter Olympics, you know that Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Vancouver

At press-time, one-way fares from Vancouver to LAX were running under $150, so the total cost including airfare runs as little as $300.  Dollar for dollar, a repositioning cruise is a terrific way to get out of Dodge and add some excitement to your life without breaking your budget.

Holland America Line (HAL) is offering four west coast repositioning cruises this spring, and their cruise ships are some of the nicest at sea.

Their 1,432-passenger Zaandam sails from San Diego on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.  You can tour San Diego or visit the world-famous Zoo in the morning, and then board the ship in the late afternoon.  San Diego is a beautiful city to sail in and out of, and you’ll likely be treated to a spectacular sunset as you leave.  If the weather’s fine, you can enjoy a dip in the pool or one of the spas before dinner.

In addition to the main dining room, Zaandam serves Pacific Northwest specialties like Dungeness crab cakes in the intimate, reservations-only Pinnacle Grill.  During your days at sea, you can watch cooking demonstrations in the innovative Culinary Arts Center, see a movie at the Wajang Theater, or enjoy a treatment in the spa.    If you’d like to get some exercise, there’s a jogging track, fitness center, and sports court.  At night, enjoy a show in the lounge where hydraulic lifts and a revolving stage add to the excitement or have a quiet drink in the Crow’s Nest.

Catalina Island

The first morning, you call at Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island.  You’ll have a full day to explore the island.  Rent a bike or golf cart to get around.  You’ll spend the next two days at sea before arriving in Astoria, Oregon.  In Astoria, you can take a biking tour, go to Cannon Beach and Seaside for shopping, or enjoy a wine-tasting and cooking demonstration.  The next day, you’ll call at Victoria, British Columbia where you can see Butchart Gardens in springtime splendor, have high tea at the legendary Empress Hotel, or visit a local brewery.  You’ll disembark in Vancouver the morning of Tuesday, April 27.  Fares for this cruise start at $299 per person.

Cruisers who choose the 1,316-passenger Amsterdam will leave from Los Angeles on Thursday, April 29, 2010.  One of Holland America’s flagships, Amsterdam has an old-world, traditional ambience that seasoned cruisers appreciate.  With no port calls, this cruise is perfect for those who just want to get away from it all and enjoy some quiet time at sea.  Passengers disembark in Vancouver on Sunday, May 2.  Fares start at $149.

HAL’s  beautiful Ryndam has a wide, teak promenade deck that’s lined with old-fashioned deck chairs.  It’s a lovely, traditional cruise liner with a three-story atrium and a grand staircase.  Ryndam sails from San Diego on Wednesday, May 5th and spends two days at sea before arriving in Victoria.  She sails from Victoria at midnight, so guests can enjoy Victoria at night when the Empress Hotel, Houses of Parliament, and other buildings on the Inner Harbor are all illuminated.  Passengers disembark in Vancouver on Sunday, May 9.  Fares start at $199.

Statendam

With a fountain that cascades 26 feet down through the three-story atrium, the 1,258-passenger Statendam is a beautiful ship with excellent service.  She sails from San Diego on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 and arrives in Port Angeles after two days at sea.  In Port Angeles, you can tour spectacular Hurricane Ridge or go wine tasting at 15 Olympic Peninsula wineries.  Statendam arrives in Vancouver on Sunday, May 16.

Find more Holland America repositioning cruises here.

Vancouver Image Flickr: PoYang_博仰
Catalina Island Image Flickr: GeeSeeBee
Statendam Image Flickr: axiepics

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