Holland America's new cruise itinerary will take you from Boston to Iceland and back
Want to visit Iceland without ever getting on an airplane?
If you're within driving distance of Boston, a new cruise itinerary from Holland America will let you do it.
The Seattle-based cruise line has announced plans for a new, 24-day voyage to Iceland out of Boston that will include a complete circumnavigation of the island nation -- a first for the line.
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Scheduled to start on Aug. 3, 2022, the new sailing will take place on one of Holland America's newest ships, the 2,650-passenger Nieuw Statendam.
The trip will include six calls in Iceland at the ports of Reykjavík, Djúpivogur, Seydisfjörur, Akureyri, Isafjörour and Grundarfjörour.
In addition, on the way to and from Iceland, the ship will make stops at Bar Harbor, Maine; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; Saint-Pierre, St. John’s, Red Bay, St. Anthony and Corner Brook, Newfoundland; and Qaqortoq (Julianehåb) and Nanortalik (Ilivileq), Greenland.
Circumnavigations of Iceland are a growing trend in the cruise industry, but most such trips begin and end in Iceland or another nearby country such as the U.K. or Norway. It's unusual for Iceland circumnavigations to begin and end in the U.S.
Iceland circumnavigations are a relatively new phenomenon in the cruise world. While adventure company Zegrahm Expeditions operated a complete circumnavigation of the island by ship as far back as 1999, it wasn't until 2013 that Iceland circumnavigations began to occur with some regularity.
Lindblad Expeditions and Norwegian cruise company Hurtigruten added Iceland circumnavigations in 2013, and Windstar Cruises began such trips in 2016. Ponant and Adventure Canada also have added Iceland circumnavigations since 2018.
In addition to sailing to Iceland out of Boston in 2022, Holland America has announced that Nieuw Statendam will operate a series of six- to eight-day “Canada & New England Discovery” voyages in 2022 between Boston and Québec City, with weekend departures. Port calls will include Bar Harbor, Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax. The eight-day sailings add Saint John, New Brunswick.
Holland America also has said Nieuw Statendam would operate longer “Newfoundland & New England Discovery” cruises between Boston and Québec City. Ports on a 10-day itinerary include Baie-Comeau and Havre-Saint-Pierre, Québec; and Corner Brook, St. Anthony, St. John’s, Halifax and Bar Harbor. An even longer 11-day departure brings calls at Portland, Maine; Saguenay, Québec; and Saint John, Halifax, Corner Brook, Charlottetown and Baie-Comeau.
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| 10x | Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. |
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Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®80,000 bonus pointsAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
If you are looking to take your premium rewards to the highest level, this card is really a no brainer in our eyes. Chase's Ultimate Rewards make points easy to redeem, with a wide range of 10 airline and three hotel transfer partners and a friendly user interface. Despite the high annual fee, Chase is consistently adding new benefits to keep the card competitive in a fierce premium rewards field.Pros
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year
- Access to Chase Ultimate Rewards hotel and airline travel partners
- Unlimited 3x points on the broad category of travel and dining
- 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Broad definitions for travel and dining bonus categories
Cons
- Steep $550 annual fee
- May not make sense for people that don't travel frequently
- You must spend the $300 travel credit before earning 3x points for travel and dining
- No automatic hotel elite status
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,200 toward travel
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more