Fans of long cruises will love Holland America's latest move
Get ready to go long with Holland America in the Mediterranean.
The Seattle-based cruise line on Wednesday announced a significant overhaul of its Mediterranean itineraries starting in 2026 that will offer more longer sailing options.
Holland America has traditionally offered lots of 10- and 11-night sailings in the Mediterranean during the summers. But starting in 2026, it'll switch to offering more seven-night sailings, with a twist that allows for the creation of a much wider range of longer sailings.
Unlike as is often the case with shorter sailings in Europe, the new seven-night itineraries will vary in their routings from week to week in a way that will allow Holland America fans to string together three of them in a row on the same ship without repeating a single port.
The new lineup of sailings will allow customers to create longer "collector's voyages," as Holland America is calling them, that extend up to 21 nights without repeating ports. Even longer sailings of up to 27 nights can be created that have almost no repeats in ports.
"It allows more flexibility in combining sailings," Paul Grigsby, Holland America's vice president for revenue planning and deployment, told TPG in an exclusive interview in advance of the announcement. "Guests can kind of build their own sailing, their own vacation that way."
All of the sailings will take place on Holland America's 1,964-passenger Oosterdam, which will be the line's only vessel in the Mediterranean for the summer of 2026.
Related: Holland America unveils another epic cruise — with a twist
Typical of the seven-night itineraries on the ship that can be combined to create longer voyages will be a seven-night sailing from Barcelona to Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens) beginning July 12, 2026. It'll be followed by a seven-night sailing from Piraeus to Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome) starting July 19, 2026, and a seven-night sailing from Civitavecchia to Barcelona starting July 26, 2026.
The first sailing will bring stops at the islands of Malta, Crete and Santorini, and Kusadasi, Turkey (for a visit to the famed ruins of Ephesus). The second sailing will bring stops in Montenegro; the island of Corfu; Messina in Sicily; and Naples, Italy. The third sailing brings stops at Livorno, Italy (for a visit to Pisa or Florence); Portofino, Italy; Marseille, France; and Gibraltar.
Strung together, the three sailings allow for a 21-night voyage with stops spanning the full width of the Mediterranean and visits to eight countries without repeating a single port.
"What we've noticed is that guests like that kind of survey [of all of the Mediterranean] where they start in the west in Barcelona and go all the way across to Trieste [in Italy] or Athens," Grigsby said. "This will allow them to do that."
To make such longer itineraries possible, Oosterdam will sail out of a larger number of home ports in the Mediterranean than is typical for a single ship — five in all. They are Lisbon, Piraeus, Barcelona, Civitavecchia and Trieste.
The new shorter itineraries aren't just designed to be combined to create longer itineraries. They also should appeal to Europeans, particularly families, looking for short vacation options, according to Grigsby.
Grigsby noted that Holland America regularly draws customers from the Netherlands, where the company has its roots, as well as Belgium, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom, among other European countries.
He said a European customer "might just decide to do a seven-day in Europe like, back home [in North America] we do a seven-night Caribbean or a seven-day Alaska sailing."
Related: The types of Holland America ships, explained
Grigsby said the brand will offer seven-night sailings to the Norwegian fjords out of Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2026 in part to cater to the local market looking for such shorter sailings in their own backyard.
In addition to Oosterdam in the Mediterranean, Holland America will have two ships sailing regularly in Northern Europe in 2026: the 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam and the 2,668-passenger Rotterdam.
Both of the vessels will home port in Rotterdam, with Nieuw Statendam also sailing some voyages out of Dover, England.
Among the sailings planned for the ships in 2026 are an increased number of seven-day cruises to Norway's fjords, as well as seven-day open-jaw sailings between Reykjavik and Rotterdam.
Unusual new voyages include a 14-day Baltic and Scandinavian Capitals cruise that includes back-to-back calls in Germany at the ports of Kiel and Warnemunde. The trip also brings an overnight in Oslo, two calls in Denmark, and stops in Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.
The Northern Europe routings will include four new ports for Holland America: Aberdeen, Scotland; Kalundborg, Denmark; and Odda, Norway, aboard Rotterdam; and Portsmouth, England, aboard Nieuw Statendam.
Fares for the new Europe sailings start at $1,214 per person for a seven-night trip. More information is available at the line's website.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
- The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
- The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- Top ways cruisers waste money
- The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees