Holland America is out with another truly epic cruise
Holland America is taking inspiration from the 1920s again for its latest over-the-top Mediterranean cruise.
The Seattle-based line revealed plans Tuesday for an epic, 45-day sailing from North America to the Mediterranean and back that mimics an ambitious voyage the line offered in 1925.
Scheduled to depart Oct. 7, 2025, the Ultimate Mediterranean & Atlantic Passage itinerary, as it's being called, will offer North American travelers a chance to experience a grand tour of the Mediterranean without ever getting on a transatlantic flight — just like in the 1920s.
It's the second such voyage the line has put on its schedule in the past year, joining a 42-night sailing from the U.S. to the Mediterranean and back that is already on Holland America's schedule for November.
One notable difference between the newly announced sailing and the one taking place later this year: The first voyage begins and ends in Fort Lauderdale, while the new sailing begins and ends in New York City.
Like the previously announced sailing, the new voyage takes place on Holland America's 1,432-passenger Volendam. It'll bring calls at 18 ports across eight countries, including multiple stops in Greece for visits to such historic sites as the Parthenon in Athens and Knossos Palace on the island of Crete.
Other stops include Ponta Delgada in the Azores archipelago of Portugal as the ship crosses the Atlantic eastward from New York, followed by a call in Portugal's capital, Lisbon.
There will also be overnight visits to Civitavecchia, Italy (the gateway port for Rome); Alexandria, Egypt (the gateway port for Cairo and its pyramids); and Istanbul — all known for their historic sites dating to ancient times.
Barcelona is also on the schedule, as is La Goulette, Tunisia (the port for Tunis, where cruisers can tour the ruins of the ancient city of Carthage); Gibraltar; Cadiz and Cartagena in Spain; and Kusadasi, Turkey. Kusadasi is a gateway port to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus.
Two more calls are Livorno, Italy (the gateway port for Pisa and Florence), and Naples, Italy, a jumping-off point for visits to the ancient ruins of Pompeii.
The cruise concludes Nov. 21, 2025 in New York after a return trip across the Atlantic.
The 1925 version of the itinerary was relatively similar, also beginning and ending in New York and including stops at ports near many of the Mediterranean's most famous historic sites. That trip took place on the fourth version of Holland America's Rotterdam (the line has had seven ships called Rotterdam over the years, including one currently sailing).
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Holland America cruise
Holland America says 550 passengers were aboard the original sailing, which departed from New York City on Feb. 4, 1925.
The original itinerary in 1925 had 15 stops, many of which are on the new itinerary.
One big difference between the original itinerary and the two new versions of it was that the original sailing was a longer 67 days. This was in part because the ship spent nine full days docked in Egypt for off-ship touring of the country's many historic sites.
Another difference between the trips is that the 1925 version of the voyage wasn't a "closed loop" trip on a single ship — that is, it didn't return passengers to North America at the end of the sailing on the same ship that took them to Europe.
Instead, the voyage ended in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and passengers had to switch to another Holland America ship for the final transatlantic leg back to New York City.
Founded in 1873, Holland America was originally a shipping and passenger line known for transatlantic crossings that took people between North America and Europe. But starting in the 1920s, it began to occasionally offer what today would be considered more traditional cruises, taking leisure travelers to far-off destinations such as the Mediterranean for sightseeing.
The February timing of the 1925 sailing to the Mediterranean would have coincided with the time of year when there was less demand for transatlantic crossings.
A 'legendary voyage' for Holland America
The new Mediterranean itinerary announced Tuesday is the latest addition to a new series of Legendary Voyages that Holland America unveiled in 2023. The extra-long sailings, scheduled to take place over the next three years, focus on a single region and range from 25 to 59 nights in length. They also feature special programming.
The initial lineup of Legendary Voyages included both previously offered routings and some all-new routes — the latter including an epic itinerary focused on Japan scheduled for 2024 that will last more than 50 days.
In general, the voyages focus on far-off destinations — including Australia and New Zealand, the Amazon and South America, the South Pacific and Hawaii, Greenland and Iceland, Asia, and Alaska and the Arctic Circle. But in a twist, most sailings are designed to begin and end in a North American port, meaning that North American passengers can reach distant places without ever getting on an international flight.
Related: Holland America to offer epic cruise to Hawaii and Alaska
The new lineup of long trips is designed to augment Holland America's celebrated collection of even longer Grand Voyages — far-ranging, often world-circling sailings that typically are 70 nights or longer.
The initial grouping of Legendary Voyages announced in 2023 included 17 specific departures between late 2023 and early 2025. Holland America has since added additional departures.
Holland America has long been known for longer sailings from U.S. ports that brought people to far-flung places around the globe. The new Legendary Voyages and an expanded lineup of other long voyages mark a doubling down by the line on such trips.
Fares for the new Mediterranean itinerary start at $5,749 per person, not including taxes, fees and port charges. For more information, see the page for the sailing on Holland America's website.
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