There's a new home port for cruises to the Caribbean — and it's sort of amazing
Big news, New Englanders: You can now cruise to the Caribbean without ever getting on an airplane.
Holland America this week announced it will add a sailing from Boston to the Caribbean and back to its schedule for 2024.
The 21-night voyage is a first of its kind at the storied cruise brand, according to a spokesperson — at least when taking into account what records the company has available for checking. Holland America's origins date back 150 years, which makes tracking every past itinerary difficult.
No other cruise line has a round-trip sailing to the Caribbean from Boston on its schedule. Until this week, the most northerly port from which any cruise line was operating round-trip sailings to the Caribbean was New York City.
Most Caribbean sailings depart from Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Galveston, Texas; and New Orleans. Other home ports for round-trip Caribbean sailings include Baltimore; Tampa; Mobile, Alabama; Norfolk, Virginia; and Charleston, South Carolina.
While Boston serves as a hub for cruises, it's typically used for sailings to Bermuda or New England and Canada. A handful of cruise companies offer occasional sailings from Boston to the Caribbean. However, they all are one-way sailings.
The new round-trip Holland America itinerary from Boston to the Caribbean, which is called the “Perfect Caribbean Escape,” will kick off on Oct. 19, 2024. It will hit a wide variety of stops in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, including Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private island in the Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Curacao; Aruba; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; and Bimini in the Bahamas.
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Holland America ship
The voyage also will feature a partial transit of the Panama Canal — something that is part of only a small portion of Caribbean sailings. This will offer New Englanders who drive to the port of Boston the very rare option of being able to visit the Panama Canal without ever taking a flight.
Additionally, the itinerary will include a visit to Bermuda and a stop in Port Canaveral, Florida, allowing passengers to take daytrips to the theme parks around Orlando.
Given the time of year that the sailing is scheduled, the weather should be relatively pleasant for the sailing down from Boston to the Caribbean and also for the return voyage. But cruisers who book the trip should note that it will start and end with several sea days as the ship works its way to and from the region.
The sailing will take place on Holland America's 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam.
A 2nd sailing to Fort Lauderdale
In addition to the 21-night, round-trip sailing from Boston in 2024, Zuiderdam will operate a 14-night, one-way sailing from Boston to the Caribbean that ends in Fort Lauderdale.
Scheduled to begin Nov. 9, 2024, the “Southern Caribbean” itinerary will bring stops in St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados, Curacao and Half Moon Cay. It will also feature a call in Bermuda.
The 21- and 14-night departures can be combined to form a longer 35-night Caribbean experience that begins in Boston and ends in Fort Lauderdale.
The new itineraries were among a long list of new Caribbean voyages unveiled for late 2024 and early 2025.
Among other unusual sailings, the line has plans for a 21-night Caribbean trip out of Fort Lauderdale departing Jan. 4, 2025. That voyage includes calls at Half Moon Cay; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tortola; St. Maarten; Antigua; Dominica; St. Lucia; Barbados; St. Vincent; Grenada; Bonaire; Aruba; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Grand Cayman.
The new voyages are part of a shift at Holland America to offer more long and unusual voyages — something for which it has long been known. In doing so, the line is focusing ever more on what has set it apart over the years from such rivals as Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
A new crop of longer sailings that Holland America announced in recent months also includes an epic 28-night voyage to Alaska planned for 2024. Unveiled in January, it will be four times the length of the typical Alaska sailing and take cruisers far beyond the southeast Alaska ports that most ships visit, such as Juneau and Skagway.
Holland America also announced plans for two 14-night sailings to Alaska in 2024 that include visits to Anchorage — something that is relatively rare. Few ships take the time to sail up the Cook Inlet to reach the city.
Additionally, in recent months, the line also announced plans for more Europe cruises lasting 14 nights or longer in 2024. They include more 21-night "Ultimate Viking Explorer" sailings to Iceland, Greenland and Scotland that can be combined with 14-night voyages to Norway, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark to create extra-long 35-night sailings.
In March, Holland America announced a new collection of Legendary Voyages that will range from 25 to 59 nights in length and offer special programming.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.