Three more major cruise lines resume departures as cruising comeback ramps up
Add Holland America, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line to the list of cruise brands that finally have restarted departures after a 16-month-long, COVID-19-related hiatus.
Holland America resumed operations on Saturday with a single ship sailing out of Seattle, and Princess and Norwegian are resuming operations today -- also with single ships sailing out of Seattle and Piraeus, Greece, respectively.
The Holland America and Princess vessels restarting service -- the 2,106-passenger Nieuw Amsterdam and 3,560-passenger Majestic Princess -- are sailing to Alaska. The Norwegian ship resuming operations -- the 2,400-passenger Norwegian Jade -- is sailing to the Greek Islands.
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For all three lines, these are the first departures from any port in the world since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic in March of 2020.
Like all major cruise lines around the world, Holland America, Princess and Norwegian shutdown operations in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and stayed shut down as COVID-19 cases spiked around the world through 2020.
In restarting service, the three brands are joining a growing number of competitors including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line that already have resumed limited departures. The restarts have been occurring as countries around the world including the United States and Greece loosen restrictions for cruise travel.
Both Holland America and Princess plan to operate 10 departures out of Seattle through September with Nieuw Amsterdam and Majestic Princess, respectively. Norwegian Jade will continue to operate Greek Islands sailings into the fall.
All of the sailings only will be open to passengers who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 -- a policy that many (but not all) cruise lines have been implementing as they restart departures.
All three lines plan to add more vessels back into service slowly over the coming months. Holland America has 10 ships in its fleet in all, while Princess currently has a 14-ship fleet. Norwegian is the biggest of the three brands with 17 ships in its fleet.
In restarting sailings to Alaska, Holland America and Princess are following in the wake of Royal Caribbean, which on July 19 became the first big-ship cruise line to restart Alaska sailings since the end of the 2019 cruise season.
Related: Why visiting Alaska's busiest cruise port, Juneau is a bit surreal right now
Royal Caribbean's 2,143-passenger Serenade of the Seas is currently in the midst of operating the line's first Alaska sailing, which also began in Seattle. The ship will return to Seattle on Monday after becoming the first big cruise ship to visit the Alaskan port of Sitka as well as the Alaskan ports of Icy Strait Point, Juneau and Ketchikan in nearly two years.
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10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
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Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023