Holland America Line has added a new grand cruise to its Legendary Voyages line-up for 2024, with Volendam due to sail a 42-day itinerary across the Mediterranean and Atlantic.

The voyage departs November 9th, 2024 from Fort Lauderdale, with Volendam crossing the Atlantic and Mediterranean to visit 16 ports across nine countries.

The ports of call include destinations in Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Gibraltar (United Kingdom) and Spain.

Volendam

Holland America Line said in a release that the new Legendary Voyage is inspired by a journey the cruise line operated nearly 100 years ago aboard the Rotterdam IV.

On February 4th, 1925, Rotterdam departed New York on the cruise line’s first ever cruise voyage. Until that time, the company had been involved primarily in passenger shipping services, operating regular ocean liner routes from Europe.

This was the cruise line’s first cruise, a form of holiday that had been gaining ground since the 19th century, but was about to burst into mainstream popularity as a result of the Great Depression, which created a significant drop in ocean liner passenger numbers.

The voyage is inspired by the first cruise ever undertaken by Holland America Line in 1925

Instead, Americans began taking to the seas on cruise voyages, which were also a welcome escape from the Prohibition that had taken hold in the United States.

“Holland America Line was one of the first companies to feature cruise vacations that went beyond a transatlantic crossing, and today we’re continuing to innovate our itineraries by offering memorable voyages like this ultimate Mediterranean and Atlantic passage sailing,” said Beth Bodensteiner, Chief Commercial Officer, Holland America Line.

“Since introducing this new Legendary category of cruises that offer an in-depth focus on one region, they’ve been very popular. We’re excited to add a longer voyage that makes it easy to explore the Med in depth without a long-haul flight,” she added.

Nazareth, Israel

The 42-day Ultimate Mediterranean and Atlantic Passage will first call in Horta and Ponta Delgada in the Azores after crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

It will then call in Tangier, Morocco, followed by overnight visits to Livorno and Civitavecchia, Italy. The ship will then set course for Naples, Italy, and Catania, Sicily, before Piraeus (Athens), Greece.

The next leg of the voyage will focus heavily on the Middle East and the Holy Land, with port calls in Haifa (for Nazareth) and Ashdod (for Jerusalem) in Israel, before calling in the Egyptian ports of Port Said (for Cairo), and Alexandria.

On her westbound leg bound for the Atlantic, Volendam will call in La Goulette (for Tunis/Carthage) in Tunisia, and Tangier and Casablanca in Morocco. Prices start at US $5,189 per person sharing an inside cabin.