Holland America Line is planning a full season of Alaska and Canada/New England sailings in 2022, now that the Canadian government has published procedures for the safe resumption of cruises to Canadian ports.
"The completion of this guidance by Transport Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, Public Health Agency of Canada, and port officials will allow us to sail our Alaska and Canada/New England seasons as planned," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "This is a positive step for everyone who loves to travel to these regions and for all of the businesses in Canada that we support through tourism.
"Many of the protocols Canada is applying were successfully implemented in the United States after the restart of cruising, and they are working well," Antorcha continued. "We are well-positioned to follow Canada's direction and continue delivering memorable cruise vacations that include Canadian ports."
The resumption comes as Holland America Line gets ready to celebrate 75 years of Alaska exploration in 2022. Ships in Alaska use Vancouver, Canada, as a homeport for round-trip cruises and itineraries between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska. Cruises that sail roundtrip from Seattle to Alaska call at Victoria, Canada.
In Canada/New England, ships cruise between Montreal and Quebec City in Canada, and Boston. Itineraries range from six to 24 days and call at 13 Canadian ports in Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
"We greatly value our longstanding partnership with Holland America Line, which was the first cruise line to call at the new Canada Place cruise terminal at the Port of Vancouver in 1986," said Robin Silvester, president and CEO of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. "We're pleased to see the return of cruising in Canada, and we look forward to welcoming cruise lines, guests and crew back to Vancouver."
Antorcha said the Alaska and Canada/New England are ideal for those who might not want to travel overseas this year. "As people return to travel this summer, we know some will choose to stay a little closer to home," he said. "Our Alaska land-and-sea packages and our Canada/New England sailings are great ways to resume exploring the world without traveling a great distance."
The line's first ship to arrive in Canada is Koningsdam, which calls at Victoria April 9 en route to Vancouver for an April 10 arrival. On the eastern seaboard, Zaandam calls at Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 17 while on a nine-day Atlantic Coast cruise sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal.
In 2022, Holland America Line will resume cruises to Alaska with three itineraries from the port of Vancouver and between Vancouver and Whittier.
From May through October, Nieuw Statendam and Zaandam offer a series of six- to 24-day departures between Boston and Quebec City or Montreal.
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