Holland America Line's Noordam returned to service April 24 from Port Everglades in Florida, more than two years since the industrywide pause began due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ship embarked guests for a 21-day Panama Canal transit to Vancouver, Canada, that will position it in Alaska through September.
To commemorate the occasion, Holland America Line held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the terminal to open embarkation.
"We are excited to welcome guests aboard Noordam once again as we continue the pace of having all 11 of our ships back in service by June," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line.
Since Holland America Line restarted cruising in July 2021, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam have returned to service with cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, California Coast and South Pacific. Volendam currently is under charter by the government of the Netherlands, positioned in Rotterdam accommodating Ukrainian refugees.
Following the Panama Canal transit, Noordam will offer seven-day cruises between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska, along with one 14-day "Great Alaska Explorer" roundtrip from Vancouver in September. Holland America Line plans to position four ships out of Vancouver in 2022.
Noordam also will offer longer cruise-tours that combine a three-, four- or seven-day Alaska cruise with an overland exploration of Denali National Park.
After the Alaska season, Noordam is scheduled to depart on a 34-day Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego, Calif., to Sydney, Australia, and then a 35-day Australia circumnavigation roundtrip from Sydney with 15 calls around the continent and scenic cruising in the Great Barrier Reef. The ship will sail into 2023 with 12- to 15-day cruises roundtrip from Sydney that explore New Zealand through March 2023, before crossing back for another season in Alaska.
Holland America Line will complete the restart of the remaining ships in the fleet through June with Oosterdam (May 8 in Trieste near Venice, Italy), Zaandam (May 12 in Fort Lauderdale) and Westerdam (June 12 in Seattle).
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