Sarah Bretz, ContributorIn order to prioritize safety and give travelers adequate time to plan, Holland America has announced changes to its 2025 Grand World Voyage setting sail aboard Zuiderdam on January 4, 2025 from Fort Lauderdale.
The updated itinerary includes portions to replace the previously-announced route through the Red Sea, while adding new ports in Africa and Europe as well as a call to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The changes will only affect the last 43 days of the 124-day itinerary. The new schedule includes one more port than originally planned. The cruise will now visit 49 ports in 34 countries and territories. The world cruise is set to conclude as scheduled on May 9, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.
The New World Cruise Schedule
Following the originally-planned visit to Cape Town, South Africa, the new itinerary has been updated to include a call to Walvis Bay, Namibia before heading north toward Praia, Ilha de Santiago, Cape Verde — the first time Holland America Line has called there in more than three years.
Zuiderdam will then explore the Mediterranean, calling at originally scheduled ports in Gibraltar, Gibraltar; Alexandria, Egypt; Athens, Greece; Rome and Naples, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; and Barcelona, Spain. Newly-added ports include Valletta, Malta; Tangier, Morocco; Arrecife, Alicante, Cartagena and Tenerife, Spain; Olbia and Sardinia, Italy; and Kusadasi, Turkey, pending final confirmation from relevant ports.
2025 Grand World Voyage Highlights
The ship will depart from Fort Lauderdale on January 4th as scheduled and sail its original route through March 27th — transiting the Panama Canal and making its way to Easter Island before crossing the South Pacific to Australia, through Indonesia and Sri Lanka and south to Cape Town by way of the Seychelles. It will then proceed along west Africa to Walvis Bay, Namibia, and Praia, Ilha de Santiago, Cape Verde.
After calls in the Canary Islands, the sailing will head into the Mediterranean via Gibraltar and complete a full loop of the sea as far east as Egypt and Turkey, before returning west via Italy and Spain. After a call to Lisbon, Portugal, the cruise will visit Tangier, Morocco, before crossing the Atlantic, bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. The sailing will then end three days later in Fort Lauderdale on May 9, 2025.
The Grand World Voyage will include overnight calls in six ports: Callao, Peru (two nights); Easter Island; Papeete, Tahiti; Sydney, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; and Barcelona, Spain. It will also include six late-night departures in these destinations: Manta, Ecuador; the Seychelles; Cape Town; Alexandria, Egypt; and Valletta, Malta.
The following ports are scheduled for the altered portion of the itinerary:
- March 25-26: Cape Town, South Africa
- March 28: Walvis Bay, Namibia
- April 4: Praia, Ilha de Santiago, Cape Verde
- April 7: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias, Spain
- April 8: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
- April 10: Gibraltar
- April 11: Cartagena (Murcia), Spain
- April 13: Valletta, Malta
- April 16: Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt
- April 18: Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey
- April 19: Piraeus (Athens), Greece
- April 21: Naples (Pompeii), Italy
- April 22: Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
- April 23: Olbia, Sardinia, Italy
- April 24-25: Barcelona, Spain
- April 26: Alicante, Spain
- April 28: Lisbon, Portugal
- April 29: Tangier (Tétouan), Morocco
- May 6: San Juan, Puerto Rico
- May 9: Fort Lauderdale
When Zuiderdam calls at Barcelona for an overnight visit on April 24, 2025, she will rendezvous with Volendam, which will be sailing the 133-day Grand Voyage: Pole to Pole itinerary. They’ll have a “Grand Meetup” featuring celebrations on both ships for the guests and crew members.
Holland America World Cruise Booking
For those seeking to make new bookings on the 2025 Grand World Voyage, cruise-only fares start at $24,999 per person based on double occupancy. Travelers who book the full voyage by June 3, 2024 will receive onboard spending credits and amenities valued at up to $8,500 per person. New perks for all guests who book early feature a complimentary Surf Wi-Fi package, a $500 air credit per person if booked through Flight Ease, and free roundtrip airport transfers.
Additional extras such as complimentary luggage delivery service, prepaid gratuities, and laundry service are also included when booking certain stateroom categories.
Comments
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