Heidi BucoloAdventures by Disney Announces New Holland and Belgium River Cruise with Two Tour Options Beginning in 2025
Guests will sail through countries celebrated for their art, architecture, canals and dazzling floral displays
Adventures by Disney continues its commitment to family travel with two new itineraries to Holland and Belgium. Beginning in 2025, families can embark on an enchanting river cruise and become immersed in Dutch culture, history and old-world charm, or join an exclusive spring departure to experience the legendary tulip season.
Each Holland and Belgium River Cruise itinerary will delight guests with its historic landmarks and through hands-on activities for the entire family. Both the traditional tour and the tulip tour include iconic 18th century windmills, canal cruises through time-honored neighborhoods, art, architecture, and classic food and drink tastings, as well as city excursions, a pottery activity, visits to castles, biking through the countryside and more — all designed to take guests into the heart of the area’s storied history and modern-day influence.
The spring tulip sailing will also highlight Holland and Belgium’s world-renowned floral beauty, including stops at breathtaking gardens and a tulip farm.
Each seven-night voyage, in collaboration with AmaWaterways, will be led by Disney-trained Adventure Guides. They will take care of every detail and bring the destinations to life through masterful storytelling.
Families will enjoy the convenience of unpacking once as the river cruise ship serves as the hotel for the entire trip. Meals and activities are provided and the selection provides guests a customized adventure. Young travelers, or Junior Adventurers, can even choose to spend an evening together on an Adventure Guide-led activity.
Bookings open to the public on Jan. 19, 2024. Additional information as well as a complete list of newly announced Adventures by Disney travel dates for 2025 are available at this link.
Holland and Belgium: Two Countries Founded on Innovation, Art and Culinary Delights
Much of Holland and Belgium sit at or below sea-level, and for more than 700 years of necessity and innovation as a result of flooding, the landscapes have been sculpted and defined by windmills, canals, dikes and water stations to accommodate farming, commerce and residential life. Dutch artists have also influenced the visual arts for centuries.
Both itineraries begin and conclude in Amsterdam and include visiting sites and enjoying activities, such as:
- Visiting the windmills at Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to marvel at the 18th century structures which elegantly represent the origins of water management, industry and trade.
- Touring charming cities and castles and biking along picturesque pathways. Bicycles are provided for the biking option.
- Delighting in the past and present of Royal Delft and learning about the pottery and craftsmanship created since 1653. A hand-painted tile activity will give guests their own unique memento to take home.
- Taking a canal cruise through picturesque neighborhoods and learning the stories behind the historic buildings.
- Discovering the original residence and workshop of Plantin and Moretus publishing, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the technique for how words and images were shared dating back to the 1500s. This visit will include a printing press demonstration and a hands-on activity.
- Admiring the art of Peter Paul Rubens, breathtaking stained glass windows, sculptures and more at Antwerp’s Cathedral of Our Lady, whose Gothic-architecture construction was first started in 1352 and whose belfry is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Enjoying chocolate, cheese, waffles and beer tastings.
The Discovering Holland and Belgium Tour
On the traditional Holland and Belgium itinerary, guests will visit Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp, Kinderdijk, Gouda and Bruges. Highlighted activities specific to this tour include:
- Embarking on a Pilgrim walking tour in Rotterdam and learning the city’s connection and history to the “New World.”
- Celebrating the magic of music at the Utrecht Museum Speelklok.
- Admiring and strolling through the Castle de Haar, the largest castle in the Netherlands.
- Learning about Brussels’ influence on comic books or their expertise in chocolate through a chocolate-making workshop.
For adult travelers, Adventures by Disney will offer this tour for one adult-exclusive departure.
Embark on the Tulip Tour
Holland’s lowlands and climate give this region the ideal conditions for tulips. The tulip sailing will be offered once in April, to capture the splendor of the blooming season. Tulips are not only a flower to behold, they have also served as inspiration for Dutch master artists, and during tulip-mania in the 1600s, the bulb was used as an economic exchange.
On this itinerary, guests will visit Amsterdam, Hoorn, Middelburg, Ghent, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Kinderdijk and Schoonhoven. Highlighted activities specific to this tour include:
- Marveling at Keukenhof’s brilliant display of 7 million spring-flowering bulbs and garden art throughout its 79 acres.
- Visiting Hoorn and its expansive rows of tulips in every color, as well as touring a tulip farm to learn about how they are grown and bulbs are harvested.
- Exploring the Floralia Flower Show and its more than 1 million tulip bulbs at the Castle of Grand Bigard, including a bonus hands-on Belgian chocolate-making activity.
- Painting an ornamental clog in a traditional design to take home.
Booking Information and Details
For nearly 20 years, guests traveling with Adventures by Disney have explored some of the most sought-after places in the world, and the travel brand’s global portfolio has expanded to now offering more than 40 guided-group adventures by land, river cruise, and expedition cruise.
Disney-trained Adventure Guides accompany every trip and bring real-world magic to life. Their masterful storytelling, in-depth knowledge of the places visited plus their attention to every detail ensures guests enjoy a hassle-free vacation and foster lasting connections with every destination.
The authenticity and immersion in the places and cultures visited, plus insider access and activities, are at the heart of every Adventures by Disney vacation.
To learn more about Adventures by Disney or to book a vacation, guests can visit AdventuresbyDisney.com
SOURCE Adventures by Disney
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