Holland America Line's UK based cruises

Holland America Line is yet another cruise line that is focused on the UK cruise market in the years ahead. From 2011 there will be three Holland America Line (HAL) ships sailing from UK ports.

To begin with Eurodam, who carries 2,104 passengers, will be sailing out of Dover from May until August, offering five 12-night cruises, four of which will sail around the Baltic coast and call at Copenhagen, Warnemunde, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm while the final one visits the Norwegian fjords, taking in Copenhagen, Oslo, Kristiansand, Bergen before travelling up the Scottish coast to explore Invergordon, South Queensferry and Newcastle.

1,400-passenger vessel Ryndam is also sailing out of Dover, beginning on May 1st 2011 with a 20-night Mediterranean cruise to Portugal, Spain, France and Italy before returning to Dover. Then in the summer months she’ll offer a range of seven night cruises to the Baltic and Norwegian fjords. Finally, 793-passenger Prinsendam has round Britain cruises that last for 14 nights, and sail from Tilbury on July 11th and August 29th 2011.

It’s a big development for HAL which only offered its first no-fly cruise from a UK port last year – it was a four night trip from Dover on the Eurodam and is already committed to three Eurodam cruises out of Dover in 2010. A HAL spokesman said, ‘This increase for 2011 shows HAL’s commitment to the UK market. The three cruises on Eurodam this year are more than 70% sold, with about 25% of passengers from the UK. It’s less than the 50% we were hoping for but there has been strong demand from the US.’