Holland America Offers Two Grand Voyages for 2025
For LGBTQ+ travelers who enjoy cruises to see more of the world, then Holland America Line (HAL) might have two new voyages that may pique your interest. The cruise company now has added a 133-day Pole to Pole Grand Voyage and a 124-day Grand World Voyage to their 2025 roaster of cruises. Both world voyages will sail roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Aboard the Volendam, scheduled to depart on January 25, 2025, guests who book the Pole-to-Pole Grand Voyage will visit five continents and sail through the Panama Canal, down the west coast of South America to Antarctica, then north along Argentina and Brazil. The ship then sails to Africa, north to Europe, and the North Cape before sailing to Iceland and Greenland before heading down along the eastern coast of North America.
2025 Grand Voyage: Pole to Pole Highlights (Volendam)
- 133 days – Departing Jan. 25, 2025, round trip from Fort Lauderdale.
- Follows a south-north-south route through the Panama Canal, down along the west coast of South America to Antarctica, then up along Argentina and Brazil to the heart of the Amazon River. The ship then crosses the Atlantic Ocean to Africa, sails north to Europe, and up to the North Cape before heading west across the northern Atlantic Ocean via Iceland and Greenland, and finally down the eastern shores of North America.
- Pole to Pole: Down south Volendam spends four days of scenic cruising in Antarctica and up north the ship crosses the Arctic Circle to the North Cape.
- 68 total ports across five continents and 28 countries.
- 8 overnight calls: Fuerte Amador, Panama; Callao (Lima), Peru; Buenos, Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Reykjavik, Iceland.
- Memorable Moments: Panama Canal transit, Cape Horn, Antarctica, Falkland Islands, exploring the Amazon River, Strait of Gibraltar, Norwegian fjords, North Cape, Iceland, and Greenland.
On January 4, 2025, the Grand World Voyage departs on the Zuiderdam. Cruisers aboard this ship will head through the Panama Canal to Easter Island and cross the Pacific Ocean to visit ports in Australia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. The ship then turns to South Africa before making its way up the eastern coast of Africa, through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean before heading back to Fort Lauderdale.
2025 Grand World Voyage Highlights (Zuiderdam)
- 124 days – Departing Jan. 4, 2025, round-trip from Fort Lauderdale.
- Transits the Panama Canal and makes way to Easter Island before crossing the South Pacific to Australia. Explores the Great Barrier Reef en route to Indonesia and Sri Lanka, then sails south to Cape Town, South Africa, by way of the Seychelles, back up along the eastern coast of Africa, through the Suez Canal to Portugal before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
- 46 total ports in 32 countries across six continents.
- 9 overnight calls: Callao (two nights); Easter Island; Papeete, Tahiti; Sydney, Australia; Singapore; Cape Town; Mombasa, Kenya; Safaga, Egypt; and Barcelona.
- 7 late-night departures: Manta, Ecuador; Seychelles; Cape Town and Durban, South Africa; Aqaba, Jordan; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; and Gibraltar, U.K.
- Memorable Moments: Panama Canal transit, two nights at Callao allowing time to visit Machu Picchu, Easter Island, scenic cruising in the Great Barrier Reef, two full days in Cape Town, the opportunity to visit Petra from Jordan, and experience Luxor from Safaga.
According to HAL’s website, full-cruise guests who book either voyage can receive onboard spending credits and amenities valued at up to $6,890 per person.
Visit https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US.html for more information about these Grand Voyages and other cruises via Holland America.
