🚢 Cruise Pulse

Holland America Adds More Extended Caribbean Sailings for 2027-28 Season

Holland America Line has unveiled its 2027-28 Caribbean season, with 47 departures across 29 itineraries running October 2027 through March 2028, calling at 35 ports in 25 countries across the Eastern, Western, and Southern Caribbean. Cruises range from 5 to 28 days, and the line says it will offer more 9-day-or-longer Caribbean sailings than any other cruise line that season. Nearly every itinerary will stop at the private island RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, which is getting a new beach club, more cabanas and villas, pickleball, and added dining and beverage stations. The reimagined Oosterdam, featuring new Solo Verandah staterooms, Bridgeview Suites, and Vista Suites, debuts on Caribbean sailings in December 2027 after a dry dock in Palermo, Italy. A 28-day Pan Am 100th Anniversary voyage aboard Zuiderdam departs Miami on October 30, 2027, visiting 19 ports in 13 countries. Bookings are open now.
💡 What This Means For You

If you're eyeing the 2027-28 Caribbean season, bookings are already open for sailings aboard Eurodam, Oosterdam, Rotterdam, Volendam, and Zuiderdam departing from Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Check the 28-day Pan Am 100th Anniversary sailing on Zuiderdam departing October 30, 2027, from Miami, or look for the reimagined Oosterdam starting Caribbean sailings in December 2027. Eight holiday departures cover Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, so book early if those dates matter to you.

📝 Mark's Take

Holland America is leaning hard into longer, port-heavy itineraries — 47 departures, some running up to 28 days, with a stated goal of beating every other line on 9-plus-day Caribbean sailings. My read: that's a bet on guests who've already done the standard weeklong loop and want the ABC Islands or a partial Panama Canal transit instead. The Oosterdam refit, with Solo Verandah cabins and new suite categories, tells me solo travelers and premium bookers are the target demographic here. Pairing that with sister company Carnival's recent pier investment at the shared Half Moon Cay island suggests both brands are squeezing more value from that one property rather than building new ones. The Pan Am 100th Anniversary sailing on Zuiderdam is the collector's-item booking of the bunch — 19 ports in 28 days is not a casual cruise. If I were booking, I'd lock in early since bookings just opened July 6, 2026.

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