HAL sailing in with two grand cruises

SOUTHAMPTON BOUND: HAL's Rotterdam SOUTHAMPTON BOUND: HAL's Rotterdam

Premium cruise operator Holland America Line (HAL) is to begin operating from Southampton.

In a move that is a first for HAL, the company is to deploy the 61,849-ton Rotterdam, which entered service in 1997, in Southampton later this year.

HAL refused to be drawn on whether the city’s docks will see further departures by the company’s ships, but the operator is keen to “test the water’’ in Southampton with these two voyages.

On November 3, Rotterdam will set sail from Southampton on a 32-night voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and back.

After calling at the Azores, the ship stops off at the Caribbean ports of Tortola, St Maarten, St Lucia, Trinidad, Barbados and all three “ABC” islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, before returning to Southampton on December 5, via a call in Funchal, Madeira.

Then passengers will be able to embark on Rotterdam’s 88-night passage to the Far East departing from Southampton on January 10 next year.

The round-trip UK voyage takes an easterly route to Asia, passing through the Suez Canal and calling at destinations in Spain, Greece and India after a far-reaching journey to the Far East.

Rotterdam will undertake several overnight stays and extended time in port during calls throughout Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore.

Another highlight includes an in-depth two-week exploration of Indonesia, home to many HAL crew.

Lynn Narraway, HAL’s managing director for UK and Ireland, who is based in Southampton’s Carnival House, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer these two spectacular, inaugural voyages from Southampton during winter 2012 and 2013.

“Holland America Line has always been a leader in Grand Voyages, offering as many as four of these extended sailings in one year, including the 114-night annual World Voyage, however full voyage departures have always been from USA ports.

“Now with our presence in Southampton, for the first time, we can offer British guests the opportunity to take a no-fly voyage with us.”

HAL has been a part of the Miami-based Carnival Corpor-ation, which also includes Southampton-based Cunard, and P&O Cruises, since 1989.

It was founded in 1737 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company, which had its headquarters in Rotterdam.

Comments(17)

Ginger_cyclist says...
11:37am Tue 19 Jun 12

Lol Eat that Liverpool.

peasant says...
12:00pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Oh, fork handles. After reading the headline I though the story was going to tell us about introductory £2000 cruises!

southy says...
12:13pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Not the first time Holland America as used Southampton port, its good to see them back after being absent for many years.

loosehead says...
12:56pm Tue 19 Jun 12

southy wrote:
Not the first time Holland America as used Southampton port, its good to see them back after being absent for many years.
Thought you would have been against more tourism?
Surely you would have wanted them to go to Liverpool?

Lone Ranger. says...
1:40pm Tue 19 Jun 12

loosehead wrote:
southy wrote:
Not the first time Holland America as used Southampton port, its good to see them back after being absent for many years.
Thought you would have been against more tourism?
Surely you would have wanted them to go to Liverpool?
Why would he want that??

Georgem says...
1:54pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Lone Ranger. wrote:
loosehead wrote:
southy wrote:
Not the first time Holland America as used Southampton port, its good to see them back after being absent for many years.
Thought you would have been against more tourism?
Surely you would have wanted them to go to Liverpool?
Why would he want that??
Tourism is a symptom of capitalism, which is the root of all evil. We should all be too busy ploughing fields with our bare hands and living on rationed potatoes, to go on cruises.

OSPREYSAINT says...
4:29pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Georgem wrote:
Lone Ranger. wrote:
loosehead wrote:
southy wrote:
Not the first time Holland America as used Southampton port, its good to see them back after being absent for many years.
Thought you would have been against more tourism?
Surely you would have wanted them to go to Liverpool?
Why would he want that??
Tourism is a symptom of capitalism, which is the root of all evil. We should all be too busy ploughing fields with our bare hands and living on rationed potatoes, to go on cruises.
Tourism creates jobs, Capitalism creates misery, no comparison.

Baybrit says...
5:09pm Tue 19 Jun 12

I used to work for Van Ommeren in Below Bar in the 70s, they were the Holland America agents in the city. It's good to see a Southampton connection with Holland America Lines again.

X Old Bill says...
7:30pm Tue 19 Jun 12

I hope the 'Dam' ships decide to use the port - it will give a bit more choice.
They may all be Carnival ships but they all cater for a different customer base.

arizonan says...
7:57pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Why mention Liverpool? This is a Southampton news story.
BTW, the Liverpool Cruise Terminal is a temporary structure that does not operate in the Winter.

loosehead says...
9:19pm Tue 19 Jun 12

Lone Ranger. wrote:
loosehead wrote:
southy wrote:
Not the first time Holland America as used Southampton port, its good to see them back after being absent for many years.
Thought you would have been against more tourism?
Surely you would have wanted them to go to Liverpool?
Why would he want that??
So you haven't followed Southy's posts in the past then?

loosehead says...
9:21pm Tue 19 Jun 12

arizonan wrote:
Why mention Liverpool? This is a Southampton news story.
BTW, the Liverpool Cruise Terminal is a temporary structure that does not operate in the Winter.
I apologise this wasn't a swipe at Liverpool this was a swipe at the poster & the comments he has come out with in the past so once again Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression

flatulence hero says...
6:56am Wed 20 Jun 12

Hope all you meddling cheating scousers read this.

Great news for the wonderful port of Southampton.

Scousers one right up your Mersey chaps!!

southy says...
9:38am Wed 20 Jun 12

loosehead wrote:
Lone Ranger. wrote:
loosehead wrote:
southy wrote:
Not the first time Holland America as used Southampton port, its good to see them back after being absent for many years.
Thought you would have been against more tourism?
Surely you would have wanted them to go to Liverpool?
Why would he want that??
So you haven't followed Southy's posts in the past then?
Nore have you by the looks off things.

southy says...
9:43am Wed 20 Jun 12

loosehead wrote:
arizonan wrote:
Why mention Liverpool? This is a Southampton news story.
BTW, the Liverpool Cruise Terminal is a temporary structure that does not operate in the Winter.
I apologise this wasn't a swipe at Liverpool this was a swipe at the poster & the comments he has come out with in the past so once again Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression
You all ways do give the wrong impression its in your nature to do so, But then you have a dislike to any one that are real Socialist and your kind been trying to drive them away and stop them from posting and letting others know the what is going on.
Like OSPREYSAINT said "Capitalism creates misery" and you deal in Human misery.

southy says...
9:45am Wed 20 Jun 12

arizonan wrote:
Why mention Liverpool? This is a Southampton news story.
BTW, the Liverpool Cruise Terminal is a temporary structure that does not operate in the Winter.
Your get use to that they like to take of course and when it go's wrong for them like it often do, they will blame me for doing it or one of the other real socialist.

loosehead says...
12:07pm Wed 20 Jun 12

southy wrote:
loosehead wrote:
arizonan wrote:
Why mention Liverpool? This is a Southampton news story.
BTW, the Liverpool Cruise Terminal is a temporary structure that does not operate in the Winter.
I apologise this wasn't a swipe at Liverpool this was a swipe at the poster & the comments he has come out with in the past so once again Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression
You all ways do give the wrong impression its in your nature to do so, But then you have a dislike to any one that are real Socialist and your kind been trying to drive them away and stop them from posting and letting others know the what is going on.
Like OSPREYSAINT said "Capitalism creates misery" and you deal in Human misery.
Well I don't give a **** if Osprey tells me off for this but you are nothing but a brain dead socialist.
You have written in the past about how Liverpool should get cruises back & I have told you to go & live there if you love it so much.
Your style of socialism is dead & any Labour Party that stuck to those policies would have been unelectable that's why Blair changed it but you think he was a Tory don't you?
I have listened to you tried to debate with you & you come out with this C*ap?

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