Holland America Line extends 2026 Europe cruise season

Friday, 11 Apr, 2025 0

Holland America Line will extend its 2026 Europe cruise season by an extra six weeks.

HAL has now opened bookings for four cruises available as part of the extended season.

Cruisers have further opportunities to explore the Mediterranean and Norway — including a sailing to see the Northern Lights that enters the Arctic Circle.

Each of the newly added cruises will sail aboard Nieuw Statendam roundtrip or one-way from Rotterdam.

“Cruises rooted in the culture and history of Europe are proving to be popular with our guests, and extending the season means more opportunities for our personalized service in the region,” said Paul Grigsby, HAL’s VP of deployment. “With 2026 projected to be a peak year for aurora activity, adding a Northern Lights cruise late in the year gives our guests a better opportunity to see this phenomenon.”

The 14-Day Arctic Journey and Northern Lights with The HISTORY Channel cruise, departing on Nov. 7 is now bookable.

The ship will sail north, calling at Ålesund, Trondheim and crossing the Arctic Circle before reaching Tromsø, known as the “Capital of the Arctic.”

This is base camp for many aurora hunters.

The ship then spends an overnight at Alta before sailing to hard-to-reach Leknes (Lofoten).

Before returning to Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam visits Åndalsnes, Bergen and Lerwick, Scotland.

Also open for booking is a 14-Day Mediterranean and Atlantic Treasures: Lisbon Overnight, departing November 21.

The cruise explores seven ports in Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar: Cadiz (Seville), Malaga (Granada), Alicante, Cartagena (Murcia), Gibraltar and Leixoes — as well as an overnight in Lisbon.

While in Lisbon, guests can book shore excursions taking them to the city’s two UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery.

Guests can also book a 7-Day Norway with Nordfjord or 15-Day Cultural Crossing with England and Normandy.

For a limited time, when guests book these four European extension cruises with the Have It All premium package, the standard package amenities of shore excursions, specialty dining, a Signature Beverage Package and Surf Wi-Fi are included.

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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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