Koninsgsdam to sail series of northern Europe and Baltic cruises from Amsterdam in summer 2016
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line’s (HAL) latest newbuild Koningsdam is to sail a series of northern Europe and Baltic cruises when she debuts in summer 2016.
In February 2016, Koningsdam will launch with seven-day Premier Voyages and 12-day Premiere Sailings from the Italian port of Civitavecchia. The ship will sail to various destinations in countries such as Croatia, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Sicily, Sardinia, Gibraltar and Spain.
Following a 13-day repositioning cruise from the Mediterranean, which departs 9 May and includes calls at ten ports in Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, France and Belgium, the ship will head to her summer homeport of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Joining seven other HAL ships that will sail in Europe in summer 2016, Koningsdam will offer a series of roundtrips from her Amsterdam homeport to Norway, the Baltic and Iceland.
“For the first summer sailing season of our beautiful new ship Koningsdam, we’ve crafted some incredible itineraries to Europe’s most beautiful ports,” said Orlando Ashford, president of HAL. “We recommend booking early because response to Koningsdam’s Premiere Voyages was overwhelmingly positive.”
In May, July and August, Koningsdam will sail seven-day Norwegian itineraries to Flam, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Oslo, sailing through Sognefjord and Oslofjord. Another seven-day itinerary in June and July calls at Eidfjord, Alesund, Geiranger and Bergen, with scenic cruising in Hardangerfjord and Geirangerfjord. A seven-day voyage in August calls at Bergen, Hellesylt, Geiranger, Alesund and Eidfjord, with Hardangerfjord and Geirangerfjord scenic cruising.
Guests can also opt for 14-day Norwegian itineraries, which depart on 29 May and 17 July, crossing the Arctic Circle and calling at eight ports in Norway. The ship will sail through Hardangerfjord, Geirangerfjord, Trondheimsfjord, the North Cape and Sognefjord.
In August, Koningsdam will sail a British Isles and Baltic Round Out cruise from Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK, to South Queensferry and Invergordon in Scotland; Reykjavik (overnight), Isafjordur and Akuruyri in Iceland; and Alesund and Bergen in Norway.
Two-week Baltic cruises are also available in June and September. Sailing roundtrip from Amsterdam, the ship will call at Copenhagen, Denmark; Warnemunde and Kiel, Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg (overnight), Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden.
At the end of the summer season, Koningsdam will offer a 12-day cruise from Amsterdam to Civitavecchia via the England, Gibraltar, Portugal and four ports in Spain. On 24 October, the ship will reposition to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, US, during a 14-day voyage that calls at Alicante, Malaga and Huelva in Spain, and Funchal in Madeira before crossing the Atlantic.
Koningsdam, which is the first in HAL’s Pinnacle class and the largest ever built for HAL, will accommodate 2,650 guests and 1,025 crew members. The ship will offer a range of new innovative features and reimagined interiors created by hospitality designer Adam Tihany and designer and architect Bjorn Storbraaten.