The cruise operator is marking a century of Caribbean sailings with limited-time fare reductions and onboard credit across selected 2026 itineraries.
Holland America Line is marking 100 years of Caribbean cruising with a limited-time promotion that pairs selected fare reductions with onboard spending credit. The offer covers Caribbean sailings departing through April 30, 2026, and includes up to 50% off fares, a $50 per guest onboard credit and Free Fares for Kids aged 18 and under on selected voyages. The campaign links a historic milestone with a practical incentive as the company seeks to frame its established Caribbean presence for current travellers.
The anniversary traces back to Veendam II, which sailed from New York in February 1926 on what the company describes as its first Caribbean voyage. The 26-day itinerary visited Havana, Kingston, Colón and Cristóbal, Cartagena, San Juan and Bermuda before returning to New York. Holland America Line says the voyage placed it among the first operators to offer regularly scheduled holidays in the region, during the North Atlantic off-season.
The eligible programme spans departures from Fort Lauderdale and Miami and includes a range of itinerary lengths and destinations. Examples include a 10-day sailing covering the Greater Antilles, Belize and Mexico; a 10-day Southern Caribbean voyage featuring Amber Cove and the ABC Islands; and a 12-day itinerary visiting the US and British Virgin Islands. Seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean options are also included, with departures scheduled across late February, March and early April 2026.
The offer is also being used to reinforce the type of holiday experience Holland America Line wants associated with its Caribbean operation. The company contrasts its proposition with larger ships, amusement parks at sea and crowded decks, instead highlighting quieter onboard spaces, globally inspired cuisine, a measured pace ashore and time at its private Bahamian destination, RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. Those descriptions position the promotion as more than a price reduction, connecting value with a particular style of cruising.
Holland America Line’s account of its Caribbean history includes early calls at Willemstad, Curaçao and St. Thomas in 1927, a dedicated call at Cristóbal and Colón in 1938, and the opening of Half Moon Cay in 1997. The company says Florida, particularly Fort Lauderdale, became its primary gateway as commercial air travel reshaped Caribbean cruising from the 1970s onwards. The centenary campaign therefore combines a time-limited sales message with an effort to keep that longer narrative visible as the region remains central to its winter programme.
