It’s a time for celebrations as cruise line fleets have finally returned to full strength after more than two years of having some ships laid up due to pandemic restrictions.
Holland America Line celebrated the restart of the last of its 11 ships as Westerdam embarked passengers in Seattle for an Alaska cruise season that will extend through September.
Meanwhile, Silversea Cruises’ entire 10-ship fleet is now carrying passengers. The renovated Silver Wind has re-entered service as an expedition ship that will be doing Arctic explorations that include a Northwest Passage crossing In August.
And Norwegian Cruise Line is shifting Norwegian Sun from of Asia which is still facing lockdowns to year-round Portugal and the Canary Islands cruises. That means there will be nine NCL ships sailing in Europe in 2022 and the company’s first year- round presence in Europe.
Norwegian Sun will begin sailing in the Canary Islands Nov. 21. Cruises on the nearly 2,000-passenger ship will range from 10 to 14 days from a choice of embarkation ports, including Lisbon, Málaga and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Demand is the key as guests are finally confident in making cruise plans as pandemic restrictions wind down, the lines say. Carnival, Cunard, Regent Seven Seas and Royal Caribbean have recently reported days and weeks that set sales records.
It’s been more than a year in the making, Holland America president Gus Antorcha said. “Every ribbon cutting has brought us one step closer to today, and everyone in the Holland America Line family worked with passion and determination to achieve this milestone.”
Since HAL began its comeback in July 2021, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Noordam, Oosterdam, Rotterdam, Zaandam and Zuiderdam have returned to service with cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, the California coast and South Pacific.
Volendam currently is on charter in Rotterdam as a floating hotel for displaced Ukrainian families. If all goes well, it will resume sailing Mediterranean voyages from Italy starting in September.
Silversea has actually seen the delivery of three new ships in the past year. The Silver Moon was launched in late 2021 and Silver Dawn and expedition ship Silver Nova entered service this spring.
An extensive renovation saw Silver Wind transformed into an expedition vessel with an ice-strengthened hull. Silver Wind is now equipped with 24 Zodiacs and 14 kayaks, a dedicated mudroom, a photo studio and a heated swimming pool. Up to 28 expedition experts will be onboard. This was the second phase of a major renovation started in December 2018 to refresh the interiors with new furniture, carpets and wall treatments.
After its summer of Arctic explorations, Silver Wind will explore the Pacific coasts of the Americas before starting an Antarctic season in the winter.
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