Holland America Unveils 2026 Holiday Cruises With Seasonal Dining
Bookings made October 13–21 on selected holiday voyages can include up to $200 in onboard credit per stateroom and one complimentary specialty-dining night.
Holland America Line has announced its 2026 holiday cruise program, with seasonal dining, entertainment and celebrations across its 11-ship fleet. The Oct. 15 announcement covers Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s voyages and introduces a Magnolia Gingerbread Cake for the Dining Room.
The program comes with the line’s Save on Sunshine promotion, offering fare reductions of up to 50% on selected departures. Children can also sail free as the third or fourth occupant of the same stateroom on eligible cruises.
Bookings made Oct. 13–21 can receive additional incentives on selected holiday voyages: up to $200 in onboard credit per stateroom and one complimentary specialty-dining night. The announcement did not include starting fares for the featured itineraries.
“The holidays are a time when traditions and togetherness matter most, and traveling doesn’t mean leaving those traditions behind,” said Michael Stendebach, Holland America Line’s vice president of food, beverage and rooms division.
Holiday menus and onboard celebrations
Dining events will include Thanksgiving dinner, Breakfast with Santa at Christmas, a Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes and Nutcracker Tea. Seasonal menus will feature turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, latkes and eggnog, alongside dishes inspired by the destinations visited.
The new cake expands Holland America’s collaboration with Magnolia Bakery. That partnership also includes a once-per-cruise Banana Pudding Bar in Lido Market on Caribbean itineraries during the 2026–2027 season, where guests can assemble servings with pudding, bananas, vanilla wafers and additional mix-ins.
Seasonal coffees include Christmas Cocoamint Coffee, Vanilla Gingerbread Latte and Eggnog Latte, while the cocktail list adds the De Lijn Ginger Mojito, Rudolph the Red Margarita and Minty Elf Martini.
Shipboard activities will range from ceremonial tree lightings and carol singing to holiday films, crew performances and family activities. Culinary teams will construct gingerbread villages, with each ship creating its own design through hours of preparation, baking and assembly.
New Year’s Eve brings parties around the ships and a champagne toast to welcome 2027.
Featured holiday departures
The broader holiday schedule includes voyages in the Caribbean, Antarctica and Australia. The line’s featured Thanksgiving sailing is Koningsdam’s seven-day roundtrip Baja Peninsula cruise from San Diego, departing Nov. 21. For Christmas travel, Zaandam will depart San Diego on Dec. 19 for a 15-day Panama Canal Holiday voyage ending in Fort Lauderdale.
Two longer Caribbean cruises will leave Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 22. Rotterdam will operate an 11-day Eastern Caribbean Holiday itinerary visiting the Windward and Leeward islands, while Volendam will sail a 14-day Southern Caribbean holiday route covering the ABC and Windward islands.
Eurodam’s seven-day Western Caribbean Holiday cruise will depart Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 26. That roundtrip itinerary covers the Greater Antilles and Mexico.
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