Holland America Adds Caribbean Menus for 2025-26

Published on Oct 27, 2025, 7:20 pm CDT

4 min read

Key points

Caribbean menus, cocktails, and room service items run October 2025 through April 2026 across six ships
Culinary Ambassadors David Burke, Masaharu Morimoto, Ethan Stowell, and Jacques Torres add signature dishes
Programming includes two new cooking demos and new culinary shore excursions in multiple ports
Beverage lineup expands to 35+ rums, Aperol Spritz carts, and new regional juices and smoothies
Nearly 30 itineraries now include a new Miami, Florida homeport for the season

Impact

Booking Window: Choose from nearly 30 itineraries between October 2025 and April 2026
Dining Costs: Expect small supplemental fees for some ambassador dishes and special events
Beverage Choices: Look for expanded rum tastings and Aperol Spritz carts including at Half Moon Cay
Shore Plans: Consider new food-forward excursions for deeper local experiences
Ship Selection: All six ships in the region carry the updated menus including all three Pinnacle-class vessels

Holland America Line will infuse its Caribbean season with new regional dishes, island-inspired cocktails, cooking demonstrations, and culinary shore excursions from October 2025 through April 2026. The limited-time lineup spans all six ships sailing the region and features fresh port-to-plate options and signature items from the line's celebrity Culinary Ambassadors, including chefs David Burke, Masaharu Morimoto, Ethan Stowell, and chocolatier Jacques Torres. The season also adds Miami, Florida, as a homeport and offers nearly 30 itineraries across the eastern, western, and southern Caribbean.

Holland America Line - What's new for the season

The refreshed menus touch multiple venues. In the Dining Room, guests will see Caribbean specialties such as Chili Caribbean Shrimp Cocktail, Jerked Oxtail Croquette, Spiced Pork Belly, a Southwestern Salmon Bowl, and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Morimoto's trio of creations, including Yuzu-Butter Grilled Lobster Tails and a market whole fish with sweet tamarind-chili sauce, are part of the brand's Global Fresh Fish Program and carry a modest supplement. Burke, Stowell, and Torres add a rib eye, confit-lobster spaghetti, and a chocolate-dipped cheesecake, respectively, with new room-service items in suites as well.

Beyond the main restaurant, Lido Market will host an elevated Caribbean Seafood Boil featuring warm-water lobster, snapper, clams, mussels, crab, pink shrimp, and Caribbean rum cake. A themed dinner by the Lido Pool will bring live music and regional plates, while a returning Caribbean Brunch and a once-per-cruise Caribbean Teatime broaden the options for sea days.

The beverage program expands with more than 35 distinct rums specific to the Caribbean deployments, a Rum Ambassador tasting series, and mobile Aperol Spritz carts, including a Piaggio on RelaxAway at Half Moon Cay. New regional juices and smoothies will appear at Juice@Gelato aboard Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, and Rotterdam.

Latest developments

Programming goes beyond eating and drinking. Two new cooking shows on World Stage will demonstrate Caribbean techniques and recipes so guests can recreate favorite dishes at home. Ashore, new tours highlight local foodways, such as rum-and-chocolate pairings in Aruba, a beachfront cooking class in Antigua, and a Bajan culinary workshop in Barbados.

Operationally, the season features nearly 30 itineraries on six ships, with Miami added as a homeport and the return of Koningsdam, which means all three Pinnacle-class ships will be in the Caribbean. That mix increases capacity for popular seven-night runs and longer nine- to 14-night sailings that visit more islands or include a partial Panama Canal transit.

Analysis

For travelers, the update blends trend-forward dining with destination tie-ins that increasingly matter when choosing a cruise. The Caribbean Seafood Boil and expanded rum list are high-signal experiences for sea days, while the cooking shows and food-centric excursions add depth in port. Expect nominal surcharges on certain ambassador dishes and specialty events, common across premium lines and sign-posted on menus, which helps keep the base dining experience inclusive while funding limited-quantity items.

Background: Holland America has leaned into regional sourcing through its Global Fresh Fish Program and a stable of Culinary Ambassadors. In recent seasons the brand refreshed concepts like Rudi's Sel de Mer and Tamarind and introduced Morimoto-branded offerings, signaling a strategy to rotate seasonal menus tied to itinerary geography. The Caribbean rollout fits that arc, with the port-to-plate dishes and ambassador spotlights anchoring the seasonal pivot.

For planning, consider ship selection and sea-day cadence. Pinnacle-class vessels, such as Rotterdam and Nieuw Statendam, carry the most beverage-program variety and Juice@Gelato locations, while the Caribbean Teatime and brunch appear fleetwide. If a particular dish is a must-try, ask onboard dining staff which evenings feature the rotating items and whether surcharges apply. Trade coverage corroborates the seasonal scope and the beverage details, offering another sign that the rollout is broad rather than limited to a single ship.

Final thoughts

Holland America Line's Caribbean menu update adds clear reasons to book the 2025-26 season, with authentic dishes, an expanded rum program, and new culinary experiences on board and ashore. If food and beverage are priorities, compare itineraries that maximize sea days for special dining events and time ashore for the new tours, then lock in dining reservations early.