Holland America Grand Voyages Depart U.S. Coasts
Holland America Line has launched two long duration Grand Voyages from opposite U.S. coasts, sending one ship out on a 133 day world itinerary and another on a 93 day Australia and New Zealand itinerary. The departures affect guests embarking roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and San Diego, California, plus travelers joining later segments tied to those sailings. Anyone planning flights, pre cruise hotels, and key onboard events should now align their timing to the voyages' early itinerary rhythm, and to the mid voyage meetup planned in Sydney, Australia.
The change is straightforward, Holland America Grand Voyages 2026 are now underway after both ships departed on January 4, 2026, which matters because long voyages compress cabin availability, tighten event demand onboard, and raise the cost of a missed embarkation day.
The 133 day Grand World Voyage is sailing on Volendam, with the line positioning the sailing as a slow travel style circumnavigation that includes dozens of port calls across multiple regions. The 93 day Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage is sailing on Zaandam, built around South Pacific and Australia and New Zealand depth, including port calls that are harder to reach on shorter itineraries. Holland America also tied this launch moment to the kind of onboard programming that can change how guests pace sea days, shore days, and dining reservations, especially when special events are clustered around marquee ports.
Who Is Affected
Guests embarking in Fort Lauderdale will feel the operational stakes first, because most travelers arrive through Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and then depend on tight timing between baggage claim, transfers, and port check in. Guests embarking in San Diego face a similar chain through San Diego International Airport (SAN), with the added wrinkle that winter weather elsewhere in the U.S. can still create misconnects that only show up late in the travel day.
Travelers joining later, or following the voyages for specific onboard moments, also have a clear calendar anchor. Holland America has scheduled the two Grand Voyages to meet in Sydney, Australia, on March 7, with a shared onboard experience planned while both ships are in port. For guests who plan to book Sydney shore excursions, or who are building independent time in the city before or after the port call, the relevant air gateway is Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), and the key risk is that long itineraries can slide port arrival times when earlier legs absorb weather, mechanical, or port congestion delays.
Prospective bookers are also affected, because Holland America is actively selling future long voyages while the current ones sail. The line has two Grand Voyages open for 2027, a Grand World Voyage and a Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage, and long duration sailings often see specific cabin locations disappear early, even when the ship still shows broad availability.
Finally, Alaska cruisers get a separate but related update. Holland America says it will sell a limited edition, numbered, Alaska themed Pendleton throw blanket onboard its Alaska sailings in 2026, which is relevant to travelers who treat onboard purchases as part of the trip plan, and who prefer to avoid relying on mid season restocks.
What Travelers Should Do
Travelers embarking a Grand Voyage should treat air travel as part of the cruise, not a separate item. Build at least one pre cruise hotel night, use luggage tracking, and keep embarkation documents, prescriptions, and one change of clothes in carry on bags so a late checked bag does not become a first week problem. If you are traveling with specialty dining priorities or signature events in mind, identify those dates early, then plan sea day recovery around them so you do not burn energy during the first adjustment week.
For decision thresholds, the clearest fork is full voyage versus segment versus a different year. If a must have cabin location, a suite category, or a specific onboard event is the driver, waiting rarely improves the odds, it usually reduces choice. If the price is the driver and you are flexible on cabin location, a refundable booking strategy can make sense, hold the best available option now, then compare against later promotions with clear rules for repricing or rebooking.
Over the next 24 to 72 hours, current guests should monitor the ship's daily program for reservations and venue timing changes as the sailing settles into its cadence. Prospective guests should monitor cabin inventory signals, including category sellouts and the reappearance of cabins after final payment deadlines on other sailings, because that is when desirable inventory can briefly return. Alaska travelers who want the Pendleton throw should monitor onboard availability early in the cruise, since limited edition items can sell through well before the final port days.
How It Works
A Grand Voyage is a long duration itinerary designed to create a stable onboard community while still delivering port density. That structure changes the travel system around it in ways that are easy to miss if you only cruise for a week. First order effects start at embarkation, because a missed flight can mean a missed ship, and joining later can require international flights, visas, and complex transfers to a distant port.
Second order ripples show up across multiple layers. Air schedules and hotel inventory in gateway cities can tighten around the same weekend when large numbers of guests arrive, especially for travelers who prefer premium brands near the port. Onboard, the longer the voyage, the more important pacing becomes, specialty dining, enrichment programming, and theme nights can create internal demand spikes that feel like mini event weekends, even though the ship is at sea. Shore side, long itineraries can also shift how travelers book tours, guests tend to book deeper, longer excursions, which can tighten tour capacity in smaller ports when the ship arrives.
Holland America is leaning into that Grand Voyage dynamic with special programming and a planned crossover moment. The company says Volendam's Grand World Voyage includes Culinary Ambassador programming, and it has positioned the March 7 Sydney meetup as a shared experience for guests from both ships. That kind of programming matters because it can change behavior onboard, guests cluster around one day events, adjust dining times, and sometimes shift shore plans to protect the anchor moment.
The Alaska blanket collaboration is a different kind of signal, but it fits the same commercial logic. Alaska sailings are a core Holland America product line, and limited edition onboard merchandise can become both a keepsake and a scarcity driven purchase that travelers prioritize early in the trip.
Related reading, Holland America Grand Voyages 2026 add star chefs. Booking context, Holland America Start Your Journey Sale, Up To 30% Off. Entry planning for the Australia portion, Australia Entry Requirements For Tourists 2025 2026.