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Holland America South America, Antarctica 2027-28 Adds Ship

Holland America South America Antarctica cruises, a ship sailing past Antarctic icebergs under overcast skies
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5 min read

Holland America Line is moving its 2027 to 2028 South America and Antarctica season earlier than prior years, and it is also swapping in Nieuw Amsterdam for added capacity and more onboard venue options. The headline for travelers is more sailing choices, longer itineraries, and a wider range of stateroom and suite inventory to book, with voyages scheduled from October 2027 through March 2028, and running as long as 41 days.

The company says the itineraries open for booking on February 24, 2026, and the season includes sailings built around Antarctica scenic cruising, the Chilean Fjords, and major South America ports, plus longer "legendary" style routings that can change how you plan pre cruise flights and buffer nights.

Holland America South America Antarctica Cruises: What Is New

Nieuw Amsterdam will make her first South America appearance in this season, replacing Oosterdam, and Holland America is positioning that swap as both a capacity add and a product upgrade. In practical terms, a ship change is not just a brochure detail, it can affect cabin availability in the categories that sell out first, dining venue access patterns, and the feel of long sea day stretches when you are sailing deep in the southern latitudes.

Holland America also tied the earlier start to "additional sailings," which usually matters most for travelers who are date locked by school calendars, work constraints, or holiday windows. If your goal is Antarctica without giving up a full month of PTO, more departures can be the difference between "not possible this year" and "possible with tradeoffs."

Who This Season Fits Best

This season is built for travelers who want one long, cohesive trip rather than a quick highlight reel. Longer voyages can pay off if you care about scenic cruising days, fjord timing, and fewer rushed port calls, but the tradeoff is that flights, hotel nights, and travel insurance start to matter more because one missed connection can cascade into a major itinerary break.

It is also a strong fit for travelers comparing expedition leaning experiences across cruise brands, but who still want a traditional premium ship experience onboard. If you are cross shopping other long itinerary products, it can help to look at how other lines are staffing destination programming, for example, the way Seabourn is emphasizing expert led small craft outings in Alaska as a differentiator. That is a different region, but it is the same decision logic: on long, nature driven itineraries, the onboard enrichment and destination operations often matter more than an extra restaurant. Seabourn Alaska 2026, Encore Adds New Expedition Team

What Travelers Should Do Now

If you are considering this season, treat February 24, 2026 as your first decision checkpoint, because that is when Holland America says the itineraries open for sale. Book early if you are date locked, if you want suites, or if you are trying to line up a specific routing, then adjust flights later when schedules firm up and your buffer nights are locked.

If you are a loyalty member, the next threshold is whether you can book within the early booking window that triggers the Mariner Society onboard credit, which Holland America markets as up to $400 per stateroom on select cruises. This is not "free money," it is an incentive with terms, so verify eligibility on the specific sailing you pick and confirm whether any other discounts you plan to use are combinable.

If South America ports are part of your plan, align documents early, not a week before departure. Entry rules can shift, and some travelers will need visas or eVisas depending on nationality and routing, so use an up to date destination checklist as part of booking, not as an afterthought. Brazil Entry Requirements For Tourists In 2026

Why This Launch Matters for 2027 to 2028 Planning

Holland America's pitch is straightforward: starting the season earlier creates more inventory, and putting Nieuw Amsterdam in the region increases capacity while giving guests access to familiar dining and enrichment venues. The operational consequence is that travelers get more ways to build an "Antarctica plus South America" trip that matches their time budget, and advisors get more sail dates to solve for the real constraint, which is usually the traveler's calendar, not the traveler's interest.

The company also used the announcement to push time limited booking perks tied to its Have It All package. In the February 24, 2026 release, Holland America said that booking Have It All for these cruises includes the added perk of free prepaid crew appreciation, plus upgrades to the Elite Beverage Package and Premium Wi Fi, which can change the effective cost if you were going to buy those items anyway.

Finally, this is part of a broader pattern in premium cruising, longer curated itineraries are being used as the product, not just the route. You can see the same "longer, deeper, more specific" strategy in other high end deployments, even when the regions differ. If you are planning multiple big trips for 2027 and 2028, compare calendar fit first, then compare what is included, and then compare cancellation terms, because those three levers usually matter more than one more port on a 30 day itinerary. Four Seasons Yachts 2027 Caribbean Season Adds Costa Rica

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