On Tuesday, April 16, we’re hosting #CruiseChat on Twitter! The topic is going to be “140 Years of Holland America Line,” so if you’re a fan of Holland America Line and like to tweet, join us at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern. If you’re not familiar with CruiseChat, it’s a weekly Twitter event dedicated to the discussion of cruise travel in a fun, informative and engaging format. Don’t forget to follow us at @HALcruises. We hope to “see” you there!

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The star power just got brighter on our “Dancing with the Stars at Sea” theme cruises with the addition of Olympic champion and “Dancing with the Stars” season eight winner Shawn Johnson to three sailings in 2013. If you want to meet America’s sweetheart and see her perform, Johnson will be on on Veendam’s June 22 voyage and Oosterdam’s June 30 and July 7 cruises.

Johnson won season eight of “Dancing with the Stars” with professional partner Mark Ballas, who will be sailing with her on the June 22 departure. She also competed in the 2012 All-Star season where she was the runner-up with dance professional Derek Hough.

Dance professional Chelsie Hightower also is scheduled to sail June 22, 2013, on Veendam’s seven-day Canada and New England voyage with Johnson and Ballas.

Dance professionals Kym Johnson and Tristan MacManus are scheduled to sail with Johnson on ms Oosterdam’s June 30 and July 7 seven-day Alaska cruises along with celebrity Carson Kressley.

In 2014, the “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” theme cruises will be on board Nieuw Amsterdam. Seven-day voyages include an eastern Caribbean cruise January 5 and a western Caribbean cruise January 12. Celebrities are to be announced.

The 16th season of “Dancing with the Stars” will premiere on Monday, March 18, 2013, at 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC.

Topics: Art, Activities & Entertainment, ms Oosterdam, ms Veendam, News | | No Comments

The Twitter community has spoken. The fans of #CruiseChat voted Holland America Line the “Most Romantic Cruise Line” in their recent Birdie Awards! What do you think is the most romantic aspect of a HAL cruise? Take our Romance-at-Sea survey on Facebook and let us know!

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On Jan. 26, at Port of San Diego in California, HAL hosted a fundraiser luncheon aboard Zaandam for Vista Hill Foundation, one of the company’s community partners. Following the luncheon in the ship’s main dining room, guests were invited to tour the ship. Vista Hill is a nonprofit organization that focuses on mental illness, substance abuse and developmental disabilities for people of all ages. Vista Hill programs currently provide services to nearly 6,000 families annually at numerous sites throughout San Diego County.

Their major programs include the Stein Education Center, serving children and adults with developmental disabilities and behavioral challenges; the ParentCare Family Recovery Center, assisting mothers with substance abuse problems and their children; and the Learning Assistance Center, providing school-based mental health treatment to students in numerous north inland area school districts. Vista Hill’s Community Services division provides a variety of early intervention services to troubled youth and families throughout San Diego, many of which are free of charge to participants.

From left: Angela Rowe, Michael Emerson and Rachel Peniche.

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Topics: Corporate Giving, ms Zaandam, News | | No Comments

Blog contributor and HAL Mariner Fred Claessen currently is on board Rotterdam’s “A Passage to the Far East” cruise and will be sending in posts from this extended voyage.

Here is a photo from Rotterdam’s maiden call at Abu Dhabi.

Topics: Cruise Diary, Grand Voyages, ms Rotterdam, News | | 1 Comment

In honor of World Cancer Day, today Holland America Line announced “On Deck for a Cause,” a new shipboard giving program that will benefit six international cancer organizations located in the United States, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Germany and United Kingdom.

On Deck for a Cause invites our guests to participate in a noncompetitive 5k fundraising walk on every sailing aboard each of our 15 ships, with proceeds to be distributed among the American Cancer Society, Canadian Cancer Society, Cancer Council Australia, Cancer Research UK, Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Aid) and KWF Kankerbestrijding (Dutch Cancer Society). The program will be implemented on the ships in the coming month.

Guests of all ages are invited to donate $20 to the Holland America Line Foundation, with a minimum of 80 percent ($16) to be distributed to the organizations. The remaining 20 percent will cover program and administrative expenses. On a day at sea, participants join in a 5k walk around the ship’s decks. Guests may walk less or not at all, as they prefer. Participants also will receive an On Deck for a Cause T-shirt, wristband and a reception following the walk. Depending on the ship, the distance to reach 5k ranges from nine to 12 laps.

So next time you’re on board, we hope to see you out walking “On Deck for a Cause!”

Topics: Corporate Giving, News | | 9 Comments

On January 23, Prinsendam hosted Chile’s Minister of Economy and Tourism Pablo Longueira Montes and several members of the local media when the ship called at Valparaiso. The function was held in the ship’s Crow’s Nest with spectacular views over Valparaiso and the captain gave a wonderful speech. Enjoy these photos from the event.

From left: Chilean Minister of Economy and Tourism Pablo Longueira Montes, Captain Tim Roberts and me.

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Topics: ms Prinsendam, News, South America | | No Comments

Currently we're featuring ... Exotic Voyages!

Where can you see swirls of tropical fish, coral reefs, sea cows and green turtles?

1. Darwin, Australia
2. Hilo, Hawaii
3. Great Barrier Reef
4. Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Check out our new “Sail & Save” tab on Facebook to find out the answer, and take a fun quiz asking more questions that test your travel knowledge. Each week in the Sail & Save tab we’ll feature a new region with exciting special offers and savings. Unscramble the photo puzzle to see which region we’re highlighting. And more importantly, get more details on the savings and specials for these voyages.

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