HAL-Holland America Line has outlined its onboard programme for the 2026 holiday season, with themed dining, seasonal entertainment and festive activities planned across its fleet during Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s voyages. The programme will include traditional holiday meals, family-oriented activities and seasonal decorations, alongside itineraries to destinations in the Caribbean, Antarctica and Australia.
The cruise line will mark the season with decorated ships, ceremonial tree-lighting events, carol singing, holiday films and performances by crew members. Family-friendly activities will also feature throughout the holiday sailings, while New Year’s Eve celebrations will include parties and champagne toasts to welcome 2027.
Seasonal dining will form a central part of the programme. Guests will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinners, Breakfast with Santa, the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve and Nutcracker Tea. Menus will incorporate traditional dishes such as turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and latkes, alongside regional specialities inspired by the destinations visited.
New for the 2026 season, the line will introduce Magnolia Gingerbread Cake in its main Dining Room. The dessert extends Holland America Line’s partnership with Magnolia Bakery, bringing the bakery’s signature flavours into the onboard holiday offering. Seasonal beverages will include Christmas Cocoamint Coffee, Vanilla Gingerbread Latte and Eggnog Latte, as well as themed cocktails such as the De Lijn Ginger Mojito, Rudolph the Red Margarita and Minty Elf Martini.
Gingerbread village displays will remain another feature of the seasonal programme. Culinary teams across the fleet will create individual designs, with the displays showcasing the baking and decorative work involved in assembling the festive installations.
Michael Stendebach, Holland America Line’s vice president of food, beverage and rooms division, said the programme was intended to allow passengers to maintain familiar holiday traditions while travelling. He explained that the combination of traditional meals, shared activities and seasonal entertainment would enable guests to celebrate onboard while creating new experiences with family and friends.
The cruise line is also promoting its Save on Sunshine offer for selected departures. The promotion includes cruise fare discounts of up to 50% and free fares for children sailing as third or fourth guests in the same stateroom on eligible voyages. Guests booking between October 13th and 21st, 2026, can also receive up to US$200 in onboard credit per stateroom and one complimentary evening at a specialty restaurant on selected holiday cruises.
The 2026 holiday programme includes a range of itineraries across North America, the Panama Canal and the Caribbean. Koningsdam will operate a 7-day Baja Peninsula cruise roundtrip from San Diego, departing November 21st, followed by a 7-day Baja Peninsula holiday sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, departing December 19th.
Zaandam will undertake a 15-day Panama Canal Holiday voyage from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale, departing December 19th. In the Caribbean, Rotterdam will operate an 11-day Eastern Caribbean Holiday itinerary covering the Windward and Leeward Islands, while Volendam will offer a 14-day Southern Caribbean voyage featuring the ABC and Windward Islands. Both cruises will depart roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on December 22nd.
The programme will also include a 7-day Western Caribbean Holiday cruise aboard Eurodam, departing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on December 26th and visiting destinations in the Greater Antilles and Mexico.