Holland America Line Returns to Tampa Bay in 2020

   September 17, 2019 ,   Cruise Industry

HAL-Holland America Line dropped Tampa FL as a homeport in spring 2018. According to Erik Elvejord (company's director of public relations), HAL was excited about returning to Port Tampa Bay with 18 Caribbean cruises and 2 Transatlantic crossings planned between November 2020 and April 2021.

In January 2019, HAL acknowledged that it was suspending operations from Tampa FL after April, but made a point of saying that the port had been a great gateway for them to the Caribbean, and they would "look forward to a continued partnership in the future.”

ms Veendam cruise ship

For her return, the 1350-passenger liner ms Veendam will make 5- to 14-day roundtrips to western and southern Caribbean ports.

Assuming that there are no changes in the lineup, the return of Veendam will give the homeport 6 cruise brands making ship calls in winter 2020 - Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, NCL-Norwegian, MSC and RCI-Royal Caribbean. However, HAL is not saying the Tampa homeporting is permanent.