Holland America is out with another epic cruise — this time with a special twist

29.07.2024 - 13:02 / thepointsguy.com / Nova Scotia

Holland America is out with another epic itinerary from North America to Europe and back — this time with an unusual twist.

On Monday the Seattle-based cruise line said the 35-night round-trip voyage from Boston to some of Northern Europe's most alluring destinations will include a viewing of the solar eclipse that will take place above Northern Europe in August 2026.

Dubbed the Voyage of the Vikings, the sailing will take place on Holland America's 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam and offer North American travelers a chance to visit such hot spots of Viking history as Greenland, Iceland and Norway without getting on a transatlantic flight.

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The voyage will kick off in Boston July 18, 2026, with a sailing up the coast of North America that initially resembles a New England and Canada cruise. The first port calls will be Portland, Maine, and Sydney, Nova Scotia.

But the call at Sydney will mark just the start of an unusually in-depth look at the coast of Eastern Canada, which will include four stops in Newfoundland and Labrador — Corner Brook, Red Bay, St. Anthony and St. John's — as well as Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Some of the Canada stops will take place as the ship heads toward Europe, while others will be on the return voyage.

After its initial visit to the Canadian coast, Zuiderdam will turn east across the North Atlantic for a multiweek visit to Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Calls in Greenland will include Paamiut (Frederikshab), Nanortalik and Qaqortoq (Julianehab).

Iceland calls will include Reykjavik (where the ship will stay overnight), Seydisfjordur, Husavík and Grundarfjordur.

Other stops during the trip will be Eidfjord in Norway; Rotterdam in the Netherlands (for an overnight stay); Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland; and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

The solar eclipse will occur when the ship is sailing off the western coast of Iceland near Grundarfjordur.

The trip will end back in Boston on Aug. 22, 2026.

The new Voyage of the Vikings cruise is just one of three sailings Holland America announced on Monday that will include the chance to see the solar eclipse occurring in 2026. The others:

The longer Voyage of the Vikings sailing is just the latest at Holland America to offer vacationers the opportunity to sail from North America to Europe and back without ever getting on a transatlantic flight — something of a specialty for the brand.

Earlier this year, the line announced plans for a 45-night sailing from North America to the Mediterranean and back that mimics an ambitious voyage the line offered in 1925. That sailing kicks off Oct. 7, 2025.

The lengthy Mediterranean voyage