On Jan. 4, 2014, Holland America Line’s ms Amsterdam will depart Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on a 113-day round-trip journey visiting 38 ports across five continents. The Amsterdam will cross the equator four times on the 2014 Grand World Voyage and sail a route that explores the Southern Hemisphere.
For guests who want to take part in this annual tradition but have less time on their hands, eight segments ranging in length from 20 to 86 days are available from departure ports along the route. Seven overnight calls, evening theme balls, local entertainment brought on board and a host of other highlights will be available.
Following Amsterdam’s departure from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the ship will take a westerly course from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean via a daylight transit of the Panama Canal. Two full overnights at Callao, Peru, enable guests to take an overland tour to Machu Picchu, also known as the Lost City of the Incas.
Guests will also visit Easter Island and Pitcairn Island before an overnight call at Papeete, French Polynesia. Amsterdam’s guests will explore six more ports in the South Pacific before heading to Australia.
For the 2014 Grand World Voyage, Amsterdam sails up the east coast of Australia following an overnight call at Sydney. Extra time in Sydney allows for an evening at the Sydney Opera House, the opportunity to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge or an overland tour to Ayers Rock. The ship also calls at Brisbane and Yorkeys Knob (Cairns), Australia.
Two calls at Papua New Guinea lead the way to Yap Island, Micronesia. The ship then calls at Cebu and Manila, Philippines, before an arrival at Hong Kong, China, where guests will have an overnight visit.
Guests will then have an overnight call at Singapore, which acts as the departure point for an overland tour to Cambodia and Angkor Wat. The ship continues its westerly course to Phuket, Thailand, and Colombo, Sri Lanka, before heading south and calling at the island port of Victoria, Mahe, in the Seychelles.
Amsterdam’s African exploration continues with calls at Port Louis, Mauritus, and La Possession, Reunion, before spending time at two South African ports. Guests will have the opportunity to visit Durban — the largest city in South Africa — before an overnight call at Cape Town. The ship then makes its way up the west coast of Africa with calls at Walvis Bay, Namibia, which touches the edge of the Namib Desert; the island of Jamestown, Saint Helena, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his last days; Georgetown, Ascension Island, with its historic World War II connection and 44 volcano craters; Banjul, Gambia, where a camel safari, canoe adventure and the Abuko Nature Reserve await, and Dakar, Senegal, one of west Africa’s largest cities and home to a newly completed African Renaissance Monument.
Following a call at Mindelo, Cape Verde, nearly 400 miles off the coast of Africa, Amsterdam sets a course for the Caribbean on the final leg of the Grand World Voyage. Guests will have three days on the tropical islands of Barbados, Dominica and St. Maarten before concluding the journey at Fort Lauderdale.
Reservations are now open for Amsterdam’s 2014 Grand World Voyage, and early-booking bonus amenities for full Grand World Voyage guests who book by May 31, 2013, include prepaid hotel service charges, shipboard credit, luggage delivery service and a complimentary shore excursion or event for select stateroom categories.
Guests booking a segment of the Grand World Voyage by May 31, 2013, in select categories of staterooms and suites receive a shipboard credit that varies depending on category.
The Grand World Voyage is available to book for the full cruise or in segments starting at 20 days. Cruise fares are per person, double occupancy. Rates start at $19,999 for Amsterdam’s 113-day Grand World Voyage departing Jan. 4; $6,499 for the 37-day segment sailing Fort Lauderdale to Sydney departing Jan. 4; $10,699 for the 57-day segment sailing Fort Lauderdale to Hong Kong departing Jan. 4; $15,999 for the 86-day segment sailing Fort Lauderdale to Cape Town departing Jan. 4; $3,899 for the 20-day segment sailing Sydney to Hong Kong departing Feb. 11; $9,999 for the 49-day segment sailing Sydney to Cape Town departing Feb. 11; $5,999 for the 29-day segment sailing Hong Kong to Cape Town departing March 3; $10,499 for the 56-day segment sailing Hong Kong to Fort Lauderdale departing March 3, and $4,799 for the 27-day segment sailing Cape Town to Fort Lauderdale departing April 1.
For more information, visit www.hollandamerica.com.