by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 11:20 AM ET, Thu June 18, 2026
Holland America Line’s flagship Rotterdam will sail in the Mediterranean for the first time next fall.
The five 10- and 11-day voyages span both the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, from Lisbon and Naples to Kotor, Rhodes and Alexandria. Select itineraries include scenic cruising through the Strait of Messina and past Stromboli, one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
Sailings can also be combined into longer itineraries, allowing guests to experience a broader mix of the Mediterranean. The season concludes with a 14-day transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale.
“We know how much our guests love sailing on Rotterdam, and the Mediterranean is always in high demand,” says Paul Grigsby, vice president of revenue planning for Holland America Line. “There’s something really special about seeing the flagship sailing in iconic ports like Bilbao, Naples and Rhodes for the first time, and it’s a moment we’re excited to share with our guests.”
Rotterdam will join several other ships in the Mediterranean for fall 2027 through winter 2028, with more than 20 sailings available across Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.
The itineraries include:
- 10-day Around the Iberian Peninsula: Spain & Portugal; Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to Barcelona, Spain. Calls at Portsmouth, England; Le Verdon-sur-Mer (Bordeaux), France; Bilbao, Cartagena and Valencia, Spain; and Lisbon, Portugal.
- 11-day Mediterranean Splendor: Spain, Italy & Greece; Barcelona to Athens, Greece. Calls at Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Marseille, France; Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Civitavecchia (Rome) and Naples (Pompeii), Italy; Corfu, Greece; and Kotor.
- 10-day Greek Isles: Istanbul Overnight with Mykonos & Rhodes; roundtrip Athens. Calls at Mykonos and Rhodes, Greece; Kusadasi (Ephesus) and Istanbul (overnight), Turkey.
- 11-day Greek Isles: Egypt & The Holy Land; roundtrip Athens. Calls at Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt; Limassol, Cyprus; Antalya and Kusadasi, Turkey; Rhodes; and an overnight in Haifa (Tel Aviv), Israel.
- 10-day Mediterranean Splendor: Italy with Rome Evening Stay; Athens to Barcelona. Calls at Kotor, Montenegro; Valletta, Malta; Messina, Sicily; Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Livorno (Florence/Pisa), with scenic cruising in the Strait of Messina and past the Stromboli volcano.
- 14-day Cultural Crossing with Spain and Morocco, Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Calls at Valencia, Alicante and Málaga, Spain; and Tangier in Morocco.
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