Canada is now ready to welcome cruise ships safely back to its waters. Today in Halifax, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced the public health framework the Government of Canada is putting in place to restart cruise ship activity in Canada.
As Canada welcomes the first cruise ships back to Canadian waters in April, Transport Canada, working alongside partners, developed a comprehensive public health plan for cruise ships, including:
- Crew and passengers being required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19;
- Crew and passengers being required to self-monitor for symptoms;
- Passengers being required to take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before boarding a cruise ship or take an antigen test within one day of boarding a cruise ship; and
- Passengers being required to take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before arriving in Canada or taking an antigen test within one day of the scheduled arrival.
The Government of Canada is adjusting travel advice for cruise ship travel and continues to advise travelers to proceed with caution.
Holland America Line Returns to Canadian Ports
With the new procedures in place for the safe resumption of cruises to Canadian ports in place, Holland America Line is expected to complete preparation for a full season of Alaska explorations and Canada/New England sailings. Holland America Line will sail itineraries as scheduled that include Canadian homeports and ports of call from late spring through fall.
“The completion of this guidance by Transport Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, Public Health Agency of Canada, and port officials will allow us to sail our Alaska and Canada/New England seasons as planned,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, in a press statement. “This is a positive step for everyone who loves to travel to these regions and for all of the businesses in Canada that we support through tourism.
“Many of the protocols Canada is applying were successfully implemented in the United States after the restart of cruising, and they are working well,” said Antorcha. “We are well-positioned to follow Canada’s direction and continue delivering memorable cruise vacations that include Canadian ports.”
The resumption comes as Holland America Line gets ready to celebrate 75 years of Alaska exploration in 2022. Ships in Alaska use Vancouver, Canada, as a homeport for roundtrip cruises and itineraries between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska. Cruises that sail roundtrip from Seattle, Washington, to Alaska call at Victoria, Canada.
In Canada/New England, ships cruise between Montreal and Quebec City, Canada, and Boston, Massachusetts. Itineraries range from six to 24 days and call at 13 Canadian ports in Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
“We greatly value our longstanding partnership with Holland America Line, which was the first cruise line to call at the new Canada Place cruise terminal at the Port of Vancouver in 1986,” said Robin Silvester, president and CEO of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “We’re pleased to see the return of cruising in Canada, and we look forward to welcoming cruise lines, guests and crew back to Vancouver.”
“As people return to travel this summer, we know some will choose to stay a little closer to home,” Antorcha said. “Our Alaska land and sea packages and our Canada/New England sailings are great ways to resume exploring the world without traveling a great distance.”
The line’s first ship to arrive in Canada is Koningsdam, which calls at Victoria April 9 en route to Vancouver for an April 10 arrival. On the eastern seaboard, Zaandam calls at Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 17 while on a 9-day Atlantic Coast cruise sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Montreal.
Canada/New England Cruises Resume for Summer and Fall
From May through October, Nieuw Statendam and Zaandam offer a series of six to 24-day departures between Boston and Quebec City or Montreal.
• 7-day Canada & New England Discovery cruises between Montreal and Boston in summer and fall. Ports include Bar Harbor, Maine; and the Canadian destinations of Quebec City; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; and Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• 6- or 8-day Canada & New England Discovery cruises between Quebec and Boston in the fall. Ports include Bar Harbor, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax.
• 10- and 11-day Newfoundland and New England Discovery cruises between Quebec and Boston visit a combination of Bar Harbor; Halifax; St. Johns, Corner Brook and St. Anthony, Newfoundland; and Baie-Comeau and Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec. The 11-day includes an overnight at Quebec.
• 24-day Canada, New England and Iceland departing Aug. 3, 2022, roundtrip from Boston. Calls at Sydney, Corner Brook, St. Anthony, St. Johns, Halifax, Saint Pierre & Miquelon and Red Bay, all in Canada; along with Qaqortoq and Nanortalik, Greenland; Isafjordur, Seydisfjordur, Djupivogur, Reykjavik and Grundarfjordur, Iceland; and Bar Harbor.
• 9-day repositioning cruises along the Atlantic Coast between Montreal and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in May and October feature calls at Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Sydney and Quebec. A 14-day cruise in fall from Quebec to Fort Lauderdale adds Portland, Maine; and Charlottetown, Gaspe and Saguenay, Canada.
For more information, visit hollandamerica.com.
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