Holland America Line’s 1,916-guest Westerdam will begin sailing to the Far East from September 2018 through April 2019.
There will be 10 different itineraries ranging from 10 to 31 days, visiting countries such as China, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Westerdam will kick off the season with a 14-day North Pacific Crossing from Vancouver to Yokohama (Tokyo), before beginning its series of voyages across the Far East.
The 16-day Far East Discovery cruise between Singapore and Hong Kong calls at Sanya, China; four ports in Vietnam, including an overnight stay in Halong Bay; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; Ko Samui and an overnight at Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand. A 13-day Far East Discovery option eliminates Nha Trang in Vietnam and Sanya, while a 15-day Far East Discovery eliminates the overnight stay in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
The shortest itinerary of the season, 10-day East Asia roundtrip Hong Kong cruise, departs December 10 and explores Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.
The first cruise of 2019 will be a 15-day Thailand & Vietnam itinerary sailing round-trip from Singapore. Guests will experience four calls in Vietnam, including an overnight in Danang (Hue), and an overnight at Laem Chabang (Bangkok) plus calls at Ko Samui and Sihanoukville.
Westerdam’s 14- or 15-day Taiwan & Japan cruise between Hong Kong and Shanghai features an overnight at Hong Kong or Shanghai, depending on embarkation port, and visits the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
There are also 14-day itineraries available.
Cruising round-trip from Shanghai, the China, South Korea & Japan cruise features two ports in each country, including overnight calls in Shanghai, Tianjin (Beijing) and Incheon (Seoul). The China Explorer from Hong Kong to Yokohama includes two ports in Japan and three ports in China, with overnights at Shanghai and Tianjin (Beijing).
Meanwhile, Westerdam’s Japan Explorer is a round-trip Yokohama (Tokyo) journey with five ports in Japan, including an overnight at Kobe (Osaka); two calls in Taiwan; and a visit to Jeju (Cheju), South Korea.
The final cruise of the season is a Japan and Russia itinerary roundtrip from Yokohama visiting eight ports in Japan and a northerly exploration to Vladivostok. The season concludes with a 15-day spring North Pacific Crossing between Yokohama (Tokyo) and Vancouver, encompassing ports in Japan and Alaska.
Back-to-back cruises can also be booked together to form a longer Collectors’ Voyage that provides a more in-depth exploration of the Asia region. Combining up to two itineraries, the Asia Collectors’ Voyages range from 23 to 31 days.
There is also the Grand Asia Voyage, an 82-day circumnavigation of the Pacific. Departing September 30, 2018, this voyage circumnavigates the Pacific Ocean round-trip from Los Angeles and calls at 33 ports, with six overnight visits.
The 2018 Grand Asia & Pacific Voyage explores Alaska, Russia, Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, several South Pacific islands and Hawaii. Guests interested in expanding their cruise to explore more of the West Coast also have the choice of 89- and 87-day itineraries departing from Seattle, and Vancouver.
For travellers who prefer a shorter vacation, the 2018 Grand Asia & Pacific Voyage features 12 separate segments.
