Holland America Line will homeport Nieuw Statendam in Dover in summer 2026, after it operates from the UK port next year.
Pinnacle-class ship Nieuw Statendam will operate sailings from Dover between April and September 2026, UK sales and marketing director Karen Farndell told Travel Weekly.
While Farndell said itinerary plans were still in the works, she confirmed the ship would return to Dover and operate an extended season in 2026 after it sails 10 round-trip European cruises in 2025.
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“It feels like such an achievement to be homeporting a ship out of the UK for a second year in a row,” said Farndell.
“It’s a real investment in our confidence in the UK market, and from a trade perspective, it shows how serious we are about growing our business in the UK and working with agents so we can all grow together.”
Farndell said 2025 ex-Dover sailings are selling “very well” with both UK and international customers, with both the ship’s 14-day Canary Islands and 28-night Arctic Circle itineraries most popular.
The success of next year’s season has prompted the decision to homeport Nieuw Statendam out of Dover for a second consecutive year, Farndell added.
Nico Bleichrodt, vice-president of international sales, said the line was currently “lacking” homeports in Europe and he hoped an extended season of ex-Dover sailings would promote the brand in the region.
“We have a ship sailing out of the Netherlands but that doesn’t appeal to our UK customers so this Dover homeport will help boost our British customer base,” he said.
“We have a well-established brand in the UK but this will take it to the next level.”
Asked whether the line would expand its UK trade sales team to provide more support to agents, Farndell said she was in “regular discussions” and would like to see the team increase.
Bleichrodt added: “We know we are a small cruise line in the UK market which is a market which huge potential so we need to give better support to the travel trade.”