A sixth Holland America Line ship has returned to service following the industry-wide suspension of cruise due to the pandemic.
Zuiderdam became the line’s second vessel to resume service from San Diego in California, following Koningsdam in October.
HAL now has six ships sailiing again in the Caribbean, Mexico and along the US Pacific coast.
Zuiderdam’s first cruise back is a ten-day Christmas itinerary followed by Panama Canal departures and a 35-day South Pacific voyage.
Koningsdam is running seven-day cruises along the California coast and to Mexico plus two longer Hawaii voyages that run until April 3, 2022.
Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam each make a call at San Diego next spring.
The line expects to bring more than 81,000 passengers to the city in the 2021-22 season, resulting in more than $35 million in direct spending.
Koningsdam and Zuiderdam will connect to shore power in San Diego, reducing the ships’ carbon footprint.
HAL president Gus Antorcha said: “San Diego is an important homeport for us, and we are excited to have two ships back in full-time operation here with the restart of Zuiderdam.
“We are proud to be part of the San Diego community, which has continued to show us tremendous support throughout our restart.
“There’s no better way to kick off Zuiderdam’s season than with a holiday cruise full of joyful guests and our grateful crew who are happy to have them back on board.”