Zaandam embarked on a nine-day Atlantic Coast cruise to Montreal and will position in Canada through October. The ship’s restart also marks a return to cruising in the New England region after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To mark the occasion, HAL held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the terminal to open embarkation, attended by the ship’s captain and senior officers, with a flag-waving fanfare from team members lined up to greet guests as they boarded the ship.

Gus Antorcha, president of HAL, said the company was "thrilled" to have Zaandam back in service and to return to Canada and New England after the two-year hiatus.

"Zaandam has some special cruises coming up, and we’re glad to have her back in service with an amazing team ready to give our guests an exceptional cruise experience," he added.

Following the repositioning cruise along the east coast of North America, Zaandam will spend the summer and early autumn offering Canada and New England cruises between Boston and Montreal.

On 9 July, the vessel sets sail on a 35-day Voyage of the Vikings itinerary roundtrip from Boston with calls in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands.

Following autumnal cruises between Boston and Montreal, Zaandam will embark on 10 October for a 71-day Grand Africa Voyage that sails roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale and includes 25 ports of call, four overnights and safari opportunities throughout the African continent.

After the Grand Africa Voyage, Zaandam will spend the holidays in the Caribbean and then offer a series of Panama Canal transits between San Diego and Fort Lauderdale, with two Mexico options round-trip from San Diego in March. The ship will return to Canada/New England next spring.

HAL is set to complete the restart of its fleet on 12 June with Westerdam in Seattle.