Holland America Line will feature a selection of nine voyages to the Asia Pacific region in 2009. For the first time, Volendam will sail to destinations throughout the Pacific, calling at locales in China, Southeast Asia, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Russia. A convenient new round-trip Hong Kong itinerary is offered, and four maiden calls are planned in Puerto Princesa, Philippines; Otaru, Japan; Sanya, Hainan, China; and Keelung (Taipei), Taiwan. The itineraries visit more than a dozen popular Pacific Rim nations on cruises from 14 to 19 days that can be combined for a voyage of up to 66 days. The Explorations Speaker Series will feature with lectures focused on select ports of call. The new Hong Kong roundtrip is a 14-day journey departing Oct. 26, 2009, and visiting China and Vietnam, including an overnight stay in Shanghai. From Singapore to Hong Kong, Volendam will visit Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines on two itineraries -- a 14-day cruise starting April 4 and a 12-day cruise starting Nov. 7, 2009. Highlights of the 14-day itinerary include a maiden call at Puerto Princesa in the Philippines, famous for its crocodile farms, underground rivers and dive spots. An overnight stay is planned in Laem Chabang (Bangkok).

The 14- and 16-day China, Japan and Korea cruises includes two overnight stays in Shanghai and Xingang (Beijing) with optional shore excursions to the Forbidden City, Ming Tombs and the Great Wall of China. Volendam departs on this 14-day itinerary on April 18, 2009 and 16-day itinerary on Oct. 10, 2009. The Volendam's cruises to Japan, Eastern Russia and Alaska sail between Kobe (Osaka), Japan; and Vancouver, visiting Petropavlovsk -- known as Russia's Far East -- and the Kurill Islands off the coast of Russia and Alaska's Aleutian Islands and Inside Passage. An overnight stay in Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan, is included as is crossing the International Dateline and visiting the maiden port of Otaru, Japan. The 19-day cruise -- which actually is 18 calendar days in length due to the crossing of the International Dateline -- departs May 2, 2009, and sails from Kobe (Osaka) to Vancouver. The 16-day cruise in the reverse direction departs Vancouver on Sept. 23, 2009, or guests can board the 15-day sailing from Seattle on Sept. 24, 2009 and take the ship to Kobe (Osaka). This cruise gains one day by crossing the dateline, thus actually making the voyage 17 or 16 calendar days, respectively.

Volendam's two new "Indonesian Islands and the Great Barrier Reef" itineraries will visit Komodo Island, part of the Komodo National Park; Padang Bai, Bali; and Semarang, a city teeming with ancient temples. These cruises include four days of cruising the Great Barrier Reef, including two days of daylight cruising through the world's largest coral reef system. The 19-day itinerary from Auckland to Singapore departs March 16, 2009, and the 15-day Singapore to Sydney cruise departs Nov. 21, 2009. Holland America also features a selection of nine voyages Down Under in 2009 with 14-day cruises and a 16-day holiday sailing between Australia and New Zealand.
For a 2009 Asia Pacific cruise brochure or more information, call 866-277-8618