Cruise line Holland America is partnering with the Pan Am brand to launch a nearly month-long trip at sea commemorating the defunct airline’s 100th anniversary.
The 28-day Pan Am 100th Anniversary Legendary Voyage will retrace original Pan Am Clipper routes in and around the Caribbean and Latin America, visiting 18 ports of call. The cruise will depart from Miami, Pan Am’s longtime base, on the Holland America ship Zuiderdam on Oct. 30, 2027.
Organizers said the journey will call back to Pan Am’s most glamorous era with themed meals, period-inspired décor, and historical programming.
“Pan Am and Holland America Line both helped pioneer modern travel – Pan Am in the skies and Holland America Line at sea,” said Paul Grigsby, vice president of itinerary planning and deployment for Holland America, in a statement. “With roots that reach back more than a century, both brands share a legacy of connecting people to the world with impeccable service and a spirit of discovery. This collaboration is a tribute to the golden age of travel and humanity’s enduring drive to explore.”
According to Holland America, the cruise will launch from Miami and stop at Nassau, The Bahamas; RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, which is Holland America’s private island; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; St. John’s; Castries, Saint Lucia; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Willemstad, Curaçao; Oranjestad, Aruba; Santa Marta and Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico, before heading back to Miami.
Nine of the ports – Nassau, San Juan, Charlotte Amalie, St. John’s, Castries, Port of Spain, Colon, and Progreso – were original Pan Am destinations.
Pan Am used the name “Clipper” for several types of “flying boats” that could land on water. The aircraft helped Pan Am expand and dominate international air travel in the 1930s and ‘40s.
Comeback in the Works
Holland America is collaborating with Pan Am Global Holdings, which manages the intellectual property rights for the long-defunct Pan American World Airways. Pan Am has not operated as a commercial airline since its bankruptcy in 1991.
Separate from the cruise, however, Pan Am’s successor company is planning a possible return to the skies. Earlier this month, Pan Am Global Holdings and aviation merchant bank and consulting firm AVi8 Air Capital announced they have formally started the airline certification process with the FAA, which could reestablish Pan Am as a Part 121 scheduled carrier.
The partners said that, once certified, the new Pan Am plans to operate a fleet of Airbus aircraft. The company will be headquartered in Miami.
