Holland America Sails Pan Am’s Golden Age

Holland America Line has set out what guests will actually do on its Pan Am 100th Anniversary Legendary Voyage, a 28-day round trip from Miami on Zuiderdam departing 30 October 2027. The cruise retraces parts of Pan Am’s old routes through the Caribbean and Central America. For advisors, it is a themed long sailing with a ready-made story, which makes it easier to sell to clients who want more from a cruise than ports.

On board

The line has lined up five speakers on Pan Am and aviation history:

• Willie Aames, the actor and storyteller known for “Eight is Enough” and “Charles in Charge,” on Pan Am’s pioneering years and the Pacific Clipper’s Second World War journey.
• Linda Freire, chair and co-founder of the Pan Am Museum Foundation and a former Pan Am flight attendant, recruiter and manager.
• Steve Gray, a guest speaker on the Flying Clippers, the South American routes and the airline’s visual legacy.
• David Hinson, the foundation’s vice chairman, on Pan Am’s service culture and flight attendant training.
• David Kliman, a hospitality and travel executive and longtime Pan Am passenger with more than four million airline miles, who will draw on his memorabilia collection.

The ship will also recreate elements of the Clipper Club, Pan Am’s network of private airport lounges.

At the table

Special menus are based on dishes once served on Pan Am flights. Examples include Cocktail de Crevettes with Louis dressing, broiled filet mignon maître d’hôtel, Dover sole en croûte with crabmeat filling and soufflé Grand Marnier. The cocktail list includes the Pan Am Cocktail (white rum, Campari, orgeat, lemon and egg white) and the Clipper Cocktail, made with Mount Gay Eclipse rum, Dolin Blanc and grenadine, which the line says was served aboard the flying boats.

Ashore

Several tours have been built only for this sailing:

• Cartagena, Colombia: “Pan Am’s Golden Age: Cartagena’s Jet Set,” in a fleet of classic roadsters, with local food and the city’s emerald trade.
• Colón, Panama: the Agua Clara Locks and the Panama Canal Railway.
• St. John’s, Antigua: a “High Point” tour to Shirley Heights, with harbour views like those Pan Am navigators used to guide aircraft in.
• Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: “Pan Am’s Caribbean: Wings of Trinidad,” at Chaguaramas, the former Pan Am flying boat base, including the Chaguaramas Military History & Aerospace Museum.

“We’ll be marking 100 years of Pan Am at the start of this cruise,” said Craig Carter, CEO of Pan Am Global Holdings, which licenses the Pan Am marks to Holland America for the collaboration.

For advisors

• Who to pitch: retired and semi-retired clients with time for 28 days, aviation buffs, and anyone who remembers flying Pan Am. Its round trip from Miami keeps air simple for East Coast and Canadian clients.
• What to sell: the exclusive Pan Am tours, booked early. Themed excursions built for one sailing usually have limited capacity.
• The hook: a centenary only happens once. Use it with clients who collect “firsts” and milestones.
• Watch: the full port list and pricing on the voyage page. The release names four ports, not the whole itinerary.

Sources

• Holland America Line via Newswire.ca, 9 Oct 2026