Holland America Line Africa Explorer Cruise Facts & Itinerary
Holland America Line Africa Explorer Cruise from Rotterdam to Cape Town (image courtesy of Holland America Line)
WJ Tested: Holland America Line Africa Explorer Cruise Facts & Itinerary
WAVEJourney Joins Holland America Line for their 49-Night Africa Explorer Cruise on ms Rotterdam from Rotterdam to Cape Town – September 27-November 15, 2014
WAVEJourney was thrilled to cruise the Africa Explorer itinerary with Holland America Line. In our opinion, there is no better way to visit 16 countries or territories, and 23 towns or cities than on an ocean cruise. Being able to travel 13,241 nautical miles in 7 weeks and only unpack once was priceless. We look forward to doing another epic ocean cruise with Holland America to explore more exotic destinations round the world.
Click here to start reading all about our Africa Explorer adventure with Holland America Line.
Holland America Line ms Rotterdam. (image courtesy of Holland America Line)
ms Rotterdam Facts:
ms Rotterdam is based year-round out of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She was launched in December 1996, and Captain Hans Mateboer was the Master during our voyage.
ms Rotterdam Specifications:
- Gross tonnage – 61,849
- Length – 780 ft.
- Width – 106 ft.
- Maximum speed – 25 knots
- Diesel Engines
- Guests – 1400+/-
- Crew – 590+/-
ms Rotterdam Facilities:
- Self-service passenger laundry facilities
- Covered/retractable roof over Lido Pool
- Dining: La Fontaine Dining Room; Lido Restaurant; 24-Hour Room Service; Pinnacle Grill; Canaletto Restaurant; Dive-In at the Terrace Grill; Slice Pizza; Explorations Cafe
- Showroom At Sea – entertainment and lectures; on location guide talks
- Culinary Arts Room – cooking demos, lectures, movies
- Around the Ship: art lectures; wine and beer tastings; cocktail mixology classes; Bridge classes; digital workshops; dance classes; fitness classes; crafts; trivia; and much more
- Greenhouse Spa and Salon
- Fitness Center
- Shore Excursions Desk – book Holland America Line shore excursions for each destination
- Library and Internet Stations
- Art Gallery
- Photo Gallery
- Duty-Free Shop & Shopping
- Casino
- Medical Center
Africa Explorer Itinerary:
- Day 1: Rotterdam Embarkation – September 27
ms Rotterdam sails towards Southampton, England at 4 pm - Day 2: Southampton, England – September 28
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 6 pm - Day 3 & 4: At Sea – September 29 & 30
- Day 5: Lisbon, Portugal – October 1
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 5 pm - Day 6: Gibraltar – October 2
ms Rotterdam is in port from 4 pm to 11 pm - Day 7: Malaga, Spain – October 3
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 6 pm - Day 8 & 9: At Sea – October 4 & 5
- Day 10: Valletta, Malta – October 6
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 5 pm - Day 11: At Sea – October 7
- Day 12: Piraeus (for Athens), Greece – October 8
ms Rotterdam is in port from 7 am to 5 pm - Day 13: At Sea – October 9
- Day 14: Ashdod (for Jerusalem), Israel – October 10
ms Rotterdam is in port from 7 am to 9 pm - Day 15: Haifa, Israel – October 11
ms Rotterdam is in port from 7 am to 8 pm - Day 16: Port Said (for Cairo), Egypt – October 12
ms Rotterdam is in port from 7 am to midnight - Day 17: Sailing the Suez Canal – October 13
- Day 18: Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt – October 14
ms Rotterdam is in port from 7 am to 6 pm - Day 19: Aqaba (for Petra), Jordan – October 15
ms Rotterdam is in port from 7 am to 6 pm - Day 20: Safaga (for Luxor), Egypt – October 16
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to midnight - Day 21 & 22 & 23 & 24: At Sea – October 17, 18, 19, 20
- Day 25: Salalah, Oman – October 21
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 5 pm - Day 26: At Sea – October 22
- Day 27: Muscat, Oman – October 23
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 11 pm - Day 28: At Sea – October 24
- Day 29: Abu Dhabi, UAE – October 25
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 11 pm - Day 30: Dubai, UAE – October 26
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 9 pm - Day 31 & 32 & 33 & 34 & 35: At Sea – October 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
- Day 36: Victoria, Seychelles – November 1
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 6 pm - Day 37 & 38: At Sea – November 2, 3
- Day 39: Port Louis, Mauritius – November 4
ms Rotterdam is in port from 7 am to 6 pm - Day 40: Reunion Island – November 5
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 6 pm - Day 41 & 42 & 43: At Sea – November 6, 7, 8
- Day 44 & 45: Durban, South Africa – November 9, 10
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am (overnight) until 4 pm the next day - Day 46: At Sea – November 11
- Day 47: Port Elizabeth, South Africa – November 12
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am to 5 pm - Day 48: At Sea – November 13
- Day 49: Cape Town, South Africa – November 14
ms Rotterdam is in port from 8 am until November 17 at 4 pm - Day 50: Disembarkation in Cape Town, South Africa – November 15
Click here to view all cruise itineraries offered by Holland America Line.
