Holland America Offers Biggest Deal of Year with “Start Your Journey”

Holland America Line has decided that winter is far too dull a season to endure without thinking about glaciers, fjords, and the gentle clink of a cocktail glass, and so it is launching Wave Season with what it calls its biggest deal of the year. The cheerfully named “Start Your Journey” promotion applies to more than 500 cruises to Alaska, Europe, and a gratifying number of places where your inbox cannot follow you. The offer includes discounts of up to 30 percent on cruise fares, free balcony upgrades, onboard and shore excursion credits, complimentary fares for children, and assorted other financial mercies designed to make travel feel both attainable and sensible—two words not often associated with vacations.

According to Holland America president Beth Bodensteiner, the line believes the best journeys are those in which destinations come alive both on land and at sea—a philosophy that conveniently includes glaciers calving dramatically in Alaska and centuries of culture unfolding across Europe, all while you are never more than a few steps from excellent service and a comfortable chair. The “Start Your Journey” offer, she notes, is meant to help guests strike that ideal balance between exploration and relaxation, a state of being many of us have only read about.

For travelers booking select summer 2026 through spring 2027 cruises with the Have It All fare, the Wave offer includes a pleasing assortment of benefits. Deposits are reduced by 50 percent for the first two guests in a stateroom, which makes planning far less alarming. Cruise fares are discounted by up to 30 percent, starting as low as $162 per person per day—roughly what one might otherwise spend eating uninspired lunches at home.

Guests may also enjoy a free balcony upgrade, meaning a verandah for the price of an ocean-view, or an ocean-view for the price of an interior stateroom. This is particularly useful in places like Alaska, where the scenery has a habit of being spectacular when you least expect it. Families will appreciate that children aged 18 and under can sail free as the third and fourth guests in a cabin on select 2026 and 2027 cruises, taxes and fees notwithstanding, making the idea of a family vacation feel far less heroic.

Those who book by January 31 will receive onboard credit ranging from $100 to $250 per person, depending on cruise length and ambition. This credit may be applied to shore excursions, spa treatments, specialty dining, gift shops, or any other activity that brings joy and lightens one’s sense of restraint.

Travelers opting for the Have It All premium fare will find four valuable amenities already bundled in: shore excursions (based on cruise length), a Signature Beverage Package, specialty dining, and a Wi-Fi Surf Package—so you can either disconnect entirely or send smug photos to friends back home. With the “Start Your Journey” promotion, these perks arrive alongside the stateroom upgrade, reduced deposits, free kids’ fares, and onboard credit, creating a situation in which saying no begins to feel unreasonable.

Wave Season, for the uninitiated, is the cruise industry’s annual period of generosity, when prices soften and perks multiply. Through this offer, travelers can set sail to Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean, Canada and New England, Australia and New Zealand, South America, Antarctica, Asia, and a reassuring number of places with canals, volcanoes, or both. Alaska Cruisetours—pairing a cruise with an overland journey to Denali and the Yukon—are also included, for those who prefer their adventure with a side of wilderness.

Sample itineraries include a seven-day Alaska Explorer aboard Noordam, a Canadian and New England voyage rich in UNESCO sites and Québécois nights, a Denali Cruisetour, a Panama Canal passage, Norwegian fjords, and Caribbean sailings—each offering the appealing possibility of waking up somewhere entirely different without having packed again.

With “Start Your Journey,” Alaska cruisers also receive a free balcony upgrade, which is ideal for quietly watching glaciers, fjords, and wildlife drift past while you remain warmly indoors, marveling at both nature and your own good planning.

Taxes, fees, and port expenses are included for all fares (excluding free kids). The offer does not apply to Grand Voyages or cruises of five days or fewer, and upgrades are subject to availability. In short, it’s a rare chance to plan far ahead, save generously, and feel faintly virtuous about booking a vacation that looks suspiciously like bliss.