Holland America Line

ABOVE: The ms Rotterdam arrives in Rotterdam, Netherlands after a cruise to Scandinavia. INSET BELOW: Eurodam, Maasdam, Prinsendam, and a lanai stateroom with access to a promenade deck.

Eurodam Holland America Line transported some 850,000 immigrants to the United States in its heyday as a Dutch transatlantic steamship company. Service between Rotterdam and New York ended in 1971, and today HAL is an American-owned "premium cruise line" with 15 ships that serve more than 600,000 guests per year.

Maasdam in Norway In 2013, Holland America is offering 107 cruises with 53 different itineraries of varying lengths on seven ships in Northern and Southern Europe--including the ms Nieuw Amsterdam, which entered service in 2010 and is the second Signature-class ship in Europe (along with Eurodam).

HAL's 2013 cruise calendar has been designed so that ambitious cruisers can combine different itineraries into "Collectors' Voyages" of 14 to 33 days.

The purple squares on Holland America Line's regularly-updated sailing schedule provide an overview of European cruises in the current and coming seasons.

Cruise Terminal Rotterdam sign Note for Rotterdam fans: HAL's Rotterdam (see our ms Rotterdam cruise review) now offers a large number of cruises, including roundtrip itineraries, from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The city of Rotterdam is as underrated as it is interesting, and the voyage from the city center to the North Sea takes the ship through one of the busiest ports in the world. Best of all, Rotterdam is only an hour from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, so international connections are easy.