Zaandam Itinerary

What Zaandam's Autumn Mexican Riviera / Baja Season Is Actually Like

Here's the plot twist: Zaandam's autumn out of San Diego is only half Mexico. This 1,432-guest, 61,396-ton ship, built in 2000 and refreshed in 2025, opens the season with a Hawaii run, then shifts to the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific coast. Our database doesn't hold port lists for these sailings, so the ports below come from CruiseWeb's itinerary listings. Listings like these can shift, so check Holland America's own itinerary before you book anything you can't cancel.

The sailings, decoded

The 30-night is just the 18 plus the 12 stitched together, like a cruise sandwich. That's 18 + 12 = 30, and the dates line up.

The Hawaii leg (Nov 19)

Expect five straight sea days each way, ten of the 18 nights at sea in all. That's a lot of ocean to stare at. In between come Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Nawiliwili and Honolulu, with an overnight in Honolulu (arrive Nov 29, leave Nov 30). One listing also has Kahului, while another omits it, so check. The weather is the easy part: daytime highs run mid-70s to low 80s°F, and windward Hilo is the wettest stop. Winter swells start building on the north shores. The Pacific crossing is the part to plan for, so bring motion remedies if your stomach has opinions. You'll also be sailing during the last days of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, which officially runs May 15 to November 30.

The Mexico leg (Dec 7)

Listings for this 12-night show only three sea days: the day out of San Diego, then two on the way home. The port list is the best part:

• Cabo San Lucas, Loreto, Guaymas, Topolobampo, La Paz, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, then Ensenada. Most calls run 7 to 10 hours. Cabo (11 AM to 6 PM) and Guaymas (8 AM to 3 PM) are the shortest at seven hours each, Mazatlán (10 AM to 6 PM) gets eight, and Puerto Vallarta (8 AM to 6 PM) gets ten. Topolobampo is the outlier, which we'll get to.
• Loreto is a tender port, according to the CruiseDeals Tips and Tricks port guide, so expect a boat ride to shore. The mission and the historic center are the draw. Holland America's Loreto page also lists a private snorkel at Coronado Island and a San Javier Mission excursion, and notes that the offshore islands in Loreto Bay National Marine Park suit snorkeling, diving and kayaking.
• Topolobampo has a 19-hour port day (4 AM to 11 PM), basically a sleepover, because it's the Pacific end of the Copper Canyon "Chepe" train. Book that through the ship, since the schedule is hard to piece together alone.

With the hurricane window closed, December is the calmer part of the year here. Current Results' December averages put Cabo around 81°/56°F and Puerto Vallarta around 80°/57°F. Those are long-run averages, not a forecast, and they don't cover Ensenada or the Sea of Cortez ports, so check a forecast as your sailing date gets close.

Who should book what

• 12 nights: The best first taste. It has lots of ports, few sea days, and it falls in the lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• 18 nights: For people who want Hawaii and don't mind ten sea days.
• 30 nights: For retirees, remote workers and anyone with PTO to burn. It's worth looking at the cabin size guide before you commit to a month in a box.
• 15 nights: The Mexican Riviera part comes first: Cabo San Lucas (Dec 21, 9 AM to 3 PM), Puerto Vallarta (Dec 22) and Huatulco (Dec 24). After that it's Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala (Dec 26), Puntarenas in Costa Rica (Dec 28; some listings say Puerto Caldera), Balboa in Panama (Dec 30) and the canal on the way to Fort Lauderdale. Christmas Eve is in Huatulco and Christmas Day is at sea, so it's a holiday sailing. Plan for holiday-season crowds and prices.

What to pack

Think layers. Mornings and evenings on deck get cool, especially near Ensenada and on the way back to San Diego. Bring a light rain jacket for Hilo, plus sun protection, reef-safe sunscreen and water shoes. Add a nicer outfit for evenings, and a pre-trip look at the alcohol policy, which matters more the longer you sail.

Ship check

Zaandam scored 96 out of 100 on its most recent CDC Vessel Sanitation Program inspection on August 14, 2026. The CDC's passing line is 86. You can run the numbers yourself with our inspection lookup, or see the specs on the Zaandam ship page.