Special Peek at Pan Am Cruise Follows Thrill of New York Sail-in

Day 13, 2026 Fall Atlantic Sampler

Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026; New York City.

Chills ran down my spine as the Volendam sailed into New York Harbor today. Yes, there was a windy bite to the air as I joined perhaps 100 of my fellow passengers on the ship’s bow at 5 a.m. to watch our sail-in to this iconic harbor. We passed under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and turned to starboard. Then the illuminated Manhattan skyline glowed in the pre-dawn light. The Statue of Liberty was radiant.

The last time I sailed into this harbor the skyline was different. It was 1986 and the 100^th birthday of Lady Liberty. The twin towers of the World Trade Center dominated Manhattan’s skyline. As we approached the city on our chartered 34-foot sailboat, we were dwarfed by the giant stature of the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier.

For five days, anchored between the statue and the tip of Manhattan along with most of the world’s tall ships, more than 40 naval vessels and about 30,000 pleasure boats, we celebrated by watching ship parades, blimp races and stunning fireworks.

Today One World Trade Center has replaced the towers, and many more skyscrapers have joined the skyline. The Intrepid Aircraft Carrier museum on the dock next to us sports a Concorde and more advanced jets on its deck and pier. Our arrival was just as thrilling.

I had planned to join my sisters this morning with a visit to the Frick Collection museum, one I hadn’t toured during my decade living across the Hudson River in New Jersey or on subsequent visits. But a couple of Holland America executives I know invited me to join them for a press event in the Crow’s Nest. Not only did my plans for the day change, but also plans for cruising next fall.

A year ago, Holland America joined Pan Am to announce the Pan Am 100^th Anniversary Legendary Voyage, a 28-day cruise that will circle the Caribbean along the Great Circle route that Pan Am’s “flying boats” pioneered a century ago when passenger air travel was limited in distance and to water landings.

I initially dismissed the thought of booking the cruise. First, it’s in the Caribbean, where I sailed many times early in my cruising years and pretty much limit now to short holiday cruises. Second, I already had booked the fall of 2027 in the Mediterranean, and subsequently switched instead to Japan and the Far East, both preferable to the Caribbean for weeks of cruising in my estimation.

But today’s press event highlighted not the previously announced itinerary, but the programming along the way. I realized this indeed will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I changed my bookings.

The dozen or so reporters at the event today admired extensive displays from the Pan Am Museum Foundation, including flight instruments, pilot wings and china sets used when air travel truly was first class. A few Pan Am former flight attendants and now volunteers for the museum impressed us all by wearing their iconic uniforms, complete with hats and purses, while attendees enjoyed the Clipper and Pan Am cocktails that will be among the special offerings on the cruise.

Pan Am Holding’s CEO described the historic similarities in the two companies. During parts of the early 20^th century, one in 10 immigrants to the United States from Europe came on Holland America steamships. A few decades later, many immigrated on Pan Am, the largest international air carrier during much of the 20^th century.

The Pan Am 100^th Anniversary Legendary Cruise also will feature numerous speakers, including the airline’s foundation founder and chairman and experts in the history and culture of early clipper ship travel. Shore excursions will trace Pan Am’s history in the Caribbean.

No surprise that my favorite part of the press event was the food — lunch in the Pinnacle Grill with a menu inspired by the airline’s iconic cuisine that will be part of the anniversary cruise. It included a cocktail de crevettes, cream of tomato soup, broiled filet mignon Maître d’Hôtel, Dover sole with crabmeat filling baked in puff pastry, and soufflé Grand Marnier with crème anglaise. (Needless to say, I skipped dinner.)

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the ship approximately 1,300 new passengers were boarding for this 45-day Legendary Mediterranean voyage. I never had time to disembark into the city, but I greeted several friends from previous cruises, including Andy and Cathy.

Again, we were blessed with perfect weather for our late afternoon sail-away.

We will be back in 45 days for another pre-dawn approach for one of the world’s best harbor sail-ins.