Holland America Line has removed Loreto from Koningsdam’s November 28, 2026, sailing from San Diego and replaced the call with more time in Puerto Vallarta. The ten night Mexico itinerary will also reach Mazatlan one day earlier than originally scheduled, giving booked guests three parts of the trip to recheck.
The change follows a Mexican government restriction that prevents Loreto from receiving international cruise ships. Koningsdam is still scheduled to leave San Diego on November 28 and return on December 8, but older cruise listings may continue to show the superseded port sequence.
- Affected sailing: Koningsdam’s ten night round trip cruise from San Diego departing November 28, 2026.
- Removed call: Loreto, Mexico, which had been scheduled for December 2.
- Replacement: An overnight stay in Puerto Vallarta, with the ship arriving one day earlier than first planned.
- Mazatlan change: The call moves to December 3, one day earlier than the original December 4 schedule.
- Unchanged bookends: The cruise is still scheduled to depart San Diego on November 28 and return December 8.
- Best next step: Use Holland America’s current booking record and guest notice before keeping any independent port reservations.
What changed on the November 28 sailing
Cruise Industry News reported on July 14 that Holland America notified booked guests about the Loreto removal. The report identifies the government restriction as the reason and supplies the revised sequence for Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan.
Loreto had been scheduled for December 2. That call is no longer part of the voyage, and Koningsdam will instead spend an overnight in Puerto Vallarta after reaching the city a day earlier than previously planned.
Mazatlan also moves forward by one day to December 3. The published report says Koningsdam will still leave Puerto Vallarta as scheduled on December 5, so the extra time is created by the earlier arrival rather than a later departure.
The broader route still includes Cabo San Lucas and Pichilingue for La Paz before the revised second half of the voyage. Travelers should treat the operator’s current booking record as the final authority because third party cruise calendars indexed before the notice still display Loreto.
Why Loreto is no longer available to the ship
Mexico’s environment ministry said on July 3 that Loreto currently has cabotage zone status and cannot receive cruise ships operating in international navigation. The port administration told cruise companies and shipping agents that arrival requests from 2026 through 2030 had been denied.
The announcement followed government and community discussions about navigation rules for Loreto and the protected Bay of Loreto. Officials said future regulation would be developed with community input, but the present restriction is the fact that matters for this November itinerary.
That distinction is important for booked guests. The change is not a short weather diversion that may disappear when conditions improve, and travelers should not expect Loreto to be restored without a later official decision and a new notice from Holland America.
The restriction also explains why an older travel seller page can look plausible while being wrong. Cruise inventory is distributed far beyond the operator’s own system, and cached schedules do not always update at the same moment as a direct guest notice.
The overnight changes the Puerto Vallarta plan
An overnight call is not a direct substitute for Loreto because the two destinations offer different experiences. Its practical value is additional time in Puerto Vallarta, including an evening in port and a second calendar day before Koningsdam departs on December 5.
Guests who already booked a Holland America excursion should check whether the reservation remains active and whether its date or meeting time changed automatically. Anyone holding an independent tour, restaurant booking or transport arrangement should compare it with the revised arrival time before assuming it still fits.
The same check applies to Mazatlan. Moving the call from December 4 to December 3 can invalidate a reservation even when the ship still visits the same port, especially if a local operator tied the booking to a specific date rather than the cruise confirmation number.
Travelers should keep the guest notice with their cruise documents and save a current itinerary screenshot in the Holland America account. A clear dated record makes it easier to resolve a mismatched excursion, transfer or travel insurance question later without relying on an obsolete listing.
How to verify the correct itinerary
Start with the booking inside Holland America’s account or Navigator app, then compare each port date with the emailed notice. The live record should show the exact arrival and departure times once the revision is fully synchronized across the operator’s systems.
Travelers researching the vessel itself can use Deep Arrival’s Koningsdam ship guide for ship specific context. The guide does not replace the current booking itinerary, but it helps separate information about the ship from the schedule change affecting this one departure.
Guests who booked through a travel advisor should ask the advisor to confirm that the agency record has refreshed. If an invoice still lists Loreto after the operator record changes, the documents need to be reconciled before final payment or before adding nonrefundable port plans.
No one should infer a refund, onboard credit or cancellation right from the port change alone. Those outcomes depend on the booking contract, fare conditions and any specific remedy Holland America communicates to affected guests.
Decision guide for booked guests
| Reservation or plan | What changed | What to do now |
|---|---|---|
| Loreto excursion | The port call was removed | Confirm the cancellation and any refund through the original booking channel |
| Puerto Vallarta plans | Koningsdam is due one day earlier for an overnight | Check the new arrival time and whether an evening reservation now fits |
| Mazatlan excursion | The call moves to December 3 | Change the reservation date and reconfirm the ship time |
| Independent transport | Port timing may differ from an older seller listing | Use the live operator itinerary before confirming pickup |
| Trip insurance question | The itinerary changed, but the cruise remains scheduled | Ask the insurer about the actual policy terms before assuming coverage |
The most immediate task is to replace any Loreto plan and move any Mazatlan reservation to December 3. Puerto Vallarta now deserves a fresh look because the overnight creates more usable time than the original single day call.
Continue checking the operator record as the sailing approaches. Port times can still change, and the direct Holland America itinerary should outrank an agency page, search result or saved schedule created before the July notice.
What to watch before departure
The Mexican government said it is continuing discussions about Loreto’s navigation framework, but that process does not create a reliable reopening date. For this cruise, travelers should plan around the issued change unless Holland America sends a later replacement notice.
Watch for exact arrival and departure times in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, plus any excursion adjustments posted by Holland America. Guests with mobility needs should also review the revised excursion descriptions because changing ports can alter transport, walking and tender requirements.
Koningsdam is currently scheduled to reposition from its Alaska season to San Diego in October before its winter Mexico and Pacific program. The November 28 departure remains months away, which gives travelers time to rebuild port plans without treating the itinerary change as a last minute disruption.
The useful response is narrow: verify the live booking, remove Loreto from the plan, move Mazatlan to December 3 and evaluate the new Puerto Vallarta overnight. That keeps the trip aligned with the confirmed restriction while leaving room for any later operator update.
Which Koningsdam sailing removed Loreto?
The change affects the ten night round trip Mexico cruise from San Diego departing November 28, 2026, and returning December 8.
What replaces the Loreto call?
Koningsdam is scheduled to arrive in Puerto Vallarta one day earlier and spend the night there before departing December 5.
When will Koningsdam visit Mazatlan?
The revised report places the Mazatlan call on December 3, one day earlier than the original schedule.
Why was Loreto removed?
Mexico’s environment ministry says Loreto currently cannot receive international cruise ships under its port status and that cruise arrival requests from 2026 through 2030 were denied.
