Photo by Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped
Holland America Line’s Westerdam reached Tokyo on September 27, 2026, and immediately started a 14-day Circle Japan cruise that is already underway. Cruise Industry News reported the Vista-class ship arrived after an Alaska summer and a 13-night North Pacific repositioning from Vancouver, with calls at Ketchikan, Kushiro, and Aomori before the Tokyo docking.
Travelers who hoped to board that first Tokyo loop missed the September 27 departure. The next remaining Circle Japan sailing from Tokyo is October 11, and Holland America’s current Asia voyage list still shows later Japan, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong to Singapore dates through spring 2027. Use the Westerdam ship guide to match cabin types to those remaining dates before inventory tightens on the shorter fall loops.
- Tokyo arrival: Westerdam docked on September 27, 2026, then began voyage W668, a 14-day Circle Japan round trip.
- Next Tokyo sailing: October 11, 2026, voyage W671, a 13-day Circle Japan, plus a 28-day collector option the same day.
- Season shape: Japan loops run into early November, then Far East Discovery sailings between Hong Kong and Singapore.
- Documents: Holland America lists one blank passport page for Circle Japan and six months of validity past the last travel day.
- Who this is for: Guests still choosing a 2026 Japan cruise, a collector pairing, or a later Hong Kong to Singapore segment.
Westerdam Docked in Tokyo on September 27
The September 27 arrival is the operational start of Westerdam’s fall Far East season, not a new ship or a newly announced itinerary family. Cruise Industry News said the 2004-built ship finished Alaska, crossed the Pacific, and tied up in Tokyo the same day voyage W668 was scheduled to sail. Independent sailing sheets list that cruise as a Tokyo to Tokyo loop returning October 11, with a 7:00 p.m. departure on day one.
Holland America’s own ship page lists Westerdam at 1,964 guests, 936 feet, and Vista-class public rooms, which is the vessel now working Japan, not a fleet substitute. If you hold a W668 booking, you are already in the Japan sequence. If you do not, treat September 27 as a closed embarkation and move to the next published Tokyo date rather than waiting for a same-week standby that the line has not advertised.
Remaining Japan Sailings After the October 11 Return
Holland America’s August 31, 2026, Asia passport and visa chart is the current official list of Westerdam voyage codes and names. After W668 it shows October 11 as W671, 13-Day Circle Japan, and W671a, 28-Day Circle Japan and South Korea Discovery. October 24 is W672, 15-Day Japan and South Korea Discovery, with a 29-day China collector as W672a.
November 8 is W675, 14-Day Japan, South Korea and China, plus W675a, a 28-day Far East collector. November 22 switches the ship to W676, 14-Day Far East Discovery, which Cruise Industry News described as the start of Hong Kong to Singapore itineraries. December 6 and December 20 keep that Far East Discovery pattern, with a December 20 holiday collector that later reaches Australia. Book the October 11 Tokyo round trip if you want Japan without the longer collector; book the paired lettered voyage if you want to stay aboard through South Korea or China.
Circle Japan Ports on the First Tokyo Loop
Day-by-day listings for W668, including the schedule on CruiseWatch and voyage code HALW668 on The Cruise Line, put Osaka on September 29, Kochi on September 30, Hiroshima on October 1, scenic cruising in the Kanmon Strait on October 2, and Busan, South Korea, on October 3. The Sea of Japan coast then runs Sakaiminato, Tsuruga, Toyama, Sakata, Aomori, and Hakodate before a sea day and the October 11 Tokyo return at 8:00 a.m.
That port list is the first-loop product, not a promise that every later Circle Japan date repeats every call. W671 is published as a 13-day Circle Japan, one night shorter than W668, so compare the live Holland America itinerary page for October 11 before you assume the same Hiroshima overnight or the same Busan call. Collectors that start on the same day simply keep you on board into the next voyage instead of sending you home on October 11.
Passport Pages and Japan Arrival Timing
The same Holland America chart tells guests to carry a passport book valid at least six months beyond the last day of travel, with names matching cruise documents exactly. Circle Japan sailings, including W668, W671, W721, and W722, are listed at one minimum blank passport page. Japan, South Korea, and China combinations rise to two pages. Far East Discovery and longer collectors need two to five blank pages, so a passport that is legal for a 13-day Tokyo loop can still fail check-in on a 28-day collector.
Visa rules still depend on nationality. Holland America tells guests to confirm visas before check-in and points booked Asia passengers to its Asia booked-guest page. Build air into Tokyo with a buffer before a 7:00 p.m. embarkation, and do not treat a same-day transpacific arrival as a reliable plan for the October 11 sailing. Guests already in Japan for other travel can board in Tokyo without a North Pacific crossing, which is the practical advantage of these fall loops.
Hong Kong, Singapore, and the 2027 Return North
Cruise Industry News said the Japan-centered block runs through early November, after which Westerdam offers varied itineraries between Hong Kong and Singapore. That matches the official November 22 W676 Far East Discovery date. January 3, 2027, is W710, 28-Day Legendary Coral Triangle and Great Barrier Reef, the Australia and South Pacific stretch. Southern Japan returns on February 28 as W717, with Circle Japan collector dates again on March 28 and April 11.
April 25, 2027, is W725, 15-Day North Pacific Crossing, the published move back toward North America. Cruise Industry News added that Westerdam is slated for Alaska from mid-April 2027 as part of a six-ship regional season, and that an Evolution dry dock date for this ship is still to be announced. Use the Holland America Line fleet guide when you are choosing among Vista-class sisters, and treat any 2028 Alaska booking window as a later season, already covered in Deep Arrival’s Holland America 2028 Alaska booking report.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Want the next Tokyo round trip | Target October 11, 2026, voyage W671, 13-Day Circle Japan, and compare the live port list before paying. |
| Want more than two weeks in Asia | Use the same-day collector codes W671a, W672a, or W675a, and check blank passport pages on the official chart. |
| Prefer Hong Kong or Singapore air | Wait for November 22 W676 and the December Far East Discovery dates instead of forcing a Tokyo embarkation. |
| Are already holding W668 | You are on the September 27 to October 11 loop; do not rebook October 11 unless you are changing ships or dates. |
September 27, 2026, is a closed Tokyo embarkation. Westerdam sailed W668 that evening. New guests should not plan to walk up in Tokyo this week.
October 11, 2026, is the next Tokyo decision date. That is the first remaining Circle Japan departure still listed after the current loop returns.
November 22, 2026, is the Far East Discovery pivot. After that date the published pattern is Hong Kong and Singapore, not another Tokyo Circle Japan.
When is the next Westerdam cruise from Tokyo?
October 11, 2026, voyage W671, a 13-day Circle Japan, is the next Tokyo departure on Holland America’s current Asia list after the September 27 sailing.
Did Westerdam already leave on the first Japan cruise?
Yes. Cruise Industry News reported the ship arrived in Tokyo on September 27, 2026, and independent itineraries show W668 departing Tokyo at 7:00 p.m. that day.
Which ports does the first Circle Japan cruise visit?
Listings for W668 include Osaka, Kochi, Hiroshima, the Kanmon Strait, Busan, Sakaiminato, Tsuruga, Toyama, Sakata, Aomori, and Hakodate, returning to Tokyo on October 11.
How many blank passport pages does Holland America require?
The line’s Asia chart lists one blank page for Circle Japan sailings and two to five pages for longer Japan, China, and Far East Discovery collectors.
When does Westerdam leave Japan for Hong Kong and Singapore?
November 22, 2026, voyage W676 is the first Far East Discovery date after the November 8 Japan, South Korea, and China sailing.
Can I still book a Westerdam Japan cruise for fall 2026?
Holland America still lists October 11, October 24, and November 8 Japan-region voyages. Confirm cabin inventory on the line’s find-a-cruise tool before you assume a category is open.
