Holland America puts a pro pickleball match on Half Moon Cay

Holland America wants you to watch pro pickleball on a private island. The line, the Professional Pickleball Association Tour, and Major League Pickleball announced a Private Island Invitational at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. The release is dated 30 Sep 2026. Cruise Industry News wrote it up on 3 Oct 2026.

The match day is 13 Mar 2027. The cruise that gets you there leaves earlier in the week.

The cruise that includes the match

Nieuw Statendam’s seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise, “San Juan & St. Thomas,” departs 7 Mar 2027. The release says that sailing includes the island pickleball day on 13 Mar. Pros play on what the release calls the island’s four new courts.

The line’s own blog, also dated 30 Sep, adds the gate. You book that cruise. You also buy an event ticket. The ticket line on the blog says “Available soon!” Capacity is limited. The blog tells you to sign up in MyCruise right after you book. Neither the release nor the blog prints a price.

Kacy Cole, Holland America’s chief marketing officer, says in the release: “At Holland America Line, we believe experiences are too good to hurry through.” She calls the invitational a fit for the island. Jacob Cohen, chief revenue officer for the PPA and Major League Pickleball, says the setting shows pickleball can be played anywhere, “next to the pristine beaches of this tranquil private island.”

The line ties the event to the 30th anniversary of RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. The blog calls Holland America the Official Cruise Line Partner of the PPA.

A September post on this site already covered the paid Beach Club and the free barbecue pavilion on the same island: Holland America adds a paid Beach Club at Half Moon Cay. That announcement said four pickleball courts from last season remain. This release calls the invitational courts four new courts. It does not say whether that is a new set or the same four. The blog puts the courts in the sports area, next to basketball, volleyball, soccer, and tai chi.

The four warm-up cruises

You can meet pros before March. The release lists four Countdown Cruises. Each one has onboard pickleball, an island stop, and PPA players. The named events are a coffee chat, trivia, a meet-and-greet, an onboard lesson, and a pro clinic on the island. The release says the specific pros will be announced later.

• 20 Nov 2026: nine-day Southern Caribbean on Nieuw Amsterdam
• 12 Dec 2026: seven-day Western Caribbean, Greater Antilles and Mexico, on Zuiderdam
• 2 Jan 2027: seven-day Eastern Caribbean, Amber Cove and the Bahamas, on Eurodam
• 23 Jan 2027: the same seven-day Eastern Caribbean on Eurodam

The blog counts five Caribbean itineraries from October 2026 through March 2027. That is these four, plus the 7 Mar Nieuw Statendam sailing.

Every Holland America ship already has at least one ocean-view pickleball court, with gear, a beginner lesson, and open play. That fleet line is in the release. It is separate from the invitational ticket.

What this means for you

If you want to be on the island for the match, the cruise is Nieuw Statendam on 7 Mar 2027. Book that sailing, then watch MyCruise for the ticket. The blog says the ticket is not on sale yet, and space is capped. A price is not in these sources.

If you want the meetups and you can live without the March match, one of the four Countdown Cruises is the booking. You still get an island day. You do not get the invitational unless you are on the 7 Mar cruise and you hold a ticket.

The release says you can book through a travel advisor, at hollandamerica.com, or at 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425). Facts above follow Holland America’s 30 Sep 2026 release and blog, with Cruise Industry News on 3 Oct 2026.