Holland America’s Rotterdam Returns to Fort Lauderdale for Winter Season

Posted on 4 November, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

Holland America Line’s Rotterdam returned to Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades to kick off its winter season in the Caribbean.

After completing a summer deployment in Europe, the vessel docked at Port Everglades on Oct. 27, 2024.

To open its season in the region, the Rotterdam is offering a 12-night cruise to the Southern Caribbean and Panama Canal.

Named “Panama Canal Sunfarer,” the itinerary features visits to six destinations, as well as a partial transit of the Panama Canal.

After departing Fort Lauderdale, the 2021-built ship sailed to Holland America’s private island destination in the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay.

The Rotterdam then visited Willemstad in Curaçao and Cartagena in Colombia before entering the Panama Canal.

Before returning to South Florida, the ship is also scheduled to sail to Colón in Panama, Puerto Limón in Costa Rica and George Town in the Cayman Islands.

Through mid-April, the Rotterdam continues to offer a series of seven- to 12-night cruises to the Caribbean.

The itineraries also sail to the Eastern Caribbean and feature visits to additional destinations, such as Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos), Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands).

Following the winter season, the Rotterdam is scheduled to return to Europe for a summer program sailing from the Netherlands.

The cruise program features departures from Rotterdam and Amsterdam, with itineraries that visit Scandinavia, Iceland, the British Isles, the Baltic, and more.

The Rotterdam is currently the newest ship in the Holland America Line fleet. It was built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and entered service in late 2021.

A sister to the 2016-built Koningsdam and 2018-built Nieuw Statendam, the 2,650-guest ship is the seventh in the company’s fleet to carry the Rotterdam name.

As part of Holland America’s Pinnacle Class, the vessel offers 11 different dining experiences, as well as a series of entertainment venues and other facilities.

Disney Dream Enters Drydock in France

Posted on 25 September, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

Disney Dream in the historic city of Liverpool, Photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr Images

The Disney Dream is currently in drydock at the Damen Shipyard in Brest, France, to undergo a series of significant upgrades.

After completing its summer program in Europe, the Disney Cruise Line vessel arrived at the facility on September 16, 2024.

In addition to routine maintenance, technical work and class items, the Disney Dream will see refurbishment of its public areas during the month-long dry dock.

As part of the project, the 2011-built ship is getting a new funnel suite, as well as revamped youth spaces, a refreshed spa, and additional dining options.

Named the Dream Tower Suite, the duplex funnel suite is being created on the vessel’s forward funnel and pays homage to Walt Disney Animation Studio’s Fantasia movie.

According to Disney Cruise Line, the stateroom will feature Art Deco motifs, celestial-inspired designs and a chandelier reminiscent of a scene from the movie.

The Disney Dream is also receiving a new Concierge Lounge inspired by Disney Animation’s Hercules and its Mount Olympus.

Other new features include a new Mexican cantina restaurant, a revamped spa, which is receiving more treatment rooms, and a new check-in room.

The youth areas onboard will also undergo renovations, with Edge, the tween club for guests aged 11-14, moving to Deck 5 and getting an outdoor deck equipped with a ball pit and more.

After completing the work, the Disney Dream is set to welcome guests back in Southampton for a trans-Atlantic crossing.

Sailing from England to Fort Lauderdale, the 13-night repositioning voyage will depart on October 20, 2024.

Starting in early November, the ship will offer a series of three- to five-night cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas, departing from Port Everglades.

In addition to Castaway Cay, the itineraries feature visits to Disney’s new private island destination of Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

HX Connects to Shore Power in Reykjavik

Posted on 12 June, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) celebrated a milestone when the Fridtjof Nansen became the first ship to connect to shore power at Midtbakki Terminal on June 9.

While at the Midtbakki terminal, the Fridtjof Nansen will use renewable electricity from Iceland, thus minimizing emissions during port calls in Reykjavik.

“The availability of sustainable shore power at the Midtbakki Terminal in the Icelandic capital is an important step in our efforts towards more sustainable shipping. We are proud to be able to supply another of our expedition ships, MS Fridtjof Nansen, with emission-free power in the harbour of Reykjavik,” said Claus A. Andersen, director of fleet operations at HX. “Using shore power is an important part of our strategy to make our expedition voyages climate-neutral by 2050.”

Sigurður Jökull Ólafsson from Faxaflóahafnir sf. (Associated Icelandic Ports) added: “HX is the perfect partner as they have broad experience with shore power connections on the Norwegian coast, and we are very pleased to be working with HX to take this innovative development forward. The expansion of shore power capacity is an important step to further improve the air quality in our harbour. We hope to encourage other operators to do the same.”

The inauguration of the new shore power connection on June 9 was attended by Halla Hrund Logadóttir, the current director of the Icelandic National Energy Authority Orkustofnun, and the Norwegian ambassador in Reykjavik, Cecilie Willoch. Willoch emphasized the importance of this collaboration to drive the green transition further in the future, including between local authorities, ports, cruise companies, shipbuilders and the technology industry.