Fincantieri has delivered the new Viking Venus to Viking ahead of the ship’s debut in the UK in May.
The 930-guest ship was delivered on Thursday in Ancona.
It’s the seventh in a series of up to 16 930-guest ships being built for the Torstein Hagen-led cruise company.
The Viking Star was delivered in 2015 and was quickly followed by the Viking Sea, Sky, Sun, Orion and Jupiter, with another nine ships set to follow, plus two 378-guest expedition ships from Fincantieri-owned VARD.
The Discovery Princess, the sixth Royal-class ship built Princess Cruises, floated out today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone.
Interior fittings will now begin, leading the vessel to delivery, scheduled next year for Princess, which is owned by Carnival Corporation.
The 145,000-ton ship is a sister vessel to the Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess, which were all built and delivered in the same shipyard starting from 2013.
The partnership between the Monfalcone yard and Princess Cruises will continue with two next-generation cruise ships. These will be the largest built so far in Italy with a gross-tonnage of 175,000 tons, will accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and will be the first of the ship owner’s fleet to be dual-fuel powered primarily by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Deliveries are scheduled for 2023 and 2025.
The Rotterdam will be the seventh ship in the history of the Holland America fleet to carry this name. The ship was originally named the Ryndam but Holland America changed it to Rotterdam following the sale of the previous Rotterdam to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines in 2020.
The new Rotterdam is a sister to the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, part of Holland America’s Pinnacle-class of ships.
Ship: Rotterdam Cruise Line: Holland America
Capacity: 2,650 passengers Shipyard: Fincantieri, Italy
Estimated Delivery Date: July 2021
Features and Design: The 297-meter ship has 12 decks and 1,340 cabins. The what seems like never-ending entertainment includes live music spaces like the Rolling Stone Rock Room, the Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard Onboard, World Stage, and B.B. King’s Blues Club; a BBC Earth in Concert, a Microsoft Studio for creating photo albums and travel videos; the Greenhouse Spa & Salon; a casino; children’s club; and more.
The Rotterdam will also offer 11 dining experiences: from burgers and pizza to sushi and seafood, as well as dedicated French, Asian, and Italian restaurants. It also offers 24-hour in-room dining for those who get peckish at less convenient hours.
Debut Season: The Rotterdam is scheduled to spend summer 2021 exploring Northern Europe and the Baltic on roundtrip cruises from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Following Itineraries: In autumn 2021, the Rotterdam is scheduled to embark on a couple of transatlantic voyages to and from the U.S., from where the vessel will change to Caribbean itineraries all the way until April 2022.
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