Holland America Line announces name change for new build

Posted on 30 July, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Holland America Line has changed the name of its new build as it looks to honour the brand’s 150-year history.

The line’s new ship, expected to be delivered on July 30 next year, was due to be named Ryndam. However, the brand today announced it was changing the name to Rotterdam, with the new ship set to become the flagship for the fleet.

It comes two weeks after the line revealed it was selling four ships – including one called Rotterdam which is one of two vessels sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Line.

The new build, which will be delivered two months later than initially planned due to the pandemic, will be the seventh ship to hold the name Rotterdam. Guests who were booked on the ship’s inaugural cruise in May and itineraries through to July 30 are being contacted with rebooking options.

When the ship launches it will spend the summer in Northern Europe and the Baltic on roundtrip cruises from Amsterdam.

The new seven-day ‘Premiere Voyage’ departing from Trieste to Civitavecchia will depart on August 1. It will be followed by a 14-day sailing which ends in Amsterdam.

Between August 22 and October 10 the ship will sail roundtrip from Amsterdam on three seven-day itineraries to Norway, one 14-day cruise to the Baltics and one 140day cruise to Norway, Iceland and the British Isles.

It will then sail transatlantic on a 14-day voyage from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

To accommodate guests booked on cancelled itineraries which had been due to sail from May to July, some changes have been made to Nieuw Statendam’s deployment to match up with the former Ryndam cruises.

Guests who were due to sail on the original Premier Voyage will be rebooked on the new Premier Sailing and will receive a $100 per person onboard credit.

All other guests who were booked on impacted Ryndam or Nieuw Statendam cruises will be automatically rebooked to a similar future cruise date during the summer at the same far paid. They will also receive a $100 per person credit for cruises of 10 days or less and $250 per person for itineraries of 12 days or more.

Cruise ship tours: Holland America's Rotterdam
Just retired MV Rotterdam.

Gus Antorcha, the line’s new president, said: “The first ship for Holland America Line was the original Rotterdam, the company was headquartered in the city of Rotterdam for many years, and the name has been a hallmark throughout our history since 1872 … so clearly the name is powerful and symbolic.

“With the current Rotterdam leaving the company, we knew we had a unique opportunity to embrace the name as our new flagship and carry on the tradition of having a Rotterdam in our fleet. Seven is a lucky number, and we know she’s going to bring a lot of joy to our guests as she travels across the globe

“Guests and travel advisors will be notified today of this news and coming changes to current itineraries.

“We ask everyone, though, to please bear with us just a few weeks for all of the details as we rebuild itineraries and put the finishing touches on several desirable alternatives. We will follow up with specific details very soon so everyone knows their options.”

Holland America Line’s first ship, Rotterdam, sailed on its maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New York on October 15, 1872.

Cruise industry defends record after a critical TV documentary

Posted on 6 July, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Zaandam Ship Stats & Information- Holland America Line Zaandam ...

The cruise industry has defended its record in tackling the coronavirus crisis in the wake of a critical ITV documentary screened on Thursday.

The hour-long ‘Billion Pound Cruises: All at Sea’ focused on the plight of various Princess Cruises ships and Holland America Line vessel Zaandam which were caught up in the pandemic.

It highlighted the impact on passengers and crew and detailed the number of deaths involved.

The documentary featured passenger footage taken onboard Diamond Princess, which was thrust into the spotlight as the virus became a pandemic due to an outbreak on the ship as it was docked in Japan which led to guests and crew being quarantined.

However, global cruise industry body Clia said: “While the tragic reality of the pandemic has meant that its impact has been felt across all walks of life, Clia believes that the industry’s rapid response is one reason why the number of cases linked to ships was a small fraction of the global total.”

The association stressed that health and safety are “integral” to the cruise industry, which is currently at standstill across most of the world due to government restrictions.

A Clia spokesperson said: “No other form of travel provides such high transparency in public health reporting, or requires such stringent cleaning and hygiene protocols.

“Within 48 hours of the WHO [World Health Organisation] announcing an international emergency, Clia ocean cruise lines introduced enhanced screening protocols worldwide, including health and travel history checks prior to the embarkation of every passenger and crew member.

“Upon the declaration by the WHO of a pandemic, Clia ocean cruise lines voluntarily suspended operations worldwide, making the cruise industry one of the first to do so.

“Some ships had to travel thousands of miles to return to port, and repatriation was complicated by international air travel and border restrictions; Clia cruise lines have also successfully repatriated many thousands of crew members, and have been working non-stop with governments and health authorities to secure the safe return of crew members to their homes.”

Holland America Moves Passengers from Zaandam to Rotterdam

Posted on 15 June, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

Holland America Line has announced that 29 people moved from Zaandam to Rotterdam at Port Everglades.

There are now 53 total guests and contract service staff on Rotterdam waiting for flights (29 guests and 24 contract service staff).

“We are working on finalizing flights and logistics for travel home,” the company said.

Following the transfer, the Zaandam sailed from Port Everglades and will now undergo extensive sanitation measures and a 14-day self-quarantine plan in alignment with guidance by the U.S. CDC.

Holland America Line also is working on final details for all ships until operations resume.

“A select complement of our crew from navigation, engine and hotel departments will remain on board to maintain safe operations of the vessels during this lay-up period. We are working on arrangements to get the remaining crew members home as soon as possible. Crew members who cannot get home due to closed borders or lack of flights will stay on the ships until we are able to get them home,” the company stated.