Tag Archives: Holland America Line

Australia Set for Record-Breaking Cruise Capacity in 2024

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According to the 2024 Cruise Industry News Annual Report, the Australian cruise market is poised for record-breaking cruise capacity in 2024.

Building on a strong 2023, the region will see 57 different cruise ships from various brands.

Accounting for approximately four per cent of the global cruise market share, some of the big deployment moves include the arrival of the Crown Princess.

Joining Princess Cruises’ lineup in Australia and New Zealand for the 2024-25 season, the 3,100-guest vessel will offer cruises departing from Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane and more.

Taking over the program currently offered by the Coral Princess, the Crown is also scheduled to offer longer cruises, including sailing to the South Pacific and Europe.

Cruise Industry News independent research shows that P&O Australia continues to serve as the market leader, with three ships operating year-round from ports in Australia and New Zealand.

The company’s fleet includes the Pacific Encounter and the Pacific Adventure, which are among the largest ships sailing in the region.

Other brands with significant capacity in the Australia and New Zealand regions include Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Line.

Royal Caribbean is deploying three ships to the region in 2024, offering seasonal programs from Sydney and Brisbane.

In addition to the Carnival Splendor operating a year-round schedule out of Sydney, Carnival is once again deploying the Carnival Luminosa to Australia in 2024.

After joining the company’s fleet in 2022, the 2,260-guest ship has been offering seasonal programs from Brisbane.

Australia and New Zealand’s 2024 lineup is also highlighted by Disney Cruise Line, which is returning to the region for a second consecutive season in late 2024.

Following a successful debut in 2023, the Disney Wonder will return to the market in late October for an extended program that features itineraries departing from Brisbane, Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.

Holland America Presents ‘Cake Me Away’ Dessert Extravaganza

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Holland America’s pastry chefs across the fleet will showcase their favorite desserts during Cake Me Away, a new Lido Market dessert celebration.

Launching in time for National Cake Day on Nov. 26, Cake Me Away presents over 22 five-layer cakes in 16 flavors, according to a press release. 

The cruise line’s international pastry team has also crafted a selection of mini-jar cakes to be added to the daily dessert rotation at Sweet Spot in Lido Market.

 “Our pastry team has some of the most talented chefs in the world, and Cake Me Away allows us to bring flavors from their home countries to our guests,” said Michael Stendebach, vice president of food, beverage and guest services at Holland America Line. “The culinary team is always developing new ideas, and Cake Me Away gives them the opportunity to share their favorites and introduce new original cakes for our guests to enjoy.”

Cake Me Away desserts include gluten-free, vegan and no-sugar added options.

 Featured flavors include:

  • Mille Crepe Cake with layers of cream and crepes;
  • Heaven and Hell Cake with peanut butter frosting;
  • Concorde Cake, a gluten-free option made from chocolate meringue.
  • Almond Roca Cake with homemade almond roca (a hard toffee with chopped nuts and chocolate);
  • Sans Rival Cake with buttercream, meringue and chopped cashews;
  • Carrot Cake with warm spices, chopped nuts and cream cheese frosting;
  • Cookies and Cream Cake with crushed chocolate cookies;
  • Crème Brûlée Cake, with vanilla cake, creamy custard and pastry cream.

The mini-jar cakes offered daily will feature flavors such as Black Forest, Carrot Cake, Key Lime Pie, Red Velvet and S’mores.

Holland America: Full Fleet Shore Power Ready

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Following the shore power installation on the Volendam, Holland America Line’s entire fleet is now equipped for shore power connectivity.

The Volendam recently completed its installation in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was connected to the port’s shoreside electricity for a full day on September 27.

“At Holland America Line, our legacy of exceptional onboard care extends to caring for the planet, and having our entire fleet capable of shore power connection is a tremendous milestone in our sustainability efforts,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “We have committed to reducing our carbon emission intensity by 20 per cent by 2030 from our 2019 baseline, and we’re on our way to reaching that goal through a variety of initiatives that include shore power. We look forward to more global ports embracing shore power capability in the future and are ready to work with them to connect.”

Ports that the cruise line’s ships visit with shore power include Juneau, Alaska; New York; San Francisco and San Diego, California; Seattle, Washington; Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver, Canada; Bergen, Ålesund and Kristiansand, Norway; Kiel, Germany; and Shanghai and Xiamen, China.

Holland America Line began converting ships for shore power connectivity in 2006 with its four Vista Class ships.

The cruise line’s Pinnacle Class ships (the Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and the Rotterdam) all were built with shore power systems installed, while the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam were launched with a partial installation that has since been completed.

In addition to shore power, the company has also adopted a variety of environmental practices such as banning single-use plastics onboard and using biodegradable or paper-based alternatives.

“We’ve made our packaging changes in a thoughtful manner to ensure that we can both reduce our footprint and also maintain our outstanding guest experience,” added Antorcha.