Holland America Line is preparing for a gradual restart and is said to be moving six cruise ships toward the U.S. citing positive signs and a new conversation around the return to service.
The news came in a letter sent to crew from President Gus Antorcha, reported by Crew Center, and also obtained by Cruise Industry News.
“Following in-depth discussions with the CDC, other government agencies, and medical and science authorities, we have decided to start moving six Holland America Line ships toward U.S. waters over the next several weeks to begin completing the requirements for conditional sailing,” Antorcha said in the letter sent to the crew.
The ships heading to U.S. waters are the Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam, and Noordam. Holland America did not specify port information but the line has traditionally had a strong presence in the winter from Port Everglades and Tampa, which would pull from a large drive-to market.
“While there is still much to be done, this is an important first step toward our goal of resuming cruise operation,” the letter said.
“Holland America Line will continue to work with the CDC on our eventual return to guest cruise operations. We are fully aligned with the CDC on our top priorities for compliance, protecting the environment, and the health, safety, and well-being of our guests, the people in communities we touch, our crew, and shoreside employees.”
Launched by Holland American Line (HAL) in 2010, Nieuw Amsterdam did a wonderful job keeping one foot squarely in the elegant, familiar traditions of HAL while introducing new features designed to attract a bigger demographic.
Now in its fifth year of service, Nieuw Amsterdam has continued to maintain that balance by making additions to the onboard experience that are focused on psychographics rather than age demographics. Instead of developing separate features catering to different generations, HAL has found common denominators that appeal to a comprehensive range of guests — from 30-somethings to World War II veterans. What’s more, new programs, such as the year-old partnership with “Dancing with the Stars,” have been introduced without eliminating any of the daily activities that many guests have come to love.
When I sailed on Nieuw Amsterdam earlier this year, on the sailing that hosted the finals for “Dancing with the Stars,” I was struck by how new the ship felt and the universality of the ship’s appeal. The dancers and fans added a verve and enthusiasm that spread to everyone — even people who did not have a compelling interest in the competition — and the connections between different generations made for new friendships and abundant conversation.
HAL’s traditional standout activities also enriched the line’s passenger base, from ballroom dancing and excellence in dining that spans Cupcake Tea to the most formal meals, plus entertainment such as the just-launched Nashville-themed B.B. King Blues Club, held five nights a week in the Queen’s Lounge.
Here’s an overview of today’s Nieuw Amsterdam:
Accommodations
Rooms have features with widespread appeal and a great deal of flexibility, including closet space that can be adjusted to include hanging items and shelving. All accommodations have Sealy Euro-Top mattresses, hypoallergenic pillows and flat-screen televisions with DVD players. The in-room system has more than 1,000 free movies with titles reflecting a broad variety of guest tastes. Nieuw Amsterdam is also the first HAL ship with keycard-activated lighting, which has been used by hotels as an energy-saving device for some time.
It’s important to check the deck plan within stateroom and suite categories, as size can vary with location, and some have bathtubs and showers or larger space for seating. Thirty accommodations — from Deluxe and Superior Verandah Suites to inside staterooms — are wheelchair accessible.
Dining Options
Onboard dining choices are varied enough for expansive appeal. HAL’s Culinary Council of well-known chefs provides daily recommendations on the dining room fare. Dining options include Pinnacle Grill and the Tamarind restaurant that specializes in Asian food. Meanwhile, HAL’s Master Chef’s Table serves a tasting dinner on selected evenings. Pinnacle Grill also holds a weekly Le Cirque dining presentation; at $49, it is essentially the cost of tax and tip alone at the New York’s Le Cirque restaurant.
HAL expanded the menu at Italian restaurant Canaletto at the beginning of the year, bringing in a trendy small-plates option that has passengers across the generations experimenting and comparing notes at dinner. Canaletto dining now has a $10 surcharge (which was formerly included).
Complimentary 24-hour room service is more extensive than what’s available on many other cruise lines and includes the opportunity to order from the dining room menu during dinner hours.
The two decks of spa staterooms have in-cabin healthy dining menus that appeal to younger cruisers as well as older passengers who are both physically active and health conscious. There is a 22-dish vegetarian menu in the two-story Manhattan Dining Room, which has spa choices and international dishes such as the Dutch uitsmijter (open-faced sandwich with eggs on top) at breakfast.
Three kinds of afternoon tea appear on different days: a whimsical Cupcake Tea; the traditional Dutch High Tea; and an Indonesian Tea Ceremony featuring a variety of teas and desserts.
Exclusivity is another factor appreciated by HAL passengers of all ages. Suite guests can choose to have breakfast separately at Pinnacle Grill, although the menu is the same as that of Manhattan Dining Room. They also have free laundry and dry-cleaning services, priority tender boarding and use of the private Neptune Lounge where snacks and drinks are available throughout the day.
Entertainment
Entertainment is designed to please both new and repeat HAL guests. The three-deck, 890-seat Showroom at Sea showcases production shows and entertainment ranging from comedians to illusionists. When I sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam, it was packed two hours ahead of show time for the “Dancing with the Stars” final competition, accompanied by presentations by dance experts in their 40s.
Younger couples and older guests take full advantage of private nooks on Nieuw Amsterdam, so much so that travelers should make reservations as early as possible for the curtained cabanas placed along a wall of the Lido deck that rent for $35 (on port days) or $50 (on sea days) per day. The fee includes beverages and lunch served privately, and the cabanas come with iPods loaded with musical selections.
The Private Retreat, located on the deck above the Lido, is in even greater demand. Here, cabanas offering outdoor living/dining rooms include light breakfast and lunch and cost $45 to $115 per day, depending on their size. These should be reserved as early as possible after booking the cruise; by the time passengers board the ship, they are already reserved.
Life Onboard
The year-old partnership with “Dancing with the Stars” has clearly expanded Nieuw Amsterdam’s guest mix. On this year’s cruise of dance finalists, guests of all ages were dancing in the evenings and attending daytime dance classes — as well as attending seminars on computer tips, photography lessons and demonstrations from celebrity chefs in the Culinary Arts Center.
Sales Tip
North American dance studios are now sending “Dancing with the Stars” contestants to the ship year-round to compete. The contestants typically sail with their families — a very good potential target market for travel agents.
Nieuw Amsterdam sails alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises this winter, returning to the Mediterranean in April.
Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, but by the time our overworked brains get the message the vacation is often nearly over. Understanding this dilemma, cruise lines have devised some outstanding spaces that entice guests to slow down, relax and enjoy. These are the ones I love best.
Library, Oceania Marina
I immediately fell in love with Oceania Marina’s library, and I had plenty of company. It looks like a P.G. Wodehouse or Agatha Christie setting with guests who are reading, sipping and dozing while sprawled out on huge leather chairs.
Be sure to explore the nooks created by the shelves holding 2,000 books and periodicals to find your perfect place. You have to get up very early on sea days to stake out a chair and a favorite nook. On my cruise, some people come to the library at 4 a.m. to grab a chair near the fireplace. The library’s English country house atmosphere is beyond soothing. With the availability of coffees and snacks at the adjoining Baristas Coffee Bar, and computers for Internet access, some passengers make a day of it.
Spa Recovery Room, Costa Luminosa
Most ships’ spa recovery rooms have elegant, minimalistic loungers with a view of the sea, but not onboard Costa Luminosa. Here, guests who have had a massage or other spa treatment can chill out on canopied beds with filmy curtains in a shady, quiet room that seems to inhabit another world altogether. And if you prefer a sunnier spot to let the pampering soak in, you can push open the picket gate to the outside garden from your treatment room, step out and relax in a chair.
Explorations Cafe, Nieuw Amsterdam Explorations Cafe, powered by the New York Times, is my fantasy of what a retreat should be, and guests are constantly saying they need one at home. The ingredients speak for themselves: blissful, squashy leather chairs and couches, Internet stations, pastries, brownies, cupcakes, specialty coffees and thousands of books, magazines, DVDs, newspapers and table games — not to mention vast views of the sea. It’s full of guests from morning to night, sending emails, reading, chatting and playing games.
The Hideaway, Celebrity Silhouette Many ships have comfortable chairs, but Silhouette has nests that for me brought back memories of childhood retreats. Tucked away near an impressive 20-foot live tree that stands over the atrium, the intimate The Hideaway is an irresistible stylized tree house, with comfortable seating and suspended nests where guests can enjoy the peace, read or play with the Apple products from the Celebrity iLounge.
Seabourn Square, Seabourn Sojourn
I never thought I’d choose a purser’s desk for relaxation, but Seabourn Sojourn’s Seabourn Square makes dealing with questions both serene and pleasurable. The core of the ship and its collective living room, Seabourn Square includes purser and concierge functions but guests sit across from staff — there is no standing and waiting. And the atmosphere is eons away from a typical front desk. This open space at the heart of the ship is gently divided into areas for Internet access, a very fine library of books and magazines and plenty of seating options, from easy chairs and couches to tables and chairs perfect for enjoying the specialty coffees, teas and pastries that are always readily available.
Dining Options
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