Holland America Line ship Rotterdam has departed on its 14-day maiden voyage from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale.The 2,668-guest vessel was delivered in July 2021 and is the third in the line’s Pinnacle-class and the seventh ship to bear the name.Following the transatlantic crossing to Florida, Rotterdam will spend from November through to April 2022 on its inaugural Caribbean season, with all sailings round-trip from Fort Lauderdale.Itineraries will range from six to 11 days and span the entire region on southern, eastern, western and tropical voyages, Holland America Line said.Guests looking for a longer cruise can embark on a Collectors’ Voyage – combined back-to-back itineraries that offer a more in-depth exploration covering more than one area.Every Caribbean cruise will feature a call at Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s private Bahamian island.President Gus Antorcha said: “Rotterdam’s maiden voyage has been highly anticipated for months by our guests and team members eager to welcome them aboard.“Rotterdam is a beautiful ship and the fourth in our fleet to begin cruising this year. We are excited to bring her to Florida and the Caribbean soon on her first sailing.”Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands was recently announced as Rotterdam’s godmother – a position that will be formally confirmed when the ship is officially named in the spring.
Rotterdam features the 270-degree surround screen World Stage, Rudi’s Sel de Mer restaurant and Grand Dutch Café.It also has the Half Moon Bar, an “immersive experience looking at the history of Holland America Line and cruising through the lens of a cocktail”, the line explained.In other Holland America Line news, the line will celebrate 75 years of cruising in Alaska in 2022.In addition, the line’s UK & Ireland director of sales Wendy Lahmich recently told CTN that “cruising has a really bright future”, adding: “The way that the cruise lines have handled themselves and the industry has handled itself [during the pandemic], and the way that we’ve come together, has been phenomenal.”
Holland America Line announced it is set to restart cruising out of Port of San Diego in California beginning with a season of cruises to Mexico, Hawaii and along the California coast aboard Koningsdam and Zuiderdam.
The cruise line has expanded the season with the addition of six new cruise departures for Zuiderdam and two new cruises on Koningsdam, offering a total of 40 cruises from San Diego from September 2021 through April 2022.
Holland America Line also is looking toward cruising in the Caribbean with four ships, according to a press release.
All sailing roundtrip from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the season will begin Oct. 23, 2021, with Nieuw Amsterdam. The ship will be joined by the new Rotterdam Nov. 3, Eurodam Nov. 14 and Nieuw Statendam Nov. 21.
Caribbean cruises range in length from four to 14 days, span the entire region and include a call at Half Moon Cay.
“San Diego has always been an incredible homeport for our ships, and we are eager to restart on the West Coast with two ships operating an expanded season, including the debut of Koningsdam on these itineraries and close-to-home California cruises that our guests are going to love,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “We’ve also been anticipating announcing our plans for the Caribbean and we’re thrilled to have four ships in the region, including our new Rotterdam. Cruising is back and having vaccinated ships for these cruises in 2021 ensures that we can deliver the experience just how our guests remember and expect. We’re ready to cruise!”
Highlights of the 2021-2022 San Diego Cruise Season:
Zuiderdam: Sept. 18, 2021, to April 22, 2022: 17 cruises from San Diego — eight Mexico, four California coast, three Hawaii and two Panama Canal.
Koningsdam: Oct. 10, 2021, to April 3, 2022: 23 cruises from San Diego — 15 Mexico, six California coast and two Hawaii cruises.
Seven-day cruises along the California coast include a new itinerary that calls at Catalina, Santa Barbara and San Francisco for a late evening stay, along with Ensenada, Mexico. Additional “Classic California Coast” cruises include California calls at Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Avalon, and at Ensenada.
A new 21-day Panama Canal cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam from Seattle, Washington, to Fort Lauderdale departs Oct. 2 and includes calls at San Diego; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Fuerte Amador (Panama City), Panama;; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Half Moon Cay.
All seven-day “Mexican Riviera” cruises feature three Mexican ports of call: Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas.
“Mexico and Sea of Cortez” itineraries are between nine and 12 days and call at a combination of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas, Guaymas, Topolobampo, Pichilingue (La Paz) and Loreto, Mexico.
“Circle Hawaii” cruises are 17 or 18 days and call at the Hawaiian ports of Lahaina, Hilo, Honolulu, Nawiliwili and Kona, and Ensenada.
Two 14-day cruises through the Panama Canal from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale on Zuiderdam depart Jan. 2 and Jan. 30, 2022.
Highlights of the 2021-2022 Caribbean Cruise Season:
Nieuw Amsterdam: Oct. 23, 2021, to April 7, 2022: 24 cruises to the eastern, western and southern Caribbean. All itineraries are seven days except a nine-day holiday cruise departing on Dec. 30.
Rotterdam: Nov. 3, 2021, to April 10, 2022: The ship kicks off its maiden season in the Caribbean with a series of 22 cruises, ranging from three to 11 days covering a wide offering of Caribbean ports.
Eurodam: Nov. 14, 2021, to April 10, 2022: 15 departures, including 12 10- and 11-day Panama Canal Sunfarer cruises featuring a partial Panama Canal exploration of Gatun Lake and three seven-day eastern Caribbean itineraries.
Nieuw Statendam: Nov. 21, 2021, to March 27, 2022: 15 cruises to the eastern, western, southern and tropical Caribbean ranging from seven to 11 days.
All itineraries include a call at Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s private Bahamian island.
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.
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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