Holland America Line have announced three new world-class music venues that will debut on their brand new msKoningsdam.
Holland America Line's newest ship, msKoningsdam, has touched water for the very first time, after the ship was floated out of the Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard, ready to be outfitted.
Holland America Line's new Koningsdam, due to launch in February 2016, will feature new, innovative and re-imagined culinary experiences. Holland America Line is known for their magnificent cuisine, but the cruise line's newest and largest ship will give guests the opportunity to embark on a culinary adventure, featuring food from around the world.
An aircraft pilot had a lucky escape after his Cirrus SR-22 plane began to run out of fuel, 250 miles off the coast of Hawaii.
Holland America Line's new cruise ship msKoningsdam, due to be launched in 2016, will be home-ported in Amsterdam from April 2016. Following a series of Mediterranean cruises based out of Civitavecchia, Rome, the 99,500 ton vessel will reposition to Amsterdam for the summer season. It will sail on itineraries to Norway, the Baltic and Iceland.
Have you ever dreamed of owning your very own cruise ship? Well now you can (but you'll have to be super rich!). According to ship-broker.eu, Holland America Line's msVeendam is currently up for sale with a price tag of $150million.
Holland America Line's ms Zaandam has rescued 7 people just a day after ms Zuiderdam successfully rescued eight crewmembers, who were on board a sinking ship in the Caribbean.
The body of a missing Holland America Line crew member has been found washed up ashore near Pinellas County, Florida.
Carnival Corporation have announced plans for two new cruise ships to be built for its Carnival and Holland America Line brands. The new ships will be built at Italy's Fincantieri shipyard, with a delivery date of 2018.
Holland America Line will debut new single and family staterooms on its new ship ms Koningsdam. The new pinnacle class ship, due to debut in 2016, will feature 32 specially designed family staterooms, ranging from 222 to 231 square feet. The purpose-built cabins, will feature special amenities such as two bathrooms and accommodation for up to 5 guests. 12 single cabins will also debut on ms Koningsdam, ranging from 127 to 172 square feet. These cabins will be available on multiple decks at a variety of forward, mid-ship and aft locations. In addition, to the new staterooms, Holland America will bring back popular categories such as Neptune, Signature and Vista suites. These staterooms will be available in a wider range of sizes and different configurations than ever before. Richard Meadows, executive vice president, sales, marketing and guest programs commented on the new staterooms: A cruise is one of the most popular ways to travel as a family, and we continue to welcome more multigenerational groups each year. To help us better serve families, we are pleased to be able to offer these tailored staterooms on ms Koningsdam and the new one-person staterooms enable us to serve the growing market of solo travelers. With a sophisticated color palette and the freedom to design from the ground up based on guest feedback, ms Koningsdam’s staterooms and suites feature a host of modern functional details such as bedside USB ports, custom casework and frameless glass shower doors that feel elegant and luxurious. Additional amenities found in all suites and staterooms include Holland America Line’s signature Mariner's Dream bed with finely woven cotton linens, plush bathrobes for use during the voyage, a premium massage showerhead, flat-panel TV with video-on-demand, mini fridge, complimentary fresh fruit on request and fragrant soaps, lotions, shampoo and other bath amenities from Elemis Aromapure. On ms Koningsdam, the “suite life” gets sweeter with larger, more luxurious quarters. A grand Pinnacle Suite is an expansive 1,290 square feet with a bedroom, living room, dining area, dressing room and private verandah with whirlpool. The two Neptune Spa Suites and 43 Neptune Suites range from a generous 465 to a huge 855 square feet. Neptune and Pinnacle Suite guests have access to the exclusive Neptune Lounge, a private place to relax, socialize with other suite guests and enjoy the personalized service of a concierge. The fleetwide lounges provide worktables, a large screen television, library, sofas and chairs, and complimentary refreshments throughout the day. Pinnacle and Neptune Suite amenities also include corsages and boutonnieres for the first formal night, a cocktail party with the ship’s officers, priority dining and seating requests, binoculars and umbrellas for use during the cruise, a wall-unit bar, cold hors d’oeuvres served before dinner each evening on request and complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning throughout the cruise and more. The 14 Signature Suites are up to 400 square feet in size and the 104 Vista Suites range from 260 to 356 square feet. Signature and Vista suite guests receive many special amenities, including personalized cruise stationery, oversized bath towels, fresh flowers, a pillow menu, mini bar and one-touch phone concierge service. My Nguyen, Holland America Line’s deputy director of interior design, said: “Holland America Line is known in the cruise industry for providing well-appointed staterooms. The ship will have the most staterooms with verandahs in the Holland America Line fleet with 912 total from Verandah to Pinnacle Suite categories. Guests looking to focus on health and wellness during the cruise can book verandah spa accommodations, conveniently located near the Greenhouse Spa & Salon that come with yoga mats for use during the voyage and an iPod docking station.
Holland America Line has announced that from December 1st 2014, Orlando Ashford will join the company as president to lead the HAL brand and business. Ashford joins the company from Mercer, the global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement and investments, where he was president of the Talent Business Segment. Stein Kruse, chief executive officer of Holland America Group commented: We are fortunate to have Orlando join our team, bringing with him a career's worth of global experience leading high-performance teams that helped innovate some of the most respected and well-known companies in the world. Ashford will oversee Holland America Line’s sales and marketing, revenue management, deployment and itinerary planning, public relations, hotel operations and strategy. He will report to Holland America Group CEO Kruse and will be part of the Group’s executive leadership team alongside brand leaders Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises; Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn and president of Cunard North America; and Ann Sherry AO, chief executive officer, Carnival Australia. Ashford will relocate to the Holland America Line headquarters office in Seattle. Prior to his role at Mercer, Ashford served as senior vice president, chief human resources and communications officer of Mercer's parent company, Marsh & McLennan Companies. He also has held several other leadership roles during the course of his career, including group director of human resources for 90 countries in Eurasia and Africa for the Coca-Cola Company and vice president Corporate Center human resources and cultural transformation. Previously he was vice president of global human resources strategy and organizational development for Motorola, Inc. where he helped modernize the human resources function for the global tech leader. Orlando Ashford is eager to start his role as president of Holland America Line. In a statement he said: Holland America Line is a remarkable and highly respected company that delivers exceptional experiences and indelible memories of joy and adventure to their guests. Holland America Line has released a preview of the itineraries for their new ship, ms Koningsdam, which will set sail from February 2016. The vessel will be home-ported in Civitavecchia and guests can book a voyage on the vessel from 1st December 2014.
The first cruise will be a 7- and 19-night round trip voyage from Civitavecchia (Rome) departing 20th February 2016. The 7-night itinerary includes Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakolon and Naples. Cruise only prices start from £699. The 19-night voyage will include the 7-night voyage detailed above, as well as visits to Piraeus for Athens, Istanbul, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Rhodes and Crete, before returning back to Civitavecchia. Prices start from £1,749. A 12-night 'Greek & Turkish Treasures' cruise will depart Civitavecchia on 27th February, 22nd March and 15th April 2016 with ports of call at Katakolon, Piraeus, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Crete, Naples and returning back to Civitavecchia for Rome. Cruise only prices start from £1,199. The final preview cruise released is a 12-night 'Mediterranean Mosaic' voyage with prices starting at £1,199. The itinerary include calls at Naples, Palermo, Cagliari, Gibraltar, Cadiz for Seville, Malaga, Cartagena, Barcelona and arriving back into Civitavecchia. Departures include 10th March, 3rd April and 27th April 2016. More itineraries throughout the year will be released at a later date. Cruises go on sale from 1st December 2014. Holland America Line have revealed a short preview video showcasing the interior of their newest and largest ship, ms Koningsdam, due to launch in 2016. In the video, guests are shown the beautiful and inspirational features found on board. Music will form a large part of the decor of the ship, with spaces playing on the sensual lines and shapes of musical instruments. From the impressive arches in the 3-deck high atrium to the spectacular two-tiered dance hall. The atrium will feature "a stainless steel sculpture, that represents the synthesis of a string quartet." The sculpture, designed by Adam D. Tihany, will span the 3-deck area, giving guests new perspectives on every level. The Queen's Lounge, which features on some of the lines previous vessels, will include a second elegant tier, giving guest the opportunity to unwind and watch a show, or dance from above. The Queen's Lounge, which features the ship's largest dance floor, will be home to great nightly performances as well as the sensational B.B. King's Blues Club. The main dining room, will feature an iconic wine tower, housing some of the finest wines at sea. Accommodation on board will be modern, bright and spacious. Suites will be beautifully appointed, comfortable and host plenty of amenities. Holland America will also be introducing new family staterooms, designed to make everyone feel well cared for. The signature Pinnacle Grill will overlook the atrium, serving fantastic cuisine, in the most luxurious surroundings. Other features on board include; Explorations Café - A comfortable coffeehouse, powered by The New York Times, perfect for relaxing and completing the daily crossword puzzle. Custom espresso drinks and pastries, and a comprehensive selection of books and travel guides will also be on offer. Greenhouse Spa and Salon - A haven of luxurious beauty salon and spa treatments, featuring thermal pools, heated ceramic lounges and treatment rooms facing the sea. Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group, said: When guests come aboard ms Koningsdam they’ll know they’re on a Holland America Line ship, but they’ll see we’re taking a forward-thinking approach to many of the design elements. More innovative designs and features are set to be revealed in the coming months, however deck plans are available to view on the Holland America website now.
ms Koningsdam is currently being built at the Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. She will debut in February 2016, with cruises going on sale from 1st December 2014. Holland America Line have revealed the name of its brand new 99,500-ton cruise ship due for completion in February 2016.
The ms Koningsdam will be the first ship in the new Pinnacle Class and can hold 2,650 guests. The name plays homage to the company's rich heritage and roots in the Netherlands and the ship reflects a new era for Holland America. Since 1883, all of their ships have ended with the "dam" suffix. In Dutch, the word "koning" means "king". The name also honors His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, the first king of the Netherlands in over a century. “In choosing the name Koningsdam, we are honoring our rich Dutch heritage while reflecting that we’re entering a new era as a company,” said Stein Kruse, chief executive officer of the Holland America Group. “This new Pinnacle Class ship will be our largest, most contemporary vessel, and it was only fitting to give it a name that embodies great achievement for the future, while embracing timeless tradition.” |
Subscribe To Our Email Updates!Meet The EditorJordan Bailey is 19 and loves to travel! He has been on over 20 cruises around the world, with many different cruise lines, making him a source of knowledge.
MEET THE WRITERS Archives
May 2015
Categories
All
All images copyright of Cruise Capital, unless otherwise stated.
|