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Ocean Liner History and Stories from the Sea, Past and Present. With an In Depth focus on Holland America Line

Category: Staff & Crew (page 1 of 10)

2025 June 14; Going Home, the Verdict.

So today we drove home after a very nice 14 days on board the ms Nieuw Statendam. We would prefer a smaller HAL ship (hence we are going to try Viking next February with 900 passengers) and we hope that HAL/Carnival will build some as HAL is losing customers to Viking as they have 12 midsized cruise ships that can call at smaller ports. (That will also make it easier to find another port during inclement weather) Something I was used to when I was with the ms Veendam (now still laid up in Greece) and ms Prinsendam (now ms Amera) in Europe.

Will we be back ???. YES. My Lord and Master has already booked a 14 day cruise in  2027 in the Baltic (September 17) with the Nieuw Statendam. There are some ports there, that were not visited by HAL during my days of sailing (Klapeida, Gdansk, Riga etc.)

The only real two complaints were:

A. the noise in the dining room in the “As You Wish” part. It could be quite easily fixed by HAL (egg shell sound proofing of ceiling, something I have seen at other companies). But for ourselves it also was easily avoided. Being married to an (almost) 700 day Mariner gave an extra Specialty Restaurant visit (plus extra one that came with the “Have it All package) and made it that the dining room  was easily avoided, But my greatest respect for Host Fernando and his team to make it all work during the rush hours of serving. (We went twice to New York Pizza as well when we knew it was quiet)

B. The overbooking in the Pinnacle Restaurant near the end of the cruise. There is really no excuse for that, and it is not nice to expose the staff to this, when all they want to do is deliver the service that Holland America indicates, is famous for and expect them to deliver.

What would be nice:

A part of Crows nest that could be used for cocktails in the evening (the portside and midships), with a proper ambience and with all broken equipment removed. And maybe a small stage in the corner for a guitar player??

The late show to start at 21.30. It would relieve congestion (between 19.00 and 19.30) in the dining room and just give everybody enough time to enjoy a “good dinner experience”, instead of a rushed “going to eat”.

For the rest many compliments for our cabin stewards (hardly ever to be seen as usual), the cheerful Lido staff and the very had working Bar Staff, who did earn their money with soo many cocktail loving Dutch on board. Same for the Kitchen staff who kept up the best Lido afloat and delivered in the specialty restaurants even under high pressure circumstances. We liked the shows and the Dualling Piano’s and also the classical trio  but we stayed away from the Rock lounge and BB Kings as the volume is way too high for people with good ears.

A pity was the sudden ending of the Orange Party, that was just gearing up (under the infectious enthousiasm of Miss X) and then it went back to BB. King, what a bummer.

This time we had a Vista Suite but her ladyship found it too small so next time we go for Neptune Suite. As ex HAL I can get discounted fares but with the danger that it all gets cancelled at the last minute, if the ship is fully booked or they can do an up-sail. Hence we book in the normal way via a travel agent. We do not have children so there is no excuse for not spending  our inheritance anyway.

ms Nieuw Statendam

ms Queen Anne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On day 3  (4 if counted from Dover) I promised a comparison between HAL and Cunard now they both operate Pinnacle class ships (Costa Cruises has some as well).

This is a personal rating and the one that wins is in bold. 

HAL                                                      Cunard:               ,

Capacity 2600                                Capacity 2900

Deck 1 Atrium                                Grand Lobby

Cunard has this wonderful space with a sitting area, coffee bar,  drawing room, games room and in the corner the Pursers  office. HAL has changed a previously completely lost space  into the Park West art gallery. The Front desk is on desk 3,  which is  prime space now handed over to offices. Cunard has Shops here and open walking space for the guests.

Meeting Rooms                            ?????

For incentive cruises, HAL has 3 nice meeting rooms here.  Could not find anything on Queen Anne except two small  rooms.

Note: Meeting Rooms versus Pursers Desk location is a money decision to attract more groups. But I wonder with Cunard if the extra guest space provided does not generate a lot of  revenue per square foot to offset the use of the function rooms. Cunard Shops and Barista bar where was always doing a good trade, when were there. (Ad I do not know if the knitting group we had on board this cruise were drinking very much)

Dining room                         4 venues

Cannot compare as with Cunard as their restaurants are connected to your cabin class and get better with the size of  the cabin, But Cunard has the same problems with “As You Wish” dining as HAL in the main dining room.

World Stage                     Royal Court

Cunard has a conventional setup and no LED screen. It is oke, but for lectures and shows the HAL LED screens knocks spots of Cunard.

CrowsNest                      Commodore  Club

Cunard has a setup that HAL used to have back in 1992 with the arrival of the S-class, with comfy chairs and tables, an extensive bar and cocktail music.

Tamarind                           Sir Samuels         Cunard’s expensive steakhouse looks like a cafetaria.

Library                                Library                   Cunard has many more books and a librarian.

Club HAL                          xxxxxx                     Cunard has a space but it is not as elaborate as HAL.

Grand Dutch Cafe     Carinthia

The menu options and service are much better with Hal. Cunard took away the mid partition and thus created more tables. The GDC is too small between 1000 and 1400 hrs.

Ocean Bar                        Chart House Bar

Cunard has this beautiful round bar instead of a row of  chairs backing into the Musicn Walk – walkway and half of the sitting area  used by guests waiting for the Sel de Mer or Pinnacle.

Queens Lounge             Queens Lounge.

For HAL, the most beautiful lounge on the high seas. For Cunard,  they have a nice orchestra and dance floor in there, with good  secondary shows, but only one (small) pathway on the starboard  side, causing congestion and people standing in the way, while watching what goes on when going from one lounge to the other. The “Music Walk” flow works much better.

Pinnacle                            Space taken up by the Cunard Club Class Restaurant.

Rudy’s Sel de Mer       Space taken up by the Cunard Club Class Restaurant.

Canaletto Lido              Tramonto / Lido

At Cunard the space looks like a road restaurant with  pretensions.

Regular Lido space       Indian / Lido

At Cunard, the space looks like an road restaurant   with  pretensions.

Lido Restaurant             Lido Restaurant.   (Lido Market versus Artisans Food Hall)

HAL has much more variation and longer opening times.

Dressy nights                  Formal nights                Cunard has formal and enforces it. And we love dressing up.

HAL service                     Cunard Service

Although the service at Cunard is very good, we always get the feeling that the Cunard crew serve us to do us a favor, instead of HAL “being happy to serve”.

HAL bar Prices              Cunard Bar prices        Cunard is very expensive.

HAL Drinks Package  Cunard Drinks Package. This is a bit more complicated but:

Hal top package = $ 65.95 a day (with drinks to a maximum of 15 at $ 15,– each)

Cunard top package = $ 72,– a day (with drinks to a maximum of 15 at $ 13.50 each)

But if you book “Have it all ” (which Cunard does not have) then you get included WIFI, Drinks, Tips. $ 200 shore excursions and 2 x Specialty Restaurants .  AND THAT MAKES THE HAL DRINKS A VERY GOOD DEAL.

So in general AND THIS IS US PERSONALLY, we like Holland America better as a whole. Regardless of having worked for HAL a very long time. But we are going on the ms Queen Victoria for the Christmas Cruise as it has more style and everybody dresses up. We are not going back to Queen Anne.

Looking a the number of hits, in the last 14 days, and the numbers of comments (thank you very much, much appreciated) I will do another blog for our next cruise in July. ms Amera (ex Prinsendam) of Phoenix Reisen in Germany. It will be a seven day cruise to Norway.  I was 3 years Captain on the ship so we want to see what the Germans have done with it.

In the mean time, I will continue to add information to the Captain’s bio’s.

Thank you for your continued interest.

2025 June 11: Irish Sea.

Today we continued with the “warp speed” of 5 knots towards Cobh on the south coast of Ireland. The weather was overcast but with sunny periods and the temperature rose to a balmy 16oC/ 61oF. Hence the guests were out in force on the outside decks with a lively pickle ball competition going on on the top deck and several groups trying to study the finer details of shuffle board. With the latter it still amazes me that it is still around and attracts attention. Shuffleboard was first documented around the 1870’s on the P & O ships going to Australia but is still going strong.   The weather turned back to its usual rainy self by early evening and we have been advised it will be real Irish Weather tomorrow. 20% chance of rain all day.

In the grey mists of time I once had a conversation with an Irishman during an excursion to Waterford, while visiting the local pub. He explained to me how an Irishman dealt with the wet weather apart from having a stiff drink at times. He said we just avoid the word “bad weather”. If it is raining, it is ” a  GOOD DAY”, if it is not raining it is “GRAND DAY”.  If it storms we do not talk about it. So today we had a grand day sailing along the Irish coast.

The Tuskar Rock Lighthouse. It was as clearly visible  as seen here on this photo. Must be a wonderful place if you do not like to have neighbours. (Courtesy Wikipedia / Andrewmc)

Main navigational highlight of the day was passing Tuskar Rock with its lighthouse sticking out as a sore  thumb from the sea. During to our 5 knots speed, nobody could miss it when looking out of the window as it took hours to get passed it.  Turskar Rock is famous/ notorious for guarding 176 wrecks in the area. So the bridge of the Nieuw Statendam will have been keeping a close eye on the movement of the ship as there can be a considerable current running here and a 2 knot current relative to a 5 knot speed can have a considerable impact if not counter acted upon.

The cooking demonstration in the World Stage. Thanks to the wonderful LED surround screen, the A/V tech could zoom in on the dish being prepared and then project it all over the large screen.

The day on board was filled with all sorts of on board activities and we decided to attend the Cooking Demonstration in the World Stage. These demonstrations are always a bit of a hit and miss as it very much depends on the “outgoing” personality of the chefs. The Nieuw Statendam is currently lucky in this respect as the Exe. Chef and the Pinnacle Chef both have outgoing characters and apart from cooking up a nice salmon dish, where also good at providing a humoresque narration.

The Mariner Society presentation in the Queens Lounge (now BB King). As one can see it was not exactly busy with only the top end mariners being invited. About 4 medals were awarded.

The next thing was attending the Mariners Society meeting as my Lord and Master has 624 of her own and was thus invited. (I have 8,927 professional sailing days with Holland America but those do not count) Unfortunately also here  things have been reduced in scope as only the top numbers were invited, no appetizers served, no speech from the Captain (he was only there to “assist” with handing out the medals according to the Cruise Director) and the whole happening lasted no longer than 15 minutes. But I got two glasses of wine out of it, so I can not complain.

The Shops Fashion show. Our shop ambassador very excited and “bubbly” about it all. But she had only joined this cruise in Rotterdam and therefore most likely had not yet figured out that you have to keep checking the HAL Navigator App., for last minute time changes. Thus she started 15 minutes too early. The lady to the right was a guest on board, and had been asked to join in to model a set of jewelry.

This was followed by a fashion presentation at 12.00 (according to the shops) or 12.15 (according to the daily program) and the poor lady from the shops had only  just started when she got the un-expected support from the Captain with the Voice from the Bridge.   By the time she was supposed to start (12.15) it was all over and at that moment the audience walked in following the time mentioned on the HAL Navigator App. But as there is hardly anything for sale in the shops anyway, (although yesterday suddenly some logo ware popped up on day 10 of the cruise) and quite expensive, nobody missed much. (The shops have a new concessionaire called EFFY). They are plugging jewelry sales very hard but not many people are going in as: a. for the prices but b. for the fact that the sales team is hovering in front of  the doors  of the jewelry shop, and if you walk in, they do not leave you alone to peruse the merchandise.

With the nice weather we increased our walks on the deck. A jogging track is available on deck 11 around the Dome but one can also walk on Deck 3. On the older ships this is the wide sweeping deck that HAL was renowned for, but here it has been reduced to just a walking path as the public room size has been optimized as much as possible. Understandable and not really a problem but it gives the peculiar situation (especially around the dining room at the stern) where the deck is single file wide, that it creates a real bottle neck for walkers. If Grand Dad with his rollator is just going around the corner, it all comes to a standstill at the stern of the ship. 3 laps around the deck is a mile and that gives the excuse that one must have lost some weight now and then can safely return to the Grand Dutch Cafe for “bitterballen” and a pint.

Entrance to the Pinnacle Restaurant. Excellent dinner on quiet days,

Cocktail Entertainment meant once again visiting the Classical Trio in the lounge and then there was the idea of going to the show (very talented singer and music player, 2nd show of the cruise) but we had received a complimentary dinner in the Pinnacle from Captain Timmers, who is currently on leave. I must commend and compliment the kitchen chefs for still being able to churn out a perfect dinner while the Pinnacle was heavily overbooked. In 2016 when I was part of the Koningsdam start up team, I was told by the Hotel shoreside team, that the specialty restaurants would operate on a 60%  table fill capacity, so “gracious and relaxed” service could be delivered. Fast forward to 2025 and then occupancy rate was 90% and the service reduced to “delivering and putting food on the table” and not without constant mistakes.   It seemed that a lot of guests were cashing in on their un-used on board credit and there is nothing the waiters can do about that. So we felt a pity for the serving staff, who could not deliver of what was the expected HAL standard and great admiration for the kitchen staff who still delivered. The waiting staff tried and this included running over to the Ocean Bar to get drinks for their tables as the wine steward & runner could not cope either.

Tomorrow we are in Cobh, formerly Queenstown. The Captain announced that he would swing on arrival, nose out, and we are the only cruise ship in port.  We are looking at our 20% chance of Irish rain again and I am waiting for an answer from the Cobh Maritime Museum, whether they have anything from the Holland America Line calls  in the 1960’s. on file.

 

2025 June 10: Douglas, Isle of Man. From a distance.

The port of Douglas Isle of Man. The ship has to anchor fairly far out (red line is tender course), to stay out of the way of the local ferries, but then you arrive close to downtown with the tender. (Photo Courtesy: Isleofmann.com)

By 07.00 hrs. the good ship Nieuw Statendam had arrived at the anchorage of the capital of the Isle of Man, Douglas. Beautiful weather and so we thought we might have a real sunny day. Only for the Captain to come on the tannoy and to advise that there was too much swell running and that was no plan B.  Hence we would have a day at sea. Because we would had a sea day tomorrow anyway, it meant that we would racing with the mind boggling speed of 5 knots towards Cobh on the South Coast of Ireland. Not a slow boat to China but a slow boat to Cobh.  So I looked over the side to throw my “expert” eye over the swell and and yes it was not even remotely doable.  Yesterday at Dun Laoghaire we had about a foot of swell running along the platform and that made for a “bumpy” step on- step off  procedure. Now I estimated at least 3-4 feet on the lee side and 6 or more feet on the wind/swell side.  So absolutely a no go.

The plan B that might have been possible, if the weather forecast would have been bad during our call at Dun Laoghaire, then there would have been the possibility to go to Liverpool. In the same way as the Captain decided to go to Invergordon the moment that he was advised that Kirkwall was closed. But that does not work with nice weather. As a Captain you have to go and assess the local (swell) situation as you cannot predict from a distance what the exact swell conditions will be before you are actually at your anchor position. Hence Captain Draper went, observed, and decided.  Going then from Douglas to Liverpool would have meant an arrival in the early afternoon, with a very short time ashore for everybody.  Going early to Cobh, with the option of an overnight, did not work either as the Bolette (ex ms Amsterdam) was alongside on the 11th. The pontoon dock can only take one ship alongside so no option there. And there is nothing else around in the Irish Sea that can take a Pinnacle Class size ship on short notice within sailing distance.   Hence now we are on a “slow boat to Cobh”.

The dining room being setup for Dutch Dinner. Orange are the Dutch national colors, derived from the “last name” of the Dutch Royal House “Van Oranje- Nassau”. The “orange” bit comes from holdings that the Royal Family had at the town of Orange in the South of France, at the time of them ascending to the throne of the Netherlands.

The ship came up with an alternative program for the day including opening up the dining room for lunch time. (As this was not announced, it was not busy there so we took advantage and went for lunch in the dining  room). By the time we left, they were setting up for the Orange Dinner.  For the rest it was a peaceful day at sea. Some guests were disappointed but I got the impression that quite a few looked forward to a quiet day. I just hope that they realized that tomorrow will be another sea day.

I myself was disappointed as this was my second attempt to get ashore to see the island. First one was in 2010 when I was here with the Prinsendam and a wind force 11 was blowing straight into the port. So no go. Luckily at the other side there is a very small landing pier with space for one tender and with the small ship Prinsendam I could creep under the cliffs and still make the call for the 800 guests. But you can only do that with a small ship and a Captain who remains on board. Today it was not bad weather but we had this bad swell. Thus to avoid a 3rd cruise cancellation in the future, we will drive to the Isle of Man, sometime in the future and go with the ferry from Heysham (regular ferry) or from Liverpool (fast ferry). They only thing that can stop us then is either again wind force 11 or a ferry strike.

We went for cocktails again in the Queens Lounge with the Classical Trio and as usual it was very good. This time with Spanish music.  Then we tried our luck at 19.00 in the dining room. As mentioned before, this is the busiest time for the staff there, as most guests try to get in around that time so they can be out again by 2100 hrs. for the show. There was slightly less pressure this evening and the Maitre was able to accommodate us. By 20.00 hrs. the pressure had eased so much that the supervisors and Exe. Chef had time to circulate and also stop at our table. None of them had forgotten their old Captain yet.

The assembled Hotel staff during the musical quiz/dance part, conducted by a Lady of the Cruise Staff calling herself Miss X .

The show was with a comedian but I wanted to go to the Dutch Party in the Queens Lounge. (Nowadays BB King Lounge) For that purpose I had brought my orange jacket (bought in a moment of weakness in the Dutch shop at Schiphol airport) and her Ladyship had an orange shawl. Last time I had seen the party was in 2018 when it was still held around the Lido pool. That did not exactly work due to the cultural differences between Americans (they sit) and Europeans (they stand). So everybody was spaced out too far, unless you got all 2,500 there but that does not work as at least 600 go to bed early and another 600 are in the show.

And the Cruise staff Lady really got the party going.

So it is now in the Queens Lounge and it worked very well. Wall to wall orange  and ran with  a musical quiz performance with the ships (hotel) staff helping by showing off their Disco moves and supporting guests who been divided in an sb. side and a ps. team. Then there was line dancing and a congo to Dutch songs. For most non-Dutch probably  the first time they were introduced to Dutch party songs. The Cruise Staff lady who was announcing and compering it all, was VERY GOOD. An asset to the company and should be commended for what she did to hype up the crowd into party-mood.

And then when everybody was getting really into the mood, BB King returned with their set of music. REALLY??? Dutch night with BB King Jazz, soul and Rythm and Blues? And that was for me an absolute downer.

We did our best to blend in.

This might make sense in the Caribbean when 90% of the guests are American but now we have over a 1000 Dutch guests on board, who where looking forward to a DUTCH ORANGE party and they get BB King Blues. It cannot be that difficult for the Movers and Shakers in Seattle to adapt the program a little bit for Europe and a different crowd composition. Or give the ship the free hand to do so. I am convinced that Karlijn our Cruise Director and Hotel Director Gul are more then capable of doing that.

If they would/could have kept the Dutch party going the “Dutch Way” then it could have turned into a wild evening, with a lot more drinks sold than was now the case. BB King attracts many guests as well so a lot of orange (Dutch and non Dutch) remained and danced but that was the crowd that was normally there anyway;  but it was not a Dutch party any longer.  We vacated at once as the average noise level that is produced by BB King is well over the 86 decibels and we both have very good ears, hearing that we like to keep, while growing older.

So we went to the Crowsnest, for a quiet drink, just to only scrape in as at 21.30 it was last call, as it closes at 22.00 hrs. There were still about a 50 people up there, those I had seen at BB King as well so we might not have been the only ones who escaped the sound level.

Tomorrow we are at sea again. The weather looks good, it should be overcast but with very little wind, if I interpretate the weather maps right.

 

 

 

2025 June 04: Invergordon, Scotland.

So goodbye Kirkwall and welcome to Invergordon a much more sheltered port. By 07.00 we had sailed into the Cromarty Firth (fjord) where deep in the fjord Invergordon is located so it is quite sheltered from the mayhem currently blowing in the Northern part of the North Sea and hence it was do-able.  There was still a wind force 5-6 blowing  but it was in line with the dock so for docking the wind was on the stern and that does not bother a ship very much. During the day wind went up and down  combined with rain showers and an occasional wind force 8 blowing from the West. Not a happy day but at least we were somewhere.

Invergordon is a town and port in the area of Easter Ross in the county of Ross & Cromarty in Scotland. Then the town itself is part of the parish of Rosskeen. I have been here a few times during the past with the last time being in 2019. It did not look very appetizing then and today it looked even more forelorn. The weather is not  too great here for most of the year although with global warming, Scotland is now also experiencing heat waves and very unstable weather.  Apart from looking forlorn in the dismal weather, more shops had closed since last time. Invergordon blossomed during the North Sea  oil boom and that  is tapering off now. Around 2010 the Firth was full of Oilrigs and related ships waiting for repairs and overhaul. Now it was down to 2 rigs under repair at the docks and several that looked that they were in lay-up.

My Lord and Master decreed that that regardless the weather we were going ashore as the cruise could not continue without a new make-up brush.  The port had laid on a shuttle service as we were docked at a cargo pier, where you were not allowed to walk on. The main pier, normally in use by the cruise ships was taken up by a cargo ship and something else I could not clearly see. But they had lots of buses available for the 5 minute transfer into town.

Tinvergordon High Street, This is the main shopping street.

And then the locals had the opportunity to see a 1000+ tourists marching up the High Street and then down the High Street. The General Store (and yes they sold everything except food and groceries) was doing a roaring trade and also the Charity Shops were full of people. And then it was quickly back on the bus again going home. One cafe/cake place was open and full of guests trying scones and other Scottish pastries and hopefully they were expecting us, otherwise they would have run out of food and drink for the rest of the week.

We saw several murals on the walls. This one for the local Highland Games. Sort of similar to Belfast. I wonder if this is a sort of Celtic tradition, regardless of the meaning of the mural. Please note the orange Holland America Line umbrella to the right.

I might need to explain the phenomenon of an British “charity shop”. It is basically a shop that resells goods and are operated by a local or national Charity. There are about 16,000 charities in England alone and they sponsor everything from animal welfare to research into human diseases. They range from Nationwide such as the British Heart Foundation or the Salvation Army, to serving very local needs. They are  Business Tax exempt and mainly manned by volunteers. In many towns where the “mom and pop” shops have given way to supermarkets and other chains, they are often the only small shops left. In my home town with 5,000 people there are 7 of them. In Invergordon with 3,900 inhabitants there were 3.  Our crew love them so in each British port you see them making a bee line for them as often you can have great finds.

Before going ashore, there was suddenly an announcement in the cabin by a very Dutch voice from a Bridge Officer advising us that there was a full crew emergency drill. Then it was a sort of trip down memory lane, listening to the texts that I had co-written in 2016, as Fleet Master,  when the first Pinnacle Class ship came into service.  That took up a good hour of the crew’s time as it was a full drill as the rules say that once a month a crew member will participate in a full drill. Even of this means just standing around as not all crew has a function on board but are “as directed”. Then the new crew and a part of the crew already on board for some time had to go through a SOLAS refresher which entails watching ” movies” about lowering lifeboats etc. in the Main Show Lounge.  The drill was not announced in the daily program so I think that the captain grabbed the chance to do the drill now in fairly sheltered waters instead of hoping for good weather in a future port. (A port that might be cancelled with the current uncertain weather)

So after an exciting hour of marching up and down the Main Street and visiting Boots the Pharmacy, for the necessary purchase of a makeup brush we were back on board again and visited the Lido. I can only say the choice is very good. Cunard who has the 4th. Pinnacle Class ship (Queen Anne) does not even come close here. Nearest most likely the Apex Class of Celebrity but they tend to close sections down, even during rush hour, and that does not help a hungry chap.  On the last day I will post a comparison between Cunard and HAL now they both operate Pinnacle Class ships.

This evening we had an invite to a Mariner Society party in the Lido Pool area, for 3,4 & 5 star mariners and Presidents Club. I estimated there were about 300 people there and I had the privilege of meeting several of my blog readers and some members of the HAL Retired Association “De Lijn”. I even bumped into another old HAL captain (Captain Groothuis) albeit one who only sailed for a shorter period with HAL, as he was one of three who was asked to come in sideways (after retirement from the pilots) as we were short of promotable Staff Captains with enough experience.  Also the party has changed through the years as there were no nibbles served, no announcements  and as it was right in the middle of departure also no Deck and Engine Deck Officers. Hotel Department was out in full force with a meet and greet line-up on both sides of the Lido.

Based on our previous “As you Wish” dining experience we opted for testing the Pizza New York outlet on Deck 10, above the Lido pool area. Pizza on the portside and the Panorama Bar on the starboard side. The pizza freshly hand made was very, very good. They also do other food during the day, and comfort food in the evening for watching a movie on the big screen. Tonight there was a soccer game between Germany and Portugal for the European Championships and there were about 60 to 70 people watching, most of them happily stretched out on the sun loungers.

Tomorrow we are in Lerwick, part of the Shetland islands. In the morning there is still supposed to be a lot of wind blowing, but Lerwick is located in a bay sheltered by surrounding islands on most sides, so it might be sheltered enough for a good call. The SH (Swan Hellenic) Diana will be in and with a length of 125 meters docking, we will be anchoring and using our tender service. Expected weather, Four seasons in one day with an average temperature of 12oC / 50oF.

2025 May 30; Dover England, on our way to the Nieuw Statendam

Hello Holland America fans,

My Lord and Master and I had decided some time ago to go on a Holland America Line cruise as retired as we are. It sounds like a REAL bus-mans holiday  going back to HAL but we thought we had a good excuse.  Holland America has decided to really push for the English market and now has come up with the idea of offering cruises from the UK as part of the same cruises departing from Rotterdam.

The way it works is as follows. The official cruise runs from Rotterdam to Rotterdam but for cruises going around the UK, the British (and maybe also Americans) have the option to join in Dover UK and end the cruise in Dover. The rest of the guests, American & Dutch then end the cruise in Rotterdam.  Way back in the grey mists of time (1996) Holland America tried the same with cruises to the Far East, starting in Rotterdam with the Rotterdam VI and then calling at Southampton to pick up 400 British.  That was not an universal success as the British like a few small things to make them feel at home (such as a tea kettle in the cabin) and Seattle Management did not really comprehend that.  So maybe that will go better now.

I had a few discussions with the Vice President Sales in Europe and he dropped the penny in Seattle. So now we want to see if it works better this time. I really hope os as Holland America could be a wonderful program for the British who might find Cunard too snobbish and “stuck in the mud”,  Fred Olsen too sedate and P &O too mainstream. Celebrity and MSC are around as well and are doing very well.

Once we had decided on the cruise, something else popped up. Next year, 2026, the old Head Office in Rotterdam, now hotel New York, will exist for 125 years so a company called Angle TV wanted to make a documentary about it for the Dutch market. Somehow they found out that I know a few things about the history of the company and I was contacted with the request to be part of it. The initial idea was for me to come to Rotterdam and share my “pearls of wisdom”.  Instead of doing that I proposed the idea how about doing it on the day the Nieuw Statendam is in Rotterdam ? Holland America graciously consented to have the film team on board to document the arrival in Rotterdam and then we can spend the day doing the interviews and shooting the sights. That will be coming Sunday,

As My Lord and Master bought a “have it all package” which includes WIFI,, I will have the option to upload my observations each day and hence this preliminary post to set “the scene” as movie people call it.

Driving from Cromer England to Dover is about 150 miles but it does not go as fast as on the wide ranging roads of the USA. Our motorways are constantly under repair and thus slow downs and holds up when you are on them are frequent. And around  London the capacity of the roads is not enough and the alternatives (railways) are not a real option. Then from Cromer to get to a motorway means first 2 hours of small roads, where the presence of “Farmer John” on the roads means that the average speed is not that fast and the frequent round-a-bouts take care of the rest. Another challenge is the River Thames crossing at Dartford. London has a ring road called the M 25 and if you want to go from the North of England to the South follows the east coast side, you have to cross at Dartford. Southbound it means going over the bridge, and northbound it means going through a tunnel. Both were designed without thinking about “future needs” and thus the capacity is not enough anymore. The bridge alone sees 160,000 vehicles a day.  We were lucky today, it was very busy but the traffic flowed slowly but steadily. This is a toll crossing and they note your license plate when crossing. You can pay in advance, or within 24 hrs. afterwards. We have opened up an account long time ago and keep some  money in it, so we will never be caught out, if we suddenly have to take that route. The other option is to go all the way around London, on the Heathrow airport side, but that takes an extra 90 minutes. (if there are no traffic jams or collisions)

The Dartford Crossing: how to pay the Dart Charge toll and avoid a fine - BUY this domain: DartCharge.online

This is the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. Looking at the traffic, it seems that the photo was taken on a quiet day sometime in the past. The pipes sticking up under the bridge top are part of the ventilation system of the tunnel for traffic going the other way.

In the end the 150 miles took us 4 hours to cover. To do that on the day of sailing is taking a gamble with the traffic and hence we go the day before and book a hotel with the option to leave the car behind there for 14 days.  Tomorrow we will have a short taxi ride to Dover port where the Nieuw Statendam should be waiting with behind her the Seabourn Ovation. As we all know Seabourn is a subsidiary of HAL and thus it will be a company day.  Weather forecast: 25oC inland, 21oC at the coast, and no rain. So all is well in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

2024 Sept 20. Review ms Celestyal Journey (ex Ryndam)

Good morning,

our travels continue and after the Celebrity Apex, we have now tried a “trip down memory lane” sailing on the Celestyal journey ex Ryndam of Holland America with a 7 day cruise from Pireaus to the Greek Islands.

This review can be found to the right of this post under the header:

My Cruises and Reviews

Please click on it, and then go one more time to the right and you will see the name of the ship at the bottom  and click again.

I hope you will find it interesting and maybe diverting.

2024 August 23 4 day taster cruise Celebrity Apex Review.

Good morning,

our travels continue and after the Silver Spirit we have now tried Celebrity Cruises with the Celebrity Apex with a 4 day taster cruise from Southampton o Southampton. We tried the Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette before so now we had the chance to see the newest class of Celebrity ships.

This review can be found to the right of this post under the header:

My Cruises and Reviews

Please click on it, and then go one more time to the right and you will see the name of the ship and click again.

I hope you will find it interesting and maybe diverting.

 

2022 April 24; ms Noordam returns to service.

Good morning,

The following Press Release was issued by the company to advised that yet another ship, the ms Noordam has returned to service. At the end of the PR is a listing with the timetable for the remainder of the ships to return.

Holland America Line’s Noordam Returns to Service in Fort Lauderdale

Ship is the eighth in the fleet to restart since industry-wide pause in March 2020

Seattle, Wash., April 25, 2022 — After more than two years since the industrywide pause began due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holland America Line’s Noordam returned to service Sunday, April 24, 2022, at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ship embarked guests for a 21-day Panama Canal transit to Vancouver, Canada, that will position it in Alaska through September.

The ms Noordam (IV) will be returning to Australia at the end of the Alaska Season.

To commemorate the occasion, Holland America Line held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the terminal to open embarkation, attended by the ship’s captain and senior officers, with flag-waving fanfare from team members lined up to greet guests as they boarded the ship.

The first guests rejoining the ms Noordam in Fort Lauderdale. to the left Hotel General Manager: Mr. Colin Jacob, to the right the Master of the Vessel: Captain Mark Rowden.

 “We are excited to welcome guests aboard Noordam once again as we continue the pace of having all 11 of our ships back in service by June,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “With each relaunch we are able to bring more of our team members back on board and into the Holland America Line family. They have been waiting for this day to welcome our guests and get back to cruising.”

 Since Holland America Line restarted cruising in July 2021, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam have returned to service with cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, California Coast and South Pacific. Volendam currently is under charter by the government of the Netherlands, positioned alongside in Rotterdam accommodating Ukrainian refuges.

 Following the Panama Canal transit, Noordam will spend the summer in Alaska, offering seven-day cruises between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska, along with one special 14-day Great Alaska Explorer roundtrip from Vancouver in September. With a strong cruise presence in Vancouver, Holland America Line is set to position four ships out of the Canadian homeport in 2022. A fifth includes a visit at Vancouver at the end of April. Noordam also will offer longer Cruisetours that combine a three-, four- or seven-day Alaska cruise with an overland exploration of Denali National Park. Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends land tours up to the unspoiled reaches of Canada’s Yukon Territory.

 After the Alaska season, Noordam departs on an epic sojourn westward with a 34-day Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego, California, to Sydney, Australia, and a 35-day Australian Circumnavigation roundtrip from Sydney with 15 calls around the continent and scenic cruising in the Great Barrier Reef. The ship will sail into 2023 with 12- to 15-day cruises roundtrip from Sydney that explore New Zealand through March 2023, before crossing back over to North America for another season in Alaska.

 Holland America Line will complete the restart of the remaining ships in the fleet through June with Oosterdam (May 8 in Trieste [Venice], Italy), Zaandam (May 12 in Fort Lauderdale) and Westerdam (June 12 in Seattle, Washington).

2021 Dec. 23; Holland America press release Zuiderdam returns to service.

Zuiderdam Resumes Service from Port of San Diego; Second Ship from California and Sixth Back to Cruising

 
Click to Tweet: .@HALcruises’ Zuiderdam resumes #cruising from the West Coast. Ship departs San Diego Dec. 23 and will sail roundtrip through April 2022. Three additional HAL ships also to cruise from San Diego in the coming months.

Seattle, Wash., Dec 23, 2021 — Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam returned to service today from Port of San Diego in California, the second Holland America ship to resume service in San Diego since the industrywide pause.

 Zuiderdam’s crew celebrated the return in holiday spirit with sleighbells ringing and Santa and his elves on hand to open embarkation and welcome guests back on on board. Zuiderdam joins Koningsdam, which resumed service in San Diego Oct. 10. Holland America Line now has six ships cruising again in the Caribbean, Mexico and along the Pacific Coast of the United States.

  

Zuiderdam Hotel General Manager Colin Jacob (left with scissors) helps 7-year-old Levi Stengel cut the ribbon to welcome the first guests aboard Zuiderdam, as the ship resumes cruising after a several-month pause. Catherine Stengel, Levi’s mother, stands behind him, and Captain Frank van der Hoeven is to the right of Levi.

 “San Diego is an important homeport for us, and we are excited to have two ships back in full-time operation here with the restart of Zuiderdam today,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “We are proud to be part of the San Diego community, which has continued to show us tremendous support throughout our restart. There’s no better way to kick off Zuiderdam’s season than with a holiday cruise full of joyful guests and our grateful crew who are happy to have them back on board.”

 Zuiderdam’s first cruise is a 10-day “Mexico and Sea of Cortez” that will be followed by Panama Canal departures and a grand 35-day South Pacific sojourn and Pacific cruise. Koningsdam sails a series of seven-day cruises to the California Coast or Mexico and two longer Hawaii voyages that run through April 3, 2022. Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam each make one call at San Diego in spring 2022.

 

Earlier in the week on Dec. 19, while remaining alongside at San Diego’s B-Street Cruise Terminal, Zuiderdam took part in the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights with an illuminated “Ho Ho Ho” on the ship’s side to show community support.

About Holland America Line in San Diego:

Holland America Line has been homeporting from the Port of San Diego since the 1990s. For the upcoming 2021-22 season, the cruise line will bring more than 81,000 guests to the city, which will result in more than $35 million in direct spending.

Operationally, each ship visit directly contributes $364,000 to the local economy in provisioning (fuel, food, flowers, piano tuning, supplies), port taxes, and spending. When Koningsdam and Zuiderdam call at San Diego, both ships will connect to shore power, reducing the ships’ carbon footprint.

Throughout the years, Holland America Line has been actively involved with more than 30 nonprofits in San Diego County through giving, shipboard lunches and cruise donations, including La Jolla Playhouse, San Ysidro Health and Girl Scouts San Diego.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

2021 April 18; Happy Birthday

Today Holland America is 148 years young and although 2020 was the most challenging year in its history as far as sailing goes, we will weather this storm and we will continue.  Our history has taught us many valuable lessons and gives ample proof we the company is able to weather any storm. Whether it was War, Depression, the onset of the Airplane, or the Mass market cruisers,   the company has always navigated safely through every challenge.  So I am confident that we will sail through the Covid Storm as well.

In November this year I will be sailing for Holland America for 40 years in those years I have seen how strong this company is in dealing with challenging great and small.

So Happy Birth Day Holland America. Two years to go to the big 150

As a small tribute I have created a company time line from the beginning to the current day.

Please find below the highlights of our History, year by year, condensed to two sentences. Every year has several highlights and what are considered the most important greatly depends on an historians personal insights. These are mine. I have tried to find an illustration in my collection which relates to the year concerned,

For more information, under the drop down box of HAL history on this website, I have also brought the company history up-to-date with more information and photos.

Enjoy

Capt. Albert

The Defiance credited with being the first steam driven boat to enter Rotterdam

1816   The first Steamboat visits Rotterdam and the public and business community gets the first glimpse of what can be done without sails.

The caption reads  view on the Maas at Rotterdam with Steam boat in 1825.

1825   The first river boats with (auxiliary) stream propulsion arrive on the Dutch inland waterways and thoughts in Rotterdam are going towards using steam for deep sea.

This was what all the fuss was about.  Before 1872 it was a long way around the islands to get to Rotterdam with a large and deep drafted ship.

1863   The Dutch Government agrees to create a “New Waterway”, capable of accommodating deep drafted Steamships, which will link the port of Rotterdam with the North Sea.

Our first ship the ss Rotterdam (I) depicted on a painting by C.A de Vries.

1871   On February 08, the forebear of the Holland America line is founded; by means of the private company C.V Plate, Reuchlin & Co. and two new steamships are ordered in Scotland.

The sister ship ms Maas. named after the river which gave Rotterdam access to the sea. she was later renamed to Maasdam (I) to bring all the ship names in line with the DAM naming policy.

1872   The Nieuwe Waterweg .e.g. New Water Way is opened. On October 15, the first ship of the new company the ss Rotterdam (I) departs for New York.

Funnel Markings and Flag. Green-White-Green where the colours of the city of Rotterdam

1873   On April 18, the private company goes public to obtain funds for more ships and the Nederlandsch Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij or NASM sees the light of day. We consider this  the official birthday of Holland America Line.

The P. Caland. The 2nd newbuilt of the company after it went public. Seen here in the local drydock.

1874  Two new ships are added to the Fleet, the s.s. W.A Scholten and the s.s. P. Caland. With four ships a regular steamship service to New York can now be maintained.

And here a sea-view of the same P. Caland  at New York. the ship was named after the designer of the “Nieuwe Waterweg” which Rotterdam access to the North Sea.

1875   The “Nieuwe Waterweg” starts to silt up and the ships have to take a circumstantial inland water route to reach Rotterdam or discharge cargo to reduce the draft. All costing time and money.

The ss W.A Scholten sister to the P. Caland and named after a major investor in the company. Seen here ploughing through the winter ice in New york.

1876   The new company is in crisis as there is an economic slump in the USA and no investments can be made as there is not much money coming in.

The ss Schiedam (I) shortly after she came into service.

1877 Trade picks up and a fifth ship, the ss Schiedam (I), is added to the fleet. This is an existing ship which is taken over from English Company and could thus be directly slotted into the fleet.

In the beginning emigrants stayed in local hotel which were often not that great. In 1901 the company opened its own Hotel on the company pier. It came complete with a chapel, a Cafe and medical facilities.

1878   Holland America at this time was primarily an emigrant carrier and in this year it started to work together with the local authorities to ensure good local hotel facilities for the waiting emigrants.

The ss Amsterdam I.  The painter who created this took some liberty with reality as the wind is pushing the sails one way and the smoke the other way.

1879 Profits are up and the company orders a new ship. The ss Amsterdam (I) would arrive in March 1880. Also this year dividend could be paid again to the shareholders.

The Holland Amerika Lijn docks before 1900.

1880   A sister ship to the Amsterdam (I) was ordered and arrived in 1881, called the Edam (I) The ships now had a permanent dock location in Rotterdam where the company would stay until 1891.

The docks at Hoboken. this engraving is from around 1890,

1881   Also on the American side a permanent pier was leased. The company settled down at the Hoboken side of the river. Here the leases were cheaper and the docks were also closer to the railroad station.

The companies docks in Amsterdam.

1882   Competition from a company in Amsterdam had to be warded off and for the next 10 years Holland America also sailed from this port. Using charter ships in the beginning and own tonnage later.

The ss Edam (I) of 1881 was the first of 4 ships bearing this name. this is a rather scarce postcard showing the ship in bad weather. And not un-realistic as the ships were small and the waves were big.

1883   The ss Maas, the 2nd ship of the company went for a refit and the company grabbed the opportunity to rename her in Maasdam (I) establishing the naming pattern which has lasted to the current day.

A very scarce photo is showing a deck scene on board the ss Edam (II).  The sign on the railing  is there to advise the emigrants to stay off the First Class deck area.

1884   The ss Amsterdam (I) was lost due to a fire caused by an exploding petrol lamp and the ship was not directly replaced as trade was not as brisk as was hoped for.

To attract passengers, first class and emigrants alike,  the company had an extensive network of agents all over Europe and the US. This, to the left, is the office in Geneva around 1900.

1885   By now a trade war had broken out on the North Atlantic. More ships meant more berths to fill and thus the emigrant ticket prices went down. It would not be until 1892 that a solution was derived at.

The Werkendam. One of a series of new ships bought. Marketing in later years did not like the name very much (hard to pronounce for non -Dutch) and thus it was not repeated in naming routine.

1886   Trade started to pick up again and in a few years’ time seven more ships were added to the fleet. Rotterdam (II), Amsterdam (II), Maasdam (II), Obdam, Werkendam, Veendam (I), Spaarndam (I).

The Veendam (I) seen here docked in an unknown port but most likely Rotterdam.

1887   Another ship was lost, the W.A Scholten from 1874, which sank after a collision. The man after which the ship was named came from the town of Veendam and hence a new Veendam (I) was added.

Poort means Gate and hence it is easy to see why the building was called the “Gate-Building” Holland America had its offices on the second floor.

1888   A new headquarters was established at “Het Poort Gebouw” in Rotterdam. Easily recognizable as the entrance road into the dock area went under the office areas. The company would stay here until 1891.

The ss Zaandam (I)Painted by Antonio Jacobson of New York who had a preference for wild seas if given a free hand in the composition.

1889   The company decided to diversify and opened a service to Argentina with the Zaandam (I) taking the first sailing to Buenos Aires in December.

The ss Didam of 1891. The company had the ships for the Argentina service especially built as they needed a much larger coal storage / bunker space due to the long distance to Buenos Aires.

1890 The trade to Argentina look promising and two new ships were ordered for this route. The Didam and the Dubbeldam. However a revolution broke out and the venture came to an untimely end.

The New head office under construction. It is still exists and is now a very popular hotel and /restaurant,

1891 The Head Office moved to the Wilhelminakade in the center of the port and here it would keep it main office until the passenger side was moved to New York in 1971.

A well-known photo of this very important agreement. All the representatives of the participating companies are present here.

1892   Very important for the survival of most of the North Atlantic steamship company’s was the creation of the North Atlantic Steam Association which from now on regulated the prices for emigrant crossings.

The Holland America Tender “Chicago” embarking emigrants to take to the ship at anchor outside the port.

1893   The World Fair took place in Paris and the HAL ships started to call at the French Port of Boulogne Sur Mer. BSM would remain the regular French port of call for the company until the 2nd world war.

The docks at Hoboken sometime after 1900. Alongside the ss Potsdam recognizable due to the very tall funnel.

1894   At Hoboken a 2nd pier was leased from the port Authority at 7th. Street and here the company would keep its terminal until 1964 when it fully moved to the Manhattan side of the Hudson River.

The Rotterdam (II) at anchor near Copenhagen. Apart from going through the Canal  a visit to this city was also part of the “Excursion”.

1895 The ss Rotterdam (II) made the first cruise for Holland America with an “excursion” to the Kieler Kanal. The success would help to decide the entry into cruising a number of years later.

The ss Obdam, seen here loading in Rotterdam, did not sail long for the company but was sold in 1898 to the USA and played a signifciant role in the Spanish- American war.

1896   The Directors of the NASM finally accepted the fact that everybody called the company Holland America Line and not by its very long founding name. Both titles were now to be used.

The ss Rotterdam III is the least known of all the “Rotterdams” which sailed for the HAL. Most likely as she was overshadowed by her namesake of 1908.

1897   The ss Rotterdam (III) entered service and she was the first twin screw vessel for the company. This ship was still built in Great Britain as the Dutch yards could not yet deliver ships of this size.

This is the “Ladies Salon” also called the “Drawing Room” or the “Parlor” depending of the preference of the newspaper men.

1898   A near sister if the Rotterdam (III), the Statendam (I) entered service and she has been credited with being the first ship where the management took a great interest in the interior lay out of the vessel.

The ss Amsteldijk (I) one of the first cargo-only ships of the company. Apart from cargo she could also carry 350 head of cattle and had accommodation for 48 officers and crew and 18 Cattle Hands.

1899   A new route was opened to Newport News for cargo ships and this was so successful that 3 new cargo-only ships were ordered. These all received names with Dijk endings such as ss Amsteldijk (I).

The first in the series of new passenger ships was the ss Potsdam of 1900.

1900   The ships with a DAM name ending were now designated as Passenger ships and three new ones were brought into service. The ss Potsdam (1900), ss Noordam (I) (1901) and the ss Rijndam (I) (1902)

The ss Noordam (I) which entered service in 1901 as was an identical sister to the Rijndam (I) of 1902

1901 The Banker and Rail Road magnate J.P Morgan obtained control of a large number of HAL shares and also those of some other companies. Idea was to create a “railroad at sea” without competition.

The First Class Dining room. There is  a small sky light for natural light in in centre. with the later ships this would grow out to a two story affair.

1902   More than 51% of the shares came under his control and timetables were brought in line with the sailings of the other companies. It was not until well into WWI before HAL was independent again.

This shows the Tenders Holland an France attending the ss Volendam (I) from 1922. The  ships would often stop not longer than 30 minutes to an hour to do the transfers.

1903   The company established a French Subsidiary in Boulogne Sur Mer, called the Compagnie Franco Hollando Americaine, needed to operate its tenders as the ships stayed at anchor at this port.

The original Wireless Transmitting “Marconi” Radio Station on the ss Noordam (I)

1904   Telegraphy arrived on the ships and the ss Noordam (I) was the first to receive such an installation. Not operated by the company’s officers but by the Marconi Company who controlled the trade.

The Nieuw Amsterdam (I) on the slipway of Harland and Wolff in Belfast.

1905   With the Ticket prices regulated competition had become fair again and the company had ordered two new and very big ships the Nieuw Amsterdam (I) and the Rotterdam (IV).

The Nieuw Amstedam (I) of 1906 seen here at full speed.

1906 The Nieuw Amsterdam (I) arrived this year and with a tonnage of 16967 Grt. It was one of the 10 largest ships in the world for that year. It could carry 2350 emigrants but also 440 First Class and 246 second class pax.

The Japanese Tea room on board the Nieuw Amsterdam (I) A large skylight provided natural light which was considered a luxury item for a ship.

1907   The service to Newport News was expanded with regular calls at other ports and would remain part of the Holland America route system to well into the late 1960’s.

The ss Rotterdam (IV) seen here on the Nieuw Waterweg heading for open sea.

1908   The Rotterdam (IV) was 30% larger than the Nieuw Amsterdam but its emigrant accommodation was smaller as the company was now offering more elbow room for even its cheapest fare guests.

The company donated a replica of the original Haelve Maen which Henry Hudson used to sail up to what is now Manhattan. The model can be seen loaded her on board the cargo ship ss Soestdijk (I) for transport to New York.

1909   The British Neptune Line to Newport News was taken over and with it came six cargo ships, greatly expanding the fleet. In New York Holland America took part in the Hudson – Festivities.

Not many photos exist of the safety drills in the old days. But here is one of a boat drill held on the Statendam (I) Pre-Titanic so no lifejackets, no railings and no safety lines.

1910 The Statendam (I) made a cruise to the Holy Land in March and its success made sure that the ss Rotterdam (IV) would eventually be used for similar voyages.

The ss Zijldijk of 1909 still had a bowsprit and a figure head as a throwback to the old sailing days. She called on her voyages at the port of Savanah.

1911   Another service, started in 1910, became a permanent feature with cargo ships sailing from Rotterdam to Savannah. This route was called the “Burg Lijn” and was carried out for a Dutch brokerage company.

The ss Maartendijk of 1909, built for the service to North East America was moved to the new Gulf service in  1913

1912   A new cargo service to Cuba, Mexico and New Orleans was opened. This was such a success that after WWI a series of 4 passenger cargo ships was built especially for this route.

The ss Westerdijk of 1913 filled the gap when the ss Maartendijk was moved tot the new route.

1913   To have sufficient capacity for all these new routes, new cargo ships were taken into service. The Oosterdijk, Westerdijk and Zuiderdijk, all named after the main points of a compass.

The ss Statendam (II) seen here launched on 06 July 1914. She was supposed to be about 30% bigger again as the ss Rotterdam (IV) from 1908.

1914   On the 6th. of July, the Statendam (II) was launched with the intention to have her enter service in 1915. War interfered and she was torpedoed in 1917 as the troopship Justicia sailing for the British.

To avoid being torpedoed several ideas were tried. Being neutral required the name of the ship on the side and then “dazzle Paint” was applied to make it as difficult as possible for an U boat commander to see the ship. This is the Sommelsdijk (II) of 1912.

1915   The Netherlands was neutral during WWI and most ships continued sailing but under very difficult circumstances. 3 ships hit a mine and all ships were subject to strict inspections by the allied forces.

For neutral ships the biggest danger was mines. Here the ss Noordam (I) is seen sinking  after mine hit the stern of the ship. Luckily she could be saved.

1916   The U-boat danger was now so grave that the ss Rotterdam (IV) was laid up but the profits made with the other ships were so high that the 1915 dividend was set at 50% over each share.

The ss Zaandijk (I)ran on a mine in 1916. as seen above, but cold be repaired. The next year she was not so lucky.

1917   Two cargo ships, the Noorderdijk (I) and Zaandijk (I) were torpedoed on the same day and sunk. The Noordam (I) ran on a mine for the 2nd time. But profits continued to be good and  the company managed to buy back all foreign held shares. Making it a fully independent company again.

The USS Rijndam (I), seen here at St.Nazaire France, ferried US troops to Flanders Fields and later back again. (Photo courtesy: US Congress)

1918   All the HAL ships that were laid up in USA ports had been seized in 1917 and forced into service for the US Government. The Oosterdijk sank after a collision and the ss Rijndam (I) became a US troopship.

The ss Zaandijk (II) was taken over from the Germans as compensation for the sinking of the Zaandijk (I). She was originally the ss Silesia of HAPAG.

1919   With the war over reconstruction could begin. Cargo ships from Germany were taken over, two replacement passengerships were ordered for the sunk ss Justicia and 60,000 tons of steel was received as compensation.

The ss Waaldijk which had joined the fleet in 1914 seen here in VNS charter. The only change to sail for the VNS was, to paint over the hal colours on the funnel to one red band.

1920   Holland America participated in a joint venture with other Dutch companies called the VNS or United Shipping for services to the Far East and Africa. Each company participated with entering own ships.

In 1919 the company had bought an American ferry, the SS Madison and used here as the ss Warszawa to feeder emigrants from Dantzig and Libau in the Baltic to Rotterdam. She was  sold back to her original owners in 1926.

1921   Plans to return to the pre-war emigrant trade were dashed when US congress approved a Quota Act to reduce the number of emigrants entering the USA. Basically now only 10% of the postwar emigrant numbers were allowed to be landed by each company. Other sources of income had to be found.

The ss Volendam (I) of 1922 Seen here manoeuvring off Hoboken in New York

1922   Two medium seized passenger ships entered service, the Veendam (II) and Volendam (I) their immigrant capacity reduced from 1200 Third class to 484 Tourist Class.

The ss Bilderdyk (I) of 1923. the others in the class were the Binnendyk, Blijdendyk, Breedyk, Burgerdyk, Beemsterdyk, Boschdyk and Blommersdyk.

1923   With the 60,000 tons steel a series o f cargo ships were built called the B class. Construction of a new Statendam (III) started in 1920 was halted. Holland America changed the spelling of the ships names from IJ to Y. So a Dutch Dijk became an American Dyk.

The Statendam (III) launched on 11 September 1924

1924   The hull of the Statendam (III) was launched without ceremony and promptly laid up with all work suspended due to lack of money.

The ss Rotterdam (IV) seen here at Cannes during one of her 1920’s cruises.

1925 The Rotterdam (IV) had resumed the pre-war Holy Land cruises from New York and would from now on make each year such a cruise during the North Atlantic Off-season of January, February and March.

The ss Rijndam (I) sailing as a floating University.

1926   A more un-usual cruise was made this year, the Ryndam (I) went for a seven month around the World cruise as a floating University. The 506 students on board visited the countries they studied about on board, saw the sights, and also met Mussolini and the King of Siam.

The unfinished hull of the ss  Statendam (III) being towed to Rotterdam by three Dutch Tugs.

1927   The hull of the laid up Statendam (II) was towed to Holland for completion and would enter service in 1929. Finally there was money to complete the ship which was quite similar to the ill fated  Statendam (II)

The ms Delftdyk was especially built for the North Pacific service. After the war she hit a min and was completely rebuilt and given a new name: ms  Dongedyk.

1928   Two new motor ships (Delftdyk/Damsterdyk) had been ordered for the North Pacific service to Vancouver in 1927 and would come into service in 1929 and 1930. Each could carry 50 passengers.

The ss Statendam (III) when finished, she was the only 3 funnelled ship ever to be in operation for Holland America.

1929   There was the Wall Street Crash and the maiden voyage of the ss Statendam (III). The company now had 3 large passenger ships in service but at the same time revenue plummeted.

The ss Edam (IV) was the lead ship of a class of four passenger cargo ships built for the Rotterdam, Iberia, Cuba and Gulf Service in 1921. They could carry 14 First Class, 174 Second Class and 802 Third Class.

  1930 Most of the Cargo ships were laid up and carrying passengers to Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico was completely stopped and the route only continued as a cargo service.

The entrance to the Company docks. Laborers waiting to go to work.

1931 Cost savings had to be made and Sea and Shore side personnel were laid off. Contributions to the pension fund were reduced and some permanent labour contracts were changed to “by the day”.

Aerial view of the port of Rotterdam. the whole center area was part of the Holland Amerika Lijn. The ss Statendam (III) ca be seen alongside the passenger terminal

1932 Ticket prices were reduced by up to 40%. Laid up cargo ships were sold off or scrapped. The Nieuw Amsterdam (I) was sold for scrap in 1931 and no feasible plans could be considered for a replacement.

The passenger ships made as many cruises as possible to compensate for  the down turn in Trans Atlantic business. The Rotterdam (IV) was even painted white for a short while but that was not a great success.

1933 The shareholders became so worried about their investments that a special “strong man” from outside the company was appointed to restructure the company at save it for the future.

The ss Veendam (II) seen here docked at St. Georges, Bermuda during one of her cruises from New York.

1934   The new company structure was successful and as world trade slowly improved plans were drawn up to build a running mate for the Statendam (III) which eventually entered service in 1938

The ms Noordam (II) was the first of a series of four passenger cargo ships with the first one arriving in 1938.

1935   The company made a profit again and decided to design 4 passenger cargo ships for the direct intermediate service to New York with a one class accommodation of 125 passengers.

First Class Lounge on the Statendam (III). The carpet could be rolled away and then a large dancefloor was exposed.

1936   A sign of things to come was when the Statendam (III) carried an airplane to the Netherlands for the Royal Dutch Airlines. It were the airplanes which eventually brought the regular passenger liner service to an end.

The Sloterdyk (II) and her sister Sommelsdyk (III)  came into service just before the war started. Although being cargo ships there was space for 12 passengers,

1937 On the 10th of April Queen Wilhelmina launched the new flagship of the company the Nieuw Amsterdam (II) and two new cargo ships were ordered, the Sloterdyk (II) and Sommelsdyk (III).

The Nieuw Amsterdam (II)  this photo was taken on the departure for her maiden voyage to New York.

1938   The first of the four passenger cargo ships the Noordam (II) came into service in April followed by Nieuw Amsterdam (II) in May. With a size of £36,287 gt. She could carry 1200+ passengers in 3 classes.

The ss Westernland in HAL colours. She was eventually sold to the British Admirality to be turned into a Navy support ship.

1939 The Red Star Line was bought. Owned by the Jewish Mr. Bernstein who could no longer operate the company due being under arrest in Germany. Two ships the ss Pennland and the ss Westernland were taken over.

The HAL ships came in the cross fire when German Paratroopers came up against the Dutch Royal Marines.  To the left the ss Statendam (III) can be seen on fire. Behind the man on the bike is the ss Veendam (II) which spent the war in German hands.

1940   On 10 May 1940 Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands. Luckily most of the fleet was outside the home port and joined the Allied war effort. The Statendam (III) caught fire and burnt out. As resistance was fierce, the City of Rotterdam was bombed causing the Dutch to surrender.

The ss Pennland on fire off the coast of Greece. (Photo courtesy Capt. A.M van Gemert from whose lifeboat this photo was taken)

1941   The cargo ship ss Beemsterdyk was torpedoed and the ss Pennland sank after air attacks off Greece. Shortly after the ss Maasdam (II) was also torpedoed and sank while in convoy when a nearby ship exploded.

The ss Breedijk in war ship grey colours. She was torpedoed on 14 September 1942 South of Las Palmas. The Captain and one Steward died in the tragedy.

1942 Apart from the cargo ship ss Breedyk also  the ppassenger cargo liner ss Zaandam (II) was torpedoed and suffered 127 casualties including two Holland America Line captains.

Full house on the Nieuw Amsterdam during troop transport in the tropics. Apart from boxing contests there was often a complete entertainment group on board including well known stars from Stage and Screen.

1943   The passenger ships were all converted to troopships. The ms Noordam (II) designed for 125 passengers could now carry 2300 troops and the ss Nieuw Amsterdam (II) just short of 9000.

The ms Zuiderdam (I) sister to the ms Noordam (II) and ms Zaandam (II)  was sunk in the “Nieuwe Waterweg” and burnt out. the hull was deemed beyond salvage and scrapped after the war.

1944   At home two cargo passenger ships, Westerdam  (I) and Zuiderdam (I) had been under construction when the war started and were now used as blockade ships to keep the expected invasion out the ports.

This was what was left of downtown Rotterdam after the bombardment of 1940. The situation at the company docks was not much different with only the main office building still standing.

1945 After the liberation on the 10 th. of May 1945 the rebuiling started at once. Holland America had lost 50% of its fleet, 265 employees had lost their lives and nearly all the Rotterdam property was damaged beyond repair and needed to be rebuilt from scratch.

The ss Nieuw Amsterdam (II) coming home in 1946. When the war ended she still sailed a full year as a troopship for bringing the troops home.

1946   The Nieuw Amsterdam (II) arrived home on 10 April 1946 with a war record of having steamed 530,452 miles and carried 378,361 troops. A record only broken by the Cunard Queens who were double the size.

The Amsteldyk (II) was the first of 10 Victory cargo ships acquired by the HAL.

1947   Part of the rebuilt program was the acquisition of 10 Victory cargo ships who were called the A class. The Veendam (II) which had spent the war in Germany returned to service as well as the Nieuw Amsterdam (II).

The ss Volendam (I) seen here entering the Grand Harbour in Valetta Malta had served the whole war as a troopship. Together with her sister Veendam (II)  they were refitted for post war duty but were by then old and tired ships.

1948   In three years’ time 19 ships were added to the fleet and 5 passenger ships were in operation. Plans were drawn up for new ships for the West Coast service and to replace the Veendam (II) and Volendam (I)

The ss Aalsdyk sailing by Sugar Loaf mountain near Rio de Janeiro

1949   A new service was opened to South America and the company became an important carrier of goods for the Marshall Plan, the support program the USA had set up to get Europe back on its feet again.

The ms Damsterdyk from 1930 re-emerged after the war as the ms Dalerdyk after a complete refurbishment.

1950 Two pre-war ships employed on the North Pacific service  were completely refurbished and renamed.  This service ran from Hamburg via Rotterdam, Panama Canal along the whole Pacific Coast of North America to Vancouver.

The ss Ryndam (II) of 1951 had for those days, the very unusual concept of only a small First Class area just under the funnel and the rest of the ship assigned as Tourist Class.

1951   The ss Ryndam (II) was commissioned followed by a sister ship the ss Maasdam (IV) and they took over from the aging V ships. Because the original hull design had been meant for a cargo ship they were known to be very ” lively”.

The ss Groote Beer was originally built as a Victory ship with troop capacity. Obtained by the Dutch Government, first for troopship duty and then for emigrant voyages. Those to North America were under management of the HAL.

1952   For the booming emigrant trade the HAL took over the troopship Groote Beer from the Dutch Government and used her for emigrant services to the USA and Canada and student trips to Europe.

The Ryndam (II) and Maasdam (III) both docked at Hoboken Piers. For a while they were marked as “The Thrifty Liners” as a Tourist Class ticket was really good value for money.

1953   Business was going well and thoughts went towards an intermediate liner which could also be used for cruises and a running mate for the Nieuw Amsterdam (II) which would become the Rotterdam (V).

The K -class, with the ms Kinderdyk seen here as the first of the series. These ships  just fitted in the new St. Lawrence Locks.

1954   The company expanded once again their cargo network with opening a new route to the Great Lakes when access locks to the St. Lawrence River were enlarged. The K-class ships were built.

Apart from ordering ships for the St. Lawrence locks, also new builds were commissioned for the North Pacific service. Here we see the ss Diemerdyk  leaving Rotterdam.

1955   The name ss Statendam (IV) was announced for the intermediate Liner which was to enter service in 1957 and the order for the Rotterdam (V) was given to the Rotterdam Dry-dock Company in Rotterdam.

The ss Statendam (IV). The first class accommodation of 89 passengers was located on the decks right behind the funnel. The 857 in Tourist class had the run of the rest of the  ship.

1956   The clasas concept of the Ryndam (II) had proven very successful and thus the Statendam (IV) also was designed with a small First Class and a large Tourist Class capacity making it easy for one class cruising.

The ss Dinteldyk (II) Although being  a cargo ship with a large passenger accommodation she was given the grey color passenger hull as she was considered the flagship of the west-coast fleet.

1957   The ss Statendam (IV) came into service on the North Atlantic route and would make in 1958 the First World cruise for the company with normal guests on board.

The ss Rotterdam (V) being launched. It was estimated that approx. 100,000 people from City of Rotterdam attended the launch.

1958   The Statendam (IV) made the first world cruise for regular passengers and the ss Rotterdam (V) was launched on the 13th. of September by her Majesty Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.

Most traditional liners had the accommodation laid out vertically. The Rotterdam (V) had all the public rooms horizontally. First Class on Upper Promenade Deck and Tourist class on Promenade deck. Open the connecting doors and two full decks were easy accessible to all during One Class cruises.

1959   In 1958 the airplane had carried as many travellers as all the ships on the North Atlantic route together and thus cruising became more and more important. Hence the new Flagship was optimized in layout for one class cruising during the North Atlantic off-season.

The arrival of the container caused a major disruption in the port and ships operations and also in labour relations.

1960   The step by step arrival of the container in the cargo business meant that conventional cargo ships became less and less effective. Competitors from the past now joined up to form joint ventures to reduce the costs.

The ms Gaasterdyk (II) The lead ship of the G- class especially meant for for the Gulf service. Although they were also seen on all the other routes of the company.

1961 New cargo ships, called the G-class were introduced especially for the Gulf of Mexico service and the older A class cargos ships were sold off one after the other and were all gone by 1969.

The ms Lady Jane ,of Vander Laan Shipping, was one of the first ships designed to carry ultra heavy cargos and where in high demand for transit with oil exploration related cargos. HAL had taken a share in this “heavy Lift” company.

1962 With both the North Atlantic and the cargo business facing an uncertain future, the company decided to diversify with investments outside its core business. Acquisitions were made in hotels, an airline, travel agencies, a dredging company etc. etc.

Pier 40 was the best pier there was for processing cargo and passengers when opened in 1962 . From left to right: The ss Rotterdam (V), the ss  Statendam (IV), either the Noordam (II) or the Westerdam (I) and a K class freighter.

1963   Between the end of 1962 and mid 1964 Holland America moved its operation from the Hoboken side of the Hudson to downtown Manhattan where it had taken a lease on the brand new Pier 40.

The ms Prinses Margriet was taken over from another company and as she carried the name of the “God child” of the Dutch Merchant Marine (2nd daughter of the Queen) she was not renamed to a DAM name.

1964 A small passenger- cargo ship the Prinses Margriet which had been in charter for a while was taken over and used for North Atlantic crossings and well attended “cargo cruises” from New York to the Caribbean.

The ms Moerdyk (II) This ship was already container friendly with having space for them around the cargo hatches but it was not enough to keep the real container ships from taking over.

1965 The last conventional cargo ship the ms Moerdyk (II) came into service. The next step would be to invest in container ships and the company participated in the Atlantic Container Line.

The first ever Share of the company. bought by His Royal highness Prins Hendrik of the Netherlands and sponsor of the company in 1873.

1966   When the company was founded in 1873 it had been scheduled for a lifespan of 100 years. To avoid the company from being abolished in 1973 a new charter was adopted for an open ended future.

The first containership the ms Atlantic Star. She carried containers in front of the bridge and rolling stock (cars and anything else on wheels) in a large space under the accommodation with a ramp at the stern.

1967 The English company Cunard joined the ACL combine and each company would now participate with two ships. One slow, one fast. Holland America brought in the Atlantic Star and the fast Atlantic Crown.

The ships became Hotels and somebody in marketing came up with the idea of “Floatels”.

1968   The North Atlantic service was coming to an end and the operating structure on board the passenger ships was changed to a Hotel setup with an integrated service led by a Hotel manager.

The last of her kind with HAL. The Victory cargo ship ss Andyk (II) was phased out in 1969.

1969   The shore side operating structure was also re-organized with more clearly defined departments and overlaps were removed. The last ship of the A class the ss Andyk (II) was sold.

The first artist impression of the Prinsendam (I) Here Holland America would test its idea’s about the future of cruising.

1970 An order was placed for two small cruise ships as the company wanted to experiment with an own design for the future cruise fleet. In the end only one was built. As the Dutch Tax system became so progressive the HAL introduced Indonesian crewmembers on the ships.

The ss Statendam (IV) seen here sporting the new blue hull and the orange funnel with the wave logo.

1971   A 70% share was taken in the Westours Tour Organization of Seattle which gave Holland America access to Alaska. The cruise ships were refurbished and a new “Wave” logo and hull color appeared.

The ms Bilderdyk (II) A large crane moved over the whole length of the ship cargo bays. The barges were lowered into the water at the stern of the ship.

1972   The company had also just introduced the ms Bilderdyk (II) a LASH (Lighter Aboard SHip) barge carrier for the Gulf service. 83 barges could be left behind for loading and un-loading while the ship continued its voyage.

The ss Veendam (III) and Volendam (II). Very steady, deep drafted and spacious ships. But they used a lot of oil and thus their profitability after the Oil-crisis was somewhat limited.

1973   Now 100 years young and the company brought into service two ex-American passenger ships under the names of Volendam (II) and Veendam (III). But due to the oil crises they had to be laid up again.

The ms Prinsendam (I). A sistership was never built but her design was the basis for the new N-class

1974 The 8900 ton Prinsendam (I) arrived carrying 374 guests was sent to Alaska and Indonesia for summer and winter cruises. It was also decided to sell off the complete cargo division as per 01 January 1975.

The Monarch Sun and Monarch Star. Operationally it did not really work out with this daughter company and hence the company lasted only a few years.

1975   The Veendam and Volendam came back into service but for a Subsidiary called Monarch Cruises with trips to the Caribbean from Miami. The Lease of Pier 40 in New York was sold and the offices moved to Two Penn Plaza.

the counter the larger P&O ships, the Monarch Star was send to Alaska. And when the ships came back under the HAL flag, the ss Veendam (II) continued to do so. Here the ship is sailing under the Lions Gate bridge from Vancouver to Alaska.

1976   Although Holland America had pulled out of Europe with its ships and marketing, the company bought a British travel Agency chain as it was noted that many British Guests took P&O ships to the USA and Alaska.

The ss Rotterdam (V) in the mean time made cruises to the Bahamas and Bermuda until also she was sent to Alaska.

1977  In 1973/74 the registration of the cruise ships had been moved from Rotterdam the Netherlands to Willemstad, Curacao.  In this year the financial seat of HAL was moved here was well.

The Fairweather I was used as a dayboat between Juneau and Skagway sailing up and down the scenic Lynn Canal.

1978 Monarch Cruises had been absorbed into a new company Holland America Tours. Investments were made in the Alaska infrastructure with buying more hotels, a day boat for the Lynn Canal and more coaches.

1979   As part of the Coach expansion The “Gray line of Seattle” franchise was bought. The buses were used to bring guests from Seattle airport to the ships in Vancouver and for sightseeing tours.

The N-ships were an enlarged version of the 1973 Prinsendam (I) with some features taken over from the V ships such as the Crowsnest.

1980   Experience with the Prinsendam (I) had learned how much more economical a purposely designed ship was compared to the older tonnage such as the Statendam (IV). Two enlarged Prinsendam versions were ordered in France.

The Glacier Queen I was used for day trips at various locations in Alaska.

1981 The Prinsendam (I) would never see her larger sister as she sank in autumn 1980 in the Gulf of Alaska  due to an engine room fire; luckily without any casualties. A sightseeing company in the Prince William Sound was bought to provide glacier tours in College Fjord.

The Fairbanks Hotel in Alaska. Holland America -Westours operated a large number of these Hotels under the Westmark name.

1982   More investments took place in Alaska and by now Westours / HAL controlled 65% of the Alaska Tour trade. The Statendam (IV) was sold to French Operators.

The Nieuw Amsterdam (III) of 1983 and one of the most fuel economic cruise ships out there. She could almost carry double of the V-ships capacity for a 3rd of the fuel consumption.

1983 The operating costs of the older ships had weighed heavily the balance sheet and this year was a crucial year in turning the company around by moving away from the old ways of operating and cost control. The first new build the Nieuw Amsterdam (III) entered service.

The ms Noordam (III) Once completed she was immediately sent to Alaska for the summer season. Seen here in Glacier Bay.

1984   The 2nd new build the Noordam (III) entered service in April. The V ships were sold off but the Rotterdam (V) stayed as she could still very well cope with the changes in the Cruise Industry.

The mighty bow if the ss Rotterdam (V). Seen here during her 1985 dry dock.

1985   Apart from the yearly world cruise of the Rotterdam (V) all three ships were now employed on short but very profitable cruises to Alaska, Mexico and the Caribbean.

The first group of Philippina Bar stewardesses on board the ss Rotterdam V. Some of the Ladies served more than 30 years with the company, In the middle Chief Officer (later Captain) Leo van Lanschot Hubrecht.

1986  The company started to employ Ladies from the Philippines  in the Front Office and in the Bars.

The motor sailing yacht  Windstar. If the wind was blowing the wrong way, then the engine ensured that the next port was still reached on time.

1987   The Rotterdam (V) made her last world cruise as the revenue on the shorter cruise was much higher. A 50% share in Windstar Sail Cruises was taken and the company bought outright in 1988

The ms Westerdam (II) ex ms Homeric. In the winter of 1989/90 she was stretched by an 100 feet  to increase capacity.

1988   The next acquisition was buying the Home Line ships, Atlantic and Homeric. The Atlantic was chartered out and then sold off but the Homeric became the Westerdam (II) and was with 42000 tons the largest ship ever to sail under the Holland America Line flag.

Carnival Corporation owned Carnival Cruise Lines but was not just a cruise company. It was a much larger organisation which even owned an own Air Line.

1989   On 15 January Holland America became un-expectedly an independent subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation of Miami. They operated Carnival Cruise Lines but now wanted access to the premium market.

The Cape Fox Hotel, high up the hill,  was operated by WestMark hotels and could be reached by road but also by Funicular.

1990 Money was made available to order 3 new ships called the S-class in Italy. Each to be in the region of 55,000 tons with 1266 lower beds. A new hotel was built overlooking Ketchikan in a joint venture with the local Indian tribe.

These coaches were called  “Bendy Busses”  on they ships and had a bar in the back part of the carriage.

1991   17 more coaches were added to the Alaska coach fleet and they were quite special as they had a small kitchen/bar with stewardess on board at the end of the cabin.

The ms Statendam (V) arriving in Amsterdam in 1993. Almost double the size but with the same umber of guests as the N-ships, the S -class was a great improvement.

1992   The company now geared up for a major tour de force, doubling the fleet by adding a new ship every year for the next 3 years and needing to train up about 3000 new crewmembers.

The S-class ships came with the first real atriums on the HAL ships. Located in the center of the ship. This is the “Jacobs” ladder on the ms Maasdam (V) made of Murano glass.

1993 The first new built ms Statendam (V) was delayed entering service by 6 weeks but made a big impact as, although carrying more guests, her space ratio compared to the N ships was 43.8 against 27.9. The Maasdam (V) followed in October.

The ms Ryndam (III) Seen here sailing to Alaska with a Vancouver departure.

1994   The ms Statendam (V) was send on a world cruise but it was decided to move the cruise back to the Rotterdam which had done made the 1993 World Cruise. With all the extra capacity available the company started to sail in European waters in the summer as well and not just to Alaska.

The ms Veendam (III) seen here on a windless day off the port of Haines in Alaska.

1995   With the arrival of the Ryndam (III) the fleet was complete but a fourth sister the Veendam (IV) had been ordered for 1996. HAL ships were now sailing to all corners of the world.

The new Fastdam as per artist impression painting by Marine Artist Captain Stephen Card.

1996   Project “Fastdam” was embarked upon. A ship which could take over the role of the Rotterdam (V) and with a 25 knot speed visit more ports on longer (world cruises) in a same time period.

An artificial harbour was dug on the west (=lee) side of the island where the ships tender could dock.

1997   The company leased 15000 acres of Little San Salvador Island in the Bahamas as a resort and renamed it Half Moon Cay.  The Rotterdam (V) left Holland America on September 30th. but a new Rotterdam (VI) filled the void.

Apart from the close sister to the Rotterdam (VI) also two more ships in the class were ordered, the Volendam (III) and the Zaandam (III). These last two only had one funnel and a slightly larger guest capacity.

1998   Now 125 years young the company was thriving as never before. In this year 120 departures to Alaska were offered and a sister ship for the Rotterdam (VI) was ordered.

The Vista class was an evolution of the Signature Class with now the focus on optimizing the number of balcony cabins.

1999   Competition was fierce in Alaska with Princess Cruises bringing in larger and larger ships. The answer was the Vista class; a series of four ships with 1900 guests but with the same space ratio as the S class.

The ms Amsterdam (III) was a near sister of the Rotterdam (VII) only the tone of her interiors was different and the Azi-pod propulsion.

2000   The Volendam (III) had entered service in 1999 and was followed by her sister the Zaandam (III) in this year. Also the Amsterdam (III) was commissioned, completing the R Class of four ships.

The ms Volendam (III) seen here approaching the dock in Juneau.

2001 The Nieuw Amsterdam (II) had been sold to United States Lines in 2000 and renamed in Patriot only to return after USL went bankrupt. The ship was eventually sold on and chartered by TUI for many years.

The Prinsendam (II) sailing through the Bosporus. During her far flung voyages, calling at Istanbul was a regular part of her routine.

2002   The Prinsendam (II) arrived. Transferred by Carnival Corporation from Seabourn / Cunard to HAL who needed a smaller ship for longer cruises which also able to go into smaller ports.

The ms Ryndam (III)  was the first ship to be part of the SOE program and in the Movie theatre a  kitchen was installed , called the Culinary Arts Center, where the Exe. Chef or Guest Chefs would give cooking demonstrations.

2003  The Signature of Excellence program started. This was an investment program to bring all the existing ship up to the highest standards by investing in remakes of public areas, new soft goods in then cabins and back of the house upgrades.

The Westerdam (III) sailing through Venice after delivery from the shipyard.

2004   In 2002 the first Vista class ship had entered service; the Zuiderdam (II), followed by the Oosterdam in 2003 and now the Westerdam (III) in 2004. Eventually the Noordam (IV) followed in 2006.

Another introduction  which was part of the SOE was the Explorations Cafe. Library, Reading room, Puzzle corner and Coffee Bar are combined into one Multi Purpose space.

2005 While the SOE program continued, more new ships were considered and an upgraded version of the Vista class, the Signature class was decided upon. One to enter service in 2008 and one in 2010

See here at San Diego a shore side installation provides electric power to the ship. ALL the engines could be switched off while in port.

2006   One of the “back of the House” upgrades was the introduction of “Hoteling”. When a ship was in port it could now be connected to the shore side power grid and for the duration its own engines were not needed. All ships from the Amsterdam (III) onwards were upgraded in this way.

When the company gave up the Wilhelminakade, the “Dutch Offices” left the City for awhile. When they returned the old Main office was a Hotel but space was found in the brown sky scraper to the right. Behind the rounded building (Harbour masters office) to the left is the Passenger Terminal from the old days but still in use.

2007 Windstar became less and less compatible with the core operation of the company and was sold off. Investments were made in the offices both in Rotterdam and Seattle.

The ms Eurodam first of the Signature Class sailing into Rotterdam.

2008   The ms Eurodam was dedicated in Rotterdam by HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. The ship had an additional Far East themed restaurant on board and with it came the first female Indonesian employees.

The “Mix” was a cluster of three bars (Champagne, Sports and Cocktail) located opposite the shops on board which also doubled up as the Late Night Piano Bar. This is the layout on the ms Veendam (IV)

2009   As part of the SOE the “Mix” was introduced on the ships, a central public area with bars and entertainment. Computer classes were given and the facilities on Half Moon Cay were expanded.

Seen here at Warnemunde Germany, the new cabins at the stern of the ms Prinsendam (II) are clearly visible. Apart from more guests it also gave the company the change to increase  and modify the swimming pool layout, which had been a challenge until that time.

2010   The capacity of the ms Prinsendam (II) was increased with 22 cabins at the aft part of the ship and the Nieuw Amsterdam (IV) the 2nd ship of the Signature class entered service.

The Seabourn ships, apart from being smaller then the HAL ships,  also had facilities which were not possible on larger ships such a a water sports Marina in the stern.

2011   Seabourn Cruises became a daughter company of Holland America and this resulted in cost reductions as the operations departments could merge or work closer together.

The Rotterdam (VI) had been especially designed for longer cruises  with a higher cruising speed in mind and thus winter cruises from the port of Rotterdam were no problem as the ship simply raced from the wintery weather into the sun and the tropics

2012   The number of cruises starting in Europe had been expanding through the years and this year the Rotterdam (VI) sailed all year around from the port of Rotterdam on long and short cruises.

These various companies were brought together under one umbrella as their operating styles were not dis-similar although the Brands were.

2013   The HAL Group was created within Carnival Corporation consisting out of Holland America, Seabourn, Princess, P&O Australia and the Alaskan Land Operations. A new ship was ordered in Italy.

The ms Ryndam (III) and ms Statendam (V) at Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, for transformation into the Pacific Eden and the Pacific Aria for P&O Australia.

2014   Statendam (V) and Ryndam (III) were transferred to P&O Australia to make room for the new class of ships, The Pinnacle Class of which a 2nd one was ordered this year.

The other two sisters ms Maasdam (V) and ms Veendam (IV) remained with the fleet. the Veendam’s capacity was enlarged by adding balcony cabins to the stern.

2015   Re-alignment in the HAL Group continued with the creation of two branches. Brands (Marketing and Sales and related ) and Marine Services (Support, HR, IT, Nautical, Technical and related)

The ms Koningsdam. The first ship of the Pinnacle Class , seen here at full speed in the Norwegian Fjords,

2016   The first ship of the Pinnacle Class arrived, the ms Koningsdam. With a size of 99,500 tons she could carry 2500 guests. The main theme on board was music with musical art and multiple musical venues.

The new Office of the company located on 3rd Avenue, in Seattle, just one block away from the old one.

2017 Holland America built a new Head Office in Seattle, one block away from the old one, but now solely occupied by the HAL Group. A 3rd Pinnacle Class ship was ordered with a delivery date of spring 2021.

McKinley Chalet Park and resort in Denali Park Alaska. Chalets, Hotel rooms, Restaurants, a Saloon and an Outdoor Auditorium. coaches would stop her for overnight while on their tours through theAlaskan interior.

2018   The company continued to invest in Alaska by expanding its McKinley Chalet Resort hotel in Denali Park with and extra hotel wing having 99 rooms. The Nieuw Statendam (VI) entered service in December.

One of the outstanding features of the Music Walk on the Pinnacle Class ships is “The World Stage” with its 270o  LED screen so everybody in the audience can have a perfect view.

2019   In June 2019 the ms Prinsendam (II) left the company and was sold to a German Operator. On 21 November 2019 the keel of the 3rd Pinnacle Class ship the ms Ryndam (IV) was laid.

The ms Nieuw Statendam (V). Sistership to the Koningsdam and the Ryndam / Rotterdam.

2020   On 14 March 2020 the company ordered a stop to all cruise operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic and all ships were ordered to disembark their guests. The ships went into Warm Lay-up.  4 ships were sold to other operators. On 20 July it was announced that the ms Ryndam (IV) would enter service as the ms Rotterdam (VII)

The Nieuw Statendam (VI)  and Westerdam (III)  in lay up at the anchorage at Tor Bay near Torquay England. October 2020. (Photo courtesy: Mr. Ian Williams  www.iwpix.com) 

2021   The ships continued in lay-up waiting for the Pandemic to be brought under control with the vaccination programs and various countries opening their ports again.

Published 18 April 2021

Last Update 28 April 2021

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