Category: Technical (page 1 of 11)

2025 Oct. 20; Inverrie to Kingairloch to Oban, Scotland.

October 21, 2025 / Captain Albert / 8 Comments

Today was sightseeing most of the day. Ending up in Kingarloch at 14.00 hrs. until 17.00 hrs and then a quick joint down Loch Linnhe to the anchorage in Oban. (On the map just under the words Google Maps)

This morning around 07.00 hrs. the ship picked up anchor and sailed south along the magnificent Scottish coast line, dipped in and out Loch Sunartin, went through the Sound of Mull up into Loch Linnhe and into “Loch a Choire” for an afternoon call.

Strontian is an area of outstanding beauty as much of the Highlands are and worthwhile a visit. Certainly on a day as to day with sunshine and no rain. (Photo: unknown source on the internet)

As usual there was wildlife galore, with a very happy naturalist Bryan, as he saw a Minkey Whale that did not directly dive so all wild life lovers had their day already made. Then there was the small diversion into Loch Sunartin which is very scenic. The local claim to fame here is being the “town of Strontium”; real name Strontian and located up the hills just a bit away from the loch. The mineral (on the Perodic Table) named Strontium was discovered here, when people were delving for lead. A village was then built to house the miners needed and this villlage was called Strontian. It is the only village in the British Isles to have an element named after it. The place is still inhabited with a village store and a school with 30 pupils.

The Glennsanda Super Quary as seen from the water.

Then we went to the Sound of Mull, which is a semi narrow waterway (not that narrow as in “tight”) as I went through it with a 33.000 tons cruise ship) and then one ends up in Loch Linnhe. If one continues straight on, one comes to Oban but if one turns to the North then one can end up in Fort William. As we did not want to go to Oban yet, we turned to the North and followed to the coast line to “Loch a Choire”, which is a small inlet / fjord on the North shore of Loch Linnhe. While saiing towards it we came by a real blot on the landscape: Europe’s largest aggregate mine at Glennsands. It has been in operation for a long time and its product is a major export item for Scotland. There is still a billion tons of (mainly basalt) aggregate that can be mined so the mine is expected to be there for a fore-seeable time.

Kingairloch bay as seen on a Map by the Government of Scotland. As one can see the fish farm takes up a lot of space in the entrance. But it is a protected bay from any winds but the Easterlies and thus an excellent place for such a venture.

Then the ship made a 90o turn to port and slipped into “Loch a Choire” (there are 5 locations with the same name in Scotland) and when going in the Captain had to hug the southern shore as in the middle of the waters is an enourmous salmon fish farm. Operated by Norwegians when looking at the flags of the support ships. But a bit deeper in the bay, there was ample space, so the good ship Hebridean Princess dropped the anchor and by 14.30 hrs. the guests started their invasion of the Kingairloch Estate. As many Estates in Scotland nowadays, the land is not longer owned by people of Scottish descend but by foreigners. This Estate is no different, being owned by a couple from Belgium. Luckily they take their responsibilities seriously and they are busy with restoring parts of the Estate such as boundary walls.

This is one of the 2 little tender boats (stowed on the bow when not in use) that ferry the guests ashore. Each can take 10 and thus all guests can be ashore in a total of 4 runs., or about 20 minutes.

What else is there to do? Well one can climb up the mountain and then slide down the mountain again. Walk around the Estate and oggle at the Main House (from a distance as it is occupied) and there is a small church somewhere up the hill. Another call for nature lovers as there was a lof of deer around. I had hoped for a Castle today, as we had done birds (St. Kilda), Raasay (distilerry and nature), Stornoway (history and shopping), Gairloch (nature), Inverrie (nature and pub), so basically all that was missing was a Castle. But no such luck, today it was more nature.

The Captain conducting the bridge tour. On this ship it is always done by the Captain and, contrary to many main stream cruise companies, it is free of charge.

This morning while in Loch Linhe we had a bridge tour, where the Captain explained how all the old stuff from 1964 worked (original engines, steering wheel and engine telegraphs) and all the modern additional equipment, such as Radars with chart overlay. Course plotters, auto pilots and a plenthora of communication equipment.

The original 1964 steering wheel. It has been modified (front side} so it is now also connected to a modern autopilot.

For me it was like going back to 1981 – 1986 when sailing on the steamships ss Statendam (IV) and ss Rotterdam (V) where everything was also done via the ships telegraphs with the engine room. Here the communication is with a engineer who locally operates the diesel engines with only a response delay of 3 or 4 seconds. In my early days, with steam, it could take up to 2 minutes before the requested steam pressure/ revolutions were there as promised.

The original telegraphs are still in use. With the signal going down to the E.R where it is acknowlegd by an engineer before he then adjusts the speed/revolutions as requested. The two boxes here on the bridge wing, contain the bow thruster handle, the rudder handle and the speed and wind indication.

The bridge tour lasted a good hour as Captain Heaton is very enthousiastic and also very proud of his little ship. He is now in his 24th. year of sailing on it. Once the “mere amateurs” had departed I had a chance to discuss with him what of the all stuff was still good (everything) what of the new stuff was good (not much, but compulsory) and the intricasies of handling a ship like the Hebredian Princess. I already had had an (rather alcoholic) session with him in the lounge late evening during the first formal night. Here we had put the world to right and discussed the reasons why we both did not work in an office. He is now 30+ years at sea, while I have clocled 42 years, but if his enthouisiam indicates anything, he will get to the 40 years without much of a challenge.

This evening we had our last formal night, with the traditional presentation of the Haggis, which was spoken to (By reciting Robert Burns famous poem) by the Captain in his best scottish. The Captain had dropped the hook around 1800 hrs. in Oban bay, so we could have a quiet formal dinner and night. Tommorrow morning we will shift from the anchorage to the dock around 08.00 hrs. and then disembarkation starts around 08.30. I have first to collect my car, load the luggage, and then drive 5 hrs. to Newcastle for an overnight followed by the next day with another 5 hrs. to get home.

Weather for tomorrow, rain, totally overcast with temperatures around 09oC / 48oF. It looks like it that Autumn is finally coming to Scotland.

As usual the final blog with the verdict will come in a few days, when I am home and have arranged my thoughts.

2025 Oct. 19; Gairloch to Shieldaig to Inverie.

October 20, 2025 / Captain Albert / 1 Comment

Today was a day of sightseeing with 2 ports thrown in, after a night at anchor.

We left Gairloch at 18.00 hrs. and dropped the anchor an hour later at a place called Applecross. The Captain did not announce why we left, we could have stayed overnight here but I assume the local ferry was coming in and the Hebridean Princess had to leave. Not that anybody cared, it was all about……….. where do we go next……….. The old man popped up at 19.25 hrs. last night after dropping the hook and he was rather vague about what he was going to do today. Apart this being a mystery cruise, it is also the weather that is very changeable at the moment, so it is better to keep some options on the back burner.

The angle of the wind was in the end not such that “ruffled” the waves very much. The storm was mainly felt in open waters. We had a windforce 5 to 7 for awile but as the wind has not been blowing for very long yet, there was no swell, so in the end we were hardly affected apart from a “wee bit of rain”.

So we were advised that we would pick up the hook around 08,00 hrs. and then sail to Shieldaig in Loch Torridon (after which our cabin is named). The ship dropped anchor there and by 09.30 hrs. guests could go ashore for walking. Shieldaig is a small town with 50 houses and some hotels for the holiday season. As pubs normally do not open before 11.00 hrs. we decided to stay on board. Her ladyship watching a murder movie and me uploading yesterdays blog.

With 50 odd houses, Shieldaig is a real metroplis compared to some of the villages we see dotted along the coast.( Photo courtesy, somebody with a drone)

It was all on board by 11.30 to go south and go under the Skye Bridge. Which is a big thing as the birdge is known worldwide because of the Scots complaining bitterly about the toll costs. The Dutch do the same and I fully agree, because Toll Roads do not support the local community. They only give an excuse for a politician (There will be no extra tax, as the bridge will pay for itself) and for the rest they rake in money from the locals, far more than what the bridge cost to contruct, and that money is then used for projects somewhere else that have nothing to do with the local community who paid the tolls. In a nutshell, here is the story.

The Skye Bridge,connects the Isle of Skye to the Scottish Mainland. The bridge has been designed in such a way that all the ferries, including our Hebridean Princess fit under it. (Photo courtesy: internet google)

The Isle of Skye is a major island with a lot of people who need to or want to travel. The little ferry could not cope with getting all the cars across in a timely manner. So it was decided to build a bridge. A bridge that would pay for itself. When the bridge was finished in 1995, the locals quickly found out that they had the highest tolls to pay in the world. for the lenght of the bridge. The plan was for a 40 pence toll but then it went up to 11.40 pounds. This made the Scotts lament that this was Europe’s most expensive bridge. (This was before Brexit, so they could legally say so). The Scotts affected got together and due to this pressure the tolls were abandoned in December 2004. Complainers alledge that the tolls raked in around £33 million from tolls, dwarfing the bridge’s building costs pegged at £3.5 million. There are still lawsuits going on, from those who paid the tolls in this period, saying that it was way too high as the Government made a profit, instead of cutting it off, once the bridge had been paid for.

The mv Hebridean Princess at anchor in Loch Nevis.

From there we sailed passed Armadale (famous for Armadale Castle) but did not stop there as the anchorage was fully exposed to wind and sea. Instead we sailed passed the town of Mallaig into Loch Nevis and dropped anchor outside “The Old Forge” in an area/ town called Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula. This is mainly a pub and it is called the “the remotest pub” on the British Mainland. They claim this title as there is no road leading there. All cars have to come and go by ferry and only hikers can descend from the higher mainland down to the shore. Still quite a few people live here, but – unless they walk a long way- they are reliant on the ferry service. The ferry calls in the summer time twice a day and once during the winter months, all of course weather depending. That ferry then takes everybody to another “Tarbert” in the mainland where there is a good road connection. The dock was too shallow for the Hebridean Princess and thus we were ferried in by the two little tenders that are carried on board. As they are half exposed/open, there is always the danger that you can be tipped out if the tender hits an un-expected wave and thus we have the ritual each time of donning an inflatable lifevest. Once ashore the ship has a collection area where you leave it until you return.

The Old Forge, which I assume in the grey mists of time once was a Blacksmiths Forge before it became a pub.

There are options galore here to go sightseeing and walking with a few historic locations nearby but most of the guests on board went for the pub. This is a community Pub, run by volunteers as the commercial version could not survive. Now a local pub such as the “Old Forge” always has my blessing as it is normally the heart of the local community and thus should be carefully nurtured. 2nd thing is, Community run pubs are normally Free Houses. E.G free of a commercial brewery chain and thus it can sell any beers it likes. And yes, I was not disappointed, 7 different craft beers were available so I was in heaven. My choice went this time to a national Scottish beer, (a bit like a light Guiness and although they call it “heavy”), the McEwan draft is more like dark ale. For the pub it was a hey-day with suddenly another 35 or so customers popping up. The costs of the drinks were once again picked up by the company so all was well in the world. We stopped here from 16.00 hrs. to 18.45 hrs. just enough time to stretch our legs and have a pint and then the ship sailed for the nights anchorage.

The inside of the Pub. Rebuilt by volunteers and ran by volunteers. All the locals who were involved have been immortalised with their names engraved in the wooden bar face and I suppose honoring the best customers) in the bar seats.

This afternoon beer did not detain all the guests from being in the main lounge (it is called the Tiree lounge, after the Isle of Tiree) to be ready by 19.00.hrs. for cocktails and good conversation. We have no music, and none is needed as everybody is busy enough with talking to each other. Where you sit in the lounge depends on when you come in and where there is a space left. Most of our guests are British but from various area’s, such as the middle of England, but also from the Isle of Man, island of Guernsey. Then there are a few Scots who have a home holiday. And they include a couple from Portree, a town in the area we are sailing in. Yesterday they could even see their town while we sailed into the Loch opposite. Then we have one Canadian from Montreal, one American from Colorado (the two are mother and daugther) and then there is one Dutchman………………

At 19.30 the captain showed up again and announced that tomorrow will be sightseeing through some small fjords, with a stop in the late afternoon. From there it was down to dinner, and tonight we had the Staff Captain at our table, which before he came to work here was working for Princess Cruises, which was between 2006 and 2022 part of the “Holland America Group” within Carnival. As you can see, it is a small world.

Weather for tomorrow: Overcast with a chance of showers and temperatures around 10oC / 50oF, so everybody is happy that the weather is holding.

2026 Sep. 26; Fusina, Italy.

September 27, 2025 / Captain Albert / 5 Comments

Last night we crossed the northern part of the Adriatic Sea and arrived this morning at 0900 at the cruise terminal. We docked at the Cruise Dock, which is not that usual, because when there are 2 cruise ships in port, the smallest one is bumped to the other side, which is technically the Ro-Ro dock. There seems to be a gate in between but I have not been able to ascertain that the small terminal of Fusina services both ships or that a Marquee is rigged up, and/or if one has to go through the confusion of the Ro-Ro terminal. But we were back right opposite the cruise terminal building from where we will go back home tomorrow.

Internet photo with two cruise ships in. Here we see the Explora I, which is bigger alongside the terminal and the Azamara Onward is banned to what is normally a Ro-Ro ferry dock. The authorities in the enthusiasm in 2022, assigned 4 docks to the cruise terminal but 3 of them are really the Ro-Ro docks. Quay Abbruzzo ( the real terminal), Quay Umbria, Quay Toscana and Quay Marche.

Today is thus really the day to visit Venice. Which can be by taxi (65 euros) or renting a car and it takes about 40 minutes to the Plaza Maritima and from there you can walk into town. Then you can also through the ship book a shuttle that takes you directly into Venice. So while Fusina is a nice terminal it is not that greatly located but as long as the 30,000 ton rule exist for all the “Venice cruise ships”, there is not much that can be done. There were two other cruise ships in port, the L’Austral which is 10,700 tons in size and thus could dock in downtown Venice and the other one is the Norwegian Luna, 156.300 tons and that one docked in Marghera which is the industrial port and also where the Fincantieri shipyard is located. The Viking Jupiter we saw yesterday in Sibenik is today and tomorrow in Chioggia further to the south and that is almost an hour taxi drive to Venice.

The good old days, when there were no limits and cruise business was booming. Four ships at these two terminals and 2 more ships to the left at the other pier not on the photo. so 6 in port altogether/

Today about half of our guests went ashore and the rest made it a quiet day on board. Not a bad idea as by 11am it was poring down and I do not know if those going ashore had a rain coat with them. Nobody I saw leaving carried an umbrella so they might have gotten wet. Some of the Australian and American guests on board made this cruise a part of a larger holiday period. Makes sense as flying from Australia (26 hrs. with 7 hr. stop in Malaysia or Singapore) or 12 hrs from the US west coast is not really worthwhile for just a seven day cruise. So some had made a river cruise and some were city hopping. (see Paris in 3 days, Europe in 7 days …….. etc.)

What is the problem? The Lido where all the ships have to sail through is not that wide and if a ship would not make the turn for what ever reason (technical or human) then it would hit the old port. And most likely at this point where the fairway makes a turn. The port tried to alleviate this with a safety tugboat forward and one aft but a large ship at 10 knots is not that easily stopped. This is the ms Koningsdam of HAL which measures just under 100.000 tons, when this was still the maximum size allowed pre Covid.

We also decided to stay on board as the transfer was not cheap, rain was expected and with at least 4000 passengers on top of the regular visitros would call for another busy day in Venice. Plus there is the additional 5 euro’s Venice Admission Tax, and all together it makes it not cheap just to go ashore with the intention to just go for a walk. And we have been here many, many times. Plus there is the conundrum that we had to pack. The ship has advised that they want all the suitcases out tonight by 21.30, so there is also not the option to pack after the show. Hence we packed this afternoon and it gave me the chance to take some more photos of the interior.

Our Cruise Director Linda Love from Melton Mombray in England. She started out as a dancer and then moved up the ranks to Cruise Director. During Covid she worked in a Garden Center. Unfortunately Azamara has done away with flowers in the cabins, otherwise they would have had an expert on board with extra pay

This morning we had the weekly safety drill of the ship at 10.am and this time there was a crew cabin on fire ,but it seems to have been extinguished to the satisfaction of everybody. Also it has been crew change over day. We saw the first group coming and leaving in Kotor and today and tomorrow there will be a steady stream of crew pulling and pushing suitcases both today and tomorrow. Today the Captains changed and tomorrow it will be the Cruise Director. There are 2 Captains for each ship and I assume also 2 Cruise Directors. We saw the the Cruise Directors show from last night today on the tv. All shows are recorded and shown in the cabins. So nothing about this nonsense we see on other ships about no recording etc. At the end of the show, which was very good, all the cast streamed onto the stage with flowers, champagne and compliments. Hopefully the captain did not see it, as his goodbye during Captains introductions was much more muted.

Yesterday during lunch Lesley had asked if there would be any Spaghetti Bolognaise during the cruise and today in Italy, here it was. Unfortunately bolognaise divided over the penne and the spaghetti with the con Vongole). But the sous chef popped up again ad combined the two items in one Spaghetti Bolognaise without any fuss. It was a quiet moment in the Windows Restaurant (Lido), so he had time, but still it is a good example of how the crew is focussed on the delivery of the cruise product.

We are flying tomorrow from Venice via Amsterdam to Norwich, with 5 hours overlay in Amsterdam. but at least our suitcases will make it. As usual I will post my review and verdict in a few days, where I bundle all my observations, complain (=constructive suggestions) or praise. You will get a ping, but otherwise please look mid week. In the mean time, a few photos of “The Den”. We spent a few nights having cocktails and after dinner drinks there. Nice place with a good piano player.

The Den. The bar tenders, only two, as it was a quiet moment. (Not very usual in the evening)

Apart from the free booze, the main attraction is the entertainment in the evening. Either the Resident piano player (also plays accordion) or a visiting performance by one of the Cast entertainers. All nice and very social.

The Resident piano player, He was really there but his seat was rather low, so he was hard to see.

XXX

2025 Sep. 25; Sibenik, Croatia.

September 26, 2025 / Captain Albert / 4 Comments

Today we are in the small, but old town of Sibenik, located about half way between Split and Zadar. For this the captain had to make some speed as he had to sail outside the islands to the North of Dubrovnik and then re-enter again as Sibenik is located Inland.

By 8 am, we were at the pilot station in the Sibenski Kanal and then sailed into a (fairly) narrow channel called the Pasmanski Kanal. The Croatians use the name Kanal for a waterway between 2 islands but it is not a “Canal” in the English sense of the word as a canal has locks at either side (like the Panama Canal) but more of a channel or a fairway with land at either side. So we sailed in the Pasmanski Channel which was very scenic. I can understand why the Romans, Greeks and the Venetians were excited about this space, as one Fort (located at the entrance) can keep any fleet away from coming close. You are then forced to land troops and the mountain ridges and crevices do not make that easy.

The Fortress of St. Nikolas. This defense point is one of a series of Venetiian Forts located along the islands to protect Sibenik and the surrounding area. It is open to the public via boat tours and seems to be under renovation as there was a large pile of big stones stored at the other side.

Sailing in, is about a mile and not unlike the more narrow part of the Panama Canal. The ship had two pilots on board, one on the bridge to guide the ship and the other at the stern to see if it made the turn safely. Once through you end up in a large body of water with the old city of Sibelink perched against the hill side. The whole of the old town is now given over to tourist shops, restaurants and holiday apartments. On each side, outside the city walls, is the new city which is built on the more flatter parts of the land.

The sail through. The Azamara Onward is not the biggest ship that goes through. When we came to the anchorage we saw that the Viking Jupiter (1000 guests 60,000 tons) had come through as well and was docked at the main terminal.

It is a very sheltered anchorage and during the day our ship barely drifted around on the anchor. This gave for a very scenic view of the city which in the old days was protected from inland invasions by several big forts. Apart from that the old town has 16 (!) old churches on what I think is barely a quare mile and several palaces as the Venetians knew how to live well. So we went ashore by tender. This was a 2 tender distance and 2 tenders were in use, with this time the waiting times for the tenders being not so long as Security was wise enough not to stick to 30 minute departures but worked more on the “demand and supply” method. I complained about the bad tender service in Havr (a 4 tender distance with only 3 and after 1300 only 2 tenders going) so maybe somebody listened.

The view of the old town from the ship. The fortress of St. Michael is towering above the town on top of the hill and there are two more of them nearby. To the right the cupola of the Cathedral of St. James is clearly visible.

We had plans to find the “main” shopping street but there is not really one in the old town. Each row of houses is on a different level so leaving the boulevard along the water means climbing 10 or 15 steps, finding a small square surrounded by houses/and maybe a shop and then another 10 to 15 steps to the next level. Getting that way to the top, the Fortress of St. Michael, is about 300 steep steps in small increments. But you can take a taxi. The only larger square is in front of the Cathedral (yes another one) of St. James is about 20 steps above boulevard level. But then one does need some space to get processions lined up and you do need a location where the local magistrates can address the population. Now it was filled with several tour groups from the Viking Jupiter and Tui- tourists as TUI has a resort nearby.

This is the end of the main square outside the Cathedral. The people standing here are listening to their tour guide via their bla-bla box and it seems something exciting about the roof is being explained. Behind them, the next set of steps up to the next small street of houses.

We tried a few of the small streets on the various levels and then walked back along the boulevard where some of the very expensive yachts were docked. It was interesting to see how the owners or guests (most of these yachts are out for charter if the owners are not on board) were going ashore. Of course at that level of luxury you do not order an Uber, Bolt or regular taxi, no, 3 porsche SUV’s were used to whisk them away. I wonder if your life becomes really boring if you can afford anything you want and there is nothing left to long for.

The ms Azamara Onward at anchor in the bay. The gap just of the left of the ship is the channel through which we came in and would leave.

By 12.30 hrs. we were back on board and in the Lido, the Windows Cafe, and here we had our next interesing exchange with the crew. It looked to me that the food on display did not change very much from day to day. Not that this is unusual but normally when you are on a 5* to 6* ship you see a bit more variation. So we asked the waitress, who felt very uncomfortable about the question and was going to pass the message on. No less then 5 minutes later a sous chef popped up with the question if anything was wrong. No that was not the issue, it was just a genuine question out of interest. Then came the explanation that about 90% is standard / the same every day but depending on the port, or sea area, they change one or two stations to local speciality dish. With Croatia this seemed to be a little bit more difficult so it was sort of limited to one fish dish. But they had 3 new flavors of ice cream for the day and a different selection of cheese. (which is quite an extensive selection, bigger than on many other much larger ships) And with me being “Jan Kaas or John Cheese” from Holland I had absolutly no problem with this.

Departure, all on board at 16.00 hrs., was slightly delayed due to two guests who missed the last tender. Luckily the tender was still in the water and could return after the ships agent spotted them at the now deserted tender dock. Most companies have the policy that they pay the Agent to stay behind for an hour or so, when guests are missing and then get them back on board in the next port.

One of the two holes in the wall. A relic from World War II.

When sailng out through the Kanal/channel we could see the other side of the shore line and here the rock formation is a little bit higher. Because of the location, the Germans dug a tunnel into the rock during WWII so their torpedo boats could sail in and out of Sibeniks harbour while the sea mine barrier in the channel could be left untouched. The in/out entrance and the out/in entrance together are called locally “Hitlers eyes”. It was in use for quite a while after the war but with the collapse of Yuguslavia the navy left the base behind. (In the back of the island there are still a lot of Nissen Huts and other military facilities visible).

A view inside. The entrance is blocked off for boats but pedestrians can walk through via the pathway on the side. ( Photo courtesy: Camera Obscura Website)

Evening entertainment started early today. One of the castmembers, Linda Fitzgerald gave her own show at 17.30 in the Cabaret Show Lounge. She is from Irish decent and sang a number of songs which influenced her career. She studied in London and joined the cruise ships in 2016. Not a bad move as the days that you “had to make Broadway” are gone as the entertainment on the ships is as good and sometimes of an even higher standard.

A very good show by one of the talented cast of the ship.

Then it was off to dinner in the dining room where as usual the food was pleasant and the service friendly. Next stop was “The Den” where another cast performer was given a solo performance. Now it was “Richie” an American from New Jersey who had two Master degrees in modern music/musicals. So he sang for 45 minute some of the well known and not so well known songs from various Broadway shows. Again very good. Then we had the option to go to the main show in the Cabaret Lounge by the Cruise Director Emily Love. Again a very talented singer with a very powerful voice as we had heard during the White Night. But as we knew that we could see her show on the TV tomorrow we decided that we had enough culture for one evening and called it a day.

Tomorrow we are in Fusina for an overnight stay. This port, where we boarded, is about 30 minutes by car and 45 minutes by Vaparetto from Venice. So those who wanted to see Venice could buy tickets for transfers. Weather tomorrow: Overcast with a chance of showers and temperatures around 21oC / 70oF. We should be docking around 09.00 hrs. so we will be able to gorge ourselves on the wonderful skyline of the Mestra industrial area. (see day 1)

2025 Sept. 24, Dubrovnik; Croatia.

September 25, 2025 / Captain Albert / 2 Comments

It is only 110 miles from Kotor to Dubrovnik so a slow speed run all the way.

Today we are in Dubrovnik also in Dalmatia and Croatia but at an another location than planned. We were supposed to anchor in downtown but last night the captain came on the tannoy and advised that there was a frontal system expected to come over Dubrovnik in the course of today and that would make anchoring in downtown dangerous. So the ship would instead dock at Gruz, which is the commercial harbour of Dubrovnik, and a shuttlebus would be provided to take everybody to downtown. A decision I fully concur with but it requires a little explanantion.

The downtown anchorage of Dubrovnik. You have to drop anchor in the only section that is free of underwater cables called Lokrumski Prolaz.

Being at anchor in Dubrovnik is great for the guests as it is a very scenic tender ride sailing to the tender dock with the ancient city towering above you. It is not that great for a captain as the water is about 90 meters deep so a lot of chain has to be paid out to even reach the sea bottom and then the sea bottom is mainly stone so the anchor itself does not dig in very well. A bit of wind and the anchor starts dragging and the ship goes with it.

In all my years of coming here with my own ship, I never had the chance to anchor here in the first place as the anchorage was always booked/blocked by the Costa Line cruise ships. They even put the very large ships there. And not seldom there was a cry later in the day when the wind picked up and the anchors dragged. A lot of uncouth Italian could then be heard over the VHF working channels but they kept doing it.

This is the nautical map of Gruz. The commerical port of Dubrovnik. The ships dock at the pier with all the black dots under the yellow circle. That yellow circle basically indicates that you should not block that area as A. there is a lot of traffic coming through and B. on occasion the Bora wind comes funneling down the river canyon in front of the dock.

So we always docked at Gruz which has a very nice cruise ship dock (for 2 big ones or 3 small ones) and then it is a 15 minute bus shuttle to the North Gate of Dubrovnik old town. This is a very sheltered port and nearly always open to the ships. Sometimes you have to wait for a few hours until the Bora wind stops blowing. That is a wind that forms on the Hungarians plains and then picks up velocity when coming down the river gorges. I had that myself a few times but normally the pilot gets advance warning and we waited outside until approx. 11 am or so until the wind eased off.

Today no Bora and thus we were arlongside by 09.00 hrs. behind us was the Mariella Explorer which is an old Chandris / Celebrity ship owned by Tui and sailing for the English market. Yesterday we had the Mein Schiff 6, also from Tui but sailing for the German Market. We decided not to be bothered with taking the shuttle as we have been here many times and Her Ladyship had no intention of getting wet. Luckily for the guests the rain did not come through until 17.00 hrs. and by that time it was cocktail time anyway.

So I used today to have a walk around the ship tp take some photos. I will post a few each day. The resemblance with the ms Prinsendam is striking although the Renaissance Class of ships were all built some 12 years later. But the Royal Viking Sun was a trendsetter, mainly due to the fact that the company let the ship be designed by the guests who travelled with Royal Viking and not a President with “a vision” surrounded by a group of V.P’s and Directors who all had to say yes in order to get a good appraisal by the end of the year and their $5,– a day salary increase. I have an very extensive history about the Prinsendam II under the ships subdirectory on the website which explains the why. But when walking around I saw small RVS design touches that were similar everywhere.

The R Three as the Pacific Princess. Looking amazingly good with a white hull.

The ms Azamara Onward was built in 1999 in France as the R Three for Renaissance cruises as part of a series of 8. They did not have names as such, only numbers, as the company said that nobody remembered the name of a ship that they had sailed on anyway, only the company product. Renaissance went bankcrupt after 9/11 in 2001 as they had been paying off their building loans with the cash flow generated during the cruises. With air travel coming to a near standstill and a heavy reliance on the American market, the bookings dried up and that was it. Several other companies snapped up some of this fleet of handy little ships, great for intense -small- port cruises. The R 3 or R Three went to Princess Cruises and became the Pacific Princess for cruises to the islands in the South Pacific. In 2021 the P.P. was sold to Azamara Cruises and after some refurbishment renamed into Azamara Onwards. She has a tonnage of 30,277 grt. A length of 180.00 metes and a width of 25.5 meters. There are 4 main engines connected to 2 propellors giving a speed of 18 knots. She carries between 670 and 688 guests in lower beds and 826 when all sofa’s and couches are filled. (Although it might now be less as the company seems to have been tinkering with the size of the sofa’s) And there is the crew capacity of 373. If I understood the captain correctly, the current number of crew on board is 343.

Deck 11 top deck with sun deck loungers.

There are 11 decks and the highest one is the roof above the Living Room, which is like a Crowsnest (HAL), or Commodore Club (Cunard). Here there are stretchers behind a glass wall to keep the wind away and a steward to take drinks orders. Then on the deck below is the “Living Room”. which is one of the 3 main public rooms on board. (The other two being the show Lounge = Cabaret lounge, and the night club = The Den)

The “Living Room” with the photo taken from the fwd. port side, next to the bandstand (located between the dancefloor and the front windows) looking aft.

The place has on the starboard side a section bordered off for puzzles and games and opposite on the portside a similar section acting as a library with about a 100 hard cover books. (There are another 20 books downstairs in “the Den” for cooking and travelling). This place opens at 14.30 in the afternoon and then also offers nibbles for those who missed lunch. These nibbles / tapas continue through cocktail and evening time. Music is there from the early evening onwards and there are also on occasion small shows. It normally closes around midnight.

The portside of the Atlas Bar, for people who do not want to sit at the bar.

Behind the Living Room is the outside deck looking down on Deck 9 with the swimming pool. It offers a jogging track around the open well. Opposite, under the funnel is a space called “The Atlas Bar”. This used to be a multple purpose room called the “The Drawing Room”. Since some time Azamara is experimenting with this space on all the old R ships. Here on the Azamara Onward they have installed a cocktail bar, called The Atlas Bar. This is for high end cocktails. (If they are included in your “Ultimade Drinks Package) then it is all free, otherwise you just pay the going rate. They do not do beer or the simple mixes like I to drink, so a place that is lost to me, but it is well designed and hopefully it will work. Sofar, but this is a 7 day port intensive cruise, it has been very quiet.

The Bar side of the Atlas Bar.

More interiors tomorrow.

Then here in Dubrovnik we were supposed to have an “Amazing Night”. A special outing in line with the upscale cruise experience of Azamara. Well things have been watered down. While on the ship it was announced that instead of going ashore and having this “amazing experience” shore side in an amazing location, the local show would come on board. Well that saves them on paying for a shoreside venue and local drinks as board it is included anyway. In the end it turned out it was no more special than a local folkoristic show which most company’s do once a cruise. A good show, but nothing out of the ordinary that would have made it an “Amazing Night”. So we felt a littlebit let down, same as we were in the beginning of the cruise, when we found out that we did not get what was promised us during booking.

Lateron we went to “The Den” were one of the cast members was performing Country & Western. The place was full to capacity. He was very good and, being from Texas USA, was able to sing with the right “country accent”. The crowd was very appreciative, caused apart from recognizing his talent, also that a lot of the guests had also been busy with recognizing Johnny Walker and friends.

Tomorrow we are in Sibenik, also Croatia, and a much smaller port. Still an imporant city in the Venetian Empire of the 16th. century. The approach to the town, located behind a long island, is through a narrow channel so I have to be out of bed by 08.00 to see this. It rained most of the evening in Dubrovnik but tommorrow it is going to be sunny again with temperatures around 25oC or 77oF. Although there is a dock, we are tendering, so I assume there is another cruise ship in port with us,

2025 Sep. 20; Zadar Croatia.

September 21, 2025 / Captain Albert / 4 Comments

It is only 120 miles from Opitija to Zadar and thus we are basically coast hopping from district town to district town

Today we are in Zadar Croatia, a nice old town going back to the Roman Days. When you walk around the pedestrianized roads in the centre of the City, it feels like a mini Dubrovnik. The main difference is that the town has been laid out on the side of the old Roman forum of which has been excavated and some pillars still stand.

But we started the day with enjoying our balcony with a nice cup of tea and fruit. With soo much food going around in the ship we decided to reduce our calorie intake by having only a small breakfast. And then it started to rain. Not from the skies but from the window wash basket running by on a rail above us. Normally with window washing and/or balcony scrubbing you get a notice in the cabin but nothing in this case and suddenly water came cascading down. A shout from me stopped it but by that time computer and cell phone were wet. Luckily not damaged. Other balconies suffered worse and tables, chairs and the cushions were all soaking wet, all along the portside of the ship. Nice for the guests when they come back from shore and have to sit with their bums on wet cushions. So before we went ashore we stopped by our Guest Relation Lady, who was suitably embarassed and shocked. I think we are not her favourite guests anymore, but if you do not let them know, then they can not improve their product. So she was going to have a word with the Staff Captain.

“home made ” rain on the balcony. Refreshing but not good for my laptop.

A very nice thing, at least we like it, is that there are no announcements. There is only the arrival announcement, when at anchor, for open tenders and at departure a few wise words from the captain. For the rest it is all peace and quiet and the ship runs by the daily program. The program is made up of two parts. Basically an A4 (legal for the Americans) size paper folded double with the opening times of all the venues and the regular advertisements for the concesionnaires. (Tonight the highlight was a Sun Glasses pop-up by the shops) then there is an insert which lists hour by hour of what there is going on from early morning to late at night. And that is enough to get around without missing anything. We were very happy with this during our cruise with the Germans on the Amera, six weeks ago, and now we have it here as well. Wonderful.

The St. Donalds or St Donatus Church from around 800 AD. Behind it the Zadar St. Anastasia Cathedral and to the left of the yellow marquee one of the very few Roman pillars still standing. The stones in the foreground are parts of the Roman Forum that was excavated.

Because we are a small ship, we docked in downtown. There were two bigger ships in port, a MSC ship and an Celebrity one, but they docked so far away that they needed shuttle buses to get their guests to downtown. Those buses all stopped in front of our ship; good advertisement for Azamara. Go small and you Go downtown. And we were really in downtown, to the Roman Forum was less than 5 minutes away and the old town, next to it, 7 minutes, Apart from the forum the place is dominated by the Church of St. Donald / Donatus which was built around 800 AD, partially with stones pilfered from the old Roman buildings around the Forum. So in the end there were only a few pillars left standing.

All these stones were once part of various buildings that made up the Roman Forum. Some have inscriptions that are still clearly visible.

Looking at those was enough culture for the day. The Romans ran a very standardized empire, so a ruin in England is the same as a ruin in Germany or in France, Italy or Zadar. With some small local variations of course, Her ladyship was more interested in the little shops in the alleyways. Plenty or restaurants as well and also two Candy shops, so I assume that the Zadarians have a sweet tooth. Thus we had a look at the $ 3000,— gold chains and other jewelry but matrimonial peace was restored as in the end only a soup spoon was bought (we have about 40 hanging in our kitchen at home) and a few bags of Lavender. The south of France is well known for Lavender but the Zadar area is very good as well and apart from little bags, they sold it in combination with a small bottle of essence to revitalize the lavender dish or bag at home.

One off the small streets in Zadar. Quite narrow and some made even more narrow as local restaurants had put their tables and chairs in the street.

By 1500 hrs. we were back, just on time, as it was getting very warm on a sunny and windless day like this. Although Saturday, there were no locals to be seen, only the cruise ship hordes. The locals waited to about an hour before sunset and then came out in droves to see sunset.

Waiting for Sunset. Saturday evening and the locals (and also tourists of course) streamed to the waterside to watch sunset over the islands off Zadar. The light blue circle is called the “Greeting to the Sun” and is 22 meters in diameter. With photovoltaic sun ray absorption it comes to life after dark and then shows vivid swirling colors with an ever changing display. The ship had a organized a “Balkan Buffet” around the pool and set up tables and chairs to enjoy all the food. The buffet was very elaborate and very well done. Also the drinks were flowing freely and a local duo had been hired to provide Croatian music (which seemed to include Beatles & Billy Joel songs as well ………, but who cares, they sounded very good) I think that about 50% of the guests attended, just enough to fill the deck. The rest must have been in the two Speciality Restaurants (Steak or Italian) or had taken room service, as we saw the last tour bus coming back at 18.45 and they all looked quite knackered.

The “Greeting to the Sun” now in full action.

By this time we were sitting down for the Balkan Buffet on Deck 9 & 10 around the midships pool area. Good music, good company with friendly and attentive crew was very really nice. Captain, Cruise Director and Hotel Manager were standing in a far corner but ready to talk to the guests which was appreciated. Azamara makes this a point of their product, so I assume that “being out and about” during part of the day, is calculated into the captains working hours. With Holland America and the 400 emails a day and all the side duties, captains who would like to socialize a bit more hardly have the time, as the job is very much turning into a Process Operator, instead being a Captain in Command and Host of the Ship. It seems that Azamara has gone the other way.

Overview on top deck, just when the buffet opened. All the tables would fill up quite quickly.

On the starboard side of this deck around the pool, which is called The Patio, is a hamburger & ice cream bar called Top & Swirl and here the Executive Chef had created a buffet with several food stations. Salad Bar, Bread and Cheese section, Hot food, Roasted pig station, barbecue and a dessert station.

The dessert section with a wide range of pastries including Backlava, On the photo the pastry chef to the left and the ships Executive Chef to the right.

As the ship has a high space ratio of 42 (= elbow room on the tonnage) it never feels crowded, not even when there are a lot of people milling around. So with half the ship being present there were still no lines to get to the buffet stands.

The buffet area with all the food.

A lot of local specialities were made available which included local sausage in all it forms and shapes, local cheeses and local meat and poultry. The roasted pig made a great impression on everybody as did the barbecued beef..

The barbecue station.

By 2100 hrs. this was all over and we had a look in “The Den” on deck 5 midships where the resident piano player was having a jazz jam session with 3 members of the Show lounge band. As expected it was much too loud for such a small room for people with good hearing, so we vacated to the Living Room (Crowsnest on deck 10) Here the Resident band was playing Beattles music and related, also loud, but this room is really large for the size of this ship and thus we found in the far corner a good spot where we could talk without having to raise our voice. By now we had not eaten for at least 45 minutes and luckily the ship had set up a small buffet so we would not suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Here we met a Canadian couple who we had talked to on the first day and who were up in arms about the on board drinks package that they had bought. Quite rightly so.

complimentary part 1

Complimentary part 2. These two have been copied out of the Beverage booklet in the bars. As you can see it is quite extensive and much more than “some” included as mentioned in the paper work.

Azamara announces vaguely in their pre cruise paperwork that during the cruise “some beverages are included” but does not elaborate on the what and how many Then they want to sell you, two upgrades. One for $31.95 pp and one for $ 39.95 a person a day. The problem is the complimentary drinks package includes so much that it does not make sense to take the $31.95 upgrade. (See listing below) there is not much extra. Only if you insist that you are going to drink all the premium alcohol drinks, you might take the $39.95. Several guests, including us had the $ 31.95 package included as part of the booking but we cannot pay an extra $ 8,— a day to upgrade to $ 39.95. No you have to pay the full price for the upgrade package. So the inclusion of the $ 31.95 package as a perk in the booking, does not mean anything as if hardly gives anything extra over the complimentary package.

The ship has the “Atlas Bar” on deck 10 overlooking the de pool area. This used to be the “Drawing Room” which name is still on the location diagrams in the staircases. The Atlas Bar is a premium cocktail lounge which is only included if you have the $ 39.95 package, or you have to pay the full price for the cocktails and those are not cheap. So my suggestion is, if you get the $31.95 (called the Premium package) included with your booking, that is fine. If you do not, then it is not worthwhile to pay and extra $ 31.95 to get a few more choices. If you are planning to swill cocktails all day and expensive whiskies and cognacs, then that is up to you for $ 39.95. We found that most guests who did not know the extent of the complimentary package were quite annoyed about this $ 31.95 top up with only marginal extras.

The full 3 package options.

Tomorrow we are in Hvar, also in Croatia, Weather supposed to be as today. Sunshine, hardly any wind and temperatures around 28oC. or 82oF. It is an anchor port and thus we need a tender to get ashore.

2025 June 13, At Sea.

June 14, 2025 / Captain Albert / 4 Comments

Today was our last sea day with the ship was sailing under the south coast of England. For the guests leaving in Rotterdam there is still the port of Dover with its hinterland to enjoy but we will be leaving in Dover. Collect our car from the hotel and then drive home. Depending on the vagaries of the British Roads (welcome to the United Kingdom of pot holes) we should be home in the early afternoon. But we still had this day to enjoy, although it was slightly marred by the fact that we had to pack. At home we had packed in stages and after each session put the 3 suitcases on top of each other, to press out the air (and to provide room for even more stuff) but now we have to do it in one afternoon so I am sitting on the suitcases while writing this blog to speed up the ‘de-airing” process somewhat.

The last sea day, even if it is not the last day of the cruise, is always reserved for tying up loose ends and saying goodbye to the guests. So the main highlight this morning was ” a look behind the scenes”. A multi vision presentation in the “World Stage” This is a presentation combining the old “Crew Farewell” and the old ships interviews with the Captain. Chief Engineer and Hotel Director. Now the visual presentation took all of those present through the ship, through the departments and gave quick explanations of the how and the what of the various shipboard operations. It ended with a number of ships crew marching onto the stage as a farewell. Standing ovation as usual. It was done very smoothly without taking up too much time from everybody.

One of the three Cake Stands in the Lido Market. This was at the moment when the Lido opened, the heights of the Cakes diminished quickly after as there was an abundance of interest. But the Cooks had a lot of “back up” in the coolers to make the cake-party last until closing time.

Then in the Lido it was Cake Day, Three corner stations of the Lido were giving over to Cakes. Think “Big” cakes and thus also big portions being handed out. The “traffic jam” started at 11.30 and lasted until closing time. Extra crew was in place for traffic control and extra cooks were behind the counter to serve all those who were eager for a slice of cake ( a Big slice of cake). One would think that after 12 days of food abundance, the interest in cakes would be somewhat muted but this was far from the case. I had not seen this before but this is a Bulls-eye shot of the companies evolving ideas of continuous upgrading of the product; although I wonder with the amount of cake going through (big cakes) if it will not severely endanger the yearly profit margins.

We decided to go to the “Hal History talk” by the Cruise Director another interactive multi media event called “Origins” about the history of the company. I was involved in the original conceptual plans and provided most of the photos. Although offered, the producers never let me review the final draft so in version 1 there were a number of mistakes. They got a nice report from me after the first showing and I then I could only hope for the best. They are now at iteration nbr 3. and I hoped that all had been updated. Well they had made the presentation a lot more slick than it was before but the mistakes were still there. Would the average guests have noticed it? No, and would they still have enjoyed it? Yes. Karlijn the Cruise Director did a very good narration but unfortunately the World Stage was not full. The presentation was at 14.00 hrs. while many guests were still in the Lido (eating cakes…….. big cakes)

Before “Origins” started we saw Miss X (from orange night party fame) in action on the stage with the presentation/ quiz show “Deal or No Deal” which was fun to watch. The Lady playing did not win the big price but hopefully somebody on the HAL ships will do so or might have done so already.

“Deal or no Deal” In the Main Stage. Again the 270o Led Screen makes it soo much better as you can see the presentation from three angles. Far superior than what I have seen on other ships.

For our final evening we decided on going back to Pizza- New York on Deck 10 above the Lido Pool. When working on the Pinnacle Class ships, I always avoided the place as it was extremely popular and under the HAL motto “the guest always comes first”, I stayed away. Expecting the Dining room to be extremely busy tonight (many guests want to be there to say farewell to their waiters) and thus the Pizza Place to be more quiet we went for our 2nd visit during this cruise. It was indeed very quiet.

For those of you who are not familiar with New York Pizza (in the mornings you can call it New York Bagel) for breakfast, this is the menu.

Tomorrow (14 June) we will be driving home with the expected temperature to be around 19oC or 67oF and partly cloudy skies. Once at home I will write the final blog of this series, with my final personal verdict and a comparison with the Queen Anne of Cunard the 4th. Pinnacle ship. As you can see from the two reviews on this website we have had some experience there, so it might be of interest to the readers to compare a American-Dutch- HAL product with an British-American-Cunard product on the same class of ship. All a personal opinion ofcourse.

2024 Dec 15 – 22 Queen Anne, Western Europe Cruise

December 30, 2024 / Captain Albert / 2 Comments

Good day to everybody who is still following me on my website. Today is the one but last day of the old year.

I have just posted the 7 day cruise we made on the Queen Anne of Cunard.

We made the maiden voyage and that was pretty bad, hence my review was not very good either. But I think it is not very fair just to do that without a 2nd chance/ opinion so we booked another 7 days just before Christmas.

And things were much better, see the review.

When you have this post open, please look to the right. Click open the header “My Cruises and Reviews” and select the December cruise,

Next year we have planned a cruise, every other month, so there will be a lot more reviews coming. Also I have been updating the website with HAL history and captains bios..

Book IV of the 5 Book HAL 150 year cycle is nearly completed and will then be followed by nbr V in the course of 2025.

Wishing you all a blessed and prosperous 2025.

2024 August 23 4 day taster cruise Celebrity Apex Review.

September 5, 2024 / Captain Albert / 2 Comments

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.

2021 April 18; Happy Birthday

April 17, 2021 / Captain Albert / 33 Comments

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 2^nd 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 2^nd world war.

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

1894 At Hoboken a 2^nd pier was leased from the port Authority at 7^th. 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 6^th. 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 2^nd 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 10^th 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 13^th. 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 2^nd 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 30^th. 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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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

- Captain Albert's Website and Blog -

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