Holland America Line Announces Plans for New Ship!
Nieuw Amsterdam under construction in June 2009.
Exciting news, blog fans! It was announced today that Holland America Line will build another ship for delivery in fall 2015.
The 99,000-ton vessel will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri at their Marghera Yard, near Venice. Fincantieri has built fourteen Holland America Line ships. The new ship will accommodate 2,660 guests in lower berths and will be the first in a new Pinnacle class of vessels.
The Pinnacle class will have exciting new culinary and entertainment venues, will take our premium accommodations to an even higher level and will include many energy savings measures that will enable us to achieve significant fuel efficiencies.
For more information click HERE. And as more details become available, we’ll share them with you!
With the new cruise ship being built for 2015 will you be bring any of your cruise ships back to Bermuda??
Very excited for the new ship to come about. My family primarily cruises on Holland America and we sell a lot of Holland America at the travel agency where I work.
I remember when you went to the Vista Class and PROMISED that you were not getting any bigger.
I’m glad HAL has finally announced the new ship. I heard about the plans for it 2yrs ago, when I was sailing on Noor, with my favorite HAL Hotel Manager…James Deering. I hope that my cancer let’s me live long enough to sail on this new lovely lady :D
Looking forward to seeing the newest member of the HAL fleet! Please, please, though . . . don’t get any bigger than this as far as passenger count. Fewer people and moderately-sized ships are one of the main reasons we cruise with your line!
We would love to follow its build as we did the Oasis of the Seas. It was fascinating to watch it being built. We were also able to be at the port of Fort Lauderdale when it arrived the first time. What an experience that was. Hoping to be able to watch this one too and looking forward to its new Dam name.
I also was wondering if you will have cruises from NY. We love HAL, but lobe to leave from NY and return to NY. WE are now 3 stars and are going on the Eurodam Nov 3 and to Spain next Oct 2013. I am looking forward to sailing on your new ship. Thank you
many years ago, my wife and I took a cruse on Holland America ship it was great except we put on about 10 lbs, and the staff couldn’t been more helpful. if you are passing out any free passes for its maiden cruse send us a couple
thanks
We’re interested in a re-positioning cruise from AK to Ft. Lauderdale in the fall of 2014. When will the schedule for these be published?
Wow she looks like a beauty. Wow a new ship. Does she have a name yet?
EXCITED to hear the Holland America isn’t abandoning the “smaller” haha ships — I’ve never been a fan of the 4,000+ passenger vessels, but 2,600 is big enough to have all the cool stuff but small enough to not feel like you’re in a floating shopping mall. Good call, HAL!
My first ever cruise was last year on the Oosterdam. I hope I get the honour to cruise on the maiden voyage of a new ship.
Hi Holland America, since your getting a new ship , Saint-John New-Brunswick is doing a study to have a cruise ship as a home port . It would be nice if we can have one of your spare ship here for a few weeks during the year I’m sure your ship would be full every time . A 7 day cruise from Saint-John with stops in Boston, New York and Bermuda would be very nice
I’am very curious what the name of the new ship will be. Is this already decided?
Personally, I believe that after the Rotterdam (2nd city in the Netherlands), the Amsterdam (1st city in the Netherlands), the Zaandam (16st city in NL), the Maasdam (>100st city in NL), the Volendam (>100st city in NL) the ship might be named after the historic city of Schiedam, with the four tallest mills in the world, located just west of Rotterdam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiedam). In fact, every cruise passenger could visit the city of Schiedam easily when the HAL-ships are moored in Rotterdam.
Make a Change. Name the new ship the Queen Beatrix! However, our fondest memory was was seeing if anyone made a boo-boo changing the elevator carpets just for once . . . . ; And having my photograph taken with the gals in the Pinnacle this January. And getting to know John Mulvaney, another Brit. And getting my three star pin, nearly four BTW! And thinking how ridiculous it was to have sparklers on the Baked Alaska.And going into the Neptune Lounge for the obligatory HAL Envelopes and finding them all ready and waiting. And the towel Origami. And a Staff who really know how to help the Handicapped. And thinking that Travel Magazines should realise not everyone wants to be entertaied by a Mouse, or slide down a plasic tube.
As a Four Star Mariner…I hated the Nieuw Amsterdam and will never sail on this new ship. Prinsendam is the best…without it, we will probably go to another cruise line
Looking forward to seeing where the ship will be going. My husband and I only
travel Holland America. Love the crew and the staff. Great Cruise Line
How can my husband and I be the first to take a cruise on this new ship?
So excited. Love Holland – tried other lines, always come back to HAL. Please make a new itinerary to Bermuda. Have done it, but would do it again in a heartbeat, but only on HAL.
As Mariner Society members, (our 6th HAL cruise coming in Dec) what ship will she replace if any?
And does she have a name yet?
I’m sure the new ship will be beautiful. But for me, I’ll stick with your smaller vessels.
Too big … yet again.
Delighted to read it! Two requests, please retain the thermal/thalasso spa and name the new vessel MS Hooverdam.
This is great news for all mariners and future Holland America Line guests.
We like the name given :from Vista we now go to Pinnacle. The name Pinnacle has an important meaning because it is at this moment the best dining facility on the high seas as we experienced already many times. The name stands already for the highest quality and is now given to the class of ship.
Congratulations to all of Holland America Line , curious to the name she will be given and to sail her in 2015.
cees and yvon
The Netherlands
Thats too many passengers for us. We really like the smaller ships. We have only sailed HAL. Loved the Prinsendam. But. she needs an update.
Please keep some small ships.
I have been on several cruise over the past few years where the Captains have told us that HAL will not build anymore large ships -that the Nieuw Amsterdam would be the last, that they realize they’re clients like the smaller ones better. Why the change in philosphy – is it trying to go to a appeal to a different crowd?
Can you comment on whether this new class of ship is going to herald any major changes as to what is offered on your beautiful Ships? Also when are we likely to see her floor plans and or artist impressions?
Thank you.
why another oversized floating hotel which makes Holland America just like every other cruise line out there? how about smaller, more personal, great lectures about sites, history, etc., good music, and NO glitz!!!
I find ships this big to be disappointing. Just too big. I do like the smaller ” dam” ships better. Just did a fall cruise on the Eurodam and that was bigger than what I prefer.
We want the 14 day Alaska cruise back up!!! PLEASE!!!! Thank you !
What will be the name of the new HAL vessel?
Is there a artist impression of the ship?
Interesting, though 2,660 guests is again à lot of people. I prefer less crowded ships, like the ‘older’ Dam ships. Is HAL considering when replacing these ships (in the future of course) with similar ships (approx 1,400 guests)?
The best ships a float
Love it! Will we be seeing her in Dover?
Love the idea of a new ship. I can’t wait to see its itinerary.
While I realize the economics leads HAL to build bigger and “better” (???) ships, I am a little disappointed in this announcement. Our favourite HAL ship is the Prinsendam (on which we are again sailing next week), at a little over 800 passengers. Our least favourite of the current fleet is the Eurodam (and presumably her sister ship the Nieuw Amsterdam), the current large ships.
We appreciate the smaller sized ships which we think add to the enjoyment of cruising with HAL rather than the floating cities that other cruise lines have adopted. While we will wait and see, my first impression based on the size of the ship, is not favourable.
Exciting news! Have to start planning our next trip! Where will she sail?
Plan for more cabanas. We love this idea.
Can hardly wait to take a cruise on it.
Julie, Does HAL have a name for the new craft? What are LOWER BERTHS???
Hope with a ship that big, it has elevators amidship!
Awesome! Has a new name been determined yet?
We also mainly cruies with Holland America. We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdan last Dec. Love the new ship especially the Cabana Club. Have three cruises booked stating in Dec 2012. On Eurodam for hristmas/New Year. Ryndam in Apr 2013 and Prinsedam in Aug 2013.
The larger ships tend to have smaller staterooms – not good.
wish HAL would include Port Canaveral.
With another ship added to your fleet, will you be adding or changing the itinary of any cruises in the Carribean? I ask this as we prefer to cruise there because of the whether and the fun atmosphere and in the last few years we have had no choice but to take back to back cruises to get a 14 day cruise in. This would be fine if you did not loose a day when going back to your embarkation port or have repeat ports. Just hoping!!
Have been cruising with Holland America since 1996 when my husband and I cruised for our 25th Anniversay. Have been cruising steadily since, once sometimes twice a year. It is the best cruise line and you always know what kind of service you will receive – The Best!!. We have tried a couple of others and had meetings on many more. We always come back to HAL.
What will be the airdraft for that new ship ?
Congratulations! We look forward to its launching.
We’ve sailed on many of the Hal ships. Our most recent on the Nieu Eurodam for a Baltic cruise was a blast. It was a great experience that allowed us to visit some very interesting countries. We felt that the service at all levels was excellent. If this new ship can repeat what we enjoyed on this cruise, count us in especially if the itineerary includes some historically interesting stops.
When will the new name be announced? Too bad this will be a larger dam ship, we love the mid size ships, especially the Volendam. Looking forward to the next HAL cruise.
Just off the Eurodam (the Sandy cruise). Not looking forward to an even larger HAL ship. We’ve also cruised Noordam and think the Vista class ships are the max size HAL ought to have in service.
Do you need a specialist to supervise the new construction of this good ship!!!
Thats it for cruising with HAL then. Not at all interested in the Mega Ship/shopping mall feel of this style of cruising.
Hal has been going downhill faster and faster after having been taken over by Carnival.
What happened to the good old days of excellent food, feeling special aboard a cruise ship???!!
Keep your 2600+ pax HAL. I’m going elsewhere!
The first ship I sailed on was in 1956. She was the Holland America ship the New Amsterdam. Great ship. Went to Europe in June and back to New York in August. I remember the motto – “It’s fun good to be on a well run ship.” That has not changed in over 50 years!!
Congratulations! We love HAL & our next cruise will include a wedding! By 2015 we may have saved enough to have a cruise on the new ship. HAL is the best!
sorry to hear you continue to change hal into carnival,mega ships are bad for passengers ,but apparently good for profits.we will stick to the smaller 1500 or less ships.
what will the new ship be named?
I prefer the smaller or mid size ships Holland America has in its fleet. Please do not go the mega ship way of other cruise lines as that is the reason we have stayed with Holland America. Just off the Statendam and will travel on the Zaandam in January.
Having cruised on the Eurodam, I love the Tamarind and am hoping to see it on more of the cruise ships. I also love all the balcony rooms because on the older ships you go from outside to suite which tend to make cruising more expensive. Having said all that this would be my request for Holland for the new ships.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not put your handicap rooms at the far ends of the ship. With the new ships now being larger, that makes a long long commute to a stateroom for those patrons who should have it easier. Be mindful that a lot of your wheelchair and physical needs patrons would benefit greatly from staterooms that are located very close to the elevators. And also, please add public handicap bathrooms on each level of the dining room. Having cruised plenty on HAL with my mom who is wheelchaired dependent, these are things we have noticed that HAL has “missed the boat” on. And it breaks my heart to watch an older spouse push a wheelchair down a very very long hallway to either the very front or very back of the ship totally exhausted. Lets leave the extremes to the phyically able instead.
Congratulations!
If alive and well, we shall probably try this ship as well as we have with most of the other HAL ships.
Our preference is the Prinsendam, intimate, one gets to know other guests.
With 45 HAL cruises going back to 1954 we have seen the IMPROVEMENTS and also some things we just do not like.
Sailed both the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam, nice but TOO big for us.
In December we shall sail Amsterdam [ plenty big for us ] and Prinsendam for the Holidays.
Never the less, the timing looks good, hopefully we shall be thru the worst of the economic set back we are experiencing.
We have sailed with HAL since 1983. We do because of the ship size. In fact we never liked the Vista class
ships. We avoid those ships and anything bigger. We thought Holland would not follow the other lines.
Do wish you would come back to Port Canaveral. We are are four star mariners going for five. We also
think your crews are the best afloat.
Prefer the smaller ships will be sailing in January on the Statendam also in October 2013 on the Ryndam. We prefer the smaller ships especially as we get older. We are currently 3 star and working toward 4 star. Hopefully HAL will be keeping some of the smaller ships. Otherwise our cruising days will be over I guess.
Great news of a new ship coming but the size tends to get my attention. One of our main reasons for going on HAL is the size of the ships and the capacities of those ships. Our first int,roduction to larger ships and the special ammenities came on the Niew Amsterdam where space is set aside for cabanas for certain passengers, etc. It seems we are trending back to the old days of the “class” system on ships. For my preference, I will select, if possible, the older ships like the Maasdam, etc. (We liked the Nieuw Amsterdam but we found it starting to get a little more confining for the bulk of the passengers – especially around the pool areas.)
We too like the smaller ships. We will be going on our 14th cruise with AHL in december. What keeps us coming back are the small ships and great service. There are enough floating cities. Please keep the ships small.
We always figured that HAL was special…looks like they are just like any other cruise line. We agree with the general consenses that the larger the ship, the less special it is. Why not build two smaller ships instead of one giant one? Volendam, Veendam, Statendam, Maasdam…that’s the size of ship that the fans of Holland America really appreciate.
Not interested. TOO BIG. Won’t sail on it.
boy, as exciting as this news is the comments above all lead me to want to sail on the Princendam!!
I use to love HAL but recently booked a cruise out of Rotterdam to Canary Islands. HAL had a chance to charter entire ship so cancelled our cruise. I understand and easily accept that it was very good business for HAL to make this charter arrangement. But their “compensation” to booked passengers was insulting. A minimal ship board credit on another cruise or two other cruises to choose for the same price that you originally paid. No upgrades, no prepaid gratuities, no discounts, no price protection if you wanted to go on a different HAL cruise, etc. Very disappointed in how I was treated.
I am very sorry to learn that HAL ships are getting even larger. When the S-Class and R-Class ships go out of service, there will not be any HAL ships in which I enjoy sailing. What happened to the representation that, after the Signature Class, the ships would not get bigger?
Will be in Venice in May 2013. Would a visit to the shipyard to see this new “DAM” ship be possible?
OK! when can I book? Make sure you announce it to me first!
Great news, but I second that plea, please don’t get any bigger, we sail with HAL because of its size as well it having that ‘homey’ feel.
Going for our third cruise from Singapore next year, can’t wait!
We have only sailed on Holland and have never had a bad experience. Favorite ship is Eurodam and least favorite, Nieuw Amsterdam. I thought NA would have been like Euro since they’re sister ships but decor on NA was tacky and below par for Holland. Although service, food, amenities, etc. are impeccable on both, I would never sail NA again. Smaller ships are also nice, but Euro is our favorite. Looking forward to trying the newest in 2015!!
Have heard that one “S” class vessel has been offered for sale at beginning of 2014. Yes I actually saw the ad on the internet with the description matching the Statendam exactly. It has been validated by one officer aboard one of your ships. If the smaller ships go away in preference to these larger ships, then you will lose many valued (?) passengers, including ourselves being 4 Star Mariners. Maybe you don’t care, as it is all about profit. HAL is becoming more like Carnival all the time.
MOST OF THE COMMENTS SEEM TO BE AGAINST THE LARGER SHIPS; AND I AGREE. I REALIZE YOUR PART OF CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES ….. HAS THE CORPORATE OFFICES FORCED YOU TO TAKE THIS LESS THAN POPULAR TREND TOWARDS LARGER SHIPS? YOUR SUCESSFUL HISTORY IS BASED ON THE CURRENT OFFERING, A FLEET OF SMALLER MORE INTIMATE VESSELS, WITH CLASSICAL APPOINTMENTS IN DESIGN, NOT AN OVER ABUNDANCE OF “GLITZ”. YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN THE LEADER; WHY CHANGE TO BE A FOLLOWER.
ANOTHER OF YOUR GUESTS COMMENTED ON THE 14 DAY ALASKA YOU HAVE REMOVED FROM YOUR ITINERARY. I TOOK THIS CRUISE AND WAS ONE OF THE BEST I’VE EVER DONE. SO MUCH SO, I WAS PALNNING ON IT AGAIN, ONLY TO FIND OUT WHILE I WAS ON BOARD, I COULDN’T BOOK IT DUE TO IT BEING DROPPED FROM YOUR OFFERINGS. ANY THOUGHT OF REINSTSTING THIS VENUE?
I also prefer the smaller ship and the good service. Too many people on the larger ships.
I suppose the small ships dont give the profit margin HA look for. It doesnt look like you will be
updating the smaller ships because you are putting the money into these huge vessels.
Although we are 3* Mariners and only sail with HAL I doubt we will book on the new ship; we enjoy HAL because the ships look and feel like ships rather then hotels. Have been happy with the Noor, Ost, and West and believe that any larger capacity is beyond the niche of HAL. I have seen a decline in the quality of service and food on HAL in recent years and don’t see how a bigger ship is compatible with maintaining the HAL image.
Have sailed on the Euro and were not happy with the ship but, we are giving the big ships another chance with a cruise on the Niew in January. We like to cruise the Caribbean in January each year but are running out of itineraries on HAL, particularly the 10-12 day variety.
Started sailing with HAL on the Rotterdam in 1983 and currently am a 3 star alumnus.Don’t make this new ship so large that the personal attention goes away.Remember “Quality rather than quantity”
Agree with lots of the previous comments. Have enjoyed Oosterdam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam but certainly dont fancy anything larger. Even on these, the numbers can, at times be a bit overwhelming and the service gets a bit slack. As I told HAL after my last cruise on the N A the overall management was poor at times and this they have acknowledged. Anything larger must make this more likely
Have heard nothing but good about the Prinsendam and decided that since we like smaller ships to take a 64 day grand cruise in March, 2013. Is great to hear so many good comments about the Prinsendam. We too have cruised on other lines and always come back to Holland America. Agree with Cees and Yvon about the Pinnacle for having the best food and the service is fantastic too. We were treated like a king and queen on our 51st wedding anniversary. Look forward to hearing more about the new ship.
I’ll have to agree with Marcus here. Hal’s quality & service has declined over the last few years. Too bad they don’t take the money and improve what they have. We too will be looking elsewhere.
We really prefer smaller ships and are willing to forego amenities to be on a smaller vessel.
Sorry guys, but you will never get us on a ship with in excess of 2,000 passengers. Call us old-fashioned, but the likes of MS Westerdam cruising in SA class is our only choice, bar Ryndam next July to Norway.
This is disappointing. As many of my have said getting larger ships will not make the majority of your faithful happier. Every person I know who enjoy cruises prefer the small ships. You only have one!
Too big. We started sailing with Holland America because of the nice small ships. Bigger is definitely not better, smaller is.
Also, while we enjoyed our last cruise (5th with Holland), the service has certainly gone down hill. Too bad it was taken over by Carnival. Holland was better on their own.
Although we have enjoyed Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam’s new amenities, these ships border on being “too big.” Our favorite ships continue to be Prinsendam and Zaandam in that order. We hope you will continue to pay attention to your clientele who sail with HAL precisely because we do NOT
Although we have enjoyed Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam’s new amenities, these ships border on being “too big.” Our favorite ships continue to be Prinsendam and Zaandam in that order. We hope you will continue to pay attention to your clientele who sail with HAL precisely because we prefer a smaller ship experience as well as the excellent service for which HAL is celebrated.
Not impressed with the size we have done two cruises Volendam and Eurodam can confirm Volendam ideal size. Doing two more in 2013 Volendam second trip due to first great impression and then later the Ryndam due to destination. No interest in large ships which is why we loved HAL originally.
I am also very disappointed to see another mega/shopping mall ship.
We are three star mariners who have just returned from the Black Sea cruise aboard the Prisendam. We loved this ship and realized that it was the first ship we ever sailed on when it belonged to the Royal Viking Line. We enjoy the subdued elegance of HAL ships and the quiet exellence of service.
However our future cruises will be on smaller ships regardless of cruise lines, even if the cost is higher.
The Ooserdam class is the biggest we will ever travel on!!! We prefer the smaller ships and the service you get on them. Once they get too big you loose the personal experience with the crew which we have enjoyed througout the years of traveling with Holland America and the reason we have stayed with Holland. Most likely will be five star mariners on the October 2nd cruise in 2013.
Would also like to see the 14 day Alaska cruise back on the books!! Seven day cruises are too short for us now.
We really prefer the midsize ships to the gigantic ones. If I wanted to go to a resort I would go to a resort and not go sailing. Can’t understand people who want a resort on their ship. We sailed the Eurodam this past summer and even that was too big for us. They lose something in being bigger.
It is allways nice to see a new ship will be built fot the HAL. But do you allready have a name for this new vessel ?
If not I’ve got a very good idea. The name goes back into the history of the hal/
VERY SAD to hear the ship will be so large. HAL will have to drop its boast about “mid-size” ships. They left “mid-size” behind when they crossed 2,000 pax. HAL will definitely lose a part of its loyal following–those of us who loved what truly were mid-size ships. A previous poster said it right: These mega-ships feel like shopping malls. And no matter how upscale these malls may be, they do not foster an intimate ship experience.
Must be the wright to invest in your shares we have been with you for six and soo0n to be our seventh cruise Sydney to NZ Feb 2014
This must be the best time to invest with you as we are planing our seventh cruise
Good day,
Our first cruise was on the Old Noordam. So, during our last cruise on the Rotterdam last summer my wife recognized the Old Noordam docked in Istambul. It is still active and belongs now to another company. I could not beleive it since it look so small to me. The captain of the Rotterdam confirmed by his annoncement and salute as we entered the port in Istambul. Fonds memories came back.
We are 4 star Mariners and only travel HA. But we will NOT be sailing your new ship. We only travel the smaller ships and the “Noordam” is as big as we like.
I chose HAL because the size of their smaller ships, My first cruise was on Carnival. way to big and long line ups. A complete turnoff. we changed to HAL and really enjoyed their smaller ships e.g Ryndam and Maasdam. Wish you would have built two smaller ships instead of this big one. I won’t sail on it!
Hi again. both my wife and I have travelled on a Holland America ship twice and we now have our third cruise coming up in January, Will there be any complimentary passes for your new ship , would love to sail on her on her maiden voyage. Yours hopefully Stanley Reeder
Sorry, we will not be sailing on this new ship as we prefer the smaller vessels . The Vista class is actually our passenger limit and they do not compare with the charm and service of the smaller HAL ships and those of other lines.
My husband and I also love the smaller ships–this one sounds too big and impersonal. The floating cities of other lines are a turnoff–passengers are treated like cattle–we get enough of that with the airlines. Stick to what your faithful passengers want–1200 passengers or less.
HAL once said that it was dedicated to preserving its brand as an operator of mid-size ships. That promise is clearly out the window, alas! When the S-class and R-class ships are no longer in service, I will have to look for another line (admittedly getting hader and harder to find). I feel somewhat betrayed having achieved 4-Star Marienr status and then having the line change to the point that I will not want to take advantage of that status. I’ve tried the Vista class. Even that was too big for me. Signature class? Didn’t even bother. Now Pinnacle class?
At least I can hope that you will keep the S-class and R-class ships in service for a long time to come???
I thought you were not going to build bigger ships. We enjoy the “smaller” ships like the Maasdam. This is TOO big. You will not get the intimate feelings and get to know the crew like you do on the “small” ships
Bigger can be better if all facilities and procedures are done to keep the feel of overcrowding at bay. Most but not all things on Oasis accomplished this
Interesting comments for and against a larger Hal ship. My wife and I are 3 star Mariners with HAL and Elite with Celebrity Captains Club. Cruised on Celebrity ships with from 1700 to 3030 passengers and we have never found them crowded. Lots of places to be by ones self. We have also cruised smaller ships ,14 days on the Royal Clipper 178 one week and 230 passengers the next. Found we couldn’t hide from some passengers on the smaller ships. Still enjoy HAL and have a another cruise to Alaska with HAL in July.
I have a suggestion for the name of the new ship. How about the “Madurodam”. Named both after the miniature city of Madurodam and Mr Maduro who made it possible.
We have done a cruise on both Westerdam & Zuiderdam. While both ships are very nice we will not sail on these big ships unless it’s the only way for us to go. TOO MANY PEOPLE & the ships are too big. Several years ago on one of your smaller ships, guests were expressing misgivings about the megaship trend of competing cruise lines & hoped HAL would not follow the trend. At the Captains welcome aboard we were told that there would be NO MEGASHIPS in the HAL fleet. You are getting too damn close to it for our piece of mind !!! We have been disapointed & thoroughly dislike the modifications done to both the Rotterdam & Veendam in order to squeeze more passengers in. We want the aft swimming pools restored when these ships next have a major refit. The present setup stinks ! We dont care if its a problem. You created it so you fix it ! If something isn’t broken — don’t fix it !! Squeezing more cabins in on the Prinsendam has led to overcrowding & thoroughly spoiled the atmosphere on it. The Rotterdam class & the S class ships are ideal. If you want more ships, build some more of them. We only cruise with HAL & dont want to be forced to look elsewhere by the current trend. We are 4 star Mariners who have been with you a very long time !
I am little disappointed re the size of the new ship being built , Too big & too many passengers. I prefer the size of the Statendam & Rotterdam class very spacious & easy to find ones way around.On a previous cruise we were told that HAL would not be building larger ships , We need a new ship the size of the Prinsendam we have been on this ship 3 times & only because it can go to ports that can not accommodate the larger ships, it needs to be replaced with a new ship as I am sure it is extremely costly to keep it more up to date The Zuiderdam class & Eurodam are beautiful ships & are spacious , I do not like the cabanas as I think the whole ship should be accessible to all passengers ( when I was on the Eurodam inaugral sailing it was frustrating not to be allowed complete access to all the decks one had to go inside & down & upstairs to get back to the deck one expected to get around on the outside, We only cruise with HAL & are 4 star mariners & have been cruising since 1995
Cruisers tend to forget that it is a very fine balancing act between an ideal ship size and price/profitability. We all would like to cruise on nothing but S and R class size ships, but in the world of $100+ a barrel fuel prices, this is not going to happen. If HAL were to purchase a new build 55,000 ton ship, I would comfortably assume that the price would be 50% or more higher than what it currently is.
Holland America has done a fantastic job with balancing needs and wants on the larger ships in the fleet. I can’t wait to sail on the new build and discover her hidden treasures.
And Valerie,
It has been known for quite some time that HAL has been looking into a larger category ship vs. the vista / signature class. The CEO stated that once the Panama Canal had been widened, they would possibly consider it.
I have sailed many different cruise lines over the years. HAL is my favorite by far. However, I hope you
heed some of the warnings from the comments I just read and scale back the size of this new vessel.
I agree that you have been “Carnivalized” but please try to hold on to the great product that you offer-not everyone wants to cruise on a behemoth of a vessel. I love the As You Wish Dining program and would
love to see the Tamarind incorporated on more of your ships. I will definitely be one of the first to sail
on this new ship and see what Pinnacle Class is all about–if it is anything like the Pinnacle Grill, it will
be a smash!
Just came back from a cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam and I do enjoy that size ship and the Eurodam the best out of HAL so I am looking forward to this one. A group of us were planning to do Venice in 2014 so now we are going to postpone it and hope this one will do the right itinerary and that we’ll be able to get on it. I am ready to book now :-) The smaller ships are nice to get into places that the larger ships can’t go and for all the people the like them but I like that the larger ones have more things to offer. I would not want to go any bigger though. Can’t wait to see this one. I agree I do not like the cabanas either and think their a waste of space I rarely see them used. I do love the outdoor theater though and would think that would be popular on the bigger ships as it is on other lines. I know on my last cruise even though it was chilly there were still a bunch of us out there. Please also don’t make the rooms any smaller.
Have been on the last four inaugural cruises so no doubt will be on this one also, we recently were on the Prinsendam and although it was great, we still like a little larger ship but not any more than 2000 passengers. Looking forward to many more cruises on HAL.
I was very angry when you built the Vista class ships. Have sailed three of them, all except the Noordam.
I preferred the “R” class ships–particularly the Volendam and the Amsterdam. When the Signature Class came out, I was not happy! I tried the Eurodam and I liked it. Then I tried the Nieuw Amsterdam, because my first cruise had been on the old Nieuw Amsterdam. I loved that ship and have been on it for 28 days. I look forward to the Pinacle class ship. I have been in port with the Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas. Both ship make the Signature class ships look rather small.
I just returned from a wonderful cruise on the Prinsendam. Although I found it needed a few updates and redo’s. The ship is a perfect size.I also am disappointed the new ship will be so large. But I am curious. HAL has been my favorite line for years.No splashy neon lights or loud entertainment.Very subdued and elegant. I am a 3-star mariner.Haven’t booked another cruise yet but look forward to doing so.
We too are 3 Star Mariners and enjoy the smaller ships. We rode the Eurodam for an Eastern Caribbean cruise and it is too big. The Vista Class is big enough for our taste.
We recently took the back to back cruise from Seattle to Vancouver/ Sydney and Sydney/New Zealand back to Sydney on the Oosterdam-just delightful. Food, service, activities on board, excursions, all the highest quality. We always cruise Holland America and have never been disappointed. We are looking forward to seeing the new Pinnacle Class ship and possibly sailing on her–maiden voyage would be especially memorable. I must say though that we do prefer the smaller ships, more intimate and easier to meet new people, make new friends. Thank you for our great cruises, the new friends we have met and keep in touch with and many great memories. We are three star Mariners, hopefully we will join the four star group next year.
Looking forward to cruising on the new “Unnamed Dam” ship. We’ve travelled on many different sizes of HAL ships the past four years and we loved them all. Each one is special in their own way. Looking forward to the next cruise with HAL.
A few months ago we received a notice about a possible new itinerary for a World Cruise 2014, which begins Ft. Lauderdale, Panama Canal, west coast South America, Antarctica, Buenos Aires and from there across the Atlantic to Africa etc etc . We have never heard of this itinerary again and wonder, if it is worthwhile to wait / plan for it. Since “Amsterdam” is always well sold for the customary World Cruise (going Far-East first), are you thinking of a different ship for the mentioned cruise ? And if so, which one. We prefer by far to sail on a smaller ship, especially on a cruise like that where a smaller ship can enter areas a larger one could not. With Prinsendam now getting quite old, what size will replace her ? We would hate to leave HAL for a different line.
stick to the smaller/mid-size limited guest vessels…or just call yourselves Carnival…
the whole atmosphere is altered by the lack of intimacy of the massive crowds.
I think I will move to Seaborn…more interesting clientele…though still a Carnival subsidiary.
Dec 15, 2012
Returned Dec 2 on the Nieuw Amsterdam. This ship can never compare to the Nieuw Amsterdam 3 inaugural cruise. Very disappointed with the Dining Room Service and the Lido personnel. Good Luck with your new ship.
As an almost 4 Star (after next cruise in 2013), and having cruised on many other lines over the years, I feel very comfortable in expressing my strong opinion that bigger is not necessarily better. I do understand the economic needs of course to stay competive in price.
Frankly, for me and my wife 2000 is already too big. Our last cruise on the Eurodam in August last year to the Baltic was good but disappointing. To be specific, the regular dining room was too crowded and lines were common. The problem is obvious. Too many people for too small a space. Incremental increases from the original 1200 passenger size, thru 1400, 1800, 2200 and now almost 2700 has not been accompanied by an equivalent increase in public space.
We did love the alternative dining options of course, but there is just not enough capacity there and the other public areas.
I was asked to participate in a small panel of about 20, mostly travel agents (I am not a travel professional), on our last cruise. I expressed this sentiment there and got a lot of support for my comments. The meeting was recorded so the line has details of this meeting.
Would appreciate comments from management and others.
We will continue to support HAL, after all the overall product is very good, and the choice of itineraries is fantastic, especially outside the regular 7 day trips in the same areas.
Viva la “Prinsendam”!!! 800 passengers and our world cruiser.
Han Helders
Just sailed on the Eurodam in the Caribbean, 2 weeks ago. great time.
Our 4th HAL cruise, and we LOVE IT. We always asked out fellow passengers for recommendations on other cruise lines, and they almost always like HAL the best. Some of these people have 40+ cruises, and love HAL. We have become big HAL fans. We liked the size of the Eurodam, and loved the new
Tamirind resturant. great food and service, ate there twice. Hope the new ship has Tamirind Rest.
RB in NoCalif.
Noordam (Med), Oosterdam (Mexico x 2), Eurodam (Carib )
When is your next departure to the Caribbean from N.Y.C.? Soon I hope.
i like both sized ships. i enjoy the prinsendam and the newi amsterdam. But the experience on each is unique because of the size. if building bigger ships will keep the smaller ships afloat go for it.
We have taken 3 trips on HAL and love the ships and the crew. One thing that really bothers us is the smoking in the Casinos. I love to gamble and my husband also but some people have no idea how their constant smoking bothers other people. We usually have to leave because I cannot breathe in the smoke. otherwise sail on you lovely ships.
Not looking forward to sailing on new larger ship; best experiences have been on the more comfortable and special mid-size ships; best times,best service, best attention and best company. Forget the dazzle and also stop recreating and selling off public deck area to so-called lanai staterooms. That joyous teekwood deck and and those old wooden lounge chairs should be for all passengers’ comfort anywhere on the deck. Next you will be selling off preferential dining seats or theatre seats. We are 4 star Mariners and disappointed in your new business plan…bigger, bigger and bigger! Phooey
Great news to hear of a new HAL ship. What will the Dam name be? I love Holland America, especially the crew=friendliest of any cruise line.
THE PRINSENDAM IS THE BEST . WE LIKE TO GO TO DIFFERENT PORTS WITH NO OTHER SHIPS. THIS ONE WILL JUST JOIN THE CROWD.
No thanks! These 4-star Mariners will not book on a ship this large. One of the reasons we enjoy HAL is the smaller ships (Prinsendam, Amsterdam, etc.) We’d never consider booking aboard a “Monsterdam”.
We’re HAL fans and hope for a chance to be on the inaugural cruise of the NEW ship. We hope HAL does not build any larger ships. After experiences on five other lines, we return to HAL for personalized service and style.
I find it ‘telling’ that HAL patrons with multiple experiences on your ‘Dam’ ships express concerns over the trend to go larger and ‘ignore’ previous statements by the line that your ships will remain smaller. I and my wife agree that we cruise exclusively with HAL for just those reasons. Sadly, I must also report that on our last cruise(7th with HAL) we experienced a let down with the overall quality of cruise experience. While the staff remains the top of the line, I cannot say that your dining experiences have kept the same standard. What we once enjoyed in the dining room can only be expected in the Pinnacle or Canelleto? Could your standards be slipping due to the acquistion by Carnival? We cruised only once with them and found it ‘revolting’.
This time I hope Fincantieri’s electrical designers will have put common sense light switches, and more 110v receptacles in the staterooms. It is a pain to bring along a power bar! And I hope the air conditioning does not blow straight down on the bed area.
That said, can’t wait for our next cruise.
Why don’t you have more than one ship sailing out of Tampa, FL? We would love to see some ships with verandas sailing out of Tampa.
Wondering if this ship will be the “new” Ryndam. Just returned from a cruise on that ship and it is more than ready to be taken out of service.
!5 December 2012 WE agree with all the above people who say the new mega ship will be a non cruising experience. It will be a floating resort and and cater to those who are wanting continued “happy hours.” Not for us. The Prinsendam is the perfect size for exploration and cruising. Too bad that you are becoming “one of the crowd.” WE WILL NOT SAIL ON A SHIP THAT LARGE.
We are 3 star mariners. In Sept. 2010 we sailied out of Venice to the Greek Isles aboard the Neuiw Amsterdam. I believe it was it’s 3rd sailing. We were docked vertually overlooking St. Marks Square. We got a free upgrade to deck 10 on the port side and had a fantastic view of the city. “Unfortunately” we were “marooned” in Venice for an extra day as a navigational part broke. Poor us. We love this ship, its crew, and its size. In February we will go aboard for the 3rd time for 2 weeks in the Carrib. I hope my favorite bartender, Nackie will still be there.
I wish Holland America would go smaller rather than larger. We’ve been on all the Vista Class ships several times — the Noordam being our favorite — and just spent 6 weeks on the Maasdam, our first experience with a smaller ship. The venues are the same, but with fewer people taking advantage of them, so nothing ever seemed crowded or rushed. The service everywhere was extremely personal and first-class. This new ship was announced at the Mariner Society Luncheon, and you should have heard the groans and boos. I think another ship sized like the Prinsendam would be a better investment. Let the other companies go bigger. We’ve always admired that Holland America had such a great niche in the cruise market and we loathe the floating circuses like Carnival puts out there. I know each line has its pros and cons and people who are loyal for specific reasons. We’ll definitely stick with Holland America, but I can say for sure we will not be sailing on this new ship, no matter where it goes.
We are 3 star Mariners, love HAL, but will NOT book on your larger ships… the “special qualities” of HAL are in the smaller ships…Prinsendam is the best, but Zuiderdam, Noordam, Maasendam, …all wonderful!
We’re kind of crazy but we like all sizes of ships….depends on what out plans are. Relax? Sightsee? Travel with our group? See new and exhotic places? How do we get on the Inaugeral Sailing?
We sailed 18 days on Zaandam Oct 23 to Hawaii and, as usual, HAL did it all, and now gained us 3-star Mariners. We love the smaller ships – if we want a city, we can stay home. Many kudos to the medical personnel aboard – we could not have asked for better personnel to look after Loretta after a fall and later on with personal medical problems. Dr Deborrah was the greatest and she and her staff were outstanding and looked after everything with unusual skill. Thanks again. Our personal physicians at home, who looked over the records furnished lent unending praise for the manner in which everything was taken care of.
We are departing on our 7th HAL Cruise next month. We welcome the larger ships as we were on the Prisendam for 2011 Holiday Cruise and found it tooooooooo small. We have been on Zeiderdam, Amsterdam, Rotterdam 2 times, Prinsendam, Maasdam this past summer and now again next month. We are 4-star mariners and enjoy the HAL experience and would live onboard the ships if we could just never get off to go “home”. Keep up the excellent work! HAL is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are 4 Star Mariners.
Disappointed to see HAL ships getting bigger. This ship is not only bigger but it will be much more crowded per passenger. One of the major reasons we’ve sailed with HAL so frequently is the size of the ship and the uncrowded ambience.
Sorry to see we’re losing space. The NEW BUILD will have over 16% less space than the current ships. I hope I’m wrong but I see this as a step backwards for those of us who have enjoyed HAL for so many years.
The following data, taken from the the HAL website, shows the various ships along with the tonnage, number of passengers and the space ratio each ship affords.
SHIP TONNAGE PASSENGER LOAD SPACE RATIO
AMSTERDAM 62735 1380 45
EURODAM 86273 2104 41
MAASDAM 55575 1258 44
NIEU AMSTERDAM 86700 2106 41
NOORDAM 82318 1924 43
OOSTERDAM 82305 1916 43
PRINSEDAM 37983 835 45
ROTTERDAM 61849 1404 44
RYNDAM 55818 1260 44
STATENDAM 55819 1260 44
VEENDAM 57092 1350 42
VOLENDAM 61214 1432 43
WESTERDAM 82348 1916 43
ZAANDAM 61396 1432 43
ZUIDERDAM 82305 1916 43
TOTALS 1011730 23493 43 (Average over 16% larger than new build)
NEW BUILD 99000 2660 37
Stein; I hope your gatekeeper is allowing you to read your passenger’s comments when it comes to ship size. HAL was lifted to superiority when Diane Revnes came over and cleaned up your itineraries, and brought over Rev’s visions and proven models. You can see what your client’s want and why. We sailed the Royal Viking Sun, and from day one, everyone knew that it was a winning leader, more so when you referbed it. My family goes back with HA to the 1890s, and I have stories etc including sister companies which would fill your library, and I do understand the real HA model. We have sailed some 78 cruises (beats working!) on many lines, some of which are long gone. They, and you, have taken us to some 110 countries all before this insane Mega (soon to be a disaster) movement. I think I understand the business from the outside. Rev proved the smaller “class” vessel with Royal, Watters with Crystal (see how many ex Royal people are over there),and Watters/DelRio with Oceana. Granted the buying power of the parent is significant, but it does not always lower the per passenger/per ship cost. Fleet modernization is a must, but is a floating SANDALS/Mall of America what you really want for your proven client base? CLIA’s evaluations etc, do not really support the craze, why should you? What you need to do with the Board of Directors in Miami is convince them to keep their fun ships, and give you the ships your people want. Then, with every other line, crawl over the backs of Congress to repeal the one Act that now prevents the opening up of both the East and West Coast ports. Now, get back to work!, and tell the pro-mega folks to stop smoking that stuff which grows up in Humboldt County.
We have sailed on all sizes of your ships but just returned from the round trip to Rome and back on the Maasdam and found the smaller ship a little more intimate and not as hard to get around on. Hope you will consider new smaller ships as well as the huge ones. Thanks.
Like most above, I’m not a fan of large cruise ships.
I’ve been quite happy with the Vista Class (Zaandam).
Perhaps split the difference?
Your new ship sounds great; however, we prefer your ssmaller ships with less than 1500 . This ship, as nice as it may be. we would not book.
We are three star Mariners, so we have gone with Holland a number of times. But we too like the under 2000 ships best.
I also am saddened that HAL is going bigger. If we enjoyed the company for 2660+ passengers we would choose Princess.
We have been on three HAL ships the last two years – 140 days. We like the smaller ships – especially the Prinsendam. Have been on larger ships (other lines) and will NEVER go on one over 2000 passengers. Our cruises were 68, 42, and 30 days. Not interested in anything under 2 weeks. Keep us updates.
Please do not build any more ship with more than 1800 passengers. Love the Prinsendam and wish you could sail her in the southerm caribbean more as we can not fly. The best ever cruise on the Prunsendam was the Amazon cruise. But for such a great ship, the cabins are rather small for our price range. We are 4 star and sail only on HAL. Our first was in 1980 on the original Volendam. Hal ships are so relaxing and enjoyable and fun. We do not like party ships. Have booked 2 cruises for 1913 and looking forward to them.
It would be nice if you could have some rooms for single for people. I would be happy to have less space and not have to pay the single supplement.
Congratulations on the new ship! I’m sure that it is necessary to go to 2600 pax to accommodate a different demographic that wants larger ships and more ammenitites onboard, but please don’t loose sight of what makes HAL very special: sailing mid sized ships with great itineraries and a great crew! We are 2 star Mariners and prefer the smaller mid sized ships that make up the bulk of your fleet. Unless this ship’s itinerary is unexcelled, probably a good chance that we will not sail on her.
We will not be cruising on any ship as large as these. We choose Holland America for its charming smaller size
Interesting that a new ship is coming. Now, hopefully, you can originate more cruises from New York and bring back the Bermuda cruise. We’ve taken it a few times and just miss it.1
My wife and I just returned from a two week cruise on the Westerdam and are planning our next one in April on the Eurodam. We are excited about the new ship being built and hope that future ships will not be larger than this one. Smaller ships with fewer passengers are the reason we enjoy HAL. Will you be bringing ships back to New York in the future? Surely with so many shps in the fleet, one can be spared to sail to Bermuda once again.
The new ship is in our opinion TOO large. We always cruise with HAL because the ships are not so huge and they look like a ship. Even the Vista class ships are a bit too large for us. Please build a new one that is more like the size of the Maasdam. The Prinsendam is great and can go to unique ports of call.
I think before some HAL loyalists get too upset about the size of the new ship they should keep in mind that a lot of what HAL is about is the people and that can stay the same even if the vessels change over the years. Before swtiching to HAL I spent a lot of time with Cunard; in fact my last Cunard cruise was the maiden tras Atlantic of their most recent Vista class “Queen Elizabeth”. I did the return to Europe on Eurodam, same class of ship, same sized cabin (even the same cabin number) but it was a completely different experince. That was down to the people and the way the company is managed and it seems to me that it’s a very nice product which is much appreciated by the people who sail with the line. If we want to continue to enjoy some great cruises at good prices (one third of the price of Cunard in my experience) then we may need to accept that the company needs to run ships that turn a profit.
It would be nice if 1 HAL ship could be left in the Caribbean during summer months. Maybe the addition of this new ship would allow this to happen.
Hadn’t followed the blogs lately, and are happy to hear HAL is building another ship. But, PLEASE keep the size down. We have been on the Veendam, Zuiderdam, Noordam and Eurodam, and liked them all. Our favorite has been the Noordam — felt comfortable with amenities, size and accommodations. We are dismayed, however, that no more ships leave from New York. The Noordam’s home port was to be New York. What happened ?? We know New York is a big market to draw from, and cruisers come from a number of nearby states. Consider some itineraries from New York again. For us it would also be a no-fly port, important these days when airfares are so high, and air travel not always convenient. HAL is great !! Please keep it that way.
Economy of scale is one item to consider; however, faithful HAL cruisers PREFER the midsize ships for which HAL has been so famous. Won’t be cruising on Pinnacle class; in fact, for first time, am sailing on another line which has only three smaller ships. Plese don’t abandon your loyal sailors – no more large ships.
I agree with a lot of the people who like the midsize ship. The Oosterdam is about as big as I would like to see them. On a recent cruise to the Caribbean, we were tied up next to the Allure of the Sea. Way to big. And can you imagine 370 people to a life boat? Not me!
Do they have a name for the new ship?
Could this be the first non-smoking ship in HAL?
We are happy for Hal to get the bigger vessel. Cruised the South Seas with the ‘MS Westerdam’, too many people! Will cruise on the ‘MS Statendam’ to the ‘Incan Empire’. That is our size of ship.
I hope the new ships will accommodate the old and handicapped by raising the toilets to a more comfortable height. Since they are side mounted, new toilets aren’t needed. I just took the Carn. Breeze on her maiden Atlantic crossing, and was surprised to see that they haven’t changed the heights. Some good ideas, and some not so good.
How about some new smaller ships–Prinsendam size or a little larger? Let the other cruise lines have the mega ships and compromise on quality. Bigger is not always better.
Dear Gerald Bernhoft,Director of the Mariner Society,
Reference your latest Cruise news. received today.
Lots of interesting information.
We are ready to sail on the Ryndam ,6 Jan. 2013 from Tampa for our 25th cruise with the Holland America Line.Hope we will be able to enjoy some “maatjes haring!!”
So far we sailed on 11 of the 15 ships from HAL.
Still to sail on the Prinsendam,Oosterdam, Rotterdam and Amsterdam
( we are more or less limited to embark and debark from Florida.)
Why did HAL dropped Cape Canaveral and why not add a ship to Tampa (now only Ryndam) or add Mobile as a “home port”?
Are ready to sail on the new one being launched in 2015.
Happy Holidays to you
Jan Huyser
Alumni # 003532009
Bernice # 003531993
Just became 4 star mariners and got off the Nieuw Amsterdam. Dont like this size of ship. Never saw
anyone in the cabanas during the 14 days. Still enjoy the med. sized ships – Volendam etc and of course the Prinsendam. Will not be sailing on this new build, too big. Love the cabin size on the medium ships but not the lanai staterooms as this reduces too many oceanview cabins. Also the 2nd pool elimination was a mistake, in my view. Cant wait to return to the Ryndam in Feb.
Happy Holidays
Hi,
I’m always interested in new cruise ships that companies are building, so how about some high quality pictures in a monthly mail out Hal. I could set them on my desktop and dream of places to visit.
Denis
2600+ passengers is toooooooo much for a HAL ship!!!
We have sailed on the Zuiderdam, Westerdam, Eurodam and New Amsterdam. They are all wonderful ships accommodating 2,000 passengers. That is the maximum for comfort, and anything bigger is to be avoided.
I’ve tried others but, for me, Volendam will be number one forever. Looks and works like a real ship, not an ugly floating, top heavy bazaar! I guess Carnival wants HAL to follow its path to mediocrity – but lots more profit – but. sadly, this is also the inevitable route to the wreckers, along with all the other “me too” floating disasters. Quality, exclusivity, friendly staff, efficiency and reliability is what HAL used to be – so sad to see this proven success model now swamped by crazy Carnival concepts. Oosterdam is big enough and is still a real ship with most of Volendam’s quality still there but, somehow, it just misses out on Volendam’s appeal in every subtle sense which really counts. So sad!! Ultimately, it mean vale HAL!
Hi
We have cruised on Volendam (twice) Zaandam, Eurodam, Oosterdam. We are also booked aboard Prinsendam in 2013 & Volendam in 2014. Give us the smaller ships any time, we realise that the larger ships give a better financle return, & they are very comfortable, but thay are not as user friendly as the smaller ships. Out of Australia there a a lot of big ships to choose from, we keep coming back to H.A.L. because of the size of the ships.
Do understand why HAL is going for bigger ships, however will never be our choice, tried once the ” Zuiderdam ” , too big too many people. Preferr even to pay a little more for a mid-size or Prinsendam. Exeption is ms Rotterdam and ms Veendam, these 2 ships are ruined by changing the aft deck into a disaster only for a few cabins more.
We only cruise HAL, whenever we can, because of the excellent quality of service which is offered, firstly in all its restaurants, my teenagers(14,18 yo) particularly love the Lido buffet-(which isn’t often mentioned) and couldn’t stay away from it on our last cruise with Eurodam to the baltic, they made friends with most of the staff! Another huge factor on our choosing HAL are the larger cabins-in whichever deck you choose, with dvds and player; the movie cinema, adults only sea-view pool area, crow’s nest, the exploration’s cafe (which was a bit of a treck to get to on eurodam having to go through mid ship and through the spa-but much easier on the smaller ships like Noordam). I read one comment about an outdoor theatre which is a really great idea to try on your new ship, and if you could give us a larger range of itineraries in black sea/egypt area in the summer season would be good. And why there aren’t any canary island cruises in the summer, I’ll never understand!
Name the new ship Schiedam and create a jenever distillery on board. No one will ever nag about the size of the ship again.
I really hope ONE HAL ship will be steady docked in ROTTERDAM to cruise all the Dutchies around the globe.
name the new ship the DELTADAM to honor all the people who worked their butts of to protect The Netherlands from the sea.
Big is beautifull, but not always.
Please respond to the comments and inquirements for smaller ships
One ship is steady docked in Rotterdam. The flagship Rotterdam. Saw her leave this afternoon for a christmas cruise to Morocco when the rai was pourin down. Hopefully the passengers will see the sun in the south. After return she will sail to Indonesia.
I love HAL and although this ship will no doubt be awesome I dont think we will travel on it as we prefer to be on the smaller ships…that is why we sail with HAY..unless we win a competition of course…
I cast my vote with the small ship crowd, Amsterdam/Rotterdam are big enough for me. Prinsendam is my preference.
Just returned from a 7 day caribbean on the Ryndam…asked some crew members about the new ship and apparently it is replacing the current Statendam. The crew are calling it the “super statendam” due to its size.
Good day,
On the 140th anniversary of HAL on the 18 april 2013, my wife and I will be cruising on board the Westerdam in the South Pacific with two others couples friends. Looking at our itinerary we should be in Fanning Island Kiribati on that day. Hoping to have a nice celebration on board . Looking forward to it. Just returned from the caribbean on board the Eurodam. Nice ship.
Good day again,
One thing I forgot to mention during our caribbean cruise on the Eurodam is that it seems common now the lack of discipline concerning the application of the dress code at dinner. In the past the code was adhere to strictly but now it seems quite too relax. No ties, jeans, open collar etc… In the Lido restaurant people walking around in bathing suits (I have seen men bare chest in bathing suit). I have cruise quite a lot with HAL and this was the first time I noticed the dress code not being enforced. Hope to get back to the standard we are used to on HAL.
Suggest the new ships name. RHINEDAM. After the river that flows through Amsterdam.
name her THE HOORN after the spectacular Dutch city in Holland. The city has been a seafaring center for 650 years. From its shores the Dutch sailed to Indonesia, Nieuw Amsterdam, now New York 400 years ago and named Cape Hoorn in honor of this lovely city. it’s preserved more old buildings than all of The Netherlands except for Amsterdam. otherwise, for Her Majesty…
My wife and i are cruising now for 2 jears with the HAL. Now the are announcing to bild a new ship we wil follow this and perhabs we will sail with it on his first trip.
When you look over holland you have a total of 67 possibillities to name it in de DAM tradition.
For me there are 3 possibillities;
Madurodam, this is holland in a small size.
Schiedam, where the ships were dockt in the past.
Alblasserdam, the place i was born.
My husband & I have taken 36 cruises on Holland America. The first was on the old Rotterdam in the 70’s. We tried Carnival [TOTAL DISASTER WAS CALLED TRIP TO HELL] BECAUSE IT LEFT FROM NY. We do not want to fly as many people feel the same. Please come back to NY!!!!!!! We miss the Penthouse on your glorious ships. Now that we’re retired we look forward to taking many cruises in a year. Thank you Alice Collins
*******ATTENTION IT TEAM****************
Your link “For more information click HERE. And as more details become available, we’ll share them with you!”, does NOT work. It gives 404 Error code page ;)
Although it doesn’t really have anything to do with comments on a new HAL ship I agree with Mr Dussaults
Jan 12 comment on the lack of applying the dress code in the dinning room at dinner on HAL ships. I don’t feel I am stuffy or a snob but I have seen coveralls, ball caps, shorts and ripped jeans all worn in the dinning room on a formal night no less.
On several occasions I have approached the Maitre D’ about this and the reply I got was just a shrug.
Why have a dress code if it is not enforced?
I guess I am the minority, but I am happy to see a bigger ship. Celebrity has shown much success with their newer, larger ships. Keep up the good work HAL!!
Stein: Your folks on the West Coast and in NYC are right. You need to open these ports to maybe not match the tonnage in and out of Florida ports, which will increase when Havana comes on line, but to capture the huge number of people who could, with precise planning, come real close to matching Miami etc sailings. Round trips out of San Diego, LA/Long Beach, SFO and on up the West Coast Ports, are potential gold mines for the longer (14 to 30 days) sailings. Not that the folks who run California and insist on $$$first to Sacramento, give a hoot, the West Coast ports will improve your logistics and costs, for provisioning these ships, fuel, air (???maybe) even with the parent’s buying power. Start with the proven drawing card ships, your loyalists above have told you what they want, for say for the 7 to 10 day market, and then maybe, say on a long voyage-San Diego, up the West Coast, BC and Alaska, and on to Northern Russia and back, see what the new ship can attract. Think what Seattle people could do for their hometown people. There are ways around the new Jones Act amendments. See you this Friday!!
I want to add my voice to the many that feel disappointed at the size of this ship. I agree with other commenters: With HAL being part of a conglomerate of cruise lines, leave the mega ships to the other lines marketing to the bells-and-whistles crowd. Do something DIFFERENT with HAL instead of trying to make it like the other lines. We have only taken one HAL cruise but it was because it was the smallest ship I could find. I’m looking into a second cruise and would love to do HAL again because they seems to be, so far, one of the few cruise lines that have a small ship feel at a very affordable price point. I would LOVE to see HAL keep the small ship tradition and rebuild only for the sake of lessening environmental impact (which you have a ways to go on judging by FOE).
I am very curious when the new name will be announced?
Personally, I would still like to see ‘Schiedam’ as the name for the new ship (as I suggested before). Fits with the HAL traditions to name a ship after a beautifull city in the Netherlands.
Hope to hear from you when the name will be announced.
Regards,
Richard
I was told by a salesman on the Masdam that HAL will be selling off two ships of the 1300 Passenger category to keep the same Person count on the fleet when the New HAL ship arrives.
I would love to get more updates regarding this new build, because I’d like to plan our cruise in 2015/2016 around her inaugural sailing.
The Widerdam? (It will be wider — to fit the new Panama Canal locks.)
Just got off Prinsendam Med and Black Sea Cruises, 28 days. That’s the way to go.
Too bad economics won’t allow HAL to build more 800-passenger ships.
First of all, the smaller HA ships like Eurodam & Niew Amsterdam are still very much in play, so nobody has to start moaning if they don’t like larger ships then these. I feel a change is needed. Things are getting stale with all of HAL more recent ships having virtually the exact same layout. The Pinnacle line coming out is only marginally larger then the current ships and a change in design and offerings is definetely a must. If the new ships run on or about 1,000 feet in length, you won’t even notice an extra 600 passengers.
I agree. HAL will still keep it’s “S” class ships, so it can get into places that none of the “monsters” can go. I just hope they don’t go any bigger for a while! We just this minute got back from a 7 day western Caribbean on the Ryndam. We loved every minute of it! Just a class operation!
I think HAL is moving in the right direction by going a little larger while staying true to its midsize market. The Pinnacle class will likely see another ship in this class besides the one on order for the scheduled for delivery in Feb 2016. Today, it was announced by Carnival management that the Statendam and Ryndam will be moved to the P&O Australian line in Nov 2015 making room for the new Pinnacle Class ship. I can also envision HAL adding another smaller ship in the Prinsendam class for the itineraries and appeal it offers unless Carnival elects another option, e.g., another cruise line in its stable, for the smaller ships of that size class. However, I hope HAL is selected for any new smaller ship to keep the HAL line broadly attractive.
was told by the FCC on the Veendam that the S class are all out ASAP. HAL does not operate as profitably as they want to on them. People will not pay Oceania fares to sail on a vessel that is around 20 years old (and looks it too), so they will do the most profitable thing without alienating most of the current clientele.
My wife and I just completed a cruise on the Prinsendam. While it’s certainly an older ship (and shows it), it is still a ship to enjoy. Big enough to have entertainment and other facilities on board, but also small enough to sail to the middel of the harbour, like Hamburg, Gdanks, Stockholm and Copenhagen.
We will be joining the Prinsendam in november 2015 (need to safe a bit more) on a 25 days cruise from Ft Lauderdale to the Amazone and back.
Just looking at the developments of HA’s Kingsdam, I think it is wonderful to see the development of another wonderful design of HA. As a Master Mariner (Nedlloyd) fully appreciate the efficiency of HA with the comfort of your well designed facilities. Looking forward to joining this beautiful ship as a passenger!!!
It’s about time that HAL has woke up to the fact that their ships are outdated. We have sailed on the Noordam several times and also the Maasdam. This S class ship was in deplorable condition wise and stuck in the last “century” for decor and amenities. Their so called 4 star rating is a misnomer and not worth the money spent and has resulted in our moving toOceana and the like. However we would welcome a new mid sized ship as we enjoy and look forward to the extended length of cruises that last over 30 days. We will just have to wait and see if this new ship will make us return to HAL. Speaking of the cruise critisc website on the reviews of HAL especially about the Maasdam by Bad Dog and Cold up north these truly represent the state of affairs with HAL from first hand experience. We cannot believe that the others that laud this ship was on the same ship. Is there another in the third dimension/
I would like to see more technical information (length, breadth, type of propulsion, etc.) and less about the culinary facilities on the new Koningsdam. Had to really search the blog to find the tonnage and passenger capacity of this new ship, but no shortage of articles about the dining facilities. Does HA think the only reason to go on a cruise is for the food? I take issue with the previous posters comments about HA needing to “get with it” and move into the new age of bigger ships. We went on a mega-ship to Iceland and will never go on such a monster again. Walking down the main street on that vessel was like being on Broadway at lunch time in NYC. You can keep your big ships with the rock climbing walls and skating rinks (at 73, we can’t partake of either). We find the existing HA ships (we’re on the Zaandam now, 69000 gr. tons) a perfect size. If a cruiser wants “big” there is no shortage of ships over 140000 tons to choose from. We love the HAL ships, and find them as well kept as needed. We have never been on the Prisendam, which may not be as well-kept. We love cruising but not enough to be away 25 days or longer frm our Florida home. As we leave on most cruises from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, the air fare bonus on Oceania doesn’t do us much good, and their fares (even without air) are much pricier than HA (how’s about their transfer in Papeete to the airport [10 minutes away] at $239 pp vs a cab at $24 total!). The existing itineraries and pricing on HA ships suit us just fine and we plan to continue travelling with them.
Are any HAL ships built to withstand the Atlantic as the Queen Mary 2 does?
Interested In EURODAM ship sailing from San Diego to Vancouver on Apr. 13 to May 3/19.
Also, what is my status with H.A.? DOB – Dec. 22/42 and phone 604-538-3547.
Tried to see the Mariner status – but to no avail.