Holland America Line serves the premium cruising category in that it offers elegant ships that appeal to a wide variety of cruising types. Many of their smaller ships, the “S” and “R” class that carry about 800-1000 passengers, appeal to the traditionalist type of cruiser who enjoys the staples of old-style cruising such as a promenade deck that wraps entirely around the ship. A Crow’s Nest Bar positioned high above the ship featuring panoramic floor to ceiling windows and comfortable lounge chairs on which to sit and take in the view are very popular.
The larger Holland America Line ships, those dubbed “the Vista class” carry more passengers, though they are certainly not the mega ships of some other lines. These ships (the Oosterdam, Nordam, Westerdam, and Zuiderdam) were designed more with the needs of the younger traveller in mind, and include such things as a disco, and younger-style entertainers. Finally, there is the newest type of ship in Holland America Line fleet, dubbed as their new Signature Class of vessel, the Eurodam. This ship doesn’t have much more of a passenger capacity than the Vistas, but includes many new amenities that will eventually be rolled out across the fleet. For example, private cabanas on the Lido and Observation decks will be available for rent, either by the day or by the cruise. A more expansive spa facility, including a section of cabins built on a spa theme and providing exclusive access to certain spa features have been added to this ship.
Two extra speciality restaurants have been added that are not included on any of the other ships of the fleet, an Asian fusion venue, as well as an Italian venue that is opened in the evenings and contained within the Lido Restaurant.
Finally, Holland America Line has one ship that falls into none of the above categories, the MS Prisendam. The smallest ship in the fleet, she is unique in that she mostly sails exotic or lengthy itineraries. In fact, she is dubbed the “Elegant Explorer” due to the uniqueness of the destinations to which she travels.
Holland America Line, probably because of their Dutch origins, is steeped in cruising tradition, and because of that they have one of the largest repeat passenger percentages of all the lines sailing today. No matter which Holland America Line ship you board, you will instantly feel the familiarity since each contains pretty much the same venues. Even the newest vessel, the Eurodam, will have her new features added to other ships in the fleet just as soon as they go in for their annual dry docks.
Holland America Line has long been a cruise line known for its appeal to the older traveller, but they are trying to change this by implementing certain features designed to appeal to the younger cruiser. For example, expanded children’s programmes, with dedicated areas onboard the ship for teens and tweens, as well as the younger set have been added across the fleet. The ship’s library has been replaced with the Explorations Café, a combination internet centre, library and music listening centre. The Culinary Arts Centre, a test and demonstration kitchen sponsored by Food and Wine Magazine has been added across the fleet as well.
Shipboard policies too have been undergoing revision. Long known as a cruise line where elegance in dress prevailed, of late dress codes have been relaxed. The line recently lifted the prohibition on jeans in the dining rooms on casual nights, and the three distinct styles of dress have been reduced to two, dropping “informal nights” in favour of just formal and casual evenings.
Traditional dining has been supplemented by “As You Wish” dining. Using one level of the dining room, guests can now opt for flexible dining times if they do not wish to adhere to the rigid schedules of fixed dining.
Holland America Line has been engaged in a major effort to lure families onboard, and they do this by offering lots of amenities that would appeal to children. Just one of those would include a special play area on Half Moon Cay, the line’s private Bahamian island paradise. Enhanced children’s programmes also help to reach this family demographic.
Whereas in the past, evening entertainment has been fairly understated, it is now being revved up, at least on certain ships. The Northern Lights Disco has been added to all the Vista, and Signature Class ships, and smaller disco venues, along with a DJ to spin the hits after 10:00 p.m., are also included on most of the ships in the fleet.
A Holland America Line cruise is still a relaxed cruise, however, and you won’t find “wet and wacky” games at the pool. Instead you will find more sedate pursuits, such as an elegant afternoon tea, twice-a-day Bingo games, art auctions, and on some voyages, guest enrichment lecturers and even gentleman dance hosts. Your typical Holland America Line passenger is an independent traveller, preferring to provide his own entertainment with a good book, a good port, or some good conversation. Those needing a constant flurry of activities or large-scale amenities such as bowling alleys, water slides or rock climbing walls would probably be better served elsewhere.
There is probably no region in the world to which the fleet of Holland America Line doesn’t sail. Its ships sail to over 280 ports of call on all seven continents. Its itineraries are quite diverse and of varying lengths, from a five-day Pacific Coastal cruise to a yearly World Voyage in excess of 100 days. This voyage can either be booked in its entirety or in segments. The line also offers several “grand voyages” each year, explorations of varying lengths, from a 50-day Mediterranean sailing to a 70+ day exploration of the entire continent of Africa.
Holland America Line is truly a cruise line for everybody. From world travellers to families looking for a quick Caribbean or Alaska getaway, everyone is sure to find the cruising adventure of their dreams on one of the ships of Holland America Line.
Find out about all the ships in the Holland America Line fleet