Rotterdam
November 15th 2021, I had the priviledge of sailing on the new Holland America Rotterdam. I, together with a client of ours, joined her mid cruise in Barbados, for a 4 day site inspection for an upcoming charter at the end of January.
This was the Rotterdams second retail cruise so some things relating to Covid were still a learning process. Masks, washing of hands, constant wiping down of surfaces etc were all very much part of every day life. Service and food, as always, were both of the highest standards of Holland America. The crew were just so happy to be back working, and the guests were happy to be back cruising – something we have experienced on all of the 9 cruises that our staff have been on since the come back of cruising on June 26th.
Nieuw Amsterdam
This is certainly not our first time cruising or chartering the Nieuw Amsterdam but it will be the second charter Worldwide operates in the restart era. The purpose of this cruise was to prepare for an upcoming charter November 6. We were sailing roundtrip Seattle without going to Canada, to visit Alaska.
Embarkation was relatively easy. In addition to normal documents, you needed proof of vaccination and an Antigen test that must be taken 48 hours prior to sailing.
Nieuw Statendam
We recently had the opportunity to be on the first cruise on the Nieuw Statendam starting in Rome with our charter client for final preparations prior to their charter. This is the second ship in Holland America’s new Pinnacle Class with 2,566 guests. In my personal opinion it boasts one of the best interior decors HAL has come up with to date.
The theme of this ship revolves around music and you can see it in the design of various rooms, deck names and art throughout the ship. The ship has a light and bright feel and a nice contemporarily elegant finish to her. This ship doesn’t rely on gimmicks but the history…