SEATTLE, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of
some of the most memorable ships in Holland America Line's nearly 150-year
history, the premium cruise line is changing the name of its
newbuild from Ryndam to Rotterdam and designating it the new
flagship of the fleet. The seventh ship to bear this historic name,
Rotterdam will be delivered
one year to the date on July 30,
2021, pushed back slightly from its original delivery of
May 2021 due to the global health
situation.
Click to Tweet: .@HALcruises changes newbuild name
to iconic Rotterdam; new flagship and 7th ship to bear the
moniker for the #cruise line to be delivered in July 2021.
When Rotterdam is
delivered from Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Italy, it will spend the summer exploring
Northern Europe and the
Baltic on roundtrip cruises from
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Guests
and travel advisors with clients who were booked on the ship's
Premiere Voyage in May and itineraries through July 30 are being contacted with rebooking
options.
"The first ship for Holland America Line was the original
Rotterdam, the company was
headquartered in the city of Rotterdam for many years, and the name has
been a hallmark throughout our history since 1872 … so clearly the
name is powerful and symbolic," said Gus
Antorcha, Holland America Line's president. "With the
current Rotterdam leaving
the company, we knew we had a unique opportunity to embrace the
name as our new flagship and carry on the tradition of having a
Rotterdam in our fleet.
Seven is a lucky number, and we know she's going to bring a lot of
joy to our guests as she travels across the globe."
The History of the Name Rotterdam
Holland America Line's first ship
was Rotterdam, which sailed
its maiden voyage from the
Netherlands to New York
Oct. 15, 1872, and led to the
founding of the company on April 18,
1873. Rotterdam II was built in 1878 for British Ship
Owners Co. and purchased by Holland America Line in 1886.
Rotterdam III came along in 1897 and was with the company
until 1906. The fourth Rotterdam joined the fleet in 1908 and
also served as a troop carrier when World War I ended. Following
the war it made regular cruises from New
York to the Mediterranean.
Rotterdam V, also known as "The Grande Dame," set sail in
1959 and began sailing transatlantic crossings with two classes of
service. It later converted to a one-class ship in 1969. She sailed
with Holland America Line for 38 years until 1997, including
several Grand World Voyages, and currently is a hotel and museum in
the city of Rotterdam.
Rotterdam VI, the most recent to cruise for Holland America
Line, was introduced in 1997 and the first ship in the R
Class.
Inaugural Season to Explore Mediterranean, Baltic and Norway
Cruising aboard Rotterdam
VII begins Aug. 1 with the ship's
seven-day Premiere Voyage departing from Trieste, Italy, to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy,
with port calls throughout the Adriatic Sea and southern
Italy. The ship sails Aug. 8 from Civitavecchia on a 14-day cruise
through the western Mediterranean and on to Amsterdam.
From Aug. 22 through Oct. 10, the
ship will sail roundtrip from Amsterdam on three seven-day itineraries to
Norway, one 14-day to the
Baltic and one 14-day to
Norway, Iceland and the British Isles. A
trans-Atlantic completes the inaugural Europe season with a 14-day voyage from
Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
To accommodate guests booked on cancelled itineraries of
Ryndam from May through July, Nieuw Statendam cruise
itineraries also will see some changes to match up as much as
possible with former Ryndam sailings.
"Guests and travel advisors will be notified today of this news
and coming changes to current itineraries," added Antorcha. "We ask
everyone, though, to please bear with us just a few weeks for all
of the details as we rebuild itineraries and put the finishing
touches on several desirable alternatives. We will follow up with
specific details very soon so everyone knows their options."
Guests booked on the originally scheduled Premiere Voyage will
be rebooked on the Premier Sailing for Rotterdam, departing August 1, and will receive a $100 per person shipboard credit. All other
guests who were booked on impacted Ryndam or Nieuw Statendam
cruises will be automatically rebooked to a similar future cruise
date during the summer at the same fare paid. Guests will receive a
$100 per person shipboard credit for
cruises 10 days or less and $250 per
person for itineraries of 12 days or more. Guests are asked to wait
until they receive updated booking confirmations in the next
several weeks before contacting Holland America Line for additional
changes to the booking.
About Rotterdam VII
The third in the Pinnacle Class series, Rotterdam will carry 2,668 guests, measure
99,500 tons and feature highly successful amenities and innovations
introduced with her sister ships, including the 270-degree
surround screen World Stage, Rudi's Sel de
Mer and Grand Dutch Café. Delivering the best of
everything, Rotterdam
celebrates live music with an exclusive collection of world-class
performances each night - from Lincoln Center Stage and B.B.
King's Blues Club to Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard
Onboard.
Throughout the ship, Rotterdam also will showcase Holland
America Line hallmarks that drive one of the highest guest repeat
rates in the industry: exquisite cuisine guided by eight of
the world's leading chefs; gracious, award-winning service;
and superbly appointed staterooms and suites, including family
and single accommodations.
Rotterdam is the
17th ship constructed for Holland America Line by Italian shipyard
Fincantieri, which most recently built Nieuw
Statendam. Naming details have not been finalized and will
be announced later.
For more information about Holland America Line, contact a
travel advisor or
call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or
visit hollandamerica.com.
Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland
America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home
page at hollandamerica.com.
About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival
Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]
Holland America Line has been
exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to
offer adventures to Alaska and the
Yukon more than 70 years ago. Its
fleet of premium ships visits more than 470 ports in 98 countries
around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A
third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, is under construction and will
join the fleet in July 2021.
The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships
feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching
experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized
travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music
Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland
America Line's esteemed Culinary Council, comprising world-famous
chefs.
In light of COVID-19, Holland America Line is currently
assessing enhanced health and safety protocols and how they may
impact future cruises. Actual offerings may vary from what is
displayed. Stay updated on current Travel Advisories and Health
& Safety protocols.
CONTACT:
|
Erik
Elvejord
|
PHONE:
|
800-637-5029,
206-626-9890
|
EMAIL:
|
pr@hollandamerica.com
|
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SOURCE Holland America Line