- 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

2024 Dec 15 – 22 Queen Anne, Western Europe Cruise

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 Sept 20. Review ms Celestyal Journey (ex Ryndam)

Good morning,

our travels continue and after the Celebrity Apex, we have now tried a “trip down memory lane” sailing on the Celestyal journey ex Ryndam of Holland America with a 7 day cruise from Pireaus to the Greek Islands.

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 at the bottom  and click again.

I hope you will find it interesting and maybe diverting.

2024 August 23 4 day taster cruise Celebrity Apex Review.

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.

 

2024 July 02 ms Silver Spirit Cruise Review

Good morning,

our travels continue and after the Queen Anne we have now tried a new companyfor us:  Silver Sea with a cruise on board the ms Silver Spirit.  Reason for this company/ship was that it made a round voyage from Southampton so we did not have to fly,

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.

 

2024 June 05 Queen Anne Maiden Voyage review

Good morning to All,

I have been quiet for an awful long time, mainly due to all the work on the 5 Holland America Line history books.  Part II & II were presented to the CEO of HAL, Mr. Gus Antorcha.  Part III (photo book covering the periode 1872 – 1922) was published in December 2023 and now I am working on Part IV and Part V. These together cover the HAL period in photos between 1922 and 2023.

But since I am retired, my Lord and Master, Lesley, has decreed that we should make cruises. Nothing against that and we have decided that we would try all the different cruise ships calling at UK ports, to avoid flying as much as possible.

We just completed the maiden voyage on the ms. Queen Anne of Cunard, a ship that could have been the 4th. Pinnacle ship of Holland America. More reviews will follow.

This first one, 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.

 

 

 

 

2023 May 25; Change of Course.

Dear Readers,

I have been awfully quiet for a year, apart from adding material to the history part of the blog. And this for good reason. Ever since Covid I have been at home, still employed by the company, but waiting for my support program to be re-integrated in the company system. E.G the moment I would be able to travel freely again from ship to ship and support the ships in whatever ways needed. Continue reading

2022 May 30; ms Rotterdam (VII) named in Rotterdam.

The ms Rotterdam (VII) was named yesterday in the Netherlands. The below Press Release was issued and I added some photos taken during the event in Rotterdam.

Holland America Line’s Holds Naming Ceremony for Rotterdam with Godmother Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

Ship christened in namesake city in a ceremony steeped with tradition

SEATTLE, May 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Holland America Line’s flagship Rotterdam received the royal treatment in a ceremony rich with Dutch heritage May 30, 2022, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands served as godmother and officially named the ship in front of invited dignitaries and guests.

Rotterdam was named by Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands in Rotterdam, Monday, May 30, 2022.

   Holland America Line’s Flagship Rotterdam Named in Rotterdam, Netherlands, by Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet. Continue reading

2022 April 24; ms Noordam returns to service.

Good morning,

The following Press Release was issued by the company to advised that yet another ship, the ms Noordam has returned to service. At the end of the PR is a listing with the timetable for the remainder of the ships to return.

Holland America Line’s Noordam Returns to Service in Fort Lauderdale

Ship is the eighth in the fleet to restart since industry-wide pause in March 2020

Seattle, Wash., April 25, 2022 — After more than two years since the industrywide pause began due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holland America Line’s Noordam returned to service Sunday, April 24, 2022, at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ship embarked guests for a 21-day Panama Canal transit to Vancouver, Canada, that will position it in Alaska through September.

The ms Noordam (IV) will be returning to Australia at the end of the Alaska Season.

To commemorate the occasion, Holland America Line held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the terminal to open embarkation, attended by the ship’s captain and senior officers, with flag-waving fanfare from team members lined up to greet guests as they boarded the ship.

The first guests rejoining the ms Noordam in Fort Lauderdale. to the left Hotel General Manager: Mr. Colin Jacob, to the right the Master of the Vessel: Captain Mark Rowden.

 “We are excited to welcome guests aboard Noordam once again as we continue the pace of having all 11 of our ships back in service by June,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “With each relaunch we are able to bring more of our team members back on board and into the Holland America Line family. They have been waiting for this day to welcome our guests and get back to cruising.”

 Since Holland America Line restarted cruising in July 2021, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam have returned to service with cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, California Coast and South Pacific. Volendam currently is under charter by the government of the Netherlands, positioned alongside in Rotterdam accommodating Ukrainian refuges.

 Following the Panama Canal transit, Noordam will spend the summer in Alaska, offering seven-day cruises between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska, along with one special 14-day Great Alaska Explorer roundtrip from Vancouver in September. With a strong cruise presence in Vancouver, Holland America Line is set to position four ships out of the Canadian homeport in 2022. A fifth includes a visit at Vancouver at the end of April. Noordam also will offer longer Cruisetours that combine a three-, four- or seven-day Alaska cruise with an overland exploration of Denali National Park. Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends land tours up to the unspoiled reaches of Canada’s Yukon Territory.

 After the Alaska season, Noordam departs on an epic sojourn westward with a 34-day Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego, California, to Sydney, Australia, and a 35-day Australian Circumnavigation roundtrip from Sydney with 15 calls around the continent and scenic cruising in the Great Barrier Reef. The ship will sail into 2023 with 12- to 15-day cruises roundtrip from Sydney that explore New Zealand through March 2023, before crossing back over to North America for another season in Alaska.

 Holland America Line will complete the restart of the remaining ships in the fleet through June with Oosterdam (May 8 in Trieste [Venice], Italy), Zaandam (May 12 in Fort Lauderdale) and Westerdam (June 12 in Seattle, Washington).

2022 April 18; Holland America Celebrates 149th Anniversary

Good morning,  Yesterday my company released  the below press release. We are 149 years young with 1 year remaining to our mile stone of 150 years. Also the naming ceremony of the Rotterdam VII is coming up in May.

Holland America Line Celebrates 149th Anniversary and Prepares for May Naming Ceremony in Rotterdam

 

Premium brand is getting ready to sail into its 150th year and prepares celebrations for Rotterdam, along with four more ships returning to service

 

Seattle, Wash., April 18, 2022 — Holland America Line is commemorating its 149th anniversary today as it moves closer to its 150th milestone next year. To mark the occasion, the day will be celebrated on board with grand desserts, special champagne toasts and festivities for guests and team members.

This is as far as I know the earliest poster which HAL published. Sometime between 1877 and 1880

In addition to the 149th anniversary, the cruise line will continue the celebrations through early June with the restart of Noordam (April 24), Oosterdam (May 8), Zaandam (May 12) and Westerdam (June 12) — bringing the entire fleet of 11 ships back in service — as well as the official naming ceremony for Rotterdam, which will be held May 30 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In 2022, Holland America Line also celebrates 75 years of Alaska exploration.

ms Eurodam in Rotterdam

“As Holland America Line moves closer to the 150th anniversary of our founding, these past couple of years have shown us the importance of celebrating our milestones,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “This April is an important month with Holland America Line leading the return to Canadian cruising, the restart of Noordam and our anniversaries of our founding and travel to Alaska. We are grateful to be moving along a positive path, not only as a brand, but as an industry.”

The ms Rotterdam VII arriving in Rotterdam as seen from the Northbank of the river Maas.

The ss Rotterdam (I) sailing for the new World. In size she would fit 62 times inside the newest namesake,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sailing Toward Holland America Line’s 150th Anniversary

As one of the longest-serving and most experienced cruise lines in the world, Holland America Line has become known for its award-winning ships and service. Though transportation and shipping were the mainstays of its business in the 19th century, the company began to offer cruise vacations in 1895. Today, Holland America Line operates 11 ships that visit nearly 400 ports across all seven continents.

Rotterdam’s Official Naming in Rotterdam

Holland America Line’s newest ship, Rotterdam, was delivered in July 2021, but the official naming ceremony will be held May 30. Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands will be the ship’s godmother, carrying on a tradition that began in the 1920s.

Rotterdam will depart Amsterdam, the Netherlands, May 29 on a seven-day “Rotterdam Naming Celebration” cruise that explores the gorgeous landscapes of Norway. When the ship arrives at Rotterdam May 30, a private ceremony will be held for invited guests that will be broadcast throughout the ship. During the voyage, guests will enjoy special events exclusive to the naming sailing, including a celebratory Gala Dinner and an opportunity to participate in the blessing of the ship’s bell, along with surprises and commemorative gifts.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

2022, March 31: ms Volendam to help with the Refugee Effort in Rotterdam

Good morning, You might find the below Press Release of Interest.

Holland America Line Ship Will Become Temporary Home for Ukrainian Refugees in the Netherlands

 
Volendam will house and feed up to 1,500 people as part of government’s commitment to help families

 

Rotterdam, Netherlands, March 31, 2022 — Holland America Line‘s Volendam will be used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees as part of an agreement announced by Netherlands and City of Rotterdam government officials. The ship will dock in Rotterdam for three months to provide a temporary home for approximately 1,500 Ukrainians, part of a larger commitment from the Netherlands to accommodate 50,000 people who fled the war in their homeland.

 

“We are in a unique position to accommodate the immediate need for food and housing, so we felt it was very important to work with the City of Rotterdam and charter this ship,” said Gus Antorcha, president, Holland America Line. “Our company was founded in Rotterdam around the mission of helping immigrants find a better life. So today we’re proud to be a small part of a similar mission for Ukrainians who have tragically been displaced.”

 

Under the agreement to charter Volendam, Holland America Line will provide three hot meals per day, private stateroom accommodations, housekeeping services, use of public spaces, fitness facilities, internet access, and other necessities. Volendam will be staffed with approximately 650 crew members.

“We are known for our service and hospitality, and our team is ready to welcome our new guests as we would welcome guests into our own home,” said Captain Ryan Whitaker. “It will truly be an honor for us to make Volendam a comfortable and caring environment for these families who have been through so much.”

Volendam was scheduled to return to service May 15, with voyages from Rotterdam to Norway, the British Isles and Iceland. To accommodate the three-month commitment, Holland America Line will cancel three of those voyages and resume service on July 3 instead. Guests on canceled cruises are being notified today and will be accommodated on similar itineraries.

“We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause to guests booked on the three canceled cruises,” Antorcha said. “We hope they understand the unprecedented nature of this situation and why we felt it was important to work with the government on this initiative in support of these families in need.”

Volendam will be docked at Merwehaven, a cargo port on the north side of the River Maas in Rotterdam. Remaining docked will ensure Ukrainian families can transit easily to and from services in Rotterdam.

 

Holland America Group has already been working with its own team members who are Ukrainian. A $1 million emergency assistance fund provides direct financial support. Team members from the region also receive counseling assistance, free internet service to communicate with family, and scheduling accommodations such as early disembarkation or an extension to remain on board as needed.

 

The family foundation of parent company Carnival Corporation’s chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine also announced a pledge of $3 million to charities helping Ukrainian refugees. In addition, Holland America Line will look to raise awareness and funds through its On Deck for a Cause program, in which guests on every cruise may take part in a non-competitive 5K fundraising walk. The money raised will go to Direct Relief.

“We stand for peace and our hearts go out to everyone whose lives have been upended by the invasion of Ukraine,” said Arnold Donald, president and chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc. “We have crew members from 145 countries and we sail with guests from nations around the globe, so we feel deeply the impact of this humanitarian crisis and we join many others in supporting relief efforts.”

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