Koningsdam's summer 2016 itineraries unveiled

A rendering of the Atrium on-board Koningsdam

Holland America Line have released details of the summer 2016 itineraries for new vessel Koningsdam due for delivery on 20 February 2016. Previously only the itineraries up to May had been released. As of 21 May the vessel will be home ported in Amsterdam following a repositioning sailing from the Mediterranean.

"For the first summer sailing season of our beautiful new ship ms Koningsdam, we've crafted some incredible itineraries to Europe's most beautiful ports," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

The ship will sail a selection of seven- and 14-day cruises to Norway that showcase the country's scenery and landscapes. A seven-day itinerary planned for May, July and August will call at Flam, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Oslo, and will offer scenic cruising around Sognefjord and Oslofjord.

Another seven-day itinerary planned for June and July will call at Eidfjord, Alesund, Geiranger and Bergen, and will offer scenic cruising around Hardangerfjord and Geirangerfjord.

A third seven-day itinerary in August will call at Bergen, Hellesylt, Geiranger, Alesund and Eidfjord, and offer scenic cruising around Hardangerfjord and Geirangerfjord.

A longer 14-day Norwegian voyage will depart on 29 May and 17 July which will cross the Arctic Circle and will call at eight ports in Norway. Guests also will enjoy memorable scenic cruising around Hardangerfjord, Geirangerfjord, Trondheimsfjord, the North Cape and Sognefjord.

Koningsdam will also briefly visit the British shores. The 14 August itinerary will call at Newcastle upon Tyne, South Queensferry (for Edinburgh) and Invergordon (for Inverness) as well as Reykjavik (overnight), Isafjordur and Akuruyri in Iceland plus Alesund and Bergen in Norway.

Two 14-day Baltic itineraries in June and September are also planned. The ship will call at Copenhagen, Denmark; Warnemunde (Berlin) and Kiel (Hamburg), Germany; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg (overnight), Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm and Gothenburg, Sweden.

At the end on the season, Koningsdam will sail from Amsterdam to Civitavecchia on a 12-day voyage that calls at England, Gibraltar, Portugal and four ports in Spain. On 24 October  the ship repositions to Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA) on a 14-day transatlantic voyage with calls planned at Alicante, Malaga (Granada) and Huelva (Seville), Spain; and Funchal, Madeira.

These itineraries will be available to book in early February 2015.

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Two more new ships ordered for Carnival and Holland America

New Carnival president Christine Duffy

The Christmas presents are arriving thick and fast as two more cruise ship newbuilds are announced.

Even before the full details of what is planned for Carnival Vista are revealed at a press conference scheduled for January 22 in New York, a second ship of the same design has been ordered.

Vista 2, measuring 133,500 tons and with capacity for 3,954 passengers, is due to enter service in spring 2018 as the 26^th vessel in Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet.

Holland America Line is to get another ship, to the same design as Pinnacle-class Koningsdam, at 99,500 tons and carrying 2,650 passengers. It’s due to debut in autumn 2018. Both orders have gone to Italian shipbuilders Fincantieri, whose order books also include P&O’s Britannia (delivery March 2015), Koningsdam (February 2016), two Seabourn ships (2016 and 2018), Carnival Vista (2016), and a third Royal-class ship for Princess (due in 2017).

The total passenger capacity of the new ships Carnival Corporation has on order with Fincantieri amounts to almost 22,000.

The announcement of Carnival’s Vista 2 follows on the heels of the news that Christine Duffy is to take over as president of Carnival Cruise Line in February.

She replaces Gerry Cahill, who has retired. Duffy is currently president of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and will commence her new role on February 1.

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Holland America Line Opens Bookings for ms Koningsdam

Holland America Line have started to reveal more details about their latest vessel known as ms Koningsdam. This contemporary cruise ship is due to go into service in February 2016 and this week marks the start of bookings being taken for her initial sailings.

A rendering of Holland America's latest cruise ship Koningsdam

Once Holland America Line take delivery of Koningsdam from Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, near Venice, Italy, she will be repositioned to Civitavecchia (for Rome). Her maiden voyage will be a seven-day sailing departing on 20 February 2016 and will see this brand new cruise ship call in at Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kérkira (Corfu) and Katakolon (Olympia), Greece; and Naples, Italy before returning back to Civitavecchia.

Between February and early May she will then sail six 12-day alternating itineraries. The first is called the “Greek & Turkish Treasures” itinerary and this sees the ship call in at Katakolon, Piraeus (Athens), Rhodes and Crete, Greece; Istanbul (overnight) and Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; and Naples, Italy.

Conversely, the “Mediterranean Mosaic” itinerary calls in at the ports of Naples, Italy; Palermo, Sicily; Cagliari, Sardinia; Gibraltar, British Territory; and Cádiz, Málaga, Cartagena and Barcelona (overnight), Spain.

For clients who wish to experience both itineraries, these can be combined into an epic 24-day back-to-back Collectors’ Voyage covering the Mediterranean and Athenian Seas. Similarly, the maiden seven-day Premier Voyage and the 27 February 2016 12-day Mediterranean Mosaic voyage can be combined to form a 19-day Collectors’ Voyage through a back-to-back cruise.

From the preview of Koningsdam it is very clear that she will be designed as a refreshingly modern and contemporary vessel, whilst retaining the trademark Holland America Line touches. 68 per cent of the cabins will come with a balcony, 32 cabins will be family ocean-view staterooms and there will also be 12 single occupancy ocean-view cabins too.

These initial itineraries went on sale on the 1 December. Details of the vessel’s summer and winter itineraries are being finalised by the line and are expected to be released early in 2015.

(Photo credit to Holland America Line)

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New HAL ship to be named ms Koningsdam

Until now, it has been referred to jokingly as Nonamedam. From today, Holland America Line's new 99,500-ton cruise ship is ms Koningsdam. 

While the name pays homage to the company’s heritage and roots in the Netherlands, it also reflects a new era with a bold name that is an original in Holland America Line’s 141-year history.  Since 1883 every Holland America passenger vessel has borne the “dam” suffix, and ms Koningsdam carries on that tradition. The word koning means “king” in Dutch, and the name celebrates the majestic new ship. The name also pays honor to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, the first king of the Netherlands for more than a century.

The 2,650-passenger ship, being built at Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri's Marghera yard near Venice, is scheduled for delivery in February 2016. 

Many of Holland America Line’s ships have been christened by members of the Dutch Royal Family over the past 75 years. Most recently, ms Nieuw Amsterdam was christened by Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima in 2010. And in 2008 ms Eurodam was christened by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. 

“In choosing the name Koningsdam, we are honouring our rich Dutch heritage while reflecting that we’re entering a new era as a company,” said Stein Kruse, chief executive officer of the Holland America Group. “This new Pinnacle Class ship will be our largest, most contemporary vessel, and it was only fitting to give it a name that embodies great achievement for the future, while embracing timeless tradition.”

Holland America Line was founded in the Netherlands in 1873 as the Netherlands-American Steamship Company headquartered in Rotterdam. The original headquarters building still stands today as the Hotel New York on the Wilhelmina Pier, with the company’s European headquarters located nearby.

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