Holland America took delivery of its new flagship Rotterdam today, making it the 11th ship in the fleet. A handover ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera, Italy shipyard on Thursday evening.
The ceremony was attended by the ship’s master, Captain Werner Timmers, and Cyril Tatar, Holland America Group’s VP of newbuilding services. The CEO of Fincantieri Giuseppe Bono and other executives were also in attendance.
Jan Swartz, president of Holland America Group, and Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line were part of the celebrations via video call.
“Rotterdam looks stunning and will certainly live up to bearing such an iconic name as the new flagship of our fleet, carrying on a tradition of excellence that our guests have loved for nearly 150 years,” said Antorcha.
“Thank you to our partners at Fincantieri and our own team members who worked tirelessly to deliver the ship on schedule during what has been the most challenging of times, and also deliver a ship that looks beautiful, is immaculately finished and will be an incredible addition to our brand. We cannot wait to welcome guests on board later this fall.”
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This ship is Holland America’s 7th ship to be called Rotterdam, the first of which debuted in 1872.
She is the third vessel in the line’s Pinnacle-class, and holds 2,668 passengers at double occupancy.
Onboard features include:
- Four live music venues: Rolling Stone Rock Room, Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard Onboard, and B.B. King’s Blues Club
- BBC Earth in Concert
- French seafood specialty restaurant Rudi’s Sel de Mer
- Tamarind specialty restaurant serving Southeast Asian, Chinese, and Japanese flavors
- Pinnacle Grill steakhouse
- Canaletto Italian restaurant
- Club HAL kids’ and teen’s clubs
- Greenhouse Spa & Salon
- Grand Dutch Café serving Dutch coffee and treats, as well as European beers
Now that she has been delivered, Rotterdam will remain in non-guest operations until her debut transatlantic crossing on October 20, 2021 from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale. From there, she will begin her maiden season of Caribbean cruises.
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