ALL THE TRIMMINGS
Even Oprah and Gayle have a reason to celebrate Holland America’s latest vessel
New ships are always exciting, and there are a lot of them coming to an ocean near you, both this year and next.
One that I’m excited about is Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam (cruise. center/ holland), which makes her debut this December on a winter transatlantic crossing from Rome to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Of course, the big news here is that Oprah Winfrey has been named as the ship’s Godmother. An exact date and place for the christening hasn’t been announced yet, but you can bet that voyage will sell out fast.
Earlier last month, Holland America announced that Oprah and Gayle King would host a special three-night Girls Cruise to the Bahamas on board Nieuw Statendam this coming Jan. 30; that voyage sold out on the day it was announced. Which is quite remarkable when you consider that Nieuw Statendam will carry 2,650 guests when she debuts.
So while your chances of sailing with Oprah are admittedly not great, there is still plenty of reason to want to book one of Nieuw Statendam’s first transatlantic or Caribbean cruises.
A sister to Holland America’s Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam (pronounced new Statendam) is going to have a look and feel all of her own. Reportedly, the ship’s designers were inspired by the fluid curve of musical instruments, so expect lots of graceful lines and flowing design elements, both inside and out.
Nieuw Amsterdam will have all of Holland America’s latest bells-and-whistles, from the sumptuous Grand Dutch Café to the live cooking demonstrations at America’s Test Kitchen to the line’s Music Walk concept that features vibrant and plentiful nightly music that ranges from authentic blues, soothing classical, and contemporary piano.
The ship will also have Rudi’s Sel de Mer pop-up specialty restaurant, which still ranks as one of the best meals I’ve ever had at sea when I experienced it aboard Veendam earlier this year on a cruise to Cuba. Aboard Nieuw Statendam, it takes up a more permanent home adjacent to the Pinnacle Grill, which has been Holland America’s signature steak house experience for several years now.
If you’ve cruised with Holland America Line before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find a more modern, contemporary look intermingled with the same great service and general shipboard layout that you love. If you’re new to the line, take note: this isn’t your grandmother’s Holland America. Where evenings used to be staid and quiet, entertainment is now vibrant and varied. The line has made a commitment to improving its daytime and nighttime offerings on board, without sacrificing the affordable class and quality that most of us flock to the line for.
Nieuw Statendam is familyfriendly cruising without anything over-the-top. You won’t find waterslides or zip-lines on board, but Holland America’s kids programs are quite good and provide children on board with no shortage of things to do.
For adults, a world of diversions await, from the soothing thermal suite in the Greenhouse Spa to the new Explorations Central lounge, where you can learn about your upcoming ports of call, plan your journey, and research the world around your cruise itinerary. It’s a neat innovation that Holland America rolled out over the last few years, and one that really ramps up the line’s enrichment activities.
For those booked on the line’s Caribbean itineraries, it’s hard to beat a day at Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island. Consistently ranked as one of the best cruise line private islands in the world, it’s worth seeking out a Caribbean itinerary that includes this port of call.
If you want to hop aboard Holland America’s newest ship in the fleet, there are still staterooms available on board Nieuw Statendam’s first voyage; a 14-day transatlantic cruise that departs Rome (the port of Civitavecchia) on Dec. 5. Nieuw Statendam will stop at several ports in the Mediterranean, including Malaga, Cartagena and Funchal, before heading straight across the Atlantic for Fort Lauderdale.
Once in Florida, Nieuw Statendam will operate a variety of weeklong cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean throughout the winter.
Even if Oprah isn’t on board, this still looks to be one of the best ships to set sail this year.
Happy cruising.
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