Cruise line plans port previews

Holland to offer onboard looks at destinations

Soon, travelers taking a Holland America Line cruise will be offered an advance taste and feel of their ship’s destinations even before they pull into the dock.

From local folklore, food, culture and hotspots to language and etiquette tips, travelers will be able to preview the offerings of forthcoming ports of call before they begin their onshore adventures.

On Wednesday, the cruise line announced the launch of its onboard information service dubbed Explorations Central.

The goal of EXC, as it will be called, is to provide cruise passengers with indepth travel resources and information to make their travel experience “more engaging, vivid and meaningful,” the Seattle-based cruise operator said.

“Explorations Central is revolutionizing the way we deliver destinations to our guests, and it’s going to profoundly change how our guests are immersed in the history, culture and cuisine of the places we visit,” said Orlando Ashford, the cruise line’s president.

EXC programming will be available starting in early 2017 and will roll out across the line’s fleet later in the year, Holland America said. It will include digital storytelling and interactive video experiences on topics ranging from travel and food to the arts. It will also feature a virtual bridge where travelers can see real-time data from the ship’s actual bridge for a unique vantage view of the destination that awaits them.

On select ships, there will be a dedicated Explorations Central venue in the former Crow’s Nest lounge space, which will act as a comprehensive resource and engagement center for passengers. In April, ms Westerdam will be the first Holland America ship to debut Exploration Central after completing a scheduled dry dock. The new venues will appear aboard other ships across the rest of the fleet through 2018, Holland America said.

On March 30, ms Westerdam is scheduled to depart Port Everglades on a 14-day cruise to Rome. In all, 10 Holland America ships are slated to depart from or make stops at the Broward County seaport next year, according to the 2017 Port Everglades Cruise Guide.

A Holland America spokewoman said the EXC onboard programming is slated to launch on some ships sailing out of Port Everglades in late spring toward the end of this Caribbean season. And by fall 2017, it will be available on all its ships sailing the Caribbean.

The EXC programming platform will include dedicated guides to provide guests with customized information on each destination’s local culture and history as well as tours and popular sites to visit. There will also be EXC Talks on folklore and customs and small group discussions on language and cultural etiquette.

Travelers can also watch the EXC Channel from their cabins to view a selection of curated films, documentaries and TV shows about destinations on the ship’s itinerary.

“EXC is going to show our guests the world in a whole new way and enable them to engage in truly meaningful experiences,” Ashford said.

Holland America is a subsidiary of Doral-based Carnival Corp. & PLC, considered the world’s largest cruise company. In South Florida, Holland America’s ships sail only from Port Everglades.