New Bars on 5 Holland America Ships

Holland America today made an announcement regarding their 5 older ships and a bar reconfiguration. While this will be a new concept to the Holland America fleet, it follows similar successful venues on other lines such as NCL. It will be interesting to see how this works, but I've enjoyed it on other lines.

Holland America Line will upgrade and reconfigure centrally located bars and lounges aboard five ships. The highlight is a large new space in the heart of the ship, called Mix, that incorporates three specialty theme bars -- Martinis, Champagne, and Spirits & Ales. These enhancements are part of a new $200 million Signature of Excellence upgrade to the Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam, Veendam and Rotterdam. “A focus of this latest Signature of Excellence series of enhancements is our entertainment venues, where we’ve created the ultimate place to both socialize and be entertained,” said Richard Meadows, CTC, executive vice president of marketing, sales and guest programs. “Our guests are looking for an upscale, trendy spot where they can gather together and be part of this exciting new ambiance.”

Mix is designed as a destination lounge where guests can mingle throughout the day and night while being entertained by a pianist. Champagne offers 20 champagnes and sparkling wines by the glass or bottle. The centerpiece of the bar is an ice-filled countertop that chills champagne bottles. This venue will offer events such as late champagne breakfast, pre-lunch Mimosa and Bellini hour, champagne tea time and pre-dinner champagne hour with caviar canapés. Martinis serves up 25 Grey Goose martinis in individual shakers as well as a full range of cocktails. Guests can also enjoy a martini flight made up of several mini martinis.

The martini flight includes Holland America’s signature martini, the Yellow Tulip, a mixture of Grey Goose vodka, lychee juice, pineapple juice, guava juice, coconut cream and fresh lime juice. Other martinis included in the flight are the Peartini, Cosmopolitan, Sunshine Martini, Rum Sundae and High Tide Martini. A house specialty will be a signature Martini for Two with aged Cognac served with a dish of caviar and traditional garnishes. Spirits & Ales will feature an international selection of beers and premium whiskeys and brandies. The Ocean Bar will be enhanced to refresh its look. Guests can take ballroom dancing lessons from the line’s staff. The resident three-piece music combo will perform here.

Anyone else getting thirsty?

Holland America Returns to Bermuda in 2010!

For those cruisers who love Bermuda, and who have been disappointed in the options to cruise there the past few years, it is time to celebrate. Holland America has announced they will return to the pink sands of Bermuda in 2010!

Sailing between New York and Bermuda on 7-night itineraries, the Veendam will visit both St. George's and Hamilton. The itinerary will inaugurate in August, 2010, with 10 sailings that year, then returning in 2011 for a full season of sailings starting in May, with 20 or more sailings anticipated.

In a notable twist for ship lovers and historians, the Veendam II was the first Holland America vessel to visit Bermuda more than 70 years ago in 1926. Of course, the current Veendam is a bit larger and more updated, but especially with the new Signature of Excellence enhancements just announced (see below), she will continue her legacy of premium cruising to Bermuda.

Holland America Signature of Excellence - Phase II

As part of their ongoing Signature of Excellence efforts, Holland America has announced $200 million in further enhancements to the Statendam, Ryndam, Veendam, Maasdam and Rotterdam over the next 2 years. The improvements will take place during extensive dry docks, with the Veendam being first up in Spring, 2009, and the last ship to be completed in late 2010.

The upgrades to these ships will include a new resort pool concept, lanai staterooms, new entertainment and enrichment options, new stateroom décor and more.

The most dramatic alteration will be to the aft portion of the ships, allowing for a new resort-style pool area on Lido Deck called The Retreat, which will have a shallow area where guests can lounge in chairs and dip their fingers and toes in the water or relax on a bench and dangle their legs in the water. (You'll find me there! That sounds heavenly!) A new pool bar and an upscale pizzeria called Slice will be installed, as well as a canopy and wind screens to provide additional covered seating for the Lido Restaurant.

All staterooms will receive new décor, carpeting and soft goods. Each ship also will have an additional 44 to 46 staterooms, 32 with verandahs and the remaining inside.

Keeping in line with the current popularity of "Spa" cabins, the four S-class ships will have verandahs added to 12 staterooms near the spa on Deck 9, and along with three inside staterooms, become spa staterooms featuring enhanced spa amenities. On the Rotterdam, 23 staterooms on Verandah Deck will become spa staterooms.

On all the five ships, 46 new lanai staterooms will be created by replacing existing windows of 42 staterooms (on Lower Promenade Deck 6) with lanai doors that open directly onto the walk-around promenade, and adding four additional staterooms.

The program also involves enhancements to several public rooms. A Merabella luxury jewelry shop will be added. The casino and piano bars will be reconfigured into a multi-themed area called Mix with three separate bars -- Martinis, Champagne and Spirits & Ales. Next door, the casino will be redesigned. The main show space will be transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the ambiance of a glamorous nightclub. The Ocean Bar will be refurbished and carpets will be replaced in most public areas. The new Sky Room on Sports Deck will feature the latest in multi-generational video games and high-tech entertainment.

Entertainment and enrichment, or “edutainment,” is taking on a new, contemporary look and feel across the fleet. A new Explorations Team employs cruise staff, each specializing in a particular area, to educate and entertain guests with an expanded menu of activities including flower-arranging, hands-on cooking, dancing, and working with digital photos, blogs and movies. Each team consists of a party planner, a travel guide, dance directors and a “techspert.” On longer cruises, a book club leader joins the team to lead lively group discussions.

These enhancements should provide a nice facelift to these classic ships in the HAL fleet, and keep the fresh and vital and very appealing.