Archive for the 'Holland America' Category

More than one Avid Cruiser reader has written to tell me just how good the food is in Red Ginger (these were readers who crossed the Atlantic on Marina).

Today, along with my journalistic colleagues, I got to experience Red Ginger, and it could just be the best restaurant on Marina, although I’ve not yet tried them all.

 Read more... (85 words, 3 images, estimated 20 secs reading time)

Seabourn is moving to a new headquarters in Seattle, Washington, to be more tightly integrated with Holland America Line. Both brands will maintain independent management teams at their shared headquarters in Seattle. One impact of the move will be annual savings starting in 2012 of up to $25 million for parent Carnival Corporation, according to Micky Arison, chairman and chief executive officer of Carnival Corporation & plc.  Read more... (215 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)

I stayed on the ship.

Years ago my wife and I vacationed in Loreto. Some paved streets, more not, and very few tourists. The beach was great, hotel good, and food perfect. One thing that comes close to standing out in my mind was the airline didn’t make advance seat reservations. If there were more passengers than seats, well tomorrow’s another day. The practice was to hire someone to wait in line for you on the day of the flight. I don’t remember the cost of this, but it was cheaper than another night at the hotel. So why didn’t I go ashore? I didn’t want to replace the fond memory of Loreto for the two newly married with whatever is now “up to date”.  Read more... (372 words, 9 images, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)

Ever wondered what it would be like mastering one of those big cruise ships? If so, follow Captain Albert Schoonderbeek during a 14-day Caribbean cruise on board Holland America Line’s Veendam. Captain Schoonderbeek keeps his thoughts away from such pleasantries as beaches, shopping and relaxing, and instead keeps an eye on the ship, the schedule and weather forecasts. Following are excerpts from the Captain’s own blog, logged each day he is on duty  Read more... (2087 words, 5 images, estimated 8:21 mins reading time)

With deck plans from Holland America Line’s Eurodam, you could easily find your way around Nieuw Amsterdam, launched last week in Venice.

Oslo-based designer Bjørn Storbraaten says he created the "bar of his dreams" in the Silk Den. "Normally, the bar would be against the wall. You would sit there staring at bottles of whiskey. But with this bar and its window wall, you're looking out on a beautiful view."  Read more... (1264 words, 8 images, estimated 5:03 mins reading time)

During Nieuw Amsterdam’s naming in Venice earlier this month, Holland America Line executives emphasized the company’s continued investment in its fleet and the exceptional value of a “premium category” cruise on board HAL ships.   Read more... (133 words, estimated 32 secs reading time)

Proud crew members posing and photographing against the backdrop of Holland America Line's 'Nieuw' ship

Stepping aboard Nieuw Amsterdam last week in Venice felt much like stepping aboard Eurodam two years ago in Rotterdam. Even the events were familiar. In both cases, the inaugural ceremonies fell over America’s Independence Day, and in both cases, royalty from the Netherlands named the ships.  Read more... (444 words, 4 images, estimated 1:47 mins reading time)

[Holland America's Veendam rounds Cape Horn on a series of cruises between now and March 2010 with overnights on select sailings in Buenos Aires.]

Though Buenos Aires is a large city, you can take in the major attractions in a couple of days. During my short stay, I dined extravagantly on world-renowned Argentine beef, took in a tango show, hopped on a city tour and walked the city streets. If you have more time, you can also get out to an estancia (ranch), but if you decide to spend all of your time in the city, you will likely have opportunities to visit estancias on shore excursions during your cruise.  Read more... (764 words, 4 images, estimated 3:03 mins reading time)