Holland America Line Profile

Holland America Line

With luxury ships sailing to more than 280 ports of call and all seven continents, and more ships and tours being added each year, Holland America Line's commitment to providing the best in cruise vacations is confirmed by awards and accolades from leaders in the tourism industry.

Ships

From the moment you step aboard one of Holland America's mid-sized cruise ships you will recognize the Holland America Line difference. Cruises sail with nearly one crew member for every two guests, providing the gracious, award-winning service that defines classic cruising. Their cruise ships feature spacious wrap-around teak decks, panoramic views, spacious private verandahs and large staterooms. All ships have recently completed extensive Signature of Excellence enhancements to staterooms and public rooms. With elegant fine dining and enriching activities, welcome aboard a Holland America Line cruise ship and discover timeless cruising, refined for a new generation.

Destinations

Holland America Line's fleet of five-star, premium ships offers nearly 500 sailings from 15 North American home ports, including new departures from Norfolk, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Boston, Massachusetts. The fleet visits all seven continents, while increasing the number of cruises to popular destinations such as Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe and Canada/New England.

Accommodations

As Holland America's guest, your comfort is their top priority. The moment you step onboard, a white-gloved steward will escort you to your stateroom where you will find all the comforts of home, as well as a few of the surprises that have made Holland America Line the world's finest premium cruise line. Throughout your voyage, attentive cabin stewards provide unobtrusive service, replenishing ice and arranging fresh fruit, turning down beds and leaving Sweet Dreams chocolates. Their gracious crewmembers dedicate themselves to your satisfaction and are known for impeccable five-star service.

On average, Holland America's staterooms are 25 percent larger than on other ships in their category, giving you more room to stretch out. All staterooms include self-controlled air conditioning; a telephone and closed circuit TV; luxurious soaps, shampoos and lotions; music channel system; and 24-hour complimentary room service.

Guests who choose suite accommodations enjoy several additional amenities - from personalized stationery and luxurious duvets to in-suite afternoon tea and savory hors d'oeuvres - all with the Captain's compliments.

The exclusive Neptune Lounge offers Deluxe Verandah Suite and Penthouse Suite guests a private retreat where they can relax, read and socialize. Guests may take advantage of personalized services from the lounge's concierge, who will gladly make reservations for shore excursions, car rentals, the Pinnacle Grill dining experience and more. Currently available on nine Holland America Line ships, the Neptune Lounge will soon be added to all ships in the fleet.

Dining

Holland America Line serves incomparable cuisine in a variety of wonderful ways - from bountiful buffets and dress-up dinners to hors d'oeuvres on your verandah and a picnic on the beach. They offer some of the most extensive menus at sea (with more than 500 different food items on a typical 7-day cruise), blending together modern Continental cuisine, regional specialties appropriate to each cruising area and traditional favorites. Holland America chefs are all members of the prestigious Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs gourmet society.

Your mouth will water at the aroma of so many delicious options. But your other senses will delight as well - fine dining has always been the rule on our ships with signature touches like Rosenthal china, starched linens, silver and fresh flowers to enhance your meal.

With so many tastes to tempt you and venues to enjoy, you're sure to experience the many pleasures world-class dining can offer. Each evening as the dinner hour approaches, the melodious call of the chime master invites guests to the main dining room, where another incredible experience awaits. Rare art, elegant staircases and panoramic windows surround tables laid with fine linens, silver and sparkling stemware. Servers greet guests and present menus of sumptuous five-course selections - from appetizers and drinks, to entrees and dessert.

The Lido restaurant was the first of its kind in the cruise industry. And although there are many imitators, none matches their extensive menu or helpful service. Choose the Lido for a relaxed, casual meal. Eat indoors in the air-conditioned restaurant or enjoy the fresh air on deck.

Guests who dine at the intimate, reservations-only Pinnacle Grill enjoy a dining experience themed to reflect the Pacific Northwest. Candlelight and fine decor create a romantic ambiance that sets the stage for fresh Northwest dishes and select wines. Guests who wish to enjoy the Pinnacle Grill experience should make reservations early. There is a modest surcharge for this extraordinary dining experience.

Kids & Teens

With supervised fun for young guests, the entire family can have the vacation of their dreams. Club HAL provides a wide variety of exciting activities for kids ages 5 to 17. Participating youngsters receive an activity program delivered to their stateroom and a Club HAL t-shirt.

Club HAL activities are designed to be age appropriate. Examples include storytelling, arts and crafts, ice-cream sundae or pizza parties, ship tours and bingo for the little ones (ages 5 to 8). For tweens (ages 9 to 12) there's miniature golf, Ping-Pong, theme parties, on-deck sports events and scavenger hunts. Teens (ages 13 to 17) can enjoy a teen disco, dance lessons, arcade games, sports tournaments, card games, trivia contests, bingo, movies and videos.

Select itineraries even offer "kids-only" shore excursions to Half Moon Cay (their private island in the Bahamas) and exploratory adventures in several Alaskan ports of call.

All activities are supervised by permanent, full-time Club HAL directors and assistants. Club HAL directors hold degrees in education, childhood development, recreation, leisure studies or related fields.

Holland America Line provides a number of other services to families. They serve a wide variety of kid-pleasing food, including special sandwiches, tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza. Baby food, high chairs and booster seats may be requested in advance of boarding. Baby-sitting services are available for a small surcharge.

Onboard Activities & Entertainment

Be amazed, be surprised, be thrilled. The Holland America ships offer so many entertainment venues, you're in for the night of your life. Choose to relax in one of the sophisticated bars or lounges on board. They offer everything from wine and cocktails to espresso and hand-dipped chocolates. Whether you enjoy a quiet candle-lit corner or a rollicking good time, you're sure to find something to suit your taste.

In their dramatic, multi-tiered show lounges you'll enjoy dazzling Las Vegas- and Broadway-style production shows created by more Emmy, Grammy, Tony and Oscar nominees than any other cruise line. Cabarets featuring dancers, comedians and illusionists are also on the program.

Film buffs can enjoy recently released movies. Holland America has dedicated movie theaters that serve up comedies, dramas, thrillers and even hot buttered popcorn.

If you like to dance, join in the fun with swing, disco, fox trot, waltzes and calypso at one of several lounges. And be sure to take to the dance floor in their signature Crow's Nest nightclub and observation lounge situated high atop each ship.

For quieter moments, visit the library or join a game of bridge in the card room. Or enjoy conversation with new friends over an espresso. These spacious ships offer plenty of cozy corners and traditional wooden deck chairs for those who wish to spend time reading, writing letters or watching the changing sea.

Art lovers will enjoy guided tours of the ships' multi-million dollar collections of art and antiques. In addition, Parkwest Galleries manages onboard auctions where guests may purchase works of art and arrange for in-home delivery.

Just as the intriguing shops in the day's port of call fade into the horizon, a whole new world of shopping opens onboard Holland America Line ships. Shop the onboard boutiques for duty-free treasures, including French fragrances and Swiss watches, fine liqueurs and designer goods.

For the ultimate personalized shopping experience, on select sailings guests may customize a garment with help from a Davanti fashion consultant. Women and men alike may order a variety of custom-made garments, including casual and dress shirts, slacks, skirts, jackets, pants and even tuxedos, overcoats and vests. Browse through over 2,000 fabrics and personalize every detail from button to cuff. (Available on almost all ships.)

Casinos
When Holland America ships are at sea, the casino lights up for gaming enthusiasts. Try your luck at the slot machines and blackjack tables, at dice and on the roulette wheel or in a game of Caribbean stud poker. And after 11 p.m. the Mega-Slot Tournament begins. The stewards will keep your glass filled with champagne while you try to fill the slots with three of a kind. Let the games begin!

Other entertaining pastimes include Bingo games with jackpots up to $2,000. Some sailings even include a Super Bingo prize of $25,000! In addition, guests of all ships can win a chance for a free cruise in the cruise lottery.

Internet
As you cruise one part of the world, the rest of the world is never far away. Connect with everyone back home via the Internet. Stay in touch with loved ones, do business, check stock quotes or share vacation experiences in real time.

Each ship's Internet Center offers computers with Internet access and printers. In addition, 802.11b wireless "hot spots" are available on all ships for guests traveling with personal laptop computers with wireless capability. Guests may also rent wireless-equipped laptops onboard.

On Vista-Class ships - including ms Oosterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam - access the Internet directly from guest rooms using the dial-up connector on personal laptop computers.

Sports and Fitness
Amusements and activities are plentiful onboard Holland America ships. With so many choices, there's something to suit everyone. When you're feeling athletic, there are pools for swimming and decks for strolling. Exercise classes, deck games and dual-purpose tennis/volleyball courts offer more fun.

If golf is your game, they're ready for you. In addition to golf excursions on shore, guests of ms Oosterdam, ms Prinsendam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam may rent clubs and equipment onboard and get personalized lessons from professional instructors. Instruction includes a state-of-the-art, computer-aided coaching system to help you perfect your swing.

Spas & Salons
Choose the blissful pampering of a facial. Let the trained fingers of a massage therapist work fragrant oils into your skin, soothing your muscles. Enjoy therapeutic water treatments as you steam in a sauna or bathe in exotic herbs. Spas onboard Holland America Line ships feature the beauty and wellness rituals of the renowned Steiner Leisure. With everything from the hydrotherapy pool to hair and nail care, their spas and salons leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

And now, the Vista-Class ships feature the Greenhouse Spa and Salon, the largest and most luxurious spas in the fleet. Found on board ms Oosterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam, these tranquil spas invite guests to lay down their stresses and embrace sensory indulgence. Staffed with professionals from Steiner Leisure, the global spa leaders, the Greenhouse Spa and Salon offers guests respite and renewal.

Because appointment space is limited, guests are encouraged to book spa appointments early upon boarding the ship.

Signature of Excellence
Their Tradition of Excellence requires an ongoing commitment to product and service enhancements. Towards that end, they announced Signature of Excellence, a program involving an investment of more than $225 million in service and facility upgrades. Once again, Holland America Line has significantly raised the standard in premium cruising.

The comprehensive enhancements focus on five areas central to the Holland America Line guest experience:

• spacious, elegant ships and accommodations
• sophisticated five-star dining
• gracious, unobtrusive service
• extensive enrichment programs and activities
• compelling worldwide itineraries

Guests Traveling with Disabilities
Holland America is at the forefront of the cruise industry in providing facilities and services to guests with disabilities. All public rooms and elevators onboard Holland America ships are wheelchair accessible, as well as designated public area restrooms. Holland America Line has wheelchair accessible staterooms equipped with roll-in showers, shower seats, and heavy-duty handrails. In addition, the exterior and bathroom doors are wider than standard doors in order to accommodate the width of most wheelchairs or scooters.

The availability of these accessible staterooms can be limited, so we recommend that if a guest requires one of the accessible staterooms please make the request to our Cruise Specialists as soon as possible.

Past Guests

All guests who sail with Holland America Line are automatically welcomed into the Mariner Society. As part of this family of past guests, you are permanently entitled to preferential pricing and bonus privileges on many cruises. You will receive special offers on upcoming cruises as well as insider information concerning new ships and product enhancements.

If you are a member of the Mariner Society, please let your Cruise Specialist know at the time of your reservation so we can make sure we check for possible discounts and complimentary upgrades.

What are you waiting for? Start planning your Holland America Line cruise vacation today. You can book online or call us to speak to one of our Cruise Specialists.