ONBOARD ROTTERDAM — Sheer and utter joy. That’s what I felt when I set sail with Holland America Line this summer.

Not just because I was cruising on the company’s newest ship, the 2,668-passenger Rotterdam, a beauty of a vessel fresh off its 2021 debut.

And not just because I was onboard for a week-long itinerary to storybook-pretty Norway, and sailing out of Amsterdam, one of the world’s great ports.

Beautiful ship and must-see destinations aside, I was overwhelmed with happiness for the full-circle moment of cruising again, more than 3 years after my last sailing.

Like so many others in the travel industry, and millions of Canadian travellers, any cruise plans I might have dreamt up during the pandemic years were just that – dreams.

My last press trip sailing, also with Holland America, came just under the wire in February 2020. A few weeks later, the CDC issued its No Sail Order for U.S.-based cruise ships. Of course by that time, Canadians couldn’t really travel anyway, anywhere, on a cruise ship or anything else.

And that was the case for a very long time.

Rotterdam at sea (photo credit Holland America Line)

Stepping aboard Rotterdam in July 2023, with my husband and daughter in tow, I couldn’t wait to explore the itinerary’s four Norwegian ports.

Increasingly popular for families, no doubt thanks to Disney’s ‘Frozen’ franchise, Norway has a long checklist for Scandinavia-charmed travellers: a walkable capital city, lovely little villages, mountains and scenic views.

And the fjords. Of course, the fjords.

We wanted to see it all. But first, the ship.

The library is making a comeback on Holland America’s ships, including Rotterdam. Stylish and sophisticated, the library has multiple copies of top-selling books, just like a bookstore. Hesitant passengers on our sailing peeked in, delighted but confused. “Are these for sale?” they asked, eyeing the brand new bestsellers. Nope, they’re free. Just return them at the end of the cruise (photo credit Kathryn Folliott)

ROTTERDAM: A NEW SHIP WITH A HISTORIC NAME

This vessel is special. It may be the 7th Holland America ship to carry the Rotterdam name, but it’s also the line’s newest ship, and its flagship.

It also played host to Holland America’s 150th anniversary celebrations in April 2023, in its namesake city, where Holland America was founded back in 1873.

Holland America Line’s history is a big part of the cruise company’s appeal for many passengers.

For clients looking to ‘step back in time’, and learn more about the cruise line’s storied past, ‘Origin Story’, a TED Talk-style presentation on the World Stage, is a must.

Thanks to ‘Origin Story’, we learned that in the very early days of Holland America’s history, from the 1880s to the 1920s, European emigrants heading to North America for a better life flocked to Holland America’s ships. Why? The line offered steerage class passengers three square meals a day, served in dining rooms. Word got around, and soon scores of European emigrants were making the trek to the New World with Holland America.

Of course, three square meals is just the start of Holland America’s F&B offering these days, but the company’s commitment to respectful service to all passengers continues.

Fun fact: we also learned that shipping companies like Holland America, accustomed to dominating the trans-Atlantic travel route, initially dismissed trans-Atlantic jet aircraft travel as a ‘fad’. In short order, as airlines completely revolutionized travel starting in the 1940s and 1950s, a major pivot restyled Holland America into the leisure cruise line we know and love today.

DINING, DANCING AND MORE

No doubt your clients are looking for more on their cruise than history lessons. And who could blame them?

We found plenty of opportunities to sample Holland America’s restaurants, lounges and more.

Several years ago Holland America streamlined its focus to four key deliverables: great service, destination delivery, culinary experiences, and culture and enrichment.

The company continues to excel at all of them.

Holland America Line has long excelled at fine dining – and beautiful dining venues. Here, the dining room onboard S.S. Rotterdam IV, circa 1910 (photo courtesy Hollamd America Line)

For dining, Rotterdam offers all of the line’s top venues, including Pinnacle Grill, Rudi’s Sel de Mer, Tamarind, Canaletto and, of course, the Lido Market and the main dining room.

Holland America’s just-announced partnership with Chef Masaharu Morimoto – known to millions as the star of ‘Iron Chef’ and ‘Iron Chef America’ – includes a new pop-up concept, ‘Morimoto by Sea’, in Tamarind or Pinnacle Grill at least once per cruise, depending on the ship. The pop-ups will be rolled out starting this November and available fleet-wide by early 2024.

Fun spots to grab a quick bite by the Lido Deck pools including the Dive In, for hamburgers and hotdogs, and New York Deli & Pizza. Not surprisingly, given the high percentage of Dutch passengers on this sailing, the delightful Grand Dutch Café, with an ideal location overlooking the atrium, did brisk business on our cruise.

Music, drinks, dancing and more are on tap at B.B. King’s Blues Club, Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard Onboard, all lining the popular ‘Music Walk’. The Deck 2 district is packed every night.

The main dining room onboard Rotterdam in 2023 (photo credit Holland America Line)

The World Stage, playing host to ‘Origin Story’ and the equally excellent ‘A City on the Sea’ during the day, also offered EXC Talk presentations. At night, on our cruise, The Step One Dance Company wowed passengers with three themed shows.

Rounding out the amenities are Holland America’s Greenhouse Spa & Salon, fitness centre (always busy but with plenty of equipment), casino, shops and more.

“WE’RE BLOWING AWAY THE BOOKING RECORDS”

With a value proposition that includes so many great options for dining, music and cultural enrichment, buoyed by pent-up demand for travel in general and cruising in particular, Holland America is setting booking records left and right, says Errol Nelson.

Nelson is a Hotel General Manager for Holland America, and he was onboard Rotterdam for our sailing (and coincidentally, on our February 2020 sailing onboard Nieuw Statendam too).

“We are blowing away the booking records,” said Nelson, reflecting on Holland America’s incredibly strong return post-pandemic.

The cruise line is blasting through booking records not just in North American markets, but in European markets too. The 2,668-passenger Rotterdam, during our sailing, had 400 North Americans. “The rest are Europeans and international passengers,” said Nelson.

Holland America marketed heavily to Dutch travellers as cruising restarted towards the end of the pandemic, gaining many new customers along the way. On our July 22 – 29 sailing, an incredible 2,100 passengers onboard Rotterdam were new to Holland America.

Nelson said he’s loving Holland America’s focus on longer itineraries. “We’re not getting away from the seven-night sailings. We’re just also doing longer itineraries, and original itineraries.”

So often cruise lines say that their biggest competition isn’t other cruise lines, but all-inclusive resorts. I asked Nelson what cruising offers that resorts can’t. “The ports are the deal-breaker,” he said.

The size of Holland America’s ships makes seeing a wide variety of ports easy, he adds, noting that Holland America itineraries prioritize days in port rather than at-sea days. “I think we’re in a sweet spot,” said Nelson. “We have perfectly-sized ships to go where we go. And we have the best itineraries.”

Some of Holland America’s most enviable itineraries include the 94-day Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage, sailing out of San Diego on Volendam on Jan. 3, 2024. That itinerary is back after a 10-year hiatus. Other top picks include the 73-day Grand Africa Voyage, getting ready to set sail Oct. 10 on Zuiderdam.

This past spring Holland America also opened the books on its two newest Grand Voyages: Grand Voyage: Pole-to-Pole and Grand World Voyage. Both depart in January 2025, marking the first time that Holland America Line will offer two Grand Voyages of more than 120 days simultaneously.

Errol Nelson, Hotel General Manager for Holland America Line, onboard Rotterdam (photo credit Kathryn Folliott)

OSLO, KRISTIANSAND, EIDFJORD & FLAM

While post-pandemic demand has longer itineraries and world cruises flying off the shelves, relatively speaking, the vast majority of cruise passengers still content themselves with seven-night sailings.

On our seven-night sailing, Amsterdam was a delight for pre- and post-cruise sightseeing.

Heading north to Norway, we first visited Oslo, then Kristiansand, Eidfjord and finally Flam.

Oslo is a quintessential Scandinavian capital, with a temperate summer climate and walkable size. A three-hour guided tour included the Royal Palace, Town Hall, the National Theatre, Vigeland Park and entrance to the Maritime Museum, famous for its 9th-century Viking boat, and the Kon-Tiki Museum, with the original Ra II and the Kon-Tiki from Thor Heyerdahl’s world-famous expeditions.

Voringsfossen waterfall, one of many highlights on the ‘Waterfalls & Waffles’ shore excursion from Eidfjord, Norway (photo credit Shutterstock)

In Kristiansand, whitewashed buildings and colourful summer flowers made for a scenic walk through the Old Town, dating back some 370 years. The busy marketplace in the centre of town was a great place to grab lunch.

Eidfjord provided almost as much beautiful scenery from the comfort of the motor coach as the surrounding fjords from the ship. Journeying through the steep Måbødalen Valley, our excursion took us first to a stunning lookout for Vøringsfossen waterfalls, then Hardanger Mountain Plateau and then Halne Mountain Lodge, some 3,700 feet above sea level. With refreshments including a homemade Norwegian waffle served with jam and sour cream, this excursion is called ‘Waterfalls & Waffles’ with good reason.

In Flam, the famous and historic Flåm Railway brings passengers up, up, up from sea level to 2,800 feet, crossing back and forth over rivers and passing through 20 tunnels. The photo ops are incredible. And Flam, like Eidfjord, is a lovely mountainside town with shops, restaurants and views for days.

So many corners of the world to see, and seeing them by ship is pure pleasure.

Views for days on the Flam Railway line in Flam, Norway (photo credit Shutterstock)

More details about all of Holland America Line’s sailings can be found at hollandamerica.com.