Liveboat USA cruises blog: October 2010

During our review of Holland America's MS Eurodam

we had a short list of important questions from our beloved readers (many of whom who are frequent cruisers with Costa & MSC and are looking to cruise with HAL)

for the staff & crew to answer.

Here's what they had to say.

1st Round of

questions :

Holland America Ships that sail in Europe,

what languages do the crew speak?

Our crew members come from many parts of the globe: The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Indonesia, Easter European countries, UK, Belgium, India, Pakistan, to name a few.

What's the most common language do the crew speak in the Mediterranean region ?

English is the first language spoken on board our ships since 90% of our guests are from the United States / North America.

1:Are there multilingual hostess for each language? Not at the present time.

2:What food characteristics do you serve aboard?

We do customize our menus when asked. For example, there was a group of Russian guests onboard a recent cruise I was on and we printed the menus each day in Russian (for that group) and offered some Russian items along with our regular items. If we know that a large group of Italians, for instance, will be cruising with us, we will offer more items for them from Italy. Also, we can customize menus for specific needs (Kosher, diabetics, vegetarians, etc.)

Do you serve mostly Italian cuisine or is the kitchen is exclusively international?

Many of our ships have an Italian Restaurant, Canaletto, which is open for dinner (no charge) and serves Italian fare.

However, in the Lido, we serve everything from sushi to tacos. In the main dining room, the menu items are put together by our Master Chef, Rudi Sodamin. Again, we offer steaks, chilled soups, a variety of salads, desserts, etc., that I would say “cross borders.” Tamarind Restaurant (Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam) is a Pan-Asian experience. The Pinnacle Grill offers sterling beef and seafood (see attached menu as example).

Do you have multi lingual tour guides for the different regions?

We contract our guides in each port and tours are in English.

What kind of special offers do you have during the off season & Last Minute Offers you have?

I always recommend to writers to encourage their readers to go visit our Web site and click on Special Offers.

Questions for the Captain , bridge staff & travel dept :

Q:What new North American & Caribbean itineraries are planned for ships such as Eurodam and it's sister ship

Nieuw Amsterdam.

A:

For the remainder of this year, the Eurodam will finish its Northern

Europe itinerary and in the fall, sail Canada / New England (Sep 6, 16, 26) and the Caribbean (starting in mid-Oct and running until late March). The Nieuw Amsterdam will finish its Mediterranean itinerary in early Oct and also sail the Caribbean until late March.

Will Eurodam be making more visits to new york in the 2011 season?

Eurodam is scheduled to be in NY (2011) 10 & 30 Sep. The Veendam will be in NY (Bermuda sailings) 01, 08, 15, 22, 29 May; 05, 12, 19, 26 June; 03, 10, 17, 24, 31 Jul; 07, 14, 21, 28 Aug; 04, 11, 18, 25 Sep; 02, 09 Oct.

Why are there so few Holland America ships sailing to New York or doing transatlantic crossings like they used to years ago?

We now have 15 ships in our fleet and the number of NY visits and transatlantic crossings have not subsided.

Do you think that Italian sea ports have much historical and cultural interest as well as other ports in the Mediterranean region and if they are fit to accommodate more of the newer ships , that the major lines have been building recently.

Most definitely on the historical and cultural front! Italy is an extremely popular destination—so much to see and do. What’s more, many guests, if they cruise the Mediterranean and repeat a port in Italy, always find a new and different tour to take. For me, I love the Almafi Coast and Sorrento. I go there each time I can. I can never get enough. Our ships are mid-size ships so in the majority of instances, we do not have the challenges of docking that some of the mega ships might experience.

What new innovations are planned for the company for the 2011 & 2012 seasons in regards to new services and exclusive features on board?

We are always tweaking,

based on what our guests tell us they like and what they don’t like.

Are there any talks about building a new class of Holland America ships larger than the vista and signature class in comparison to the Grand Class and Dream class vessels in the Carnival brand?

As mentioned above, we build mid-size ships. All of our ships are designed to cruise thru the Panama Canal. What we hear over and over from our guests is that when on our ships, it never feels crowded. Our staterooms and public areas are a bit larger than what’s found on many other ships.

Eurodam departing New York August of 2008 on the day of her maiden arrival to New York.

Eurodam passing the statue of Liberty on her first departure from Manhattan.

Well ,

there you have it.

Interesting enough ,

Holland America Line has no 100,000 + ton capital ships on the drawing boards to be built anytime soon in the near future unlike it's sister brands Costa , Carnival & MSC cruises which are now as we speak building their stunning new builds for the 2011 & 2012 seasons with Princess cruises planning for their largest ships yet over 130,000 tons.

Personally , I would love to see a Queen Mary 2 size Holland America vessel to be built with the finest materials and dazzling interiors reminiscent of the SS Rotterdam and the art deco masterpiece SS Île de France

of the French Line.

Ocean liner / cruise liner buffs can only hope and dream ,
will it happen? Only time will tell.

The Montreal Eaton's 9th floor restaurant is an Art deco landmark in Montreal. It used to be known simply as "The Ninth Floor".

Lady Eaton was the wife of the multi-millionaire owner of the former Eaton's chain of department stores in Canada. For several decades she endeavoured to give her own interpretation of "class and style" to the major stores in the chain. On January 26, 1931, she opened a large art deco restaurant on the top 9th floor of the Montreal Eaton's store, designed by the architec tJacques Carlu.^[1] It was a very close copy of the first class dining hall of her favourite transatlantic liner, the Ile de France. After being closed for several years following Eaton's bankruptcy in 1999 the 9th floor restaurant was given heritage status by the Québec government. Plans for retrofitting the restaurant to modern safety standards were drawn up by Fournier, Gersovitz, Moss et associés, a Montreal architectural firm but have yet to be implemented. Currently it is mothballed and slowly deteriorating.

This restaurant is now the largest memento of the defunct liner and is a registered historical site. It has been the locale for rites of passage and/or female bonding activities over several generations, as described in the National Film Board of Canada documentary Les Dames du 9e, known in English as The Ladies of the 9th Floor. The main 9th floor corridor leading from the elevators to the restaurant is also finished in the art deco style.

Here's a short rundown of the newest capital ships in service fresh from the shipyards in Italy & the ones currently under construction.

Costa Cruises :

Costa Pacifica 2009

Costa Flavolosa (Under Construction) to Launch 2011

Carnival Cruise Line:

Carnival Dream under construction (2009)

Carnival Dream arriving to New York harbor fall 2009.

Carnival Dream docked in Manhattan

Carnival Magic keel laying at Fincanteri.

2009 - Carnival Dream at 130,000-tons is the largest "Fun Ship" ever constructed - entered service on September 21 of last year and is the largest ship ever built by the ship builder Fincantieri
June 26, 2010 - Carnival Magic, which is slated to debut in Europe in May 2011 with a host of innovative facilities and features, will offer two different week-long itineraries from Galveston, including seven-day western Caribbean voyages to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and week-long eastern Caribbean cruises to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West.

Carnival Magic will offer many exciting amenities including a spectacular water park, an exclusive adults-only retreat, a wrap-around promenade with whirlpools that extend out over the ship’s sides, and expansive spa and children’s facilities. Also featured will be a variety of stateroom choices, including deluxe ocean view accommodations with two bathrooms, some of which feature five berths and hold particular appeal for families; cove balcony cabins located closer to the water line; and spa staterooms that provide special access and benefits. A number of new innovations are scheduled to be announced in the near future.

Prior to launching year-round Caribbean service from Galveston, Carnival Magic will operate a series of seven-, nine- and 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona May 1 to Oct. 16, 2011; followed by a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to Galveston departing Oct. 28, 2011.

Carnival Breeze, another Dream class 130,000-ton vessel, currently scheduled to enter service in the Spring of 2012

MSC :

On March 1, 2010, after strong support from French government, STX Europe and MSC Cruises announced signing a new Letter of Intent to build one, 139,000 ton, 3502 passenger, Fantasia-class ship, which is subject to financing, at STX Europe St-Nazaire. MSC Favolosa is scheduled to enter service in June of 2012..

For now the Mid-size ship concept seems to be the perfect match for Holland America's frequent & loyal passengers offering a comfortable , non crowding & overall majestic cruising experience.

Special Thanks to HAL PR for everything & making this all possible.

Article assembled by Byron Huart

TECHNICAL INFO:

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]

Holland America Line’s fleet of 15 ships offers more than 500 cruises to 350 ports in more than 100 countries, territories or dependencies. Two- to 110-day itineraries visit all seven continents and highlights include Antarctica, South America, Australia/New Zealand and Asia voyages; a Grand World Voyage; and popular sailings to ports in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal.

Fleetwide, the company features Signature of Excellence enhancements, a commitment totaling more than $525 million, that showcase the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine — a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and classes — Explorations Café powered by The New York Times, Digital Workshop powered by Windows, teens-only activity areas and all new stateroom amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush Euro-top Mariner’s Dream Beds.

World’s Leading Cruise Lines

Holland America Line is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, World’s Leading Cruise Lines inspires people to discover their best vacation experience. Together, we offer a variety of exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations. Visit us at www.worldsleadingcruiselines.com

Reporter / photographer Byron Huart on the Lido deck.

Is was on this day 9/26/2010 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Liveboat for it was our first ship visit here in the United States.

It was here I took an exclusive tour of Holland America Line's flagship
The MS Eurodam ,

the first of the Holland America's new signature class

vessels.

As we all know the Eurodam's new sister ship ship the Nieuw Amsterdam was Launched on July 4th of this year in Marghera and is making headlines as she makes her maiden calls in Europe and the Mediterranean and will soon make her debut in the USA and the Caribbean ,

unfortunately Nieuw Amsterdam will not be coming to Manhattan anytime soon.

For over a century Holland America and the port of New York have had a beautiful and storied history ,

the MV Eurodam proudly continues the legacy of it's 2oth century predecessors the SS Rotterdam and the SS Nieuw Amsterdam into the 21st Century as an innovation to Holland America Line's signature luxury and style.

Vessel Statistics:

M/S Eurodam i Århus. Torsdag den 24. juli 2008. Pictures, Images and Photos

Name: MS Eurodam
Operator: Holland America Line
Port of registry: Netherlands, Rotterdam
Builder: Fincantieri
Marghera, Italy
Yard number: 6149
Laid down: February 9, 2007
Launched: September 28 2007
Christened: 1 July 2008 by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Completed: June 16 2008
Maiden voyage: July 5 2008

Class and type: Signature class cruise ship
Tonnage: 86,700 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 935 ft (285.0 m)
Beam: 105.8 ft (32.2 m)
Decks: 11 passenger decks
Installed power: 64 MW MaK M43C diesel-electric
Propulsion: Azipod Thusters
Speed: 23.9 kn (44.3 km/h; 27.5 mph) (max)
(22 kn (40.7 km/h; 25.3 mph) (service)
Capacity: 2,104 passengers
Crew: 929 crew

As I boarded the massive vessel I proceeded to the main office where I rendezvoused with the Hotel Manager Marco & event planner Elizabeth.

It was approximately 10:30 am when I & Elizabeth began our tour of this beautiful vessel.

Our first stop was the magnificent 3 story main atrium.

We then proceeded through the shops area , where I looked at the various items sold on board and their jewelry room.

As our tour progressed we explored a rare feature in today's modern cruise ships ,

a small movie theater called The Screening Room,

inside guests can enjoy various movie showings.

Our next stop was the main stage where all the ships amazing entertainment and main shows are held ,

as we toured the sage where I looked at the beautiful modern New York and art deco touches and the lovely light sculptures that adorn the stairways.

As I took a closer look I looked at the detail of the old style decor of the seats and of the classic observation booth on the 2nd level.

Deck 11

Observation deck.

It was here we looked upon the beautiful observation deck at the Crows nest & the HAL exclusive
New York Times powered Explorations cafe where guests can surf the web or relax and look through the vast image collection and the library, as we toured around the cafe we ran into the ships doctor passing the time reading a book.

One deck down we proceeded to the Greenhouse spa area where we looked at the state of the art facilities.

A fully functional gym with state of the art exercising equipment ,

nail & hair salon.

Gym & Exercise area

Silk Den & the Signature Tamarind restaurant.

As our tour continued we explored the children's room called the paint bucket where children have many activities , & Club HAL for their teenage guests equipped with an Xbox 360 room.

Entrance door / very 1960's style decor.

Xbox 360 room

Wall artwork /Groovy pattern art.

Cute!

Deck 9 / Lido Deck.

It was here our guided tour of the vessel ended ,

there I was left to explore the rest of the ship myself.

Stern View / looking at the cabins below.

After I walked around the stern of the Lido deck & grabbed more snapshots it was time to take a break after the long tour , I went to the lovely Lido restaurant to grab lunch.

As you can see , the hard working staff at work preparing & serving all the delicious meals for everyone and the new passengers boarding ready for departure this afternoon.