Holland America’s Lines’
(HAL) newest vessel, the ms Amsterdam, made her debut in November.
A tight stately ship, sporting the traditional black and white
exterior, she proudly glided in and out of New York harbor for
a overnight cruise and afforded this reviewer the opportunity
to check her out. I was not disappointed.
Built at the Finacantieri
shipyard in Marghera, Italy at a cost of $330 million, the Amsterdam
is sister ship to HAL’s flagship Rotterdam which made her debut
three years ago. And like the Rotterdam, the Amsterdam has twin
stacks and a more formal interior design than the newly introduced
V-class sister ships, the Volendam and the Zaandam.
She is the first HAL
ship to have the revolutionary Azipod propulsion system, which
gives the ship an operating speed of 22.5 knots, plus greater
maneuverability and operating efficiencies.
The propulsion Azipods
being used by new cruise ships are based on similar designs
employed on ice-breaking tanker ships: Everything needed to
propel the ship is contained in two housings called pods that
are suspended perpendicular to the ship’s hull. The evolutionary
Azipod design pulls a vessel through the water rather pushing
it as in conventional propulsion systems. Ship maneuverability
is enhanced by the Azipod electric propulsion units can turn
the ship a full 360 degrees. Azipods eliminate the need for
rudders, long shaft lines, conventional drive units and stern
thrusters, all of which take up space and added weight. Less
weight allows for better fuel efficiency as well as less noise
and vibration. And to further reduce noise on board, additional
soundproofing materials were added in the decks and bulkheads.
While the Amsterdam is
the third vessel of the same name in the company’s 127-year
history, the name dates even further back. According to early
maritime records, there were two earlier vessels with the same
name: one, a 200-ton galleon that in 1595 joined a fleet of
four ships sailing to Java in the trade of Oriental spices between
Holland and the East Indies; the second so-named vessel was
built in 1744 for the same long-distance trade./p>
Amsterdam I was the vessel
of the Dutch shipping consortium De Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche
Stoomvart Maatschappij (NASM) that eventually became known as
the Holland America Line. Built in 1879 in Scotland, with a
passenger capacity of nearly 700 and a crew of 57.l, the two-masted
rig sailing at the speed of 10 knots made her maiden voyage
from Rotterdam to New York in 1880 and for the next four years
provided Transatlantic service before running aground in fog
off Nova Scotia.
The Amsterdam II was
originally known as the British Crown that was owned by the
British Shipowners Company of Liverpool before it was acquired
NASM in 1887 and renamed. Of somewhat similar size to the first
Amsterdam, she regularly crossed the Atlantic until she was
retired eight years later.
Today’s 61,000-ton Amsterdam
is a well-designed ship with a passenger capacity for 1,380.
Her service cruising speed is 21 knots and she is manned by
an international crew of 674. Her Captain as well as the Officers
are Dutch and the ship is registered in The Netherlands.
Like her sister ship
the Rotterdam, the Amsterdam retains many of her features such
as the Explorer’s Lounge as well as the casual Lido restaurant
that offers 24 hour informal dining. On Upper Promenade Deck,
there is the Ambassador Lounge for people watching, and the
Skyroom Club children’s indoor/outdoor activity center. The
Puzzle Corner was also retained and it is located next to the
well-appointed Library on.
But changes were made
to include an all-suite concierge deck, offering the Neptune
Lounge for the exclusive use of guests residing in the two penthouses
and 50 suites (two are equipped for the handicapped). More than
three quarters of the ship’s 690 staterooms have ocean views,
with a quarter featuring private verandahs with glass balustrades.
All the spacious staterooms feature individual air conditioning
units. And 21 staterooms are wheelchair accessible.
The ship’s interiors display $2 million
of art that represent a nautical theme as well as murals and
artworks showing the city of Amsterdam as it looked from
the 17th through the 20th centuries. In the ship’s
three-deck, marble and glass central atrium stands an amazing
timepiece called the Astrolabe. This clock tower, designed by
Architectenbureau VFD in Utrecht, has a carillon in its base
that chimes a melody every 30 minutes. The 29.5-foot timepiece
has four clock faces: one is synchronized with the ship’s clock;
another is a world clock with different city locations around
the world displaying their time. The third shows the constellations
as they appear in the night over the city of Amsterdam while
the astrological clock shows the zodiac with a calendar.
Other notable pieces
on board include the “Four Seasons” brass sculptures originally
created for the ss Nieuw Amsterdam of 1938; and the 14th century
Ming Dynasty’s “guardian statues.” A modern touch is the two
life-size bronzes of brown bears fishing at the Lido swimming
pool that were created by contemporary sculptor Susanna Holt.
Six Lounges are available
for libation and dancing, including the Crow’s Nest observation
lounge and nightclub, and the Rembrandt Lounge combined dance
room/piano bar that has a moveable wall for different room configurations.
The ornate Queen’s Lounge with its fiber optic lights winkling
in the ceiling, seats 557 people and is the main venue for Broadway-style
entertainment. With a revolving stage and hydraulic lifts, it
also has a moving light system. There is also the 217-seat Wajang
Theater on Promenade Deck that is used for lectures, meetings,
films and religious services.
Next door, the Java Café
is a hub for coffee drinkers and it is conveniently located
by the Internet Café. Along with sending emails, guests can
sip an espresso while they work the seven computer terminals
available. The Center is open 24 hours, has a printer, and a
staff member is on hand at posted times. A fee of $75 per minute
is charged from log-on to log off. And for each email sent,
$3.95 is charged; no charged is incurred for emails received.
Also available for a fee are Video Mail and Games as well as
Word, PowerPoint and Excel. (In HAL’s new ships being built,
plans call for Internet centers and data ports to be installed
in the guest staterooms.)
On Upper Promenade Deck
there is the cozy Erasmus Library, while an adjoining separate
area that offers audiovisual facilities for meetings and private
parties. Further forward is the Casino with the requisite slot
machines and gaming tables.
The fully equipped Ocean Spa health club on Lido Deck includes
spa treatments, a beauty salon/barber shop and the latest fitness
machines. There are also two
swimming pools as well as two tennis-practice courts located
in aft on Sports Deck.
La Fontaine Dining Room is the main dining
room seating 747 guests on two levels that are connected by
a u-shape curved grand staircase. An expansive stained glass
ceiling with a floral motif and fiber optic lights filtering
through was installed over the area. Because the ceiling was
so large, the glass had to be cut by hand and then encapsuled
in steel frames instead of the traditional method of putting
the glass in leaded forms. To accentuate the ceiling, the color
scheme of the dining room decor is in shades of blue, green
yellow and orange in the furnishings and carpeting. Especially
striking is the wall of glass that surrounds the dining area
at the stern of the ship, allowing diners views of the sea.
The music balcony in the dining rooms’ upper level is patterned
after a similar one on the
SS Nieuw Amsterdam of 1938. And two small dining rooms-the King’s
and the Queen’s rooms-off the main dining room can seat 44 for
group or private dining. For casual dining, guests can choose
the Lido dining complex, which offers open seating and a variety
of food, served buffet style.
An alternate more
intimate dining room, the Odyssey, serves gourmet lunches and
dinners but advance reservations are required. There is no extra
fee for dining here. The entrance to the restaurant is adorned
with carved wooden angels that are believed to have come from
an organ in the Baroque period. The Odyssey’s burl wood interior
with red, black, gold and cream décor is surrounded by paintings
of whimsical country landscapes. Guests, I was told, who dine
in the 88-seat restaurant will be served highly refined contemporary
Italian cuisine designed by Corporate Chef Reiner Greubel.
A special plus for families
is the Club HAL youth program offering a wide range of activities
to keep the younger set busy. Baby-sitting services at a fee
is also available.
I also visited the ship’s
modern medical facility in the bowels of the ship on Dolphin
Deck. Staffed by a physician and three highly trained nurses,
I found it reassuring to know there is medical help available
should one feel under the weather. In extreme medical emergencies,
passengers can be helicoptered to an American hospital or an
equivalent accredited facility depending on where the ship is
cruising at the time.
Despite the brevity of
my trip, I found the ship to be very pleasing to the eye and
palate. For her size, she offers many options to keep guests
busy morning to night. There were some language difficulties
in communicating with some of the service personnel in the dining
room and a couple of the lounges; and I did find the presence
of so many smokers in most areas of the ship discomfiting to
my sensitive nostrils.
On the horizon, HAL has
five more 1,800-passenger ships scheduled for delivery within
the next four years. Similar in design, each ship will have
several new features added.
The Amsterdam is currently
on a series of 10-day Panama Canal cruises between Fort Lauderdale
and Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica through March 29. Each cruise
will visit Half Moon Cay, HAL’s private island retreat in the
Bahamas; St. Thomas/St.John; and Willemstad, Curacao; before
transiting the Panama Canal to cruise Costa Rica’s scenic coast
and a stop at San Jan del Sur in Nicaragua.
She then sails east May
8 on a 16-day transatlantic cruise to begin a series of 12-day
cruises in the Mediterranean, and western and northern Europe.
Following her 16-day repositioning cruise to the United States
out of Copenhagen on August 22, the Amsterdam begins a series
of Eastern Canada/New England cruises out of New York on September
7. Following that, she resumes the 10-day Panama Canal cruises.
In mid-January 2002, the Amsterdam will embark on her first
100-day World Cruise.
For information or reservations, visit www.hollandamerica.com
