SEATTLE, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line announced it will more than double its previously announced Bermuda cruises in 2010 from 11 to 24 beginning on April 25, 2010.

Sailing roundtrip from New York aboard ms Veendam, the cruises will visit both Hamilton and St. George's, Bermuda's cultural and shopping hubs.

"This is a wonderful development for Holland America Line and Bermuda," said Richard D. Meadows, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. "We are thrilled to homeport a ship in New York City to sail to Bermuda and our extended season to the islands will be very exciting to our guests."

When the 1,350-guest ms Veendam sails in April on the first of 24 seven-day roundtrips to the island, it will mark Holland America Line's return to New York City as a home port and to Bermuda as a destination. Additionally, guests of Holland America Line will have an opportunity to fully experience Bermuda's British charm and its unique island culture by day and by night with multi-day stays in Hamilton and St. George's. The itinerary calls for approximately two and half days in each port. The season lasts until October 10, 2010.

"Veendam is ideal for this itinerary," Meadows noted. "She is a premium mid-size ship, the perfect size to navigate the narrow entrances to the harbors in Hamilton and St. George's. Veendam's guests are able to step off the ship right in the center of each town. Ships larger than Veendam must tie up at the Dockyard facility a considerable distance from both towns."

Bermuda offers many activities for the entire family, from historic discoveries, active pursuits such as horseback riding and kayaking and wonderful beaches with swimming and snorkeling. The island is also known for world-renowned golf courses.

Holland America Line worked closely with the Bermudian government to form the partnership that takes Holland America Line back to the island that it first visited more than 70 years ago. In 1926, Veendam II, with a guest capacity of approximately 500, left New York on the company's first Caribbean cruise. During the summers of 1930 and 1931, Veendam II sailed on five-day roundtrip cruises between New York and Bermuda.

Founded in 1609, the town of St. George's in the northeast area of Bermuda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second oldest settlement in North America. Only Jamestown in the United States is older. Narrow, twisting streets and pastel-painted houses create a European feel. The oldest Anglican Church in North America is in St. George's and many other historic buildings, most made of stone, have been preserved. More than a dozen forts dating to the 17th century are scattered in the hills surrounding the town.

Hamilton, the major commercial hub and seat of government, is in the geographic center of the island and is close to south shore beaches. Veendam will dock at the town's front door just steps from Front Street and its colorful array of shops and restaurants. Hamilton is home to a massive 19th-century, neo-Gothic cathedral and the Georgian-style Sessions House dating to 1815.

SEATTLE, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line will name its new 2,044-passenger Signature-class ship, ms Eurodam. To be delivered in summer 2008, the new Eurodam marks Holland America Line's next class of vessels and the largest ever constructed for the premium line. With an estimated all-in cost of $450 million, the new 86,000-ton Panamax Eurodam will be built at Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard.

"This will be the 80th passenger ship to sail in the company's fleet and the first ship in our illustrious history to bear the name Eurodam," said Stein Kruse, president and chief executive officer. "We chose the name Eurodam to celebrate our European and Dutch heritage and our third century of sailing in one of the world's most popular cruising regions." The company's first ship, the ss Rotterdam, sailed her maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York City in October of 1872, 134 years ago last month.

When launched in 2008, the Eurodam will further the evolution of Holland America Line's sophisticated mid-sized ships to further define and expand the Holland America Line premium brand. With 11 passenger decks, new innovations include a topside 144-seat Pan-Asian restaurant and 50-seat lounge surrounded by panoramic views overlooking the ocean expanse and the Lido pool. Other additions are an Explorer's Lounge Bar, a new specialty restaurant adjacent to the Lido offering the finest in Italian food, elegant luxury jewelry boutiques, new atrium bar area, enhanced and reconfigured show lounge with theater-style seating, and a new photographic and imaging center.

The line's renowned Explorations Cafe, powered by The New York Times will be located on the starboard side of the Crow's Nest, providing a scenic backdrop for guests wishing to enjoy specialty coffees, surf the internet and take advantage of the cafe's music listening stations.

With an additional deck, the Eurodam will have 63 new staterooms more than the latest Vista-class ship. Forty-seven will be verandah cabins and ten will be a new style of stateroom with ceiling-to-floor and wall-to-wall panoramic windows. In total, the Eurodam will carry 1,022 double occupancy staterooms, with 86 percent outside staterooms of which 67 percent feature verandahs.

Staterooms will continue to provide all the Signature of Excellence premium amenities: plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream beds, deluxe waffle/terry cloth robes, Egyptian cotton towels, flat panel TVs, DVD players, make-up mirrors with halo lighting, massage shower heads, professional grade hair dryers, fresh flowers and complimentary fruit baskets.

The Eurodam will continue several much-admired Holland America Line features, including outside-view, glass elevators at midship; the Pinnacle Grill and Pinnacle Bar; the innovative Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine Magazine, where culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and intimate classes in state-of-the-art onboard show kitchens; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon with thermal suites and hydro-pool, the largest gymnasium ever built for Holland America Line; and a youth facility that includes the teens-only Loft.

On the technical side, the Eurodam will feature the latest state-of-the- art navigation and safety systems including dynamic positioning abilities to hold the ship in a precise position. The vessel will be powered by six diesel generators and propelled by the latest Azipod propulsion technology.

The line has an option for a second Signature Class vessel which would be delivered in spring 2010.

Holland America Line's fleet of 13 ships offers nearly 500 cruises to more than 320 ports. Two- to 108-day itineraries visit all seven continents, including Antarctica, South America, Australia/New Zealand and Asia voyages; a Grand World Voyage; and popular sailings to ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal.

In the 2006 Portrait of Affluent Travelers survey by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell, Holland America Line topped the list of cruise lines sought after by affluent leisure travelers. Its recently completed $225 million fleetwide Signature of Excellence enhancements added features such as 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, teens-only activity areas and all new stateroom amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream Beds.

SEATTLE, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- When Holland America Line recently added a new Culinary Arts Center to the final ship in the fleet, all structural changes originally envisioned for the company's $225 million Signature of Excellence initiative were complete. The comprehensive Signature of Excellence upgrades announced nearly three years ago in November 2003 triggered an industry trend of fleet rejuvenations and enhancements to meet the demands of an expanding set of discriminating cruise vacationers.

Signature of Excellence features and amenities are evident in every aspect of the Holland America Line cruise experience, offering guests more luxurious accommodations, more enticing destinations, enhanced dining experiences, more creative activities and even higher levels of service.

"We invested to realize a vision, and that vision was to make our brand experience even more relevant to today's and tomorrow's premium traveler," said Stein Kruse, president and CEO of Holland America Line. "I believe we've not only delivered on our promise, but exceeded expectations."

Signature of Excellence by the numbers

All told during the two-year implementation, 12 Holland America ships spent nearly 200 days in drydock receiving enhancements such as the Mariner's Dream stateroom experience with premium comfort appointments, the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine, Explorations Cafe -- powered by The New York Times, exclusive Pinnacle Grill restaurant, refurbished Crow's Nest observation lounge, expanded youth facilities and enhanced Greenhouse Spa and Salon.

A broad range of employees led by Mike Novak, vice president, marine operations, was involved in every aspect of Signature of Excellence, from conception to the final products. Novak's team oversaw the work of nearly 2,000 people, including shipyard workers, contractors and ship personnel. They tested and retested hundreds of items to ensure quality, coordinated delivery schedules and oversaw complex installations.

Other statistics on Signature of Excellence include:

• 10 million hours worked in dry dock -- the equivalent of 387 years
• 1.2 million pounds of steel installed on the ships
• 695,743 luxury items added to staterooms, from sheets to bathrobes to make-up mirrors
• 49,372 pieces of electronic equipment, from televisions to CD players, DVD players to computers, installed on the 13 ships
• 27,000 book titles added to Explorations Cafes. At one book a week, it would take more than 500 years to read them all
• If you stacked all the new Euro-Top plush mattresses end on end, they would reach 18,985 feet high -- just 1,300 feet lower than the summit of Alaska's Mt. McKinley
• 254 nautical miles of electrical cable installed on the ships -- enough to reach from Ft. Lauderdale to just off shore of Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private Caribbean island
• 170 new ways to explore destinations on Medallion/Signature excursions. 60 nationalities represented by people working in the shipyards -- a virtual United Nations

More excellence to come

The premium line also is making additional enhancements to the first three Vista-class ships, carrying on the spirit of Signature of Excellence. The fourth Vista-class ship, ms Noordam, was delivered in February with all Signature of Excellence enhancements installed, including an Explorations Cafe and Pinnacle Bar. These venues, which have been enthusiastically received by guests on Noordam and the rest of the fleet, will be added in the next few years to ms Westerdam, ms Zuiderdam and ms Oosterdam. Those ships also will receive new aft staterooms, increasing their guest capacity to 1,918 -- the same as Noordam. All of these changes go beyond the original scope of the Signature of Excellence program. The spirit of excellence also is reflected in the new namesake Signature-class ship, which will be named in the near future and debut in the summer of 2008.

SEATTLE, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's constantly connected world, guests aboard Holland America Line ships will soon be able to use their own personal cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to stay tied to family, friends and business associates while cruising on one of the line's premium cruise ships.

The service is currently available on the ms Volendam and will be operational on all ships by March 2007. Guests will simply make and receive calls and use text messaging as they would on land with their personal cell phone. Phones and PDAs must be activated for international dialing with the guest's home provider, but otherwise no special codes or software is needed. International roaming fees apply to all shipboard cell phone calls or messages and appear on the guest's personal cell phone bill.

"Staying connected is a way of life for most of us, our guests included," said Stein Kruse, president and CEO of Holland America Line. "Now, whether cruising with Holland America Line in Europe, the Caribbean, Alaska or sailing around the world, our guests can connect at sea anywhere at anytime." Holland America Line's new cell phone service utilizes SeaMobile's proprietary technology, a sophisticated IP/software based solution that works with any type of wireless phone. Worldwide roaming agreements established by SeaMobile provide transparent connectivity for wireless services with billing provided by the guest's home carrier.

About SeaMobile Enterprises

A dominant global service provider, SeaMobile Enterprises provides satellite connectivity and enhanced services to over 250 vessels and land based operations, including the major cruise lines. Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), a SeaMobile company, already provides VSAT satellite connectivity and manages the internet cafes on board Holland America Line ships. Services include mobile phone service, wireless service for PDAs and laptops, access to printed versions of more than 350 daily newspapers, live television, Internet cafes and much more. The company has offices in Seattle, WA, Miramar, FL, London, England, and Paris, France. For more information, visit www.seamobile.com and www.mtnsat.com.

With the introduction of the 1,918-passenger ms Noordam in early 2006, Holland America Line's fleet grew to 13 ships, offering nearly 500 cruises from more than 25 home ports. Itineraries range from two to 108 days and visit all seven continents, including new Australia/New Zealand and Asia sailings, a world cruise and popular sailings to several ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Europe. The ms Noordam also offers Caribbean sailings in the winter from new homeport New York City.

Holland America Line's $225 million, fleetwide Signature of Excellence enhancements feature new programs and amenities including 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 will provide cooking demonstrations and classes -- Explorations Cafe powered by the New York Times, teens-only activity areas and all new cabin amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush-top Mariner's Dream Beds. Signature of Excellence enhancements are now complete on the entire fleet.

World's Leading Cruise Lines

The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world, Holland America Line is a member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, these lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.