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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

March 2011 Edition

Spotlight On: Holland America Line - By Leon Banossian

I had an opportunity to sit down with Carol Berwager, Manager of Charter and Incentive Sales for Holland America Line on a recent visit of the Westerdam. The Westerdam is the third of Holland America’s vastly popular “Vista Class” ships built in 2004.

In April 2007, as part of Holland America Line's "Signature of Excellence" program, modifications to the ship were done to add 34 staterooms, as well as modifications to several public areas of the ship.

Carol Berwager has been with Holland America Line for 14 years and we had a chance to discuss what’s new at Holland America Line in direct perspective of the Corporate, Incentive and Meetings areas.

LB: Hi Carol, what’s new at Holland America Line?

Berwager: Well, the newest thing at Holland America Line as far as hardware is the Nieuw Amsterdam which joined the fleet last year as the second of the “Signature Class” ships with the Eurodam. In addition to new ships, we have new itineraries and onboard enhancements across the fleet.

LB: New itineraries are always exciting for planners when deciding on a program. Can you tell me about some of these?

Berwager: As far as our (Corporate Incentive) market goes, we have some exciting European 7-night itineraries on the Ryndam and Rotterdam for those who prefer the more intimate ships and also on the Noordam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.

LB: That’s a lot of 7 night product which we obviously look for in meetings and incentives. Can you give me the details.

Berwager: Absolutely! There are eight (8) turns between May and September of 7-night Norwegian Fjord sailings on the Rotterdam (1404 passengers) which are roundtrip from Rotterdam, calling on Lysefjord, Sognefjord as well as Oslo and other Norwegian cities. There are also similar 7 night itineraries to the Norwegian Fjords from Dover, England on the Ryndam in May through July.

LB: Well those are unique opportunities, especially for the “been there, done that” crowd. For those thinking Mediterranean, are there any 7-night itineraries?

Berwager: Yes, we have 7-night itineraries scattered April through September on the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam and Ryndam that are roundtrip from Barcelona or Rome. These itineraries vary depending on the home port but include calls in Spain, Monaco, Tunisia, and Italy.

LB: Well there are several choices for those considering Europe. In addition to those you also have ships in the US doing Alaska, Canada and New England and Bermuda and then of course back to the Caribbean in October. Most of those are 7-night itineraries as well, correct?

Berwager: Yes, we have several options for 7-night Alaska cruises departing from Seattle (roundtrip), Vancouver (roundtrip and one way) and from Seward (Anchorage, AK - one way) as well as cruises from New York and Boston to both Bermuda or to Canada/New England.

LB: Well now that we know we can accommodate just about any itinerary request, what’s new onboard at Holland America?

Berwager: As part of our ongoing Signature of Excellence program, we continue to add enhancements and new features to our fleet of ships, including dramatic new public areas and stateroom upgrades, as well as expanding our enrichment program.

Under the latest series of enhancements, we are introducing new soft goods, new carpeting, completely renovated bathrooms, new Spa staterooms and, on Veendam and Rotterdam, the innovative Lanai stateroom. Lanai staterooms feature doors that open directly onto the walk-around lower promenade, while Spa staterooms located near the Greenhouse Spa offer exclusive amenities such as an organic cotton bathrobe and slippers, yoga mat, water fountain, special room service menus and treatments, and more.

Additionally, on all ships, staterooms feature the Mariner Dream Bed with premium plush Euro-top mattress and high-quality cotton bed linens, flat-screen TVs and bathroom enhancements ranging from deluxe bathrobes to lighted, magnifying make-up mirrors.

LB: That certainly is a comprehensive upgrade program.

Berwager: To date, Holland America Line has invested more than $566 million into Signature of Excellence.

LB: Well that is a major commitment to updating and upgrading the fleet to the standards and amenities of even your newest hardware. I have seen these updates first hand on the Veendam and she looks great. The addition of Canaletto (a complimentary Italian restaurant) on the other ships is also nice. Speaking of food, can you tell us about specialty dining options and opportunities for groups to include these in their programs?

Berwager: The Pinnacle Grill has been chosen best alternative restaurant in the cruise industry in Porthole Magazine’s 2009 Editor-in-Chief Awards and is available on all Holland America Ships.

On the Signature Class (Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam), we have Tamarind Restaurant which features Pan-Asian fare. Named for the famous 18th-century Venetian artist, the award winning Canaletto Restaurant, adjacent to the Lido Restaurant dining area, serves classic Italian fare with tableside service for dinners only.

Debuting on Holland America Line's first Signature-class ship, Eurodam, this popular restaurant is now available on the Amsterdam, Maasdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Oosterdam, Rotterdam, Ryndam, Statendam, Veendam, Volendam, Westerdam, Zaandam and Zuiderdam.

For groups and incentives, we can arrange for total buyouts of the Pinnacle Grill or Tamarind restaurants.

LB: Excellent to know. Besides cocktail parties, deck events and private events on Half Moon Cay (Holland America’s Private Island) what other opportunities do groups and incentives have for fun, team building events.

Berwager: Yes, another, Holland America exclusive is the Culinary Arts Center, an innovative theatre-style venue with a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen featuring multiple large plasma video screens so you don't miss the fine details for cooking demonstrations or hands-on cooking classes by our own award-winning chefs and their culinary staff. We can arrange for private events in the Culinary Arts Center for team building, cooking classes, or guest chef demos. Because there are video cameras and screens, we can also broadcast these demos into staterooms (for charters) or create a keepsake video for the attendees through our video department.

LB: That sounds like a great onboard event. Before I let you go, are there any other product enhancements that are unique to Holland America Line?

Berwager: Actually, yes. We recently announced our “Stateroom Direct Service” on all ships giving guests immediate access to their staterooms upon embarkation. Under the program, staterooms will be ready as early as 11:30 a.m., and cruisers will no longer have to check their carry-on bags and wait in public areas while their staterooms are being prepared.

LB: That really is a nice touch, especially after a day of travel to arrive at the ship in some cases. I thank you for your time and for sharing with us and our readers what’s new at Holland America Line. We at Worldwide truly enjoy working with Holland America Line as not all cruise lines understand the ins and outs of the incentive and meetings industry. I can truly say that both shoreside and onboard, Holland America Line takes care of our most valued clients.

Berwager: Thank you, Leon. We truly do value the business placed with us by Worldwide. Your staff makes it easy for us by having the specific knowledge of the client’s needs. More importantly, you know how to implement that into a successful onboard experience through your operations department and many years of experience in placing and handling only corporate, incentive and event clients.

Click here to learn about HAL's Digital Workshop - another great HAL innovation to enhance your cruise memories.

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Worldwide Travel & Cruise Assoc., Inc.

150 S. University Dr.  Ste E, Plantation, FL 33324 - USA

Tel: +1 954 452 8800  Fax: +1 954 252 3945

EMail: sales@cruiseco.com

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