Nieuw Statendam Officially Joins Holland America Fleet

Nieuw Statendam becomes Holland America’s 15th ship and second ship in the line’s Pinnacle Class design.

The sixth Holland America ship to carry on the name Nieuw Statendam, is also sister-ship to Holland America’s Koningsdam, launched in 2016. The hand-over ceremony was held at Fincantieri, the Italian shipyard. Attending the event were Fincantieri dignitaries in addition to Holland America and Carnival Corporation presidents, CEOs and Carnival Corporation board chairman, Micky Arison.

Then tomorrow, the 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam sails to Venice and on December 5, the inaugural passenger voyage departs from Civitavecchia, Italy for a December 19 arrival in Ft. Lauderdale.

Entertainment

Nieuw Statendam features a very similar physical design to Koningsdam but there are plenty of new features to mention. Music seems to be a unifying theme on both ships. For musical entertainment, the Music Walk (one of my favorite areas on Koningsdam) features Lincoln Center Stage for classical performances, B.B. King’s Blues Club with some of the best blues and R&B at sea plus Billboard Onboard with dual piano players belting out top of the charts hits.

Something new for Nieuw Statendam is the Rolling Stone Rock Room for of course, classic rock hits. World Stage, built larger than on Koningsdam, immerses you in 270-degree LED audio and visual performances that include extreme nature videos presented in partnership with BBC Earth with live orchestra accompaniment.

Dining on Nieuw Statendam

The 99,902-ton vessel features among its 1,377 staterooms, many built exclusively for families and solo travelers.

In addition to the stunning Main Dining Room, there’s a newly designed Rudi’s Sel de Mer, a French seafood brasserie; pan-Asian Tamarind, with new al fresco dining; Nami Sushi added within Tamarind; Holland America’s signature Pinnacle Grill; Canaletto, with family-style Italian dining; and the new Club Orange restaurant exclusively for guests in the Club Orange program.

One of my favorite eateries is back – Grand Dutch Cafe with traditional Dutch coffee, Dutch pea soup and European beer. On the pool deck, Dive-In serves burgers, fries and a fabulous portobello mushroom sandwich. New York Deli & Pizza is back with made-to-order sandwiches, pizzas plus cappuccino and bagels in the morning. And of course, Lido Market buffet.

Nieuw Statendam will cruise the winter season in the Caribbean, round-trip from Fort Lauderdale. In the spring, the ship heads back to Europe for a summer series of cruises from Amsterdam to Northern Europe, Baltic and Iceland. Then in September, Nieuw Statendam returns to Civitavecchia for fall cruises in the Med.

For more information visit Holland America.