Holland America’s Newest Ship Arrives in Port Everglades

Earlier this week, Port Everglades welcomed the 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam to its new home port in Fort Lauderdale. Sister ship to Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam is the second Pinnacle Class ship and one of the largest ships in their fleet.

After leaving from the port of Civitavecchia, Italy at the beginning of December, Nieuw Statendam arrived into Port Everglades at sunrise. Nieuw Statendam’s official naming ceremony takes place at Port Everglades on February 2, 2019. Oprah Winfrey is the godmother to the new ship and the ceremony will be private.

What’s new on the Nieuw Statendam

The new ship will have many of the same features found aboard Koningsdam, including the Music Walk which includes the same three live music venues. The three music venues are Billboard Onboard for Billboard top hits, Lincoln Center Stage for classical music and B.B. King’s Blues Club and the All-Stars Band. Nieuw Statendam is the first Holland America ship to have the Rolling Stone Rock Room. In partnership with Rolling Stone magazine, there’s a five-piece band that chronicles four decades of rock history.

In addition to the ship having 16 more passengers than Koningsdam, the Culinary Arts Center is gone and replaced with Club Orange, serving breakfast and dinner. This new specialty restaurant has a $50 per person per day fee for non-suite guests but is included for those staying in a suite. The menu is similar to Pinnacle Grill but with additional offerings. America’s Test Kitchen is back but will be in a different venue since the Culinary Arts Center is now Club Orange.

Also on Nieuw Statendam is the Grand  Dutch Café, one of my favorite spots for a light meal. It features authentic Dutch food including a wonderful Dutch Pea Soup, open-faced herring sandwiches and french fries with mayonnaise. You can also try Dutch liquors such as Genever and Advoccaat.

There’s a larger Explorations Central where you can learn more about the places you’ll visit, up on Deck 12. Crow’s Nest fans will find that it’s technically no longer there in order to accommodate the larger Explorations Central (EXC).

Read more:  My 14-night transatlantic crossing to Europe aboard Koningsdam

Nieuw Statendam will sail a variety of eastern, western and southern Caribbean itineraries from Port Everglades through April 2019. The ship will reposition for a summer and fall season in Europe. On October 27, 2019, Nieuw Statendam will depart from Civitavecchia and return to Port Everglades for the winter.

For more information visit Holland America.