Holland America Line cruise from Rotterdam
These passenger ships may have sailed under the same name for 150 years, but a lot has changed.
Holland America Line is pulling out all the stops for its 150th anniversary, grandly known as a sesquicentennial. Its newest ship, Rotterdam, arrived in its namesake Dutch port on April 18, the line’s official birthday, for an official ceremony at the Hotel New York. The hotel building has played a major role in HAL’s history; it was the company’s headquarters and cruise terminal from 1901 until 1977 and saw some two million European emigrants passing through its doors on the way to fresh lives in the New World.
Invited guests have gathered in the former luggage hall, a suitably atmospheric space for emotional speeches by descendants of HAL’s founders, the company’s president Gus Antorcha, and the mayor of Rotterdam. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, who christened the ship in Rotterdam on May 30, 2022, has dedicated a commemorative replica of the ship’s bell, now on display in the hotel, along with a collection of maritime memorabilia.
During this anniversary year across the fleet, every HAL cruise will feature a special 150th Gala Menu, serving classic dishes from its archives, and those sailing on designated heritage-themed cruises can enjoy cocktails at 19th-century prices during Retro Happy Hour. And not to be missed is Origin Story, a fascinating audio-visual chronicle of the line from its foundation in 1873, presented on all forthcoming voyages.
Launched in 2021, this Rotterdam is the seventh ship to bear the name since the first set sail on its maiden transatlantic voyage in 1872, a few months before the company was officially established. It is an almost identical sister to 2018’s Nieuw Statendam and 2016’s Koningsdam but when I explore the ship on the day we set sail, I notice a few interesting changes. For a start, there’s a proper library; on those sibling ships, books had been usurped by technology but due to demand from loyal guests, they are being reinstated.
Rather than a combined restaurant and cooking-class venue, Club Orange is now a breakfast and dinner option reserved for top-suite passengers, plus limited numbers of others who are prepared to pay $US35 ($53.50) a day for access. The Blend wine station has been replaced by the Half Moon Bar.
A totally new addition is the pickleball court on Deck 11. This racquet-paddle game, being taken up by millions worldwide, is popular with all age groups, so it’s perfect for the cruise demographic.
As HAL president, Gus Antorcha, says at the Hotel New York ceremony, “The celebration of 150 years is about more than our history, it’s about how we are building on the legacy of a great brand to make it relevant for the next 150 years.” He might not have been specifically referring to pickleball, but you get the gist.
The ship is fully booked on my voyage, meaning there are more than 3000 passengers, many of whom are Dutch. At times it seems the computer system has reverted to a bygone age and refuses to cope. But patient multilingual staff at the guest services and shore excursions desks do a magnificent job under trying circumstances.
At Oslo, our first port of call, the first thing we see when the ship docks is the imposing medieval Akershus Fortress, just beyond our deck 6 veranda stateroom. Having wandered around it on past visits, my cruise buddy and I head off instead to the ultra-modern Munch Museum. This towering, 60m-high building, which looks as if it might just tip over into beautiful Oslofjord, sits beside the elongated opera house and is a stunning landmark on the skyline. As well as hosting permanent exhibitions of Edvard Munch’s paintings (it houses eight versions of The Scream), drawings and his personal art collection, there are regular temporary exhibitions, live music performances and movie screenings.
Oslo’s Astrup Fearnley Museum is another must-visit venue for art-lovers, reached via an easy walk around the busy waterfront from where the ship docks and, while you’re there, pop into the fabulous arty Thief hotel next door for a drink or lunch on the rooftop terrace.
Next up, Copenhagen is a first for me, but Hans Christian Andersen’s story about the little mermaid has haunted me since I was a child. A narrated e-bike tour of the Danish capital, led by a knowledgeable American expat named Derek, starts with a visit to the Little Mermaid statue, which is actually life-sized but not terribly impressive, apart from the number of tourists she attracts. Derek points out Copenhill, a distinctive wedge-shaped building across the water, puffing steam out of a giant tower. It is one of Copenhagen’s many modern architectural marvels, a waste incinerator that produces heating and hot water for 150,000 homes, while multi-functioning as a ski slope, massive climbing wall and park. We follow our leader along clearly designated cycling lanes – more citizens use bikes than cars – and make stops at places as historically varied as the stately Amalienborg royal palace complex, picture-perfect 17th century Nyhavn and the original hippie commune of Christiania in Christianshavn. Nearby are the gleaming 21st-century Royal Opera House and Royal Danish Playhouse, set among original waterfront warehouses, while Paper Island is another impressive new development in the area. Clearly, Copenhagen richly deserves its official designation as UNESCO’s World Capital of Architecture for 2023.
For yet another change of scene, we jump into a taxi and head for Kodbyens Fiskebar, a highly recommended fish restaurant in the fashionable former meat-packing district. The cracked white tiles and original butcher-shop decor contrast with the elegance of its menu, which often changes according to what seafood has been harvested locally the previous afternoon.
Talking of food, we sample the menus at every restaurant and cafe aboard Rotterdam, apart from Club Orange, during this 10-day cruise. Rudi’s Sel de Mer is a French-style brasserie that specialises in seafood and fish dishes (try the bouillabaisse Marseillaise); Pinnacle Grill is a classic steak and seafood restaurant; and Tamarind serves genuinely spicy pan-Asian cuisine and excellent sushi from the adjoining Nami Sushi bar. There’s a cover charge for dining at these venues but it’s well worth the cost. Included in all cruise fares are meals at the main dining room, New York Deli & Pizza, Dive In burger and hot dog stall, and the Lido Market, where the array is terrific; if you have salad cravings after too much rich food, this is your go-to eatery. And while passengers pay for good coffee at the Grand Dutch Cafe, the snacks are complimentary.
The thermal suite in the elegant Greenhouse Spa & Salon is a lovely quiet place to while away an hour or two, and evenings offer a smorgasbord of live musical entertainment in the Music Walk area on Deck 2. Days at sea provide the perfect opportunity to play bingo (I don’t win the free cruise on offer), I make a ham-fisted attempt at origami, and attend resident florist Humphrey Male’s flower-arranging demonstration. Dramatic floral displays are a HAL hallmark and Humphrey single-handedly creates 200 exquisite arrangements a week around the ship from $US4000 worth of local flowers and greenery.
An abundance of blooms is also on display at Keukenhof Gardens, a 35-minute drive from Amsterdam’s cruise terminal. Although the weather is cool and grey, “the bulbs love it”, says our bus driver. The vibrant colours of 7.5 million massed tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths, snowdrops and jonquils are simply astonishing.
By the time we dock at Invergordon in Scotland the next morning, the sky is clear, and we are treated to wide-open, sunny views across Cromarty Firth towards the distant mountains of the highlands. Today’s excursion is to Cawdor Castle and Culloden Battlefield and our tour guide is one of life’s born entertainers. Not only does she know about everything from Scottish whisky to the height of munro mountains and the region’s long and complicated history, but she regales us with Gaelic songs in a strong, pure voice.
Cawdor Castle is famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, although the Bard took considerable liberties with the facts and King Duncan was definitely not murdered there. Today, it is home to the widow of the 6th Earl of Cawdor, Lady Anjelika, and there is a certain amount of toil and trouble relating to her stepson, the 7th Earl. Regardless, it is a marvellous medieval residence, dating back to the 14th or 15th century (records vary) and surrounded by gorgeous gardens. The rooms are surprisingly light and bright, home to an eclectic collection of artworks, fabulous antique furniture and tapestries.
Drumossie Moor, in contrast, is the blasted heath where the last pitched battle on British soil took place. It’s a place for quiet reflection and the chance to learn a little more about our many and varied histories. Which is something at which HAL has proven it excels. That, and a right royal heritage.
IN THE KNOW
Rotterdam’s 14-day Northern Isles round-trip from Rotterdam departs August 31, 2024. The ship calls at Stavanger in Norway and Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, before undertaking several days of exploring Iceland, then visits to Stornoway on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis and Invergordon (Inverness). Veranda stateroom from $5929 a person, twin-share.
Sally Macmillan was a guest of Holland America Line.
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