Holland America Signature of Excellence - Phase II

As part of their ongoing Signature of Excellence efforts, Holland America has announced $200 million in further enhancements to the Statendam, Ryndam, Veendam, Maasdam and Rotterdam over the next 2 years. The improvements will take place during extensive dry docks, with the Veendam being first up in Spring, 2009, and the last ship to be completed in late 2010.

The upgrades to these ships will include a new resort pool concept, lanai staterooms, new entertainment and enrichment options, new stateroom décor and more.

The most dramatic alteration will be to the aft portion of the ships, allowing for a new resort-style pool area on Lido Deck called The Retreat, which will have a shallow area where guests can lounge in chairs and dip their fingers and toes in the water or relax on a bench and dangle their legs in the water. (You'll find me there! That sounds heavenly!) A new pool bar and an upscale pizzeria called Slice will be installed, as well as a canopy and wind screens to provide additional covered seating for the Lido Restaurant.

All staterooms will receive new décor, carpeting and soft goods. Each ship also will have an additional 44 to 46 staterooms, 32 with verandahs and the remaining inside.

Keeping in line with the current popularity of "Spa" cabins, the four S-class ships will have verandahs added to 12 staterooms near the spa on Deck 9, and along with three inside staterooms, become spa staterooms featuring enhanced spa amenities. On the Rotterdam, 23 staterooms on Verandah Deck will become spa staterooms.

On all the five ships, 46 new lanai staterooms will be created by replacing existing windows of 42 staterooms (on Lower Promenade Deck 6) with lanai doors that open directly onto the walk-around promenade, and adding four additional staterooms.

The program also involves enhancements to several public rooms. A Merabella luxury jewelry shop will be added. The casino and piano bars will be reconfigured into a multi-themed area called Mix with three separate bars -- Martinis, Champagne and Spirits & Ales. Next door, the casino will be redesigned. The main show space will be transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the ambiance of a glamorous nightclub. The Ocean Bar will be refurbished and carpets will be replaced in most public areas. The new Sky Room on Sports Deck will feature the latest in multi-generational video games and high-tech entertainment.

Entertainment and enrichment, or “edutainment,” is taking on a new, contemporary look and feel across the fleet. A new Explorations Team employs cruise staff, each specializing in a particular area, to educate and entertain guests with an expanded menu of activities including flower-arranging, hands-on cooking, dancing, and working with digital photos, blogs and movies. Each team consists of a party planner, a travel guide, dance directors and a “techspert.” On longer cruises, a book club leader joins the team to lead lively group discussions.

These enhancements should provide a nice facelift to these classic ships in the HAL fleet, and keep the fresh and vital and very appealing.