By
Alex Smith |
Holland America Line is changing the name of its newbuild Ryndam to Rotterdam and designating her as the new flagship of its fleet. The vessel will now be delivered on 30 July 2021, delayed from its original delivery date of May 2021.
The third ship in the Pinnacle-class, Rotterdam will be able to accommodate 2,668 guests. She will feature the 270-degree World Stage surround screen, the Grand Dutch Café and Rudi’s Sel de Mer, which were first introduced onboard her sister ships.
The newbuild will be the seventh Holland America Line ship to bear the name Rotterdam. The cruise line’s first ship was also called Rotterdam, sailing her maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New York, USA in 1872 and leading to the founding of the company on 18 April 1873.
“The first ship for Holland America Line was the original Rotterdam, the company was headquartered in the city of Rotterdam for many years, and the name has been a hallmark throughout our history since 1872,” said Gus Antorcha, Holland America Line’s president. “So clearly the name is powerful and symbolic. With the current Rotterdam leaving the company, we knew we had a unique opportunity to embrace the name as our new flagship and carry on the tradition of having a Rotterdam in our fleet. Seven is a lucky number, and we know she’s going to bring a lot of joy to our guests as she travels across the globe.”
After delivery from Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy, the ship will now sail a seven-day ‘Premiere Voyage’ from Trieste to Civitavecchia, Italy. The ship will then depart from Civitavecchia on 8 August on a 14-day cruise through the western Mediterranean and on to Amsterdam, Netherlands. She will then sail roundtrip itineraries from the Dutch capital between 22 August and 10 October.
Guests and travel advisors with bookings on the ship’s previously scheduled itineraries are being contacted with rebooking options. Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam will also have some changes made to its itinerary to replace the sailings. Guests who booked on the originally scheduled Premiere Voyage will be rebooked on the new sailing departing on the 1 August and receive US$100 of shipboard credit.