By
Alice Chambers |
Holland America Line (HAL)’s Rotterdam has made a maiden call in New York City, USA, as part of its transatlantic crossing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to Fort Lauderdale in Florida to celebrate the line’s 150th anniversary.
The ship departed from Rotterdam on 15 October 2022, mirroring the journey of its namesake and HAL’s first cruise vessel, which sailed from the city on 15 October 1872.
To commemorate the new Rotterdam’s arrival in New York on 26 October, the brand hosted an evening of entertainment, which included a performance of a musical piece by Emmy Award-winning producer Steven Schoenberg.
HAL has also partnered with The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to celebrate it’s 150-year journey from its origins as an immigrant carrier to becoming a consumer fleet. As part of this, the brand will play a video produced by an Ellis Island researcher onboard ships across its entire fleet, and will also launch a curated exhibit at Ellis Island in 2023. It will show HAL’s historical prominence in bringing one in 10 immigrants from Europe to the USA.
“We are excited to be celebrating our 150th anniversary in such a vibrant city with our newest ship on a rare overnight call,” said Gus Antorcha, president of HAL. “There's nothing like sailing into New York under the Verrazano Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Standing on deck, you can't help but think back to more than a century ago, feeling the emotion of arriving in America for the first time. Recreating our first voyage has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”