NEWS SPECIAL REPORT


Holland America Line’s second Pinnacle-class ship, Nieuw Statendam, set off on its inaugural voyage last week from Rome to Fort Lauderdale. Harry Kemble reports


Ashford: Targeting specific passenger mindset


HAL reinstates Amsterdam visits as new vessel sails


Holland America Line is to bring back its ship visit programme in Amsterdam in 2019 after a two- year break following the launch of Nieuw Statendam.


Agents will be given four opportunities to see the 2,650-passenger ship in the Dutch capital on the weekends of May 11,


June 8, July 6 and September 7. Nieuw Statendam launched this month and is currently sailing from Rome to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on its inaugural voyage, but next summer will operate out of Amsterdam. The line will fly 50 agents from


any UK airport to Amsterdam for each of the four Nieuw Statendam visits, with an Amsterdam day trip followed by a ship tour and lunch the next day. Lynn Narraway, UK managing


director of Holland America Line, said: “Agents get two bites of the cherry – they see the ship and experience a city break. It is probably the only opportunity they will get to see a HAL ship. It’s a bit more glamorous than seeing a ship in Southampton or Dover.”


There will also be ship visits


for agents in Queensferry near Edinburgh on August 7 and 8; the Port of Tyne on August 6; Belfast on May 23; and Dublin on May 24. Rather than return to


Amsterdam last summer, Holland America Line hosted two ship


visits on Koningsdam and Zuiderdam in Southampton – 200 agents attended each event. Orlando Ashford, the line’s


president, wants agents to target passengers with a certain mindset rather than any particular


demographic when selling Nieuw Statendam. “What we at Holland


America Line focus on is people who want to explore, music lovers and food lovers,” he said on the ship’s inaugural sailing. Agents will be shown a video


presentation by Ashford on board Nieuw Statendam during the summer visits.


Watch our video on Nieuw Statendam


at travelweekly.co.uk Nieuw Statendam in numbers


75 number of ports Nieuw Statendam will call at in the first year


1,339 cabins on board 2,650 passenger capacity


$4 million worth of art on board


4 music venues: BB King Blues Bar, Billboard Onboard, Rolling Stone Rock Room and Lincoln Center Stage (together known as the Music Walk)


975ft long:


The same length as 12 blue whales


Club Orange and music venues are key to new vessel


The boss of Holland America Line has singled out new speciality restaurant Club Orange and the enhanced live music offering as two key features on Nieuw Statendam. Orlando Ashford, who is


overseeing his second ship launch as the line’s president, said Club Orange had been launched on a trial basis and could be rolled out fleet-wide. Neptune Suite passengers


have automatic access to Club Orange, which serves both breakfast and dinner. Passengers staying in other cabin grades can pay $50 per day per cabin to eat there. Other perks for Neptune


Suite members include priority embarkation and disembarkation, as well as tender service. “Club Orange has speciality amenities and menu options that will be just for Club Orange guests,” Ashford told Travel Weekly. “It is a trial of something new.” Ashford also highlighted the


four live music venues as “the heartbeat of the ship” known as Music Walk.


14travelweekly.co.uk13 December 2018


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80