From the sheets to the eats, and with art and antiques, Holland America creates a more sophisticated air for the discerning traveler.
By ROBERT N. JENKINS
Published January 18, 2004
[Holland America photos]
The Ocean Bar occupies one level of the Oosterdam’s atrium.
The Greenhouse Spa and Salon includes steam and aromatherapy on these heated ceramic lounges in the “thermal suite.”
A passenger relaxes on one of the decorative benches placed in each elevator lobby aboard the Oosterdam.
FORT LAUDERDALE - In a wall niche aboard the new Oosterdam, between two intricately carved wooden doors from 18th century India, is a smaller item that represents the $225-million investment by Holland America Line. Most passengers will probably never notice it.
Instead, their gazes likely will be drawn to large pieces of framed art displayed a few feet across the corridor, items to be auctioned as the Oosterdam cruises about the Caribbean or Alaska.
What the passengers would miss is an exquisite reproduction of a pearl and emerald necklace from 19th century India. The original jewelry symbolized happiness and holiness. This copy stands for the sophistication Holland America hopes is obvious in a major upgrading of what is already a well-regarded cruise experience.
The marketing phrase for the project across the company's 12-vessel fleet is "Signature of Excellence." It is a two-year effort, begun in November, to upgrade most everything onboard.
That means the ice buckets in the staterooms will be stainless steel instead of plastic, that custom Sealy mattresses will be topped with Egyptian-cotton sheets. Passengers will be offered more information about ports of call through Internet stations preset to destination-specific Web sites and through lectures on culture and geography.
Instead of vegetable-carving demonstrations, passengers can sit in a "Culinary Arts Theater" and watch chefs create a meal, which the viewers can eat.
"From a passenger standpoint," says president and chief operating officer Stein Kruse, "you'll see a product enhancement in five areas: dining, accommodations, service, destinations and activities. Lifestyle trends will be reflected in the onboard experience."
Speaking to reporters last month during an introductory cruise of the 1,848-passenger Oosterdam (pronounced OH-ster-dam, it refers to the eastern point of the compass), Kruse said the goal of the multimillion-dollar project is "staking a claim on what a premium cruise line is, setting the standard that attaches value" to the cost of a cruise.
Elegance and espresso
That necklace reproduction and its flanking carved doors are part of more than a million dollars' worth of original art and antiques placed everywhere about the ship. The antiques reflect the storied history of the Dutch East India and West India merchant companies, which traded in Asia, West Africa and the Americas as far back as the 17th century. Among the works displayed:
* A collection of 14 prints from 17th century Japan portray the arrival there of Dutch traders.
* From the same period are Italian gilded wood reliquaries.
* Life-sized, hollow, ceramic copies of Buddhist torsos stand in one corridor.
* Each elevator lobby has unusual benches and pieces of wall art.
* The outdoor swimming pool has whimsical glazed-ceramic chairs at one end, while a pool that has a sliding glass cover features a sculpture of penguins atop a mock ice floe.
* The Piano Bar displays a rare six-valve trombone created in Belgium in 1910, and original paintings of jazz celebrities - plus the artist's preliminary sketches for each.
* Even cabin bathrooms have hand-painted tiles detailing old-time sailors and sea serpents.
* Detailed ship's models are displayed in some lobbies.
* A fragile nautilus shell sculpture holds tiny statues representing the four seasons.
Such visual elements bring an air of sophistication to something as simple as walking from the show lounge (867 seats on three levels) to the library (26 comfy seats, some at large writing desks).
The library is understandably quiet, but ship designer Frans Dingemans has created other muted areas, such as conversational groupings in the 63-seat Explorers Lounge and in the Java Cafe (specialty coffees and teas, plus confections), which seats just 28.
Oosterdam is the second of four Vista Class ships, identical in size. With berths for 1,848 passengers, the Vista ships carry from 28 to 52 percent more people than the older Holland America vessels.
As if to offset the concern among potential passengers that there would be, well, crowds on this larger ship, Dingemans designed several public spaces that are relatively small. There are three bars that hold from 25 to 70 people each; the disco's capacity is 80 and consequently looks wildly popular with just a few dozen customers.
Allowances are made for larger numbers in the dining areas: The Vista Dining Room seats 1,045, spread over two levels, and the pool-deck, buffet-line Lido Restaurant can seat 446.
More space, more ports
Holland America also is taking part in the cruise industry trend of specialty restaurants, at an added price. Oosterdam's fine-dining Pinnacle Grill puts out its Bulgari china place settings for just 130, who must make reservations and pay a $20 cover charge.
The Pinnacle reflects that, "People want gourmet meals, exceptional ambience and fresher food, prepared closer to time of service," Kruse said.
This restaurant is a large helping of the "Signature of Excellence" project; the better ice buckets and mattresses are more subtle touches. But there is upgrading at other levels. For instance, those booking one of the 162 suites find amenities such as VCRs or DVD players, stocked minibars and access - via their room-key card - to their own concierge lounge, stocked with canapes, sweets and drinks.
Cabin sizes have been increased throughout this larger class of ships. The choicest nonsuite staterooms are a relatively spacious 200 square feet indoors, with a 54-square-foot veranda. The smallest suite is 298 square feet, plus a 100-square-foot verandah.
For big spenders, the two penthouse suites are 1,000 square feet each, with 318-square-foot verandas.
While Holland America currently sails to 280 ports in 63 nations on all seven continents, it has plans to reach even more exotic destinations by 2005, such as the Amazon, Iceland, Greenland, Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island in southeastern Russia, and Sevastopol in the Ukraine.
At the same time, executives realize that potential passengers are concerned with flying to reach the usual ports of embarkation in Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Consequently, this summer Holland America will sail from such drive-market harbors as Norfolk, Va., Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.
Through this collection of upgrades, large and small, Holland America seeks to sail past premium-niche cruise competitors Princess and Celebrity lines.
Rather than pursue the mass-market passenger, Kruse said his company is going after "baby boomers looking to spend discretionary income . . . tomorrow's sophisticated travelers . . . who want to enrich themselves, immerse themselves" in cultural and educational experiences.
Holland America, he said, now has "ships being purpose-built for the discerning traveler" - people who might take notice of a centuries-old necklace.
If you go
NOTABLE CHANGES: Holland America's typical passenger demographic has been more retiree than baby boomer. Consequently, the evening entertainment was most often toe-tapping tunes and name performers whom the spotlight had passed.
While Oosterdam still offers "The Champagne Strings playing your string and Gypsy favorites," there is also the "late night dance blast with DJ Jazzy Jeff," revealing costumes for the musical troupe's women, and a "couples massage lesson followed by bliss relaxation yoga."
In addition to the main dining room and Pinnacle restaurant, the pool deck's restaurant now offers, simultaneously, separate buffet lines for Asian, Italian, deli, grilled meats and salads. The dessert area had six flavors of ice cream and sherbet and about a dozen kinds of baked confections.
PRICES: As on all cruise ships of any size, the rates for passage depend upon where your cabin is, what time of year you sail and the itinerary, both for destination and number of days at sea.
Oosterdam has seven cabin categories: two sizes of inside (no view of the water) cabin, one cabin size with (nonopening) windows, and four categories of cabin with verandas. According to Caladesi Travel Service of Dunedin, in the ship's current season of seven-night voyages in the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, the smallest cabins sell for about $599 per person, based on double occupancy, including taxes. The smallest cabins with a veranda (200 square feet indoors, 54 feet out) sell for about $1,000 per passenger.
For more information or to book reservations, contact Holland America Line at www.hollandamerica.com or call a travel agent.
