Thread: ms Zuiderdam - history

ms Zuiderdam (2002-present) Built in 2002 as ms Zuiderdam by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Marghera (Venice), Italy for Holland America Line. The first of a class of four 'Vista' ships (Oosterdam, Westerdam and Noordam are her sisters), she was the largest-ever passenger ship to join the HAL fleet at the time. The names of the four ships translate to the four directions of the compass in the Dutch language; Zuid meaning south, Oost for east, Noord is north and West for, you guessed it, .........west.

The Vista class was so named for the extensive use of glass in their superstructures. Zuiderdam shares similar exterior dimensions with Carnival's Legend and Costa's Atlantica class while Cunard's Queen Victoria is an enlarged version of the same design, as is HAL's Signature Class ship Eurodam and her younger sister Nieuw Amsterdam. At 81,769 gross registered tons, Zuiderdam is almost 30% larger than HAL's "R" and almost 35% larger than their "S" class ships. There were originally five Vista’s planned for HAL but that fifth hull was first transferred to Cunard Line in 2003, and then a second time to P&O Cruises to become their ms Arcadia.

Zuiderdam was the third ship in Holland America Line's history to carry the prefix "zuider" or "southerly". The first vessel was launched in 1912 as the 5,211 ton cargo ship Zuiderdijk. At the time, "dijk" or "dyk" was the suffix used by HAL for cargo vessels while "dam" was used for their passenger ships. Zuiderdijk would sail between Rotterdam and Savannah, GA through 1922. She then served as a troop transport during World War I.

The second "Zuider", and the first "Zuiderdam", was launched from a shipyard in Rotterdam for outfitting in 1941. However, a month later she was damaged and capsized during a British air raid. The German occupiers raised her hull but later sunk her again to block the port of Rotterdam to allied forces. She was raised once again after World War II, but never completed.




At the time of her launching on 14 December 2001, Zuiderdam embraced the latest industry and environmental technologies such as the use of a diesel-electric power plant for optimal energy efficiency and an Azipod propulsion system. Zuiderdam's funnel configuration came out as a result of the ship having two power plants, one with three Sulzer diesels and the other with two Sulzer diesels and a gas turbine engine. Not only does this provide for improved safety with the ship being able to function with one disabled engine room, it has resulted in the first major passenger ship with two working fore/aft funnels since the 1965 Italian Lines' Raffaello. The Azimuth "pod" units operate like giant outboard motors underneath Zuiderdam's hull. Their ability to change direction make the ship remarkably maneuverable which is an added plus during tendering operations and/or negotiating smaller ports.

The 951-foot long ship came out with 924 cabins, 85 percent of which had an ocean view. Zuiderdam featured 67 percent verandah cabins as well as a five-star concierge service for the exclusive use of her penthouse and deluxe verandah suite guests. New features onboard Zuiderdam were the Northern Lights disco/night club, a three-deck, as opposed to a two-deck, high show lounge, an internet center, a cabaret-style show venue called the Queens Lounge, an alternative restaurant, the Pinnacle Grill (originally known as the Odyssey), featuring fine Pacific Northwest specialties and wines, the Windstar Cafe gourmet coffee and pastry shop, a greatly expanded children's facility and the Greenhouse Spa, the largest spa facility in the HAL fleet.

The Vista class ships were designed so that eighty-five percent of their staterooms have ocean views and sixty-seven percent have verandas; the extensive use of glass in the superstructure of the four ships is also reflected in the class name. The Vista’s feature "exterior glass elevators," located on both sides of the vessels and vertically traversing 10 decks, providing guests with panoramic sea views. Zuiderdam was also the first HAL ship to offer data ports in every stateroom for internet and e-mail access.

Zuiderdam's art collection carries a Venetian theme throughout the ship. Suspended in a three-story atrium, a Waterford Crystal Seahorse sets the mood for several art pieces which can be found throughout the ship. Examples of these include a painting of HRH Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands by pop culture artist and icon Andy Warhol, medallions by Frank Lloyd Wright, Carnival in Venice, created by Daniel Ogier, cast aluminum elevator doors inspired by the art deco work of the New York Chrysler Building, a massive floral painting by Charles Ben and a large collection of antiques and centuries-old paintings. Eighty-five percent of her staterooms have ocean views and sixty-seven percent have verandahs.

After crossing the Atlantic without (revenue) passengers under the command of her 'take out' captain, Jean "Jack" van Coevoerden, Zuiderdam arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Monday 2 December 2002 at approximately 2:30 pm. This was followed by a trio of three-night inaugural cruises for the media and travel professionals as well as visits to the ship by the company's Mariner frequent cruiser clientele. On Saturday 14 December 2002, Zuiderdam was christened at Pier 26 by her godmother, broadcaster and TV anchor Joan Lunden. There were actually two dedication ceremonies that day. In the first for Mariners and VIP's, held in the ship's Vista show lounge, champagne was poured over the ship's bell by Captain van Coevorden and Mariner alumni representatives James and Lola Melhorne.



The second ceremony was held pierside where a stage had been built underneath Zuiderdam's starboard bow. A large crowd of invited guests had gathered there, a band played and representatives of the ship's crew in their summer whites were holding flags of the nations (United States, the Netherlands, Indonesia and the Philippines) involved in the creation and operation of the ship. The name 'Zuiderdam' was concealed underneath a white canvas until Ms. Lunden gave the cue for its unveiling with "I can officially give you the ms Zuiderdam". A champagne bottle was then released, breaking against the ship's hull, confetti flew, the band played, the ship's whistle was sounded which was answered by the other cruise ships present in Port Everglades that day, namely Volendam, Monarch of the Seas, Grand Princess, Oceana and OceanBreeze.

Dignitaries present for both events included Carnival chairman and CEO Mickey Arison, his wife Madeline, HAL president and CEO Kirk Lanterman and his wife Janet, Fincantieri shipyard executive chairman Corato Antonini, HAL architect and interior designer Frans Dingemans and Reverend David Mesenbring, who blessed the ship.

She then set off that late afternoon on her maiden voyage, a seven-day cruise to the eastern Caribbean, alternating those with seven-day western Caribbean cruises. Her itineraries since then have taken her from the Caribbean via the Panama Canal to the North American west coast, Alaska's inside Passage and Glacier Bay, as well as various ports of Europe.

In November 2003, Holland America Cruise Line announced a U.S. $225 million program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience called the 'Signature of Excellence program'. This enhancement program included stateroom amenities: Sealy PosturepedicPremium Plush Euro-Top mattresses, 100% white cotton woven bed linens, waffle-weave and terry cloth bathrobes and extra-fluffy Egyptian cotton towels to all cabin categories; new massage-type showerheads and professional-grade quiet hair dryers in all bathrooms; new flat-screen LCD televisions, 5x magnifying make-up mirrors with halo lightning, fresh flowers, complimentary fruit baskets and stainless-steel ice buckets with serving trays in all cabins; plus comfortable bed duvets, fully-stocked mini-bars, personalized stationary, DVD players and access to a well-stocked DVD library in all suite-category staterooms.

Also new would be a Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine with a state-of-the-art show kitchen (on the Vista’s inside the Queens Lounge) equipped with plasma video screens and on-stage counters for gourmet cooking demonstrations, tasting events and interactive classes; the introduction of the Pinnacle Grill alternative restaurant and private Neptune concierge lounge on all ships, two additional dining times in the main dining room, a casual dinner option with table-side waiter service inside the Lido Restaurant; an Explorations Café “powered by the New York Times”, basically a combination internet café, coffee shop and library.

In addition, changes were made for non-adults, including newly expanded youth facilities within the "Club HAL" program and the creation of the interior “Loft” and exterior “Oasis” (on the "S" and "R"-class ships) for teens. The younger cruisers (ages 3-7) can enjoy supervised, age-specific activities in a more comprehensive Youth Program (arts and crafts, face painting, candy bar bingo, a pajama party, story-telling, board games, drawing contests, ice-cream sundae parties, etc.) in Club HAL. Their room has art theme with paint can stools, palette tables, and vibrant colors. Tweens (ages 8-12) have their own arcade area with their own stage, a jukebox, air hockey, foosball, Karaoke, Sony Playstations, a Digital Dance Revolution machine (DDR), vending machines, miniature golf, ping pong, dance parties, sports events, scavenger hunts, etc. The Loft is a teens-only (ages 13-18) lounge designed to resemble a New York artist's loft and comes complete with dance floor, state-of-the-art sound and laser light system, big screen TV, music videos, DVDs, Sony Playstations, a DDR, comfortable couches, and Internet access. On the "S" and "R"-class ships, a spiral staircase leads up to the Oasis, a secluded, teens-only sun deck with covered snack areas where teens can soak up rays in hammocks and then cool off in a one-of-a-kind cave and wade pool complete with nine-foot high tropical waterfall.

Shipboard program changes under SOE #1 included an expanded Exploration Speaker series, unique Medallion and Collection shore excursions, iPod art tours of all ships, new wine packages, an early embarkation program (as early as 11:30 am) for guests, flexible As You Wish dining, expanded Pinnacle Grill menu, exclusive flatware, china and stemware in all restaurants, and a broad expansion of the Greenhouse Spa and Salon facilities and treatments, the renaming and re-branding of the original Odyssey and Marco Polo restaurants to the new Pinnacle Grill. Zuiderdam had her SOE part 1 enhancements installed while in dry-dock from 10 through 22 December 2005 at the Grand Bahama shipyard at Freeport, the Bahamas.

In April 2008, Zuiderdam again entered dry dock, this time in Palermo, Sicily for another refurbishment known as SOE part 2. There, a new block of thirty-four prefabricated cabins was lowered into place and installed on her stern increasing her passenger capacity from 1,848 to 1,916 and her gross registered tonnage from 81,769 to 82,305. Her existing Internet Center was moved to the starboard side of the Crow's Nest becoming part of her new Explorations Café. Her Pinnacle Grill restaurant was expanded to 130 seats and also on Deck 2 (LP) starboard side, a new Pinnacle and Wine Bar was added in place of her original Windstar Café (The Windstar Café Coffee Bar was moved to Deck 10 forward to become part of the Explorations Café). The part of Zuiderdam's Ocean Bar that was originally hidden from view behind walkway panels was "opened up".



A dedicated high-end 36-seat (six rows of six theater-style reclining leather seats with small tables in between) home theater called the "Screening Room" was added in place of where her original Internet Center and Java Corner used to be. Her shopping arcade on Deck 3 was expanded and updated (glass panels have replaced conventional partitions and wood floors were refinished), including the addition a high-end jewelry shop/viewing room called “Merabella” in front of the existing shops.

Lastly, standard maintenance and upkeep was performed on the ship, including all hardwood floors being refinished and, as an upgrade, additional artwork added to her passageways.




On 17 February 2009 while on her Caribbean itinerary, Zuiderdam gained a Digital Workshop program by Microsoft which is comprised of complimentary classes led by a Microsoft-trained “techspert”. As part of the program, located in the Stuyvesant Room, Zuiderdam’s passengers can learn to use computers to enhance photos, produce and publish videos onto a DVD and create personal web pages or blogs. In addition, one-on-one coaching, called “Techspert Time” is available for more than 20 hours each week.

From 24 through 30 March 2010, Zuiderdam was once again at Freeport in the Bahamas for an eight-day dry dock where she gained a second alternative restaurant, "Canaletto", serving Italian cuisine.Canaletto, named for the famous 18th century Venetian artist, which debuted on the ms Eurodam in 2008, will come to life for dinner nightly between 5:30 and 9:30 pm when a section of the ships' Lido restaurant is transformed into the Italian restaurant. Canaletto's menu begins with an antipasti plate that changes nightly, followed by soup choices, salad, four pasta dishes and entrees like veal Milanese, chicken marsala scaloppini, osso bucco and cod putanesca. Canaletto is open for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 pm.