Cruise Travel: An Introduction To Holland America Line's Culinary Arts Center

Holland America Line's Culinary Arts Center is featured on each of the line's fifteen ships. A first-class "show kitchen at sea," the Culinary Arts Centers presented by "Food & Wine" magazine resembles the elaborate show kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programs. The facilities are used for demonstrations, tastings and hands-on cooking classes during every Holland America

Holland America Line Offers More Capacity For 2012 Alaska Season

The 2011 Alaska season is only hust about to get underway and already Holland America Line is looking forward to next year when they will offer more sailings to America's last frontier.
Beginning in May 2012, Holland America Line will feature four Alaska cruise itineraries on seven of its mid-sized vessels, totaling 130 departures from May 2 through Sept. 23. The extensive itinerary offerings

Holland America Line & National Park Service to Produce Glacier Bay Podcasts

You may remember in Cruise Diva's description of the art tour aboard Nieuw Amsterdam earlier this year that it was made all the more enjoyable because the narrative is loaded on an iPod® that can be borrowed from the librarian in the Explorations Cafe. The art tours have come a long way from when they were printed out on paper for passengers to read as they viewed the artworks. Stepping up the

Holland America Line News: Spring 2011 Mazatlán, Mexico Port Calls Cancelled

StatementAt Holland America Line, the safety of our guests and crew is our top priority. As such, for the remainder of the 2011 Spring cruise season we are replacing Mazatlán on our published itineraries as follows: ms Oosterdam 7-day cruises departing March 12th, 19th, 26th and April 9th and 16th will now feature two days in Puerto Vallarta with an overnight on day three. The April 2nd departure

New Cruise Review: Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam

The "Nieuw-est" Ship in the Holland America Line Fleet bears a name you may recognize. The fourth vessel to be named Nieuw Amsterdam is the second to launch in Holland America Line's Signature-class.Cruise Diva recently sailed on a one-week Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard the new Nieuw Amsterdam and is pleased to share a profile of this beautiful and gracious ship.

News For Cruise Passengers At Half Moon Cay: Captain Morgan Mixes It Up

Cruise Diva introduced you to the new Captain Morgan On The Rocks bar at Half Moon Cay when we visited there during our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise on January 26th. At that time I enjoyed a Pina Colada, but now they have some new cocktails featuring—you guessed it—Captain Morgan Rum!Although we don't know where the "Myrtle Bank" name comes from, we love rum punch here at Cruise Diva's homeport and

Dine Aboard Nieuw Amsterdam

Variety is the spice of life and here aboard Nieuw Amsterdam the dining options are certainly varied. Naturally there is the Manhattan Dining Room and Lido Restaurant, but the feast doesn’t stop there.Long a staple on Holland America Line ships, the Pinnacle Grill on Nieuw Amsterdam now offers new options in specialty dining—one evening during our cruise the Master Chef’s Table was set to include

Learn New Skills Aboard Nieuw Amsterdam

While Bingo, trivia contests, and the casino are all drawing crowds here on Nieuw Amsterdam, two of the most popular centers of activities on board are the Digital Workshop and Culinary Arts Center.Digital WorkshopIntroduced several years ago by Holland America, the Digital Workshop, which focuses on using Microsoft Windows programs, offers classes in everything from selecting the right computer

The Art of a Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise

Every ship in the Holland America Line fleet is graced with a priceless art collection and Nieuw Amsterdam is no different, with artwork honoring the historic glamour of New York City, which was originally named Nieuw Amsterdam by its Dutch founders.Upon boarding, one of the first things we noticed overhead in the lobby was the lighted, rotating sculpture of the New York skyline. From the decks

Nieuw Amsterdam at Sea

The day began like any other with a discussion of our planned activites over breakfast from room service. Mel would head for the gym and I had a few things to take care of before going to a cooking demonstration in the Culinary Arts Center. Very soon things began to fall apart when Mel returned to the cabin holding his hand in his bloody tee-shirt. He had experienced a close encounter with a

Nieuw Amsterdam at Half Moon Cay

Of all the ports of call Holland America Line ships visit, I’d venture to guess that their private island Half Moon Cay is one of their guests’ favorites. It’s always a highlight of my cruise and I wouldn’t miss going ashore there for any reason. That was why I didn’t hesitate to head to Nieuw Amsterdam’s tender station even though the morning looked gloomy and there was talk of a brief tropical

Where’s Cruise Diva? Aboard Nieuw Amsterdam

Embarking upon a Holland America Ship is like coming home and, in this case, it’s a new home—the newest Signature-Class ship in the fleet, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, which debuted last July. Her highly stylized interior designs and multi-million dollar art collection reflect the glamour and history of the city that was once called Nieuw Amsterdam and is now New York City. In a nod to a tradition that is

Holland America Line To Explore Hawaii & Tahiti in 2011 & 2012

In fall of 2011 and winter of 2012 two Holland America Line ships, ms Westerdam and ms Rotterdam, will sail three 30-day “Circle Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas Islands” explorations, visiting beautiful and picturesque islands throughout French Polynesia and the Aloha state. Best of all, there is no long flight across the Pacific to endure. Westerdam’s voyage sails round trip from San Diego,

New Cruise Review: Holland America Line's ms Ryndam

This is what's called a two-fer. First, after an earlier Bermuda cruise on Veendam this year, Karen Segboer shares her unique perspective about Holland America Line’s S-class Ships: Antithetical Asymmetricies Aboard the Ryndam on (what was to be) a Western Caribbean cruise from Tampa.For more about that itinerary and what happens when bad weather is in your path, Karen shares her thoughts and

Veendam "Bermuda" Cruise Re-Routed

As reported today by The Royal Gazette, "Bermuda will be back in business with the airport open, buses running from 6am, and ferries starting at noon."Hurricane Igor has moved on after lashing the island with winds gusting up to 93 miles per hour and leaving behind extensive property damage. Fortunately there were no major injuries or deaths reported; however, there has been "considerable damage

New Cruise Review, Holland America Line Veendam to Bermuda

Whenever we get an email from our old friend George Hall, we know it's going to be good. In this case, he reports on Holland America Line's Veendam to Bermuda.George began cruising in 1984, and he and his wife, the lovely Linda, do a minimum two cruise a year. They often take three and this year will be sailing four times. They stopped counting when they reached 50 cruises and sail any and all

'A Taste of Celebration' Cookbook by Holland America Line Master Chef Rudi Sodamin Now Available

While my ability in the kitchen precludes me from joining the ranks of gourmet cooks, I love good food and have a "collection" of cookbooks at home to inspire me. A couple of my favorites are by cruise line chefs and the one I rely on the most is A Taste of Excellence by Holland America Line's Master Chef Rudi Sodamin. So, I was delighted to learn that Chef Rudi has written his third cookbook, A

Cruise Travel: Hurricane Earl & Tropical Storm Fiona Advisory

Several cruise lines have offered the following updates.Carnival Cruise LinesWe are closely monitoring Hurricane Earl and Tropical Storm Fiona in the Atlantic. Rest assured, all of our ships will continue to operate at a safe distance from the storms.All departures for the sailings of September 1, 2010 – September 6, 2010 are scheduled to operate as normal.Holland America LineAt Holland America

Holland America Line Introduces Intimate Approach to Shipboard Entertainment

With the recent launch of the 2,106-guest ms Nieuw Amsterdam, Holland America Line is showcasing its new approach to shipboard entertainment, opting to bring more intimacy to evening shows. Exemplifying this new direction is the singing group Cantare (pictured here), a quartet of male performers with a pop music repertoire covering several eras."With this new approach we've focused on getting

New Cruise Review, Holland America Line's Veendam to Bermuda

When I heard that Karen Segboer had taken a cruise this summer on Holland America Line's ms Veendam to Bermuda, I wanted to hear all about it. Karen is a savvy cruise traveler whose observations are based on years of experience and she shares what's old, what's new, and even some overheard conversations worthy of a hearty chuckle.Unfortunately, Cruise Diva was unable to sail to Bermuda aboard