Photograph Jason McDowell
- USA
Photographs on this page, except
those marked otherwise, were provided by and are © Holland America Line
Please Note:
Cruise-Australia is a non-commercial and privately owned cruise site and it is
NOT associated with any cruise company or travel agency! Although the author
has been in the passenger shipping industry since 1960 and is currently
semi-retired, but continues to write cruise and ship reviews and articles in
order to better to inform cruise and ship enthusiasts and provide information
for those intending a cruise in the future. Please read my
statement at the bottom of the page!
ms Zaandam (2000-present)
Built in 2000 as ms Zaandam by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A.,
Marghera (Venice), Italy for Holland America Line. Her
keel was laid on 26 June 1998 and she was floated out of her building dock on
30 April 1999.
After running successful technical trials in
the Adriatic, Zaandam
was delivered to Holland America Line on 6 April 2000. She then crossed the
Atlantic via the Adriatic and Mediterranean bound for Ft. Lauderdale,
FL. y 2000. She departed on 4 Ma for her maiden voyage to the Caribbean,
alternating Western and Eastern itineraries.
Essentially she is a slightly larger version
of HAL’s “Statendam (S) class”: series of ships and the
Zaandam, like her sisters, the ms Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Volendam has three
design changes that distinguish her from that earlier class: Her aft swimming
pool was moved from Navigation Deck up one level to Lido Deck, an alternate
restaurant, at the time of her delivery was called the Marco Polo, which later
became the famed Pinnacle Grill, and she has a mid-ship stairwell elevator bank
which is by far superior. Whilst the ms Rotterdam and Amsterdam have a
twin-funnel, side-by-side arrangement, but the Zaandam and Volendam both have a
single funnel, however the stack is of a different and a more modern design
than the “S” class funnels. Whilst the Rotterdam and Amsterdam were
essentially designed for longer, world-wide cruises, the Zaandam and Volendam
were designed for duties in the Caribbean, Alaska but also in Hawaii, the South
Pacific, Australia and around Asia. Her home ports so far have been Ft. Lauderdale
and Port Canaveral, Fl, San Diego, CA and Vancouver, BC and soon Auckland and Sydney.
The basic layout of Zaandam’s public
rooms are the identical to that of ms Volendam, starting the moment as you
board this fine ship with the ships stunning three deck high Atrium featuring a
giant 22 ft (6.7 m) high Baroque-style Dutch pipe-street organ with mechanical
figures “playing” violins, drums as well as horns. The organ
“performs” on sea days at 11:00 am and at 12 Noon, then again at
2:00 and 4:00 pm. As you board you will understand why this ship is known as
the ship of music, for the Atrium sets the musical theme!
The
Atrium and the Amsterdam Street
Organ
Zaandam’s theme is throughout the ship and it is filled with items
and actual pieces of music memorabilia throughout the ship, be it framed
posters or genuine instruments. Zaandam sports a
comprehensive collection of Rock'n'Roll memorabilia that would do credit to any
Hard Rock Café and many of these items were originally acquired at a
Christie’s auction in London
in 1998. There is a Fender Squire Telecaster guitar, which is signed by the
Mick Jagger, as well as Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood and Bill
Wyman of the Rolling Stones, this is located in a glass display case on the
Deck 4 staircase. An Ariana acoustic guitar signed by David Bowie and Iggy Pop,
a Fender Stratocaster guitar signed in silver ink by the members of Queen, then
there is a Bently Les Paul-style guitar signed by various artists, including
Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, BB King, Robert Cray, Keith Richards and Les Paul
in the hallway near the lower entrance close to the Rotterdam Dining Room. The
rear wall of the Explorers Lounge has the Conn Saxophone with a mouthpiece
signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton. There are two somewhat unusual piano art
pieces on board that have been painted by modern Dutch artists; one by Henk van
Vessem painted in a colourful abstract design located in the ship’s Lido
Restaurant, the other, made to look like “shipwreck wood” is
located in the Seaview Lounge located just outside the Piano Bar.
The
Explorers Lounge
Explorations
Lounge also features the Café, Library, and Internet Cafe
The artwork and artefacts onboard Zaandam is
worth millions and that also includes the many antiques, paintings, prints and
photography centered around a theme of Dutch and Holland America Line seafaring
exploration and cruise travel. There are a series of black & white photos
of the company’s early liners in most passenger corridors. Zaandam also exhibits works created especially for her by
world-class artists and she has a collection of Egyptian artwork, including a
wooden model of the third coffin of King Tutankhamen that is permanently
displayed in the Art
Gallery. Usually an “eye
catcher” is the large reproduction of the New York’s Metropolitan
Museum of Art’s “Yellow Jasper”, actually a fragment of an
Egyptian queen’s face that is commonly referred to as “the yellow
lips” is located on the outside of the Explorers Lounge. Like all other
HAL ships, great paintings of the line’s ships by Captain Stephen Card
can be found in the forward stairwell, in addition some of the public rooms are
decorated in a traditional Dutch colonial motif. A bronze sculpture of a group
of five leaping Pacific dolphins by British artist Susanna Holt is located at Zaandam’s amidships
magrodomed Lido Pool. And a pair of boldly coloured life-size ceramic cows
created by Dutch artist Jackie Bouw lie contently by the ship’s aft Sea
View Pool.
The
Lido Pool seen with the giant sliding magrodome closed
Her main two-story show lounge is named after
Dutch abstract painter Pieter Cornelis “Piet” Mondriaan. The lounge
glitters with bright white, gray, and silver decor with somewhat darker furniture
providing contrast, the tables feature lamps with miniature musical
instruments.
The Mondrian Show Lounge
Zaandam’s trade mark the Ocean Bar attracts the pre and post-dinner
cocktail crowd and her 205-seat Wajang theatre, the place for movies, meetings
and presentations. The ever popular Crows Nest observation lounge has a
320-degree view for taking in port departures and arrivals. She has an Ocean
Spa fitness center with a gymnasium and separate massage, sauna and steam
rooms. Zaandam
also has a magnificent Explorers Lounge, Java Café coffee bar, Piano Bar, a
24-seat Erasmus Library, an Internet center, shops stocked with duty-free
goods, and a Casino with Casino Bar which doubles as the ship’s sports
bar.
Far
forward and topside is Crow’s Nest offering the finest views over the bow
Close to the Wajang Theatre, there is the wine
tasting bar as well. When 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 for the 'Signature of Excellence program'.
This enhancement program included stateroom amenities (luxury beds and bed
linens upgrades, Euro-style mattresses, waffle-weave bathrobes and Egyptian
cotton towels to all cabin categories), new massage-type showerheads and
professional-grade hair dryers in all bathrooms, new flat-screen LCD
televisions with DVD players, make-up mirrors with halo lightning, fresh
flowers and complimentary fruit baskets in all cabins, a Culinary Arts Center
(inside the Wajang Theatre) presented by Food & Wine magazine, with an
on-stage kitchen for gourmet cooking demonstrations and interactive classes; an
Explorations Café (taking in the Erasmus Library and original internet center
and adding a coffee bar); a Neptune concierge lounge for the exclusive use by
Deluxe Verandah and Penthouse suite occupants; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and
Salon offering thermal suite treatment and an excellent Fitness Center; and the
”Loft” and the “Oasis”, respectively, an interior and
exterior area designed exclusively for teens (ages 13-17) Club HAL also has
excelent facilities for the yunger set, a play room and other facilities! Zaandam had her new
enhancements and facilities installed quite some time ago and is a wonderful
ship and I hope that you will experience her in 2011 & 2012!
The
Fitness
Center located directly above the
Bridge
Club
HAL – Games Room
Club
HAL – The Loft
Club
HAL – The Oasis with rock pool
In addition, the ms Zaandam also has a Digital
Workshop program operated by Microsoft, which offers complimentary classes led
by a Microsoft-trained “techspert”. As part of the program,
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.
Dining.
There are a number of dinning
options on ther Zaandam.
1, the magnificent two-tier Rotterdam dining room, which offers traditional
first and second sitting evening meals on the upper level and Dine as you wish
on the lower level. Breakfast and lunch is either a choice of a fully served
meal in the Dining Room or Buffet style at the Lido Restaurant topside. The
Lido buffet-style restaurant is open for Breakfast, morning tea, lunch,
afternoon Tea and a more casual Dinner, and then there is the elegant alternate
restaurant, the Pinnacle Grill that serving the ultimate in Pacific
Northwest fare and believe me, having experienced it. It is a
MUST!
There is another alternate restaurant on
board, “Canaletto” that serves delicious Italian cuisine.
Canaletto, is named after the famous 18th century Venetian artist, and this
venue originally debuted on ms Eurodam in 2008. It comes to life for dinner
nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 pm when a separate section of the ships' Lido
Restaurant is transformed into a fine 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. The good news is
there is no charge for this option, unlike the ultra luxury Pinnacle Grill,
where there is a charge, but it is the ultimate experience! There is also a on
deck BBQ and Grill during lunch located starboard forward of the Lido Pool.
The
Rotterdam Restaurant
Accommodations
All Stateroom amenities include:
·
Luxurious beds featuring Sealy®
Premium Euro-Top mattresses and finely woven cotton linens
·
Deluxe waffle weave and terry
cloth bathrobes for use during your voyage
·
100% Egyptian cotton towels
·
Premium massage showerheads
·
5X magnifying make-up mirrors and
salon-quality hair dryers
·
Fragrant soaps, lotions, shampoo
and other bath amenities from Elemis Aromapure
·
Complimentary fresh fruit on
request
·
Elegant ice bucket and serving
tray for in-stateroom beverages
·
Flat-panel TV and DVD player
·
Ice service, shoeshine service and
nightly turndown service
Therefore, regardless the grade
you chose, you can be assured of a spacious room, which will be delightfully
comfortable and serviced regularly and be ready for your regular evening
surprisses left by your steward.
Inside
Twin/Double bedded Cabin
Outside
Twin/Double bedded Cabin
Verandah
Twin/Double bedded cabin
De
Luxe Suite
You may ask – “Why should I
cruise with Holland America Line?” The fact
is that this is one of the world’s leading cruise company’s and
they have won more accolades than any other cruise company, and more than that
they have won it for consecutive 17 years in a rom. These are just a few of the
accolades given by some of the most recognosed organosation from around gthe
globe!
These are some of the
International awards, including the Australian AFTA Award.
“The Highest
Rated Cruise Line” – Conde Nast Travellers Readers; Choice
Travellers Awards; Travel & Leisure Word’s Best Awards.
“Best Overall
Cruise Value” – 17 consecutive years – World Ocean & Cruise Liner
Society.
“High
Deluxe Five Star Rating” - World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society.
“International
Five Star Diamond Award” – The American
Academy of Hospitality
Sciences.
“Cruise
Line with the Highest Client Satisfaction” – TravelAge West.
In 2010 Holland America
received the following awards “Best Cruise Operator” and
“World’s Leading GREEN Cruise Line.”
“Best Cruise Operator” (Internationally
based) - AFTA award 2010 at the AFTA National Travel Industry Awards.
“Gold
2010 Rear Admiral William M. Benkert Environmental Protection Award” from the U.S. Coast Guard.
“World’s
Leading Green Cruise Line Award” and
the “Blue Circle
Award” from the Port of Vancouver.
That would give you more than
able ensurence of the kind of cruise experience that Holland America will
provide, and I suggest that you also read my ms Volendam
Cruise Review and some
of the pother pages shown at the bottom of this feature, including the ms
Amsterdam Ship review. Both ships are Zaandam’s
sisters.
The ms Zaandam is famed for her superb multi
million dollar art collection, but the art is only part of the story onboard
the delightful Zaandam
for you will also discover exquisite cuisine, excellent service and enticing
pampering are mainstays in the Holland America cruise experience. And remember
to enjoy an invigorating treatment in the greenhouse Spa & Salon. Savour a delectable
feast in the Rotterdam Dining Room, which serves a magnificent five course
feast that is truly delightful. And be pampered at every turn with by a staff
whose commitment to excellence in service is apparent from your bar staff and
dining room waiters to your room steward who will all soon know you by name.
Excellence is way of life on Holland America, thus
why not joiun her soon!
Book
your cruise soon for the ms Zaandam is Australia bound in 2011/12
Photograph from the author’s collection
For a cruise brochure or for more information
on Holland America Line’s cruises and CruiseTours - see your travel
agent, or call Corie at 1800 427 847
- Email: info@cruisespecialists.com.au.
These are my other Holland America Pages:
Page One: Holland America Line – Introduction Page
ms Nieuw
Amsterdam - ms
Rotterdam - ms Prinsendam, ms Volendam, ms Zaandam & ms Oosterdam
Now available, the author’s the new 2010 - ms Volendam Cruise Review
And the ms Amsterdam Ship Review
The author visited
ms Amsterdam in Brisbane
on November 11, 2010
Also
read our Holland America Line
- Cruise News Updates - Page
For
Information & Reservations
In
Australia
ONLY …
Contact
… Australia’s
very first fully dedicated cruise agency – Established in 1982
“The
Cruise Specialists” are Australia’s
very first fully dedicated Cruise Specialist and they have been serving the
Australian cruise passengers for 27 years. The agencies Director Corie Lisignoli
looks forward to hearing from you and providing you with the kind of cruise
service and experience you deserve! You will not only receive quality service,
but also the latest and the best information and fares available.
Email Corie: info@cruisespecialists.com.au
Or
Phone Corie – Free Call
Brisbane and/or International
readers - Phone:
For a listing of recommended Australian, New Zealand & International Cruise’n’Travel Agents
ENTER HERE
***************************************************
Who
is the Author of Cruise-Australia & ssMaritime?
Commenced
in the Passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
Or go directly to the - Cruise-Australia.com - INDEX
Please
Note: Cruise-Australia and associated sites are a non-commercial
and privately owned cruise sites. The author has been in the passenger shipping
industry since 1960 and is currently semi-retired, but continues to write
cruise and ship reviews and articles in order to better to inform cruise and
ship enthusiasts and provide information for those intending a cruise in the
future.
However,
if you are interested in a cruise, I am happy to refer you to a dedicated
cruise agent in Australia, New Zealand or
further afield on my recommended “cruise agents” page, for these
are agents that specialise in cruising and they will be able offer excellent
service you and the best fares available! Be assured, I do NOT receive any
commissions or favours from these agents, and in the vast majority of cases
these agents will not even be aware of my, or mu site’s involvement, as I
provide the enquirer with the requested information of the agents (in their
region) including their contact details. Reuben Goossens.
Contact the Author …
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provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers or collectors. Credit
is given to all contributors. However, there are photographs provided to me
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This
notice covers all pages, although, I have done my best to ensure that all
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