My Holiday Cruises.com

As the winner of 17 consecutive “Best Overall Cruise Value” awards from the World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society, and consistently among the highest-rated premium cruise lines year after year in Conde Nast Traveler’s “Readers’ Choice Awards” and Travel + Leisure magazine’s, “World’s Best” awards, Holland America Line is known for gracious and attentive service. Its ships have one of the highest staff-members-to-guest ratios. Spacious staterooms average 25 percent larger and verandahs twice as large as those on other lines’ ships. Dining choices include formal elegance, intimate specialty dining, casual fare and complimentary 24-hour room service.Holland America Line’s ongoing Signature of Excellence initiative has invested $525 million in shipboard enhancements including the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine “a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen” where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and classes, Explorations Café powered by the New York Times, teens-only activity areas, new stateroom amenities including flat-panel TVs and plush-top Mariner’s Dream Beds.

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With the introduction of the 2,104 passenger ms Eurodam in June, 2008, Holland America Line’s fleet grew to 14 ships, offering nearly 500 cruises from more than 25 home ports. Itineraries range from two to 108 days, visit all seven continents and all of Travel + Leisure magazine’s “Top 25 Cruise Destinations.”

Overview

Marking its 130th anniversary in 2003, Holland America Line offers premium cruising, with virtually unlimited cruise and cruise tour options that span the globe and satisfy every traveler’s appetite for exploration. During the company’s rich history – first as a shipping and passenger line and subsequently as a cruise line — Holland America’s fleet has carried nearly 10 million passengers.

Holland America boasts 13 ships that sail to more than 280 ports of call on all seven continents. More ships and tours are being added each year. In 2004, there will be 500 sailings from 15 North American ports, including new departures from Norfolk, Baltimore, and Boston.

Holland America’s commitment to providing the best in cruise vacations is confirmed by the numerous awards and accolades the company has received from the leaders in the tourism industry. In 2003, Holland America Line was the highest rated premium cruise line, focused on value and service according to the readers of Travel & Leisure. It was also Conde Nast Traveler’s top-rated major cruise line. The company has received the “World’s Best Cruise Value” award from Ocean & Cruise News for the last 12 years.

Cruise Tours

The Holland America Tours subsidiary is the largest and most experienced cruise tour company serving Alaska and Canada’s Yukon, with a record eight ships and 144 seven-night cruises to Alaska in 2003. Cruise tour packages range from adventure shore excursions to a combined land tour and Holland America cruise. Holland America CruiseTours offers the world-famous full-domed rail cars of McKinley Explorer, and has also introduced exclusive land tours to Canada’s Kluane National Park.

Half Moon Cay

Half Moon Cay is Holland America’s private island, is located in the Bahamas, less than 100 miles southeast of Nassau. In order to preserve the setting’s natural beauty, Half Moon Cay is built on just 45 of the island’s 2,500 acres of crescent-shaped, white-sand beach. The island offers a variety of shore excursions, as well as a Food Pavilion and West Indies Village, an aquasports center, Club HAL playground, supervised swimming area, nine-mile stretch of beach, wild bird reserve, Bahamian-style chapel, and beach chairs. In 2003, Half Moon Cay won the Editor-in-Chief award for “Best Private Island” in the cruise industry from Porthole Cruise Magazine.

Dining

Holland America Line serves world-class cuisine, from endless buffets to elegant dinners accented by classic signature touches featuring Rosenthal china, starched linens, fine silver, and fresh flowers. The Holland America Line chefs, who are all members of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs gourmet society, prepare continental, regional, and traditional favorites.

In the Main Dining Room, guests dine in style surrounded by elegant staircases, rare art, and panoramic windows. Guests can enjoy a five-course meal, which may include seared sea scallops or filet mignon, or an order from the kosher dinner menu.

The reservations-only Pinnacle Grill offers guests a romantic ambience and delicious Pacific Northwest cuisine. Succulent seafood dishes, including Alaskan king salmon, Dungeness crab cakes, and Northwest clam chowder, are served by candlelight.

The casual indoor/outdoor Lido Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests enjoy a range of menu items, including fresh meat, fresh seafood, Asian stir-fry, Italian favorites, and Mexican fare.

World’s Leading Cruise Lines

Holland America Line is a member of the exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, The Yachts of Seabourn, Princess Cruises, and Windstar Cruises. Together, these member lines share a commitment to quality and value, offering cruise vacations that appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets and sail to some of the world’s most exciting destinations.

Club HAL

Club HAL provides exciting activities for children and teenagers. Children ages 5-12 can enjoy a range of activities, including ice cream sundae and pizza parties, storytelling, minigolf, theme parties, ping-pong, sports events, and scavenger hunts. Teenagers ages 13-17 can hang out at the teen disco and participate in sports tournaments, trivia contests, arcade games, dance lessons, and movies. Club HAL also features “kids-only” shore excursions to Half Moon Cay as well as a selection of special adventures during Alaskan itineraries

Spa & Fitness

The Holland America Line Spa features the therapeutic and wellness rituals of Steiner Leisure. Rejuvenating treatments include a Couples Massage, Elemis Deep Tissue Muscle Massage, Elemis Japanese Silk Booster Facial, and an Elemis Exotic Coconut Rub and Milk Ritual. Guests may dip into the refreshing hydrotherapy pool, receive therapeutic water treatments in the sauna, or bathe in exotic herbs.

The fitness center boasts panoramic ocean views that guests can admire while working out with treadmills, bikes, stair steppers, rowing machines, weight machines, and free weights. Yoga, kickboxing, Pilates, and aqua aerobics classes are also available. Onboard, guests can keep fit in the swimming pool, exercise on tennis and volleyball courts, and improve their swing with Elite Golf.

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Entertainment

The multi-tiered show lounges play host to Las Vegas-style productions that feature incredible performances by vocalists, comedians, and illusionists. Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and Oscar nominees assist in creating these magical performances.

A variety of themed lounges allow guests to relax, applaud live entertainment, or kick up their heels with swing, disco, fox trot, waltz, and calypso dancing in the signature Crow’s Nest nightclub.

The casino features blackjack, craps, roulette, and Caribbean stud poker. Guests can try their luck at bingo, the cruise lottery, and the mega-slot tournament.

Stateroom & Suite Amenities

Spacious and elegant staterooms include quality amenities such as Premium Plush Euro-Top mattresses, high-quality cotton bed linens, large plush towels and terry bathrobes, massage showerheads, and a welcome basket of fresh fruit. A white-gloved steward will escort guests to their room upon boarding and provide unobtrusive service.

Suite guests receive all stateroom amenities plus additional amenities and services, including personalized stationary, luxury duvets, in-suite afternoon tea and hors d’oeuvres, fully stocked no-host minibar, and 24-hour concierge service.

Guests can relax, read, and socialize in the privacy of The Neptune Lounge, reserved exclusively for passengers staying in the Penthouse Suite and Deluxe Verandah Suites. The lounge concierge helps guests make reservations for shore excursions, car rentals, the Pinnacle Grill, and more.