In 2016, Holland America Line will launch a new class of cruise ships that, up until now, have been a closely guarded secret.  “What will they look like?”,  “How big will they be?” and “What features will we find on board?” are all questions that the world of cruise vacations wants answers for.  Recently, Holland America released a sneak peek at new ms Koningsdam, a ship the line describes as having “an interior that blends a fresh, contemporary styling in perfect harmony with the line’s renowned classic elegance.”

As the first ship in the Pinnacle class, the 2,650-guest Koningsdam’s design will focus on fluid curves and graceful lines, light-filled spaces and the natural flow of public areas.  Stop right there and we think of Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam, arguably one of the prettiest ships in the fleet and perhaps an inspiration for new Pinnacle class.

“When guests come aboard ms Koningsdam they’ll know they’re on a Holland America Line ship, but they’ll see we’re taking a forward-thinking approach to many of the design elements,” said Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group. “Revealing the first renderings and video of ms Koningsdam enables us to give future guests an advance look at the stunning interiors and over the coming months will reveal innovative new features along with our classics hallmarks that will create a cruise experience for the travelers of tomorrow.”

Along with a new class of vessel comes a new way of thinking too.  Holland America guests will be encouraged to actively engage the architecture rather than simply moving through it.

“The idea was to tell a story that guests can connect with throughout their voyage,” said interior designer Adam D. Tihany. “I was inspired by the thought of what you might see from the inside of a musical instrument, what the architecture of the surfaces and the geometry look like.”  Sound rather vague?  I’d be that’s intentional and part of a master plan to roll out the new Pinnacle class of ships in a unique way.  Still, Holland America Line does not want too much speculation describing the central atrium of ms Koningsdam with greater details on both the layout and thought process behind it.

“Soaring three decks high, the space is graced by an airy stainless-steel sculpture that represents the synthesis of a string quartet. Like music, the experience changes as guests move around and through it, so no two perspectives are the same. The atrium is capped by a ceiling “skylight” that serves as a backdrop for subtly changing high-definition projections. Guests will look up by day and see wispy cirrus clouds floating in an azure sky or perhaps soothing images of light in water. By evening, the atrium takes on dramatic lighting hues or reflects the starlit constellations of the night sky.”

Revealing artist renderings of the stunning interior areas on the new Holland Line America ship we already see that this is going to be one unique ship.  In the months ahead, look for more detail on the ship’s design as even more innovative features and detailed renderings of ms Koningsdam will be released on the company’s website. Early season premier itineraries will be revealed in the coming weeks too as ms Koningsdam sailings opening for booking.