Today we have news, information, and opinions about the latest Holland America cruise ship entry in the Premium cruising category. First, the quick version:

2666-passenger Nieuw Statendam began Caribbean deployment on December 19 with a 4-day sailing from Port Everglades. Continuing what first-in-class Koningsdam started with a tweak here and there along the way, Holland America Line has a solid hit on their hands, as is.

But there’s more…

When sister ship Koningsdam was introduced, it was the first in the new Pinnacle class of cruise ships. Perhaps a bigger story at the time, we saw Holland America Line operating differently. Stop right there and we’re saying a lot.

SEE: On Similar Paths: Rotterdam, Koningsdam and Holland America

This was a cruise line that was so deeply ingrained in history that it had become part of it.

While other cruise lines embrace history, Holland America Line made it.

The launch of Koningsdam built on that history, cast a wider net and has begun to attract and retain a wider variety of traveler.

One of the ways they do that with transformative spaces, so we might as well start there. Transformative spaces are areas of the ship that have multiple uses throughout the day. That’s not a new concept, transformative spaces have been used by other lines for quite some time. Sister-line Princess Cruises (and others) atrium coffee bars with menus that change throughout the day is a fair example.

But There’s More…

The Holland America Difference on Nieuw Statendam showcases those transformative areas in a different way.

Sort of like Legos.

When Dinner In The Culinary Arts Center, introduced on Koningsdam, just didn’t work out for one reason or another, that space was transformed into a private restaurant for use by a new Club Orange pay-for-status program ($50 per person, per day), a story in and of itself.

Also evolving, the Holland America Line program with Food And Wine Magazine, former host of The Culinary Arts Center which, for all practical purposes, is gone.

Food & Wine mag’s presence is still around, branding foodie-oriented tours ashore. Cooking demonstrations still happen but on the nicely-equipped World Stage which provides a far better view for all passengers in attendance. You will not need to show up an hour early to get a good seat.

But There’s More…

The main showroom on a cruise ship seems to be a venue that we either visit a lot or not at all, mainly due to programming found in it. Nieuw Statendam’s World Stage is a comfortable space I found myself in far more than normal (which is never).

Of the new 45-minute show Humanity, Nieuw Statendam Cruise Director Ross McTaggart said “You don’t want to miss this. You have never seen anything like it”. At the time I thought I’ve heard that one before. Briefly. Then McTaggart went on with more detail on the performance but his exact words faded away like someone was turning down the sound.

At the same time, a brilliant spotlight turned that story into one all about the honest enthusiasm this man had for this performance. There was no option: I had to go and I hate shows. Simply put: this show bumped up my opinion of entertainment on a ship several notches. More important in our discussion here, that hearty recommendation from the Cruise Director.

These Holland America people have a fire going inside them that is simply enchanting. I think I wanted to see that show more to gauge if the recommendation was accurate than to see the show itself. It was.

The difference here is in Holland America Line’s in-house entertainers. Here too, Holland America Line has gone a bit different direction bringing on to Nieuw Statendam some appropriate brand names. Billboard, Rolling Stone, Lincoln Center but their own talented performers.

But There’s More…

Billboard (pop hits), Rolling Stone (rock) and Lincoln Center (classical) make up the Music Walk, a place you’ll want to visit before or after dinner. Or just stay there the whole time and skip dinner. Comments about the Music Walk were more than expected:

“We order room service, skip dinner and stay here all night”
“I like rock, she likes classical, it all works here”

And There’s More…

All of the above considered, is this what it takes to be a top contender in the Premium cruise category? Uh huh. That and then some. Addressing the obvious battle ahead in the room, Celebrity Cruises vs Holland America Line is going to be a cage fight. These are two very different cruise lines competing for a really similar psychographic. Interesting on the Holland America side, they talk about it.

President Orlando Ashford’s words run throughout the organization focusing not on demographics but psychographics. This is great news for the majority of cruise travelers. While they don’t talk about it directly, Celebrity seems to be on a similar path.

Up next, Ten Unique Features of Nieuw Statendam is not what you think it might be (a bullet-point list). That post will introduce ten (or so) different areas of interest to travelers with details of each branching off in standalone articles. Example: Special Needs. The robust Holland America Plan extends beyond the anticipated in an area where the anticipated is really required.

Have a Happy Christmas Eve.