Holland America Cruise Line

MS Amsterdam

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Operator: Holland America Line
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 2000 / 2008
Length / Tonnage: 780 / 62,753
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 630 / 1,318
Officers / Crew: Dutch / International
Operating Area: Worldwide

Holland America Line's newest "Flagship of Excellence," the ms Amsterdam, third company ship to bear the name and near-sister ship to the ms Rotterdam, made her grand entrance into the cruising world on October 30, 2000. Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, the ship is 62,000 gross tons, 777 feet long and carries 1,318 passengers and 647 crew.

The Amsterdam gracefully combines classic and state-of-the-art features. Fine woods and vibrant colors establish a traditional shipboard ambiance. New additions include an Internet center, a sports bar, a concierge deck for suite guests and a children's activity room.

Use of newly developed, lighter materials has reduced the weight of the ship, resulting in increased fuel efficiency and higher speed, permitting more and longer port calls on grand voyages. The Amsterdam also is the first Holland America ship to have the revolutionary Azipod propulsion system, which gives the ship greater maneuverability and operating efficiencies. The ship also features a state-of-the-art waste management system.

The Amsterdam has 10 passenger decks and an oval-shaped three-deck atrium. Lounges and duty-free shops are conveniently located on Promenade and Upper Promenade Decks. The various public rooms provide both intimate and social atmospheres.

A $2 million collection of art and artifacts is showcased throughout the ship. Holland America Line is known for featuring valuable antiques and artworks. The Amsterdam features such special pieces as an Astrolabe in the three-deck central atrium, featuring a carillon in its base and four different faces: an astrolabe, world clock, planetary clock and astrological clock; the gold-plated "Four Seasons" sculptures originally created for the ss Nieuw Amsterdam of 1938; life-size bronzes of two brown bears fishing, created by British sculptor Susanna Holt, displayed at the Lido swimming pool; Ming Dynasty "guardian" statues; and a display of carved wood Baroque angels.

We thank Holland America’s lucky stars that Carnival bought the company! If nothing else, and there is plenty more, and we can’t say enough nice things about them, Carnival is run by some very smart people. Taking control of Holland America Line, their first order of business was to expand the fleet...and expand they did with the projection of a series of four big new ships. Signing a contract on November 29, 1989 with Italy's fabulous ITALCANTIERI, shipbuilders extraordinaire, construction of the first of them was set into motion. Just over a year later on December 10, 1990 the first steel was cut and on January 7, 1991 the first unit fabrication began at the shipyard at Monfalcone, near Trieste, Italy. Unnamed as yet, she had a number...5881...and as such her keel was laid on July 22, 1991. Because this brilliant new cruise ship was built in a drydock instead of on stocks, there could be no traditional launch...no gala running down the ways. Instead, a "coin under the mast" ceremony was held on April 2, 1992 and on the following day in lieu of the traditional launch, the new ship was floated out of her drydock. From that moment until her contract delivery date of January 7, 1993 was not all that much time for workers to fit the interior and turn the newly named STATENDAM into one of the finest ships ever seen. And that is just what they did because in my opinion, this ship and her sisters are ships so passenger friendly we have not a moment's hesitation in telling you we think these are the finest ships ever built for passengers! The STATENDAM led the way and a fleet of glorious sisters and near sisters followed…triumphs all of them…the while the ROTTERDAM is our favorite we really like the AMSTERDAM as well.

As was true when Italcantieri built the COSTA CLASSICA and COSTA ROMANTICA, a pair of new cruise ships of very similar particulars and more than a few shared design features, not everyone in the American travel market was prepared for this new ship...That was true when the STATENDAM and her sisters MAASDAM, RYNDAM and VEENDAM came out. Some people actually said that they HATED the AMSTERDAM and her great interiors...For the life of us, we just don’t see it…she is a beauty, tasteful, gorgeous…a dream!

As is the custom at Holland America the AMSTERDAM's public rooms all make bold design and decor statements but it sure does work! Lead designer F.C.J. Dingemans says: …"through the use of dark woods and rich colors, we’ve attempted to create an atmosphere of great elegance and refinement, slightly more formal than the other ships."… he and his team certainly succeeded and we’d venture to say that you could put the AMSTERDAM’s interiors up against those of any of the "Great Liners of the Past" and the AMSTERDAM would still win!

From its base on Lower Promenade Deck, the 26-foot-high clock tower based on a 36 inch tall Flemish original, featuring a carillon in its base and four different faces. This grand tower dominates the three-deck atrium around which much of the ship's public spaces flow. In the impressive, balconied 557-seat Rembrandt Lounge performers dazzle you, and some of them even outshine the sequined stage curtain!.

Not only a show lounge, but a Main Lounge, too, the Rembrandt Lounge is a modern exponent of the traditional hub of social life aboard the traditional Atlantic liner. Captain holds his receptions in here, lectures hold forth on any number of topics…High atop the ship on Sports Deck is the Crow's Nest. A room with a view…a 320 degree view forward and to the sides if not directly aft, this is an ideal observation lounge by day. It has some of the most beautiful, comfortable furniture ever seen aboard a ship, we wanted to order some of it from the manufacturers for delivery at home! In the evening it's also a great place for cocktails where those in the know come for drinks and hot appetizers. Others take their pre-dinner refreshments in the Ocean Bar where a quartet plays dance music both during cocktail time and after dinner.

No longer is cigar smoke tolerated inside and the traditional after-dinner smoke in the Explorer's Lounge is now a memory but every night at 9:00 PM the Rosario Strings begin to play and anyone who likes the refined atmosphere of an evening salon of an upper class home comes here for cognac, specialty coffees, fresh chocolates and good conversation.

And need I mention that there is also a library, a separate card room, a gymnasium and fitness center as well as the usual beauty salons? The sauna and steam rooms are great and on the top deck is a jogging track.

Featured in the AMSTERDAM and the newer AMSTERDAM are a children’s play area, a Concierge Deck for suite passengers complete with small lounge for them and an alternative restaurant…

There are a number of minor differenes between the AMSTERDAM and her near-sister ROTTERDAM. For example, on the AMSTERDAM the Lido Deck has been extended aft to accomodate a second outside pool. This change, allows for more suites on the Navigation Deck below where the second pool is located on the ROTTERDAM. There are also only two Penthouse Suites on the AMSTERDAM compared to four on the ROTTERDAM.

Two decks high and with windows on three sides on both of them is the La Fontaine Dining Room. It is a very stylish room, differing in atmosphere from the AMSTERDAM Dining Rooms aboard the "S" class, though built to the same general plan. There is no canopy of Venetian glass flowers here, this room’s ceiling is black with a panoply of stars…it’s quite dramatic and very conducive to intimate tete á tete dinner conversation…Though it seats up to 747 happy diners at a time you would never know it’s that capacious…it feels intimate and charming, which is just about the neatest trick we’ve EVER seen done in a big dining room…and NO ONE eating here is unhappy! You might fear that such numbers would make for a bottleneck at the main entrance…Never fear…that never happens here because the designers provided entrances on both decks the room occupies and a pair of curving staircases just inside on the upper level allow those seated on the lower level but entering above to make a true grande descente... This place is so roomy, tables are quite well spaced so you don't need to whisper when you bill and coo in here. And the a colorful stained glass ceiling, specially provided to keep acoustic levels quiet keeps the noise down! Smokers are usually segregated (sic!) in the upper level of the dining room but we prefer a table up there...Need we remind you that with floor to ceiling windows on both sides and aft...views are MAGNIFICENT! From the rolling cart bearing freshly baked goods for breakfast to the last savory at dinner, the food is good to great...Called to dinner by a bellboy ringing chimes as he walks through the ship, you enter this grand dining room on sailing night and can’t help but smile at the beauty of this room…

By the way.. Breakfast and lunch are served at open sitting but Holland America likes passengers to take lunch in the Lido Restaurant where an elaborate buffet offers more extensive selections than the Dining Room menu... Out by the Lido Deck pool is the grill where burgers, franks and sausages are cooked for you PLUS there is an outstanding selection of cold cuts, Mexican, Chinese or Italian food and sometimes curry...and the scallop curry is divine…so your only lunchtime problem ought to be that you haven't enough room for as much as you would like.

Dinners are served at two sittings and menus offer great selections of Continental, American and other specialties ...sometimes Asian delights... Food here gets better and better as Holland America strives to win top honors for its food and I think it's only a matter of time before the line will get them! If you CAN...save a bit of room for the midnight buffet...a wide selection, again...of foods..and usually ethnically themed...one night French, another German...even Japanese... But buffet highlight here is the INDONESIAN lunch buffet... WONDERFUL but for the novice, watch it...it's VERY spicy! But there is also an ice cream bar should you need to cool your palate...

Unlike the "S" Class, the AMSTERDAM offers an alternative restaurant…that’s the ODYSSEY Restaurant. Dingemans explained: "It’s a very opulent room (and we agree), with gold picture frames and baroque style candelabra. Very much the style the Doges would have appreciated. In this room we’re to create a party atmosphere (a party, but a very GRAND party…we’d say), so that coming here will be a special occasion." On the world cruise, the menus here vary…reflecting one cuisine in the region the ship is in…otherwise Italian dishes prevail…We ate here once and it was great but the regular menu in the La Fontaine Restaurant was so compelling we regretted missing even that one dinner!

A hotel service charge of US $10 per passenger is automatically added to each guest's shipboard account on a daily basis. Passengers can adjust this amount at the end of the cruise by visiting the hotel manager's desk. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining room wine purchases.

One reason we so much like to cruise in the AMSTERDAM is that entertainment goes far beyond the standard cruise ship fare...Since cruises generally begin with an early evening sailing I begin with evening entertainment... What to do after a typically delicious AMSTERDAM dinner? Not fond of the lavish Broadway/Vegas glitzy shows replete with thousands and thousands of feathers and constellations of sequins? ...NO MATTER....for here aboard AMSTERDAM you will be able to enjoy any of a number of evening entertainments from throwing your coins into the slots or playing cards with a professional player in the ship's airy Casino to dancing to the combo in the Ocean Bar to a first run movie to the classical quiet of an evening in the Ambassador’s Lounge…you’ll LOVE it when Perry Grant is aboard and works this room…or the Explorer's Lounge with its string orchestra and fresh coffee. Or you could attend the screening of a movie in the cinema or even watch one on your in cabin TV... Daytime offers well...with so much deck space ... and those classic wooden deck chairs topped by padded cushions...a nap on deck is just the ticket once in a while...or maybe a snooze on deck near one of the ship's pools... The daily program spells it out for you on the AMSTERDAM and the choice IS yours. The company allows cruise directors a little leeway in initiative but you won't find daily programs too different from the other ships of the line…but since the AMSTERDAM is the company’s world cruising flagship and spends summers in Europe...the activities are usually geared up a bit to suit the mentality of voyagers and not one-week Caribbean cruise partiers…Holland America has been around for over 125 years so you MUST know they do it right!

Our readers already know that we care more about cabins than the next guy...maybe it's because we spend so much time traveling that ship's cabins and hotel rooms are our biggest concern. Kym Anton chose fabrics reminiscent of Indonesia to compliment warm earth tones in the 658 cabins and suites aboard the wonderful msAMSTERDAM. At the top of the price list are the four 1260 square feet penthouses, apartments whose decor is not really our tastes but is very popular with moderns... Who could not LOVE the AMSTERDAM's thirty-six 565-square foot suites for their supreme comfort, wide, long balconies and sitting areas as much as for the line's suite amenity package. Suite passengers get their laundry done...free of charge...personalized stationery, afternoon canapes, use of terry bath robes while aboard...and on longer cruises an invitation to the Suite Dinner... a special dinner taken in one of the two small dining rooms off the upper level of the AMSTERDAM Dining Room.

These suites are associate editor Chris Smith’s idea of heaven! But, for all that it's the 284 square feet (including verandah), deluxe category A and Category B cabins that do it for Goldberg! Each of these 120 rooms comes with its own VCR, minibar, sitting area and bathroom complete with whirlpool tubs (and DON'T put bubble bath in and turn it on...unless your life is an "I LOVE LUCY" episode - in which case go ahead). But there is not a thing wrong with any of the 381 outside and 117 inside standard cabins. I think they are the best standard cabins at sea, designed for living and long cruises. At almost 200 square feet, each one has a sitting area and all of them have plenty of closet and drawer space. This is one company that takes comfort seriously and when the Dutch say "WELTERUSTEN" - Have a pleasant (night's) rest - they mean it, so the fluffy pillows for the beds and the blankets will speed you on your way into the arms of Morpheus.

Preferred by experienced cruise passengers the AMSTERDAM is also VERY first-timer friendly. Because most of her cruises are longer...she attracts a lot of older folks, too, but European sailings and even the World Cruise get a wide range of ages and with the line's new shore excursions for kids as well as for teens...look for increasing numbers of families during the summer and school holidays. This is not really a ship for any of the loud action crowd though the two we met aboard told me they LOVED it. We don't blame them!

The AMSTERDAM will spend the first three months of the year on her annual world voyage. In April she will offer a series of short Pacific Northwest cruises before spending the summer in Alaska. In October she will return through the Panama Canal and begin a series of cruises to South America for the remainder of the year.

The AMSTERDAM is one of our favorite ships in the HAL fleet...See you on board!!