Take a Bow

We just received these photos from the yard. They show the installation of the bow thrusters.

The bow thrusters before installation.

Installation of the bow thrusters is under way.

Eurodam’s three bow thrusters after installation.

“The Dictionary of the Cruise Industry” defines a bow thruster as propeller(s) installed in a tunnel extending across the ship under the waterline. When activated, the thruster maneuvers the ship sideways. In many instances, the bow thrusters eliminate the need for tugboat assistance when docking.

Eurodam Featured on Avid Cruiser Blog

Veteran cruise industry journalist Ralph Grizzle has posted an interview about Eurodam with Holland America Line’s Rick Meadows on his video blog. See it on the Avid Cruiser here.

iPods aren’t just for music anymore

Elizabeth Harryman and Paul Lasley

We are happy to report that we have just commissioned the iPod art tour — an on board self-guided exploration that includes interviews with artists and photo images displayed on iPod screens — of Eurodam. Museum-quality works of art with cultural or historical significance are an integral part of the shipboard ambiance of Holland America Line ships, and Eurodam will be no different.

Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman, whose distinctive style brought us the innovative art tours across the fleet, have agreed to produce the audio tour for the new vessel. And, they will be providing us with snippets of their interviews with some of the artists and the architects for use on this blog. Look for the interviews in future postings.

Lasley and Harryman are award-winning journalists who have written extensively on cruising and art for publications around the world, including “The Art of Cruising: Fine Art and Antiques of Holland America Line.” Contributors to national television shows, the married journalists produce and host daily radio features for XM Satellite Radio, American Armed Forces Radio and OnTravel.com.

Sample Podcast
Here is a podcast art tour from Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman of art on the ms Amsterdam:

• A significant collection of maritime paintings and ship models can be found onboard ms Amsterdam, offering an insight into maritime history. You will discover two striking fabric murals by textile artist, Barbara Bruckman, Ming Dynasty figures from 17th-century China and a magnificent Astrolab clock in the atrium. Also, a beautiful inlaid marble table crafted by artisans in the town of Pietrasanta, Italy. Sports fans will be delighted by the display of signed baseballs including a ball signed by legendary Yankees outfielder Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio!
• Download this podcast (Duration: 46 minutes, 53 seconds)
• Preview (Duration: 27 seconds)

Meet the Hotel Manager

Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens with Miss American Samoa on a recent call to the island

As hotel manager on ms Eurodam, Stan Kuppens will be responsible for almost everything except the bridge and the engine room. His purview includes the restaurants, kitchens, bars, Housekeeping Department (guest and crew cabins, laundry, tailor shop and public areas), front office (guest relations, controller, human resources, night manager and purser), shore excursions, concessionaires, entertainment and medical services.

It’s a big job, but it is a position that Kuppens has been preparing for his entire life.

Growing up in the town of Nijmegen, in the eastern Netherlands, Kuppens enjoyed sailing and watching boats on the Waal and Rhine rivers. A precocious world traveler, his parents had taken him to more than 10 countries before he was 10 years old. Through his early travel experiences, Kuppens developed a fascination with other cultures and a desire to meet people from around the globe.

He recognized that the hospitality industry would enable him to combine his love of travel and his affinity for people into a career. While studying at the University of Hotel Management, Kuppens managed a company that catered conventions and entertainment functions.

“My proudest moment was having the distinct honor of personally serving Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands,” said Kuppens.

After graduation, he entered Holland America Line’s multiyear management training program.

Kuppens has sailed with Holland America Line and Windstar Cruises for 16 years, and has prepared for and sailed multiple Grand World Voyages. After completing the 2002 world cruise as food and beverage manager, Kuppens was promoted to hotel manager on the line’s flagship, ms Rotterdam.

In 2004, he transferred to the new Vista Class of ships to oversee the introduction of ms Westerdam. Following that successful inaugural, Kuppens was asked to move to Venice, Italy, to oversee construction of ms Noordam.

He is moving back to Venice in 2008 to oversee construction of Eurodam, the first Signature Class ship. He will report in February with a staff of 10 to start daily shipboard inspections that will continue until Eurodam is ready to sail.

Kuppens and his wife live in the small town of Oosterbeek (close to Arnhem), in eastern Netherlands. When on vacation, he says he enjoys traveling and participating in an occasional game of soccer.

On With the Show

Bill Prince

New Shows Feature Nightclubs, Pop

Because evening entertainment is an important part of the cruise experience, we’re excited to reveal that Eurodam will have five new production shows. While we’re not ready to talk about all five shows, I am happy to share with you details about two of the new productions.

The first is called “Nightlife.” Imagine that all of the world’s famous nightclubs … The Tropicana, Moulin Rouge, The Rainbow Room, Studio 54 … still existed. We’ll take you to each one — on one stage, in one night — in a new musical spectacular.

“In Concert” is another new show on Eurodam. The music you grew up with comes alive in amazing performances as we present a concert of pop hits ranging from the Beatles to Celine Dion.

Stay tuned for more entertainment news.

A Sneak Peek at a Suite

Deluxe Verandah Suite

The suites aboard Eurodam are elegantly simple, with rich wood tones and burnished nickel fixtures, designed to create a relaxing oasis for guests. Seattle-based NB Design Group is introducing different woods, textures and fresh color combinations in each of Eurodam’s stateroom categories. There will be 112 suites aboard the ship, including superior verandah, deluxe verandah and penthouse suites.

Eurodam to Have Advanced Wastewater Treatment System

Simplified system schematic

Eurodam is being outfitted with an advanced wastewater treatment system built by Hamworthy Group of the United Kingdom that will be capable of treating both black water (sewage) and gray water (from sinks, showers, laundry and galleys) to near drinking water quality.

We checked in with Jeen Bakker, manager of technical operations for Holland America Line, to find out how it works.

According to Bakker, the system uses membrane bioreactor technology in conjunction with filtration technology. Following an initial filtering process that removes most solids, the effluent is pumped into a biomass chamber where micro-organisms set to work breaking down organic solids into water and carbon dioxide. The system can treat more than 900 cubic meters of effluent per day.

Hamworthy’s system has been installed on Regent Seven Seas and Princess Cruises vessels. Bakker said it is similar to advanced wastewater treatment systems installed on other Holland America vessels, but “the setup of the system is different.”

The Hamworthy system is designed to exceed the highest standards in the maritime industry. Those standards, known as Code of Federal Regulations Title 30 Part 133, were set by the U.S. legislature to cover the discharge of treated water in U.S. inland waters like, for instance, Alaska. Federal cruise ship legislation Section 1404 (commonly called the “Murkowski regulations” after Alaska’s former governor), and the Alaskan State House Bill 260 also apply.

To give you an idea of how tight those regulations are, we can compare them with those set by the U.S. Coast Guard and the International Maritime Organization. USCG allows 150 milligrams/liter of solids in treated discharge effluent, and IMO allows 50 mg/liter. The Murkowski regulations allow only 30 milligrams, and Hamworthy’s system brings that down to 7 mg. While USCG regulations for fecal coliform bacteria allow 250 organisms per 100 milliliters of effluent, and IMO allows 200, the federal regulations allow only 20, but Hamworthy comes in at just three organisms per 100 ml. In addition, the Murkowski regulations also set low levels for chlorine content and pH balance, which neither the IMO or USCG rules address.

Eurodam’s Inaugural Transatlantic Crossing Set for Aug. 14, 2008

Eurodam is set to sail a 15-night “Northern Isles Adventure” trans-Atlantic crossing from Copenhagen, Denmark, to New York that will take the ship along a northern route to Iceland and Canada before docking stateside. Departing Aug. 14, 2008, the ship is scheduled to call at Oslo, Stavanger and Bergen, Norway; Torshavn, Faroe Islands; Reykjavik, Iceland; St. John’s, Newfoundland; St. Pierre, France, and Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Passengers wanting a longer adventure can combine the 15-day crossing with a 10-day round-trip Copenhagen voyage that departs Aug. 4 to create a grand 25-day “Viking Worlds” adventure. The first 10 days of the cruise take Eurodam to Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia (overnight); Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany and Arhus, Denmark.

A Sneak Peek at a Verandah Stateroom

We’ve been getting a lot of requests to see the staterooms on Eurodam. Because the ship is still under construction, the rooms look pretty similar — empty steel-walled spaces strewn about with construction debris! However, we do have photos of the mock-ups, designed by NB Design Group of Seattle.

In this entry, we are featuring a verandah stateroom. There will be 596 verandah staterooms (not including suites) on Eurodam. Unlike the other Holland America Line ships, the cabin décor will have a more monochromatic palette accented with color. Passenger corridors leading to staterooms also will be decorated in the same contemporary theme.

Check back for future blog entries on other stateroom categories.

Eurodam verandah stateroom

These Just In!

We just received these photos of Eurodam. They were taken today by Henry Veringa, Holland America’s newbuild project manager, who is stationed at the Fincantieri shipyard.

A view of the ship’s Bridge taken from Deck 4.

A rare view of the belly of the ship, including Eurodam’s two azipods. “Rotterdam,” where the ship is registered, also can be seen on the stern of the vessel.