We’re Planning Eurodam’s Inaugural Season

Oosterdam dedication ceremony, Rotterdam, 2003.

As we get nearer to the delivery of Eurodam, the excitement is building. We are receiving lots of e-mails and comments here on Eurodam News Blog asking about the inaugural activities. So we decided to start a series of ENB posts where I will provide a regular update on how our planning for the inaugural events is going.

And there are lots of events planned. There is the dedication in Rotterdam, of course, but there also will be special inaugural season events in Venice, Southampton, Hamburg, Copenhagen, New York, Boston and Quebec. Basically, we’re throwing one long celebration.

Some have asked about why the dedication ceremony is taking place in Rotterdam on July 1, the day before the three-day prelude cruise, instead of before the maiden voyage, which departs from Copenhagen July 5.The reason is because we want to celebrate in our founding city. Rotterdam has been integral to our company for more than 135 years and we wanted to showcase our newest vessel steps away from our original headquarters and our current European head office.

And, while it is sometimes common to have the ceremony just prior to the start of the maiden voyage, having it separate is not at all unusual. Historically, many Holland America Line ships were “launched and named” when the hull first touched water, long before the maiden voyage, and today it is typical to adjust the dedication date depending on a number of factors such as the godmother, ship delivery date changes, itinerary and event planning.

Indeed, in 2003 the Oosterdam was dedicated by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands on July 29 in Rotterdam, and sailed its maiden voyage in early August from Harwich. Our sister company, Carnival Cruise Lines, is bringing out Carnival Splendor less than two weeks after Eurodam, and it is sailing an eight-day cruise from Genoa before its naming ceremony in Dover July 10.

Another question we’ve had from Holland America Line Mariners and aficionados is how can you attend the naming ceremony.

We are planning what is sure to be a spectacular dedication ceremony in what will be a somewhat limited venue in terms of size. The ceremony is by invitation only and to accommodate the desire of Mariners in particular to attend, we have made a limited number of seats available to those booked on the prelude cruise on July 2. We are offering these as a pre-cruise shore excursion that is available for purchase. We hope this balances the limited space while accommodating those who really want to attend. And, just as I wrote this, I checked and seats are still available.

Stay tuned for more information on Eurodam’s inaugural festivities as it becomes available.