Orchestra Rehearsal for Dedication Ceremony

Pam shot this short video of the orchestra rehearsing on the pierside stage as preparations continue for the dedication ceremony tomorrow.

Johan Groothuizen Greets Vets, Former Employees

Pam was on hand when Blog Board member and HAL’s Vice President of Marine Hotel Operations Johan Groothuizen made a presentation in Dutch to the WWII veterans and retired Holland America Line employees who were hosted on board today for a luncheon and ship tour.

Visitors Take a Peek at Eurodam Today

Eurodam welcomed approximately 4,000 visitors today, including present and retired Dutch officers, WWII veterans and members from De Lijn. Pam went outside to get a photo of the embarkation line.

Getting Ready for Tomorrow’s Festivities

Tomorrow is a big day, and everyone involved in the inaugural festivities wants to be sure it’s smooth sailing — from the setup to the bottle breaking.

Practice makes perfect. Chief Officer and Blog Board member Andre van Schoonhoven practiced breaking the bottle for the fourth time, according to Pam, and as you can see from the shattered glass and splattered liquid, it was a success. Andre has been practicing every chance he gets to make certain the rigging is correct, and all has gone well on each attempt. Pam snapped this photo just after impact.

The pier is buzzing with workers readying the area for the dedication ceremony.

Pinnacle Grill Tables Dressed in Bvlgari

The Pinnacle Grill is ready to go. The table settings look elegant with the Bvlgari china.

Photos From HAL’s Former Headquarters

Pam went into the Hotel New York, which is the old head office of Holland America Line in Rotterdam. She even got special permission to go into one of the rooms to take photos.

Room 105 in Hotel New York used to be a boardroom, now it’s a bedroom.

Room 105 is kind of cozy, in a 19th-century Dutch manner.

As substantial as the edifice is, the stairwell seems almost delicate with its wrought-iron decorations.

A post–World War II stained-glass window commemorates Holland America Line’s history.

An old ship’s dining room plan from 1907 now hangs as a piece of art in the hotel.

Pam had a great idea: If anyone has personal stories about these areas in the old head office, please post a comment.

No Valet Parking at Rotterdam

Because the Port of Rotterdam is one of the largest ports in the world, Rotterdam’s pilots are used to handling all kinds of vessels. For them, even bringing in world’s largest bulk carrier — the 1,122-foot-long Berge Stahl loaded with 365,000 tons (!) of iron ore, giving the vessel a draft of 23 meters (75.5 feet) — is a piece of cake.

Despite their broad experience, for Rotterdam pilots the Eurodam is a vessel in the extra-ordinary class. The pilots fought for the job of bringing in this brand new ship. It’s a special, high-profile job, and not just because the ship sails all the way in to the city center.

And the winner is … José van Rijsewijk. This lucky guy recently was told that he can make the beautiful trip. Was his name drawn out of a bowl or is there a reason that José got the job?

Pilot José van Rijsewijk

“I know the captain of the Eurodam, Jeroen van Donselaar, very well,’’ José explained. “That I’ve told my boss. Besides, there’s a limited number of pilots with the right qualifications for this kind of ship.’’

José met Jeroen long ago at the Maritime Institute De Ruyter in Flushing. Later, their roads crossed when they both attended pilot training.

“After Jeroen quit the pilot training we’ve met several times in Flushing,” said José. “In the last couple of years the contact was a bit less, unfortunately.’’

José did not practice bringing in Eurodam, specifically, on a simulator.

“We practice on a simulator with vessels of similar length, but with more draft and less maneuverability,” said José. “We then simulate heavy fog and marginal circumstances, especially concerning the current.’’

But José, be honest, bringing in the Eurodam is not that difficult, is it? Pilot service is just a kind of valet parking, after all …

“Ho, ho,’’ José replied. “The Port of Rotterdam is a very busy port and the Eurodam is not just an ordinary ship. When I meet new pilots who’ve sailed as captains for many years, we always agree that controlling all tasks of a pilot isn’t that easy at all.

“There are many aspects we have to look at. For instance, the current, the speed of the ship, other ships en route, the tide and the number of tugs you need,” said José. “And at the same moment you have to communicate with vessel traffic management and the captains of tugs, while the captain of your ship and his officers are asking you where to buy presents.’’

I asked José what will be the most difficult part of the job.

“The challenge of this job is that many, many people will be watching you,” he said. “Besides that, the Eurodam is a huge vessel and it is very sensitive to wind. The most difficult part of the journey is swinging the ship around on the river Nieuwe Maas close to the Waalhaven docks, just a mile or so before the cruise terminal. That will be difficult because of the current. At a certain moment, when the ship is right across the river, you almost close off the whole river. It’s very important to choose the right starting point for this maneuver.’’

Debuting Eurodam’s New Pinnacle Grill Menu

Peter Bohacs

Meet Peter Bohacs, the manager of the Pinnacle Grill. Paul Lasley sat down with him to discuss the popular alternative dining venue and the new fleetwide menu debuting on Eurodam.

To listen to this podcast, click on the arrow below.

Arrival in Rotterdam

Pam sent us these two photos of Eurodam’s arrival in Rotterdam yesterday.

Eurodam is led into the Port of Rotterdam by a fireboat.

Eurodam passes the Hotel New York, which was HAL’s original headquarters offices 135 years ago.

A Look at the Lido Dining Area

We haven’t shown this venue in a while, so take a last look at the Lido Restaurant without guests. This buffet eatery is extremely popular for breakfast, lunch and a casual dinner.