First-Call Port Plaques

When a ship calls at a port for the first time, it is presented with a commemorative plaque from that port. On Eurodam, all of the plaques are proudly displayed on Deck 10 midship.

The wall will become more decorated as the collection of plaques grows rapidly during the ship’s first year in service.

The mayor of Stavanger, Norway, welcomes Eurodam and Captain van Donselaar to the beautiful port.

Captain van Donselaar shakes hands with the harbor master from Invergordon, Scotland.

Postcards from St. Petersburg

Eurodam is back in St. Petersburg, Russia, for an overnight stay. There is so much to see in this impressive city.

From 1708-1724, Catherine’s Palace was the residence of Peter the Great’s wife, the Empress Catherine I. From 1741, “Tsarskoye Selo” became the residence of the Empress Elizabeth and during her reign the architect Rastrelli created a magnificent Emperial Palace, a brilliant masterpiece of Russian baroque. At the same time the Hermitage and Grotto Pavilions were built, regular upper and lower gardens were laid out, and the lower garden was decorated with sculptures.

A bathhouse at Catherine’s Palace. In the 17th century there was a Finnish farm here at Dudorovsky eminence called “Saari mois.” In 1708 it became a possession of the Russian Tsar, and the Finnish toponymy word “Saari mois” was transformed into “Tsarskaya Mysa” that sounded more Russian.

Sometimes called the Russian Versailles, the Peterhof Gardens are a series of palaces and gardens laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. The Grand Cascade is modeled on one constructed for Louis XIV at his Château de Marly, which is memorialized in one of the park’s outbuildings.

The fountains of the Grand Cascade are located below the grotto and on either side of it. Their waters flow into a semicircular pool, the terminus of the fountain-lined Sea Channel. Perhaps the greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The elevation difference creates the pressure that drives most of the fountains of the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.

Postcards from Oslo

Eurodam guest Steve Garrod just sent us his photos of the ship in Oslo, Norway.

Eurodam Arrives at Hamburg

We arrived at Hamburg today shortly after 1 p.m. and were greeted with local music and sunny weather!

Eurodam Departs on Prelude Cruise Today

Andy Newman was pierside as Eurodam departed for a short prelude cruise to Hamburg, Germany, and then on to Copenhagen, Denmark. The ship’s 10-day maiden voyage sets sail July 5 bound for the Baltic and British Isles.

Short Cruise Provides Prelude to Maiden Voyage

Holland America Line’s original Rotterdam headquarters is the Hotel New York today.

Eurodam sets sail on its 10-day maiden voyage July 5, 2008, bound for the Baltic and British Isles. Three days earlier, on July 2, 2008, guests will have a chance to board Eurodam in Rotterdam for a special prelude cruise.

Sailing from Rotterdam to Hamburg, Germany, and then on to Copenhagen, this short cruise will be the first time guests have an opportunity to experience the fully operational Eurodam.

As a special pre-cruise shore excursion in Rotterdam, guests can participate in the official naming ceremonies that are to be staged on the cruise pier where Holland America Line’s original headquarters were located.

While a godmother has not been confirmed, the ceremonies are sure to be dramatic, as Holland America Line returns to its roots in Rotterdam where it was founded in 1873 to celebrate the dedication of its newest and largest cruise liner.

More details are available here.

Making the Most of the Maiden Voyage – Part 2

Edinburgh Castle.

On Monday, ENB reported on how to make the most out of the first four ports on Eurodam’s maiden voyage. Today, we expand on our chat with Blog Board member Simon Douwes, director of deployment and itinerary planning for Holland America Line, to cover the last four ports.

Stavanger: One of the most scenic ports on any Holland America Line itinerary, Stavanger is situated along the Byfjord — an arm of the Stavangerfjord — in southwestern Norway. Tour the city and countryside with a stop at the Cathedral, built of stone in the 12th and 13th centuries, which is one of the few churches in Scandinavia that has preserved its original design. Be sure not to miss Pulpit Rock in nearby Lysefjord, one of the most photographed sites in the region. The dramatic landscape juts out more than 1,500 feet above the sea.

Newcastle Upon Tyne: A maiden call for Holland America Line, Newcastle, England, brings a 2,000-year-old history and a picturesque backdrop with its location on the left bank of the River Tyne. The most famous views are of the six bridges across the Tyne; the most famous is the Tyne Bridge, the prototype for the much larger Sydney Harbour Bridge. Don’t miss Blackfriars, a 13th-century Dominican monastery, and Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and perhaps the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain. York is just a stone’s throw away,

South Queensferry (Edinburgh): “Holland America Line guests rate Edinburgh their second-highest favorite port behind Quebec,” said Douwes. “It was one of the ports that we knew we had to include on the maiden voyage to make it all the more memorable.”

Edinburgh Castle is one of the most visited sites in Scotland. Once guests have ventured up to the highest parts of Edinburgh Castle’s structure, they will be overwhelmed by the spectacular views of the city. Other notable landmarks in Old Town include St. Giles’ Cathedral, the Parliament House and the house of the 16th-century Protestant reformer John Knox. For golf lovers, St. Andrews can be reached from Edinburgh for a round on the famous course.

Invergordon: The legend of the Loch Ness Monster lives on, and guests will have the opportunity to search for the mythical beast from Invergordon with a trip to Inverness and Loch Ness. Near Drumnadrochit, at the eastern end of Glen Urquhart, lay the impressive ruins of Urquhart Castle on a promontory overlooking the lake. For those who aren’t Nessie enthusiasts, 15th-century Cawdor Castle (wrongly linked with Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”) makes an impressive stop, as does Dunrobin Castle, dating from the 13th century, that houses a collection of paintings, art and family memorabilia of the Earls of Sutherland.

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.

Eurodam Inaugural to Feature Fjords, Kilts

Norway’s famed fjords and Scotland’s Highlands are highlights of Eurodam’s inaugural cruise of northern Europe, set for July 5, 2008. The 10-day round-trip sailing departs from Copenhagen, Denmark, and calls at Oslo, Alesund, Vik, Flam and Stavanger, Norway; Newcastle Upon Tyne, England; and Edinburgh (via South Queensbury) and Invergordon, Scotland. Although the penthouses and many upper-category staterooms have been reserved, there are accommodations still available for Eurodam’s first voyage, ranging from a Standard Inside at $2,474 to a Deluxe Verandah at $4,154 per person, double occupancy.

‘Gems of the Baltic’ Itinerary Visits Capitals of Northern Europe

On July 15, 2008, Eurodam sets forth on the 10-day “Gems of the Baltic” sailing round-trip from Copenhagen, Denmark. Holland America’s newest ship will call at Tallin, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany; and Arhus, Denmark, before returning to Copenhagen.