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

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.

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.

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.