Holland America Line upgrades Prinsendam

Nearly five years ago Holland America Line announced the plans for Signature of Excellence, a programme that offers improvements to ship facilities, staff training and itineraries on a rolling basis. The latest ship to have its upgrade is ms Prinsendam, who spent early January in dry dock in the Bahamas undergoing a ten day Signature of Excellence refit.

Her upgrades include new staterooms, an expanded aft pool deck, and many upgraded public areas as well as passenger numbers being increased from 793 to 835. A spokesman for the company said, ‘Prinsendam has one of our most loyal followings so the new, mostly veranda staterooms and other improvements will enrich the guest experience on this much-loved ship even further.’ There are 21 new aft staterooms, and a new bar with a sea view, the Wajang Theatre and the Culinary Arts Centre were refurbished and laundry and galley equipment was upgraded.

The ship’s big cruise this year is a 54-day ‘Quest of the Argonauts’ voyage which sails from Fort Lauderdale on 24th March, visiting the Mediterranean and Black Sea resorts calling at Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Russia, Georgia, Greece and Turkey and offering overnight port calls in Barcelona, Lisbon, and Istanbul. She will also Bermuda and New York City before returning to Fort Lauderdale.

HAL is planning upgrades to three other ships in 2010-11: ms Ryndam, ms Maasdam and ms Statendam will all have Signature of Excellence makeovers.