Cruising like a local

Orlando Ashford discusses how Holland America Line give guests opportunities to learn and grow 

Cruising like a local
Koningsdam offers various innovative features, including World Stage

By Guest |


This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.

Holland America Line’s new ship Koningsdam has been getting rave reviews from passengers since her delivery in spring 2016 and has been received ‘wonderfully well’ according to company president Orlando Ashford.

One highlight is the innovative multi-function World Stage, which can be operated as a proscenium or as an auditorium surrounded by a 270-degree LED wall. The BBC Earth Live show can be watched here and other popular features include Music Walk, which incorporates Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King’s Blues Club and Billboard Onboard.

Excitement is now building for Koningsdam’s sister ship, Nieuw Statendam, which is under construction at Fincantieri and will essentially be a replica of Koningsdam, but with a few surprise new features and enhancements. A third Pinnacle-class ship will be delivered in 2021.

The reception that Koningsdam is getting has acted as a stimulus to the entire fleet. “As we generate more excitement with our guests and more momentum for the business, it builds the case for why we might need more tonnage in the fleet and I am hoping that will play out as we go forward,” comments Ashford. “I am having those debates and discussions with my colleagues here at Carnival Corporation.”

Holland America has been in operation for nearly 145 years, so how does the line differentiate itself from the other brands in Carnival Corporation? Ashford says two aspects spring to mind: the classic style of the brand’s premium cruise ships, and how it delivers the destination experience to guests. Cuisine is also a differentiator with particular emphasis on new onboard dining experiences, such as seafood brasserie Sel de Mer on Koningsdam.

In December 2016, Holland America launched Explorations Central, a multi-faceted initiative that provides passengers with in-depth information on the ports and countries they will be visiting, advice from insiders and experts on culture and history, tour opportunities, port guides and other information. “The service allows guests to immerse and educate themselves, and experience the destination in a way that we uniquely deliver,” Ashford explains. “Our goal is to create the opportunity for guests to touch, feel and taste destinations as a local would.”

“The fact that we get to take more than 850,000 people to more than 400 ports in 120 countries on all seven continents and allow them to leave a little bit of themselves and take a little bit of the destination with them, I believe helps improve our understanding of the world and our understanding of one another,” adds Ashford. “That’s an energy that we’re going to celebrate a little bit more in 2017. In fact, we just launched a nationwide initiative that celebrates the transformational power of travel to inspire shared humanity, including a new television advert.”

The whole cruise industry is excited about opportunities offered by Cuba, and Holland America is no exception. The company operates a wide range of ship sizes, meaning it can flexible on destinations so it hopes to add Cuba to itineraries in the near future.

In 2017, Holland America will celebrate 70 years of taking passengers to Alaska. The US state is a very strong part of the business and the company has substantial onshore investments, including railways and hotels. It is a destination from which many people choose to start their cruise experience and Holland America has been developing the McKinley Chalet Resort to provide accommodation for passengers on Holland America’s Land + Sea journeys, which combine a cruise with a trip to Denali National Park. Last summer, Holland America opened Denali Square, offering a new communal area for guests to relax, shop, dine and enjoy music and entertainment at the resort.

Holland America has also enhanced the information it provides through HAL Academy to reflect the expanded range of services offered on its ships. The academy serves as a focus for informing and educating travel professionals on what the company is up to, or Holland America’s ‘bold new story’.

“The academy is a vehicle through which we inform and educate, and there is a lot to share,” says Ashford, noting that the company has worked hard to convey the energy and experience on its ships to people who have yet to sail on them first-hand. “Technology is one way of doing this. It is one thing to describe the space, it is another to describe the energy that the space creates.”

Like every other shipping sector, the cruise industry has been affected by new regulations.

“The cruise industry is well equipped to handle these challenges,” remarks Ashford. “I’ve got very talented people with the expertise and technical skills to make sure we are complying or exceeding requirements as best we can, and that we’re getting in front of any potential issues and sharing best practices across the corporation.”

Koningsdam, for example, is designed according to the Safe Return to Port criteria laid down in International Maritime Organization regulations to increase the safety and comfort of the passengers in case of an emergency.

Energy saving criteria was also followed during the design process, so the ship features LED lights in passenger cabins and public areas, HVAC fan coils in the same areas, and a heat recovery system. A real-time performance tool assists the crew in optimising the vessel performance and an open-loop exhaust gas cleaning system has been installed on two engines to reduce sulphur oxide emissions.

Looking to the future, Ashford is confident that the cruise industry will remain strong despite the downturn in the shipping sector generally.

“A cruise is a discretionary purchase, but people need to spend time recharging with family and loved ones” he says. “A cruise is the best vacation value there is. It’s also a wonderful way to see the world and experience multiple cultures with people who understand the location. I think there are good things on the horizon for the cruise industry.”

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