When Beth Bodensteiner’s young children first saw the water surrounding Holland America Line’s private Bahamian island RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, they were completely awestruck.
“They thought we must have dyed the water – they just couldn’t believe it could be so crystal-clear and such an amazing blueish-green colour in real life,” she says.
This is just one of many “fantastic” memories Bodensteiner has made on cruises with her children over the years. “I’ve got some awesome videos of them dancing the night away at BB King’s in a blissfully ‘uncool’ adolescent moment, completely unconcerned with how they looked and instead experiencing pure joy at being with their family,” she reminisces. “Those family moments are one of the things that makes cruising so special.”
Bodensteiner’s memories of family trips during her own childhood sparked her lifelong love of travel. “I grew up in a family that loved travelling,” she says. “We mainly took road trips and we were raised to appreciate the journey just as much as the destination. For me, one of the many benefits of cruising is that you can take your time, explore along the way and be surprised by what you see on the journey.”
Guests can enjoy many moments of surprise when cruising with Holland America Line, one of eight brands owned by Carnival Corporation. The company was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on 18 April 1873 and primarily transported European immigrants to the USA. It sailed its first vacation cruise in 1895 and is now a premium cruise brand operating 11 ships that take more than 800,000 guests on over 500 voyages per year to destinations in all seven continents.
Bodensteiner began her career at Holland America Line in 2002, starting as a public relations coordinator before rising through the ranks in various marketing and management roles to become senior vice president and chief commercial officer. She began her role as president in December 2024.
“I found the cruise industry through a colleague who told me about the fun work her family member was doing to plan ship inaugurals,” she says. “I fell in love with it because of my first boss – a creative, dynamic public relations professional who really showed how much fun you could have while working hard and producing amazing results.”
Bodensteiner and her team are working hard to sustainably grow Holland America Line’s business by enhancing everything from the ships to the onboard experience, the itineraries, its private island destination and its lodge at Denali National Park in Alaska, USA.
“We want to ensure the experiences we offer continue to evolve while remaining true to what makes our brand distinctive,” says Bodensteiner. “Ongoing ship refurbishments allow us to create greater consistency across the fleet while revitalising public spaces and modernising our signature elegant aesthetic. Oosterdam and Westerdam recently emerged from dry docks with refreshed dining venues, entertainment spaces, bars and lounges, along with updated and additional staterooms. Koningsdam is receiving improvements to accommodate more families. Stay tuned for fleet updates – there are a lot more to come.”
Holland America Line is also enhancing RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay ahead of the 2026-2027 Caribbean season. It is adding a new beach club, shops, pickleball courts and food trucks, while also upgrading beach facilities, refreshing dining venues and enhancing services on the island. “These investments are about deepening the moments of effortless enjoyment and leisure at our private island,” says Bodensteiner. “We want the island to be the ultimate relaxing beach escape.”
Holland America Line’s investments at the RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay private island will further elevate the onshore experience
Similarly, the brand is investing $70 million on a multi-year project to expand Holland America Denali Lodge, which is located just outside of Denali National Park and Preserve. The project began in 2025 and involves improving riverside trails and wayfinding, updating public spaces at the lodges, renovating and extending bars and dining areas, remodelling existing guest rooms and constructing a new building with 105 suite and standard rooms for guests. The project should be completed in 2027. “This investment reflects the growing demand for meaningful, land-based experiences that help to connect guests more closely with the destinations they visit,” says Bodensteiner.
Guest and crew feedback plays a critical role in guiding all Holland America Line’s investment decisions. “We actively listen to what guests tell us through surveys, onboard feedback and direct interactions, as well as insights from our crew, who engage with guests and understand the operation firsthand,” says Bodensteiner. “This feedback helps us prioritise which investments will deliver the greatest value and ensure we focus on improvements that will genuinely enhance the experience.”
One of the brand’s key focuses is to create more culturally immersive experiences for guests sailing onboard ships in different regions of the world. “We’ve taken several very deliberate steps to ensure the onboard experience feels every bit as enriching and regionally authentic as the destinations themselves,” says Bodensteiner.
The Destination Dining culinary programme plays a “huge part” in this strategy by ensuring food and beverage menus feature “locally inspired and regionally specific cuisine” designed to reflect the destinations included on the itinerary. These menus are offered in casual eateries, speciality restaurants such as Pinnacle Grill and Morimoto by Sea, and during elevated dining experiences like the new Koningstafel Chef’s Table. “Guests can expect unique menus that tell the story of each region through fresh fish and ingredients native to the places we visit,” says Bodensteiner.
Alaska is one of the best examples of this strategy in action, according to Bodensteiner. “From the moment guests step onboard, they’re immersed in the culture and flavours of the region,” she explains. “Cocktails feature Alaska-made ingredients like Juneauper Gin and are served over glacial ice harvested (under state permit) from naturally calved pieces. On the first sea day, there is an Alaska-themed brunch showcasing regional ingredients, while the menus and daily programmes incorporate artwork by Alaska Native artist Rico Worl. Our Seafood Boil, featuring wild Alaska seafood, has become a guest favourite.”
To further elevate the onboard experience, Holland America Line has created the Alaska Up Close programming in partnership with the National Park Service. Rangers, cultural interpreters and wildlife experts board the ships at Glacier Bay to lead talks, run junior ranger activities and help guests spot whales, eagles and bears.
“Enrichment becomes an unforgettable part of the journey,” says Bodensteiner. “Hands-on cultural demonstrations, storytelling sessions and locally inspired programming make the onboard experience feel deeply connected to the land and its people.”
Holland America Line ships call at the Hubbard Glacier on Alaska voyages
Holland America Line takes a similar approach to fully immerse guests in the local culture when sailing in Northern Europe too.
“The ‘Dutch Touch’ is woven into our identity – and it’s something guests experience in subtle but meaningful ways,” she says. “On sailings throughout the region, guests enjoy seafood sourced in Scandinavia and exclusive cocktails curated by award-winning Dutch bartender Tess Posthumus. Local musicians come onboard the ships to provide entertainment that creates a true sense of place before guests step ashore – for instance, they can watch oompah bands in Warnemünde, Germany. Plus, engaging port talks give guests an insider insight into the destinations they’ll explore the next day.
“Whether it’s through regionally inspired cuisine, destination-specific entertainment, partnerships with local experts, or culturally immersive enrichment programming, our goal is simple: to make the onboard experience feel as authentic and memorable as the places we visit. Together, these elements create a journey that is fully immersive from start to finish – one that allows guests to truly connect with the world around them.”
This immersive approach is paying dividends in Northern Europe. According to Bodensteiner, the brand is “experiencing exceptional growth” in demand for cruises in the region, with its research indicating that nearly half of its guests rank the region among their top “dream destinations”. Guests also cite fjord cruising as a “particular standout” option.
“Northern Europe has always been central to who we are as a company, so it’s exciting to see more guests discovering the region’s appeal,” says Bodensteiner. “As our roots are in Rotterdam, we bring a level of authenticity and expertise that is hard to match. Guests are looking for meaningful travel – dramatic landscapes, culturally rich cities and the chance for in-depth explorations – and Northern Europe delivers all of that. In fact, demand for Europe as a whole is strong, with bookings for our 2026 season up more than one-third year-over-year.”
Northern European destinations like Lofoten in Norway are becoming increasingly popular with cruise guests
To meet this demand, the brand will expand its presence in Northern Europe in a “very intentional way” in 2027 by deploying Zuiderdam alongside Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam. The ships will be based in the region between April and December, operating voyages ranging from seven to 21 days in length.
“Adding a third ship gives guests more opportunities to explore Norway, Iceland, the British Isles and beyond, through longer port days, overnights and exceptional scenic cruising,” says Bodensteiner. “With four homeports – Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Dover in England, and Reykjavik in Iceland – we’re making it easier than ever for guests to reach the region and choose their ideal itinerary.”
Holland America Line’s external partners play a pivotal role in helping the brand to deliver high-quality guest experiences, both onboard its ships and in the destinations they visit.
“External partners are essential to delivering the elevated, destination-focused experiences our guests expect,” explains Bodensteiner. “Our teams set the vision, but it is the expertise of our partners that helps bring it to life in a way that reflects our heritage and the values our guests appreciate.
The shore excursions team, for example, collaborates with local operators, guides and cultural organisations to provide “authentic access” to the communities guests visit, says Bodensteiner. “In early 2026, we launched over 150 new cultural tours under the ‘Meet the Maker’ and ‘Community Connections’ banners. These tours invite guests to go beyond the guidebooks and truly immerse themselves in the heart of local life.”
Likewise, partners help Holland America Line to develop its onboard entertainment, enrichment and culinary programmes. “Guests want deeper and more authentic connections to the destinations they visit, and our culinary ambassadors – who include chocolatier Jacques Torres and chefs Ethan Stowell, Masaharu Morimoto and David Burke – help us deliver those moments,” says Bodensteiner. “Their contributions bring regional flavours and global perspectives to life for guests through hands-on workshops, live demonstrations and destination-inspired menus.”
Ethan Stowell is one of several renowned chefs the brand works with to develop menus and hands-on cooking classes
Meanwhile, Holland America Line’s design, technical and hotel teams, work closely with dry dock and shipyard partners and rely on their “craftsmanship and attention to detail” when modernising ships in the fleet. “Whether we are refreshing entertainment venues, enhancing staterooms and dining spaces, or integrating new sustainability‑focused technologies, these collaborations help us evolve while staying grounded in who we are,” says Bodensteiner.
In addition, Holland America Line is collaborating with various partners to facilitate net-carbon-neutral ship operations by 2050 and attain various other environmental, social and governance goals.
“Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will require worldwide commitment – we need every business, every nation and every sector of the global economy,” says Bodensteiner.
Like its parent company, Holland America Line has set specific targets in six key areas: climate action, circular economy, sustainable tourism, biodiversity and conservation, good health and wellbeing, and diversity, equity and inclusion. It is investing heavily to fulfil these aims. For example, all 11 of its ships are equipped with food waste dehydrators and biodigesters, as well as systems for exhaust gas cleaning, advanced waste water treatment and waste recycling. They can also connect with shore power wherever it is available.
“We take our role as a steward of the waters we sail and the destinations we visit very seriously,” says Bodensteiner. “We achieved our 2030 greenhouse gas emissions goal – which was to cut carbon intensity by 20 per cent from 2019 levels – in early 2025, five years ahead of schedule. This marked a win for both the planet and our bottom line.”
As part of its emissions reduction plan, Holland America Line is trialling new fuels – in 2024 and 2025, it successfully executed two long-term biofuel tests onboard Rotterdam. “We leveraged 100 per cent low-carbon-intensity biofuel while sailing in parts of Norway,” says Bodensteiner. “The results from the respective testing periods suggest this fuel could help us achieve an average lifecycle emissions reduction of 86 per cent.”
While these results are encouraging, Bodensteiner says the cruise industry and wider maritime sector is still a long way from being able to fully decarbonise operations. “There isn’t a clear path to net zero for the maritime industry yet because we don’t have low- and zero-emission fuels in the quantities we need to get there,” she explains. “Currently, the fastest way to cut greenhouse gas emissions is to use less fuel.”
Consequently, Holland America Line is “maximising every energy saving” to cut the amount of fuel it uses. “We’ve continued investing to make our existing ships more efficient throughout their lifecycle by installing energy-saving onboard equipment, running onboard systems on shoreside electric power, developing more fuel-efficient itineraries, fine-tuning hydrodynamics, capitalising on ocean currents, and much more,” says Bodensteiner. “In the past five years alone, Carnival Corporation brands have cut fuel use by almost 11 per cent while increasing fleet capacity by 30 per cent, and we aim to find more fuel savings well into the next decade.”
While energy-efficiency solutions are a vital part of the decarbonisation solution, they will not help cruise lines reach net zero if they are implemented in isolation, says Bodensteiner.
“Addressing climate change requires energy sources and technologies that don’t yet exist for many industries, including the maritime sector,” she says. “That’s why Carnival Corporation has joined forces with companies, universities, research bodies, non-governmental organisation and other stakeholders – both within and outside of the cruise industry – to create solutions designed to help safeguard the planet for future generations.”
With cruise lines increasingly capitalising on collaboration opportunities to improve everything from environmental sustainability to guest experiences, Bodensteiner is confident the sector will continue to grow and thrive well into the future.
“One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is a guest desire for authentic, genuine vacation experiences – cruise can deliver on that more than other travel industries,” she explains. “For us, the mantra ‘experiences too good to hurry through’ is more than just a tagline; it’s the lens through which we design itineraries, invest in onboard and land experiences, and deliver service at a level that is consistently exceptional. As the industry evolves, that discipline is what will keep Holland America Line relevant and differentiated.”
Discover more insights like this in the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. Don’t miss out – subscribe for FREE and get the next issue delivered straight to your inbox.