Holland America Line's flagship Rotterdam received the royal treatment in a ceremony in her namesake city, as Princess Margriet of the Netherlands served as godmother and officially named the ship in front of invited dignitaries and guests.
Upon arrival, Princess Margriet was welcomed at the gangway with a traditional floral bouquet presented by seven-year-old Nora van Dijk, daughter of Nathalie van Dijk, who has been with Holland America Line for 15 years, most recently as a business development representative in sales in the Rotterdam office.
During the daytime naming celebration, Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald, Holland America Group President Jan Swartz, Rotterdam Captain Werner Timmers, Lord Mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb and Mariner Ambassadors David and Gisela Gere joined Princess Margriet to officially welcome Rotterdam to the fleet.
"Our heritage is rooted here in the Netherlands, and we are deeply honoured to have Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet as godmother of her fifth Holland America Line ship," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line.
"When Rotterdam was delivered in 2021 we postponed its naming ceremony so we could hold it in Rotterdam, because there's no better place to name a ship than in the city it was named after. After a challenging couple of years, we are excited to celebrate this memorable moment in our company's history."
Following the ceremony, a gala luncheon was held onboard for invited guests. The festivities continued into the evening with a gala dinner and the opportunity for guests to pour champagne over the ship's bell. The blessing of the ship's bell is a Holland America Line tradition when welcoming a new ship to the fleet.
The Geres were selected as Mariner Ambassadors for Rotterdam to honour Holland America Line's appreciation of its loyal guests who are long-time cruisers. Since first sailing in 1988 aboard Rotterdam V, the Geres have sailed nearly 2,500 days on Holland America Line, including several cruises on Rotterdam VI.
Holland America Line's connection to The House of Orange goes back nearly a century to Prince Hendrik launching Statendam III in 1929. Since then, members of the Dutch Royal Family have launched 11 more Holland America Line vessels.
The third vessel in the Pinnacle Class series and the seventh ship to bear the name for Holland America Line, Rotterdam carries 2,668 guests.
Rotterdam's seven-day "Rotterdam Naming Celebration" cruise departed May 29 and sails roundtrip from Amsterdam, Netherlands, also visiting Kristiansand, Stavanger and Flåm, Norway, with scenic cruising in Sognefjord.
Following the cruise, the ship will homeport out of Amsterdam and spend the season on seven- and 14-day Norway cruises, as well as explorations to Scandinavia, Iceland and the Northern Isles.
On Oct. 15, 1872, Rotterdam I - the first Holland America Line ship - embarked on its maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York. Exactly 150 years later on Oct. 15, 2022, Rotterdam VII will depart Rotterdam once again as Holland America Line recreates this historic 150th Anniversary crossing with calls at Plymouth, England; New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The ship will then spend the season in the Caribbean sailing tropical itineraries roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale.
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