SEATTLE, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- When Holland America Line recently added a new Culinary Arts Center to the final ship in the fleet, all structural changes originally envisioned for the company's $225 million Signature of Excellence initiative were complete. The comprehensive Signature of Excellence upgrades announced nearly three years ago in November 2003 triggered an industry trend of fleet rejuvenations and enhancements to meet the demands of an expanding set of discriminating cruise vacationers.
Signature of Excellence features and amenities are evident in every aspect of the Holland America Line cruise experience, offering guests more luxurious accommodations, more enticing destinations, enhanced dining experiences, more creative activities and even higher levels of service.
"We invested to realize a vision, and that vision was to make our brand experience even more relevant to today's and tomorrow's premium traveler," said Stein Kruse, president and CEO of Holland America Line. "I believe we've not only delivered on our promise, but exceeded expectations."
Signature of Excellence by the numbers
All told during the two-year implementation, 12 Holland America ships spent nearly 200 days in drydock receiving enhancements such as the Mariner's Dream stateroom experience with premium comfort appointments, the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine, Explorations Cafe -- powered by The New York Times, exclusive Pinnacle Grill restaurant, refurbished Crow's Nest observation lounge, expanded youth facilities and enhanced Greenhouse Spa and Salon.
A broad range of employees led by Mike Novak, vice president, marine operations, was involved in every aspect of Signature of Excellence, from conception to the final products. Novak's team oversaw the work of nearly 2,000 people, including shipyard workers, contractors and ship personnel. They tested and retested hundreds of items to ensure quality, coordinated delivery schedules and oversaw complex installations.
Other statistics on Signature of Excellence include:
-- 10 million hours worked in dry dock -- the equivalent of 387 years.
-- 1.2 million pounds of steel installed on the ships.
-- 695,743 luxury items added to staterooms, from sheets to bathrobes to make-up mirrors.
-- 49,372 pieces of electronic equipment, from televisions to CD players, DVD players to computers, installed on the 13 ships.
-- 27,000 book titles added to Explorations Cafes. At one book a week, it would take more than 500 years to read them all.
-- If you stacked all the new Euro-Top plush mattresses end on end, they would reach 18,985 feet high -- just 1,300 feet lower than the summit of Alaska's Mt. McKinley.
-- 254 nautical miles of electrical cable installed on the ships -- enough to reach from Ft. Lauderdale to just off shore of Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private Caribbean island.
-- 170 new ways to explore destinations on Medallion/Signature excursions. 60 nationalities represented by people working in the shipyards -- a virtual United Nations.
More excellence to come
The premium line also is making additional enhancements to the first three Vista-class ships, carrying on the spirit of Signature of Excellence. The fourth Vista-class ship, ms Noordam, was delivered in February with all Signature of Excellence enhancements installed, including an Explorations Cafe and Pinnacle Bar. These venues, which have been enthusiastically received by guests on Noordam and the rest of the fleet, will be added in the next few years to ms Westerdam, ms Zuiderdam and ms Oosterdam. Those ships also will receive new aft staterooms, increasing their guest capacity to 1,918 -- the same as Noordam. All of these changes go beyond the original scope of the Signature of Excellence program. The spirit of excellence also is reflected in the new namesake Signature-class ship, which will be named in the near future and debut in the summer of 2008.
For more information on Holland America Line and the Signature of Excellence initiative, travel agents can call 1-800-544-0443 or visit the travel agent headquarters at http://www.hollandamerica.com/.
http://www.hollandamerica.com/
About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc ]
With the introduction of the 1,918-passenger ms Noordam in early 2006, Holland America Line's fleet grew to 13 ships, offering nearly 500 cruises to more than 300 ports. Two- to 108-day itineraries visit all seven continents, including Antarctica, South America, Australia/New Zealand and Asia voyages; a world cruise; and popular sailings to ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal.
Having just completed a $225 million fleetwide Signature of Excellence enhancement schedule, the premium line has been receiving recognition from vacationers. In the 2006 Portrait of Affluent Travelers national travel habit survey by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell, Holland America Line topped the list of luxury cruise lines affluent leisure travelers are interested in experiencing in the next two years. New features and amenities include the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine -- a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts will provide cooking demonstrations and classes -- Explorations Cafe powered by The New York Times, teens-only activity areas and all new cabin amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush-top Mariner's Dream Beds. For more information, consult a travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (877-724-5425) or visit http://www.hollandamerica.com/.
World's Leading Cruise Lines
Among the highest-rated premium cruise lines in the world, Holland America Line is a member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, these lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.
SOE+VistaUpgrade10-06
Contact: Rose Abello; Mary Schimmelman
206/301-5318; 206-313-7673 cell phone
Fax: 206-262-5934 E-mail:
