Silly ? What does Vista Class mean....

After all the time I spend here on the HAL board I still have not figured out what certain things mean. I see the terms in most posts, but have no clue.

I've looked all over, but it seems I'm the only one who doesn't know. :o

Here are the 2 that I see most often.

1. Vista class

2. S-class

3. Are there more?

I'll be on the Massdam in April, what would she be called? :confused:

Thank you for answering! :D

Its about the size and configuration of the ships, their basic design. Zuiderdam, Westerdam, Oosterdam and the soon-to-be-launched Noordam are the "Vista class", the newest and largest ships in the fleet.

Thanks Dave! You are always so helpful! :O)

So the Massdam is an S-class?

Does the "S" stand for anything?

Are all cruiselines ships like this or does HAL have their own wording for it?

Thanks a million!

Thanks Dave! You are always so helpful! :O)

 

So the Massdam is an S-class?

 

Does the "S" stand for anything?

 

Are all cruiselines ships like this or does HAL have their own wording for it?

 

Thanks a million!

http://www.hollandamerica.com/pdfs/media/factsheets/VistaClassShips_FastFact.pdf

http://www.hollandamerica.com/media/newsRelease.do?fileName=/200307/3oost073.xml

I believe also that there are certain features on ths ship that give it the name i.e a Vista or view.

I think others do have Vista class ships, but am not 100% sure that they are the same specs as HAL. Some are definitely newer, so they will certainly be different.

Wow! thanks for the link.

Here is what I found which tells me what I needed to know.

I won't be lost any more. (at least not about this subject) LOL

Vista Class Ships

- ms Oosterdam Fact Sheet

- ms Zuiderdam Fact Sheet

- ms Westerdam Fact Sheet

- Fast Facts: Vista Class Ships

- Vista Series Schedule

R Class Ships

- ms Amsterdam Fact Sheet

- ms Rotterdam Fact Sheet

- ms Volendam Fact Sheet

- ms Zaandam Fact Sheet

S Class Ships

- ms Maasdam Fact Sheet

- ms Ryndam Fact Sheet

- ms Statendam Fact Sheet

- ms Veendam Fact Sheet

Prinsendam

- Prinsendam Fact Sheet

Vista is only a nickname for the general hull. This is common in shipbuilding as it allows for reduction of costs as design, engineering, construction and maintenance costs are shared among the "family".

Typically, a hull class is named after the first ship in the series. Since the Vista was designed to be used in several Carnival owned lines, it is named more generically.

The Vista class hull is also shared with Costa Lines. I believe they have at least 2 "Vista" ships. Of course their's are configured and decorated differently than the Holland-America versions.

I will check to make sure but I think there are also plans to have a Vista class hull in the Cunard line.

I believe that some of the new Carnival ships are also Vista class, they have more decks than the HAL ships for increased passenger capacity. More space per passenger is one of the reasons I prefer HAL over other lines.

Vista Class Ships

This is a list of the Vista Class ships that I could find so far...

Holland-America: Zuiderdam, Westerdam, Oosterdam, Noordam

Cunard: Queen Victoria

P&O Cruises: Arcadia

Evidently, the Carnival SPIRIT class is a close derivation of the Vista class and is used for Carnival and Costa.

For comparison, look at a picture of the Carnival Spirit next to a picture of the Zuiderdam. You will see the family resemblance although the Spirit class is larger.

Carnival seems to be getting a lot of mileage out of one hull design with at least 10 so far between the two.

I always thought the Vista class was so named because of the outboard, midships elevators. They provide panoramic vistas of the sea while you're ascending or descending through the decks.

I always thought the Vista class was so named because of the outboard, midships elevators. They provide panoramic vistas of the sea while you're ascending or descending through the decks.

That makes sense. You're probably right.

The saga of the last vista class ship...

First off the "vista class" is a shared hull design with Carnival and Costa, but the similarity ends there. While the Carnival and Costa ships basically share the same super-structure, the Vista class is radically different (smaller atrium, panoramic elevators, radically different design at the top/front location of the ship, etc)

Indeed the "vista" name comes from a ship designed for views of the sea, something the Costa/Carnival design lacks.

Now, as for the "fifth" Vista class ship, Carnival Corp originally decided HAL didn't need all that new tonnage so the ship was transfered to Cunard to become the Queen Victoria. The design was modified again (mostly on the upper most decks) for Cunard, the decor changed, and so on. Then Cunard set sail with the Queen Mary 2. The decision was made to design an entirely new Queen Victoria that was basically a scaled down version of the QM2. The unloved vista class ship was then transferred to P&O, who I believe is trying to put their stamp on the ship too before she sets sail as the Arcadia.

So in reality the vista class is really shared by P&O and HAL.

And don't get me started on some of Carnival's other ship platforms, or the ship swaping that's been going on between all their lines. Basically I've given up trying to figure out which ship went where, it's just too confusing. I'm begining to think Carnival will start buying huge fridge magnets with the names of all their ships and just start swaping them on a weekly basis :-)

That makes sense. You're probably right.

Its definitely right, that is at a minimum part of it, can't remember where I read that but you would find it wuickly with a google.

What robsvacation said is the way I remember it as well.

If you go to the P&O web page they have a whole section dedicated to the Arcadia which was ready for sea trials last time I visited the web site. Take one look at a picture of the Arcadia and you will think "Zuiderdam" (or Oosterdam or Westerdam, whatever you choose.) The superstructure is identical to the HAL Vista series. If I remember correctly, on the original HAL timetable, the Arcadia was to be the new Noordam coming out in winter/spring 2005 and the unamed Vista was coming out in winter/spring 2006. It is kind of a shame to lose the extra ship, but maybe it is a blessing in disguise. Once Noordam is intorduced, HAL should have a stable fleet size for a while and there will not be such a great influx of new staff. As the HAL staff stabalizes, maybe we can expect more of that smiling, friendly service that we have all come to know and love (okay, maybe not all of us as there seems to be plenty of HAL bashers about these days :))

The Vista class hull is also shared with Costa Lines. I believe they have at least 2 "Vista" ships. Of course their's are configured and decorated differently than the Holland-America versions.

 

I will check to make sure but I think there are also plans to have a Vista class hull in the Cunard line.

Technically the Costa twins you are thinking of, COSTA ATLANTICA and COSTA MEDITERRANEA, are not Vista-class ships, the are the closely related CARNIVAL SPIRIT-class ships.

The Vista-class and SPIRIT-class ships are very similar. They are based off the same hull design, however the Vista-class ships are slightly (about 13 feet) shorter. The SPIRIT-class ships were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards (now Aker Finnyards) at Helsinki; the Vista-class ships were (are being) built at Fincantieri at Marghera, Italy. All HAL ships from STATENDAM on have been built at Marghera, 11 ships so far with one (NOORDAM) on order.

The SPIRIT-class ships are as follows:

Costa: COSTA ATLANTICA, COSTA MEDITERRANEA

Carnival: CARNIVAL PRIDE, CARNIVAL SPIRIT, CARNIVAL LEGEND, CARNIVAL MIRACLE

And the Vista-class ships:

HAL: ZUIDERDAM, OOSTERDAM, WESTERDAM, NOORDAM (delivery January 2006)

P&O Cruises: ARCADIA (delivery April 2005)

ARCADIA was originally ordered as an HAL ship, then transferred to Cunard as QUEEN VICTORIA, and now has been transferred to P&O (all while still being built!). She is slightly modified from the original HAL design, though virtually all the changes are cosmetic.

There is also the new QUEEN VICTORIA, slated for delivery in December 2007, which will be built at Marghera and is based off a stretched Vista-class hull (990 ft long, a Vista-class is 951 ft). There are no real details on this ship at this time.