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Holland America Line Introduces Exclusive Sparkling Wine, Enhancing Onboard Luxury Holland America Line is raising the bar on its luxury experiences with the introduction of its first-ever branded sparkling wine. Crafted in collaboration with Four Feathers Wine Services in Prosser, Washington, the exclusive wine is made using the Méthode Traditionnelle, which is the same process used to craft champagne. “Our goal was to create a wine that elevates a sense of luxury on board,” said Drew Foulk, senior manager of beverage and dining operations and innovation at Holland America Line. “Whether our guests are celebrating a special occasion or simply indulging during their voyage, we aim to provide them with something truly exceptional.” Produced with grapes grown in the heart of Washington’s renowned Columbia Valley, the sparkling wine reflects both quality and sustainability. This specific wine has a profile of ripe peach, shortbread and vanilla custard on the nose. Once guests take a sip, they will taste apple fritter, crème brûlée and praline, with fresh citrus and Granny Smith apple following through the finish. Four Feathers Wine Services, known for its world-class winemaking and state-of-the-art equipment, has brought their expertise to the project, ensuring each bottle meets the highest standards. “We’re thrilled to partner with Holland America to craft this exceptional sparkling wine,” said Rebecca De Kleine, general manager and director of winemaking at Four Feathers Wine Services. “This wine showcases the best of our estate-grown fruit and strikes a perfect balance of tradition and innovation. Sustainability is at the core of everything we do — from vineyard practices to production, ensuring that our commitment to environmental stewardship enhances the quality and integrity of this wine.” The Holland America Line sparkling wine will be available by the glass and bottle across all restaurants and bars fleetwide, as well as featured at key onboard events like the Captain’s Toast and Mariner Reception. Additionally, it will be available for in-stateroom gift packages, offering a luxurious way to mark special moments at sea. Guests can expect to enjoy this sparkling wine by the end of October 2024.

I don’t recall seeing an “aqua” class offered. Mayhaps because it would require taking over one of public pools.

Actually, the waiters will sing Lang Zullen Ze Leven,in Dutch which is the traditional Dutch happy birthday song.

The CO dining room is nice. The smaller venue helps to make meals special. Just to clarify, the is no CO lounge. The only special lounge is the Neptune Lounge that is available to NS guests only. Enjoy your cruise!

Your arrival time will be shown on your boarding pass. You don’t get to choose one. Enjoy your cruise.

Glad I’ve never had to deal with the issue. My machine is about 4 years old, I use only tap water and have had no issue.

Again, with no offense intended…why do Catholics feel that they should be a group set apart and that the line is obligated to accommodate their desires?

ITINERARY CHANGE NOTIFICATION Please be advised that to enhance the guest experience, Rotterdam will now call to Oranjestad, Aruba on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. To accommodate this change, we will no longer call to Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands on Monday, December 2 and will instead spend the day at sea. Guests with Holland America Line shore excursions booked for Grand Turk will be refunded to the original form of payment. Updated excursion information will be available online within the next two weeks. The revised itinerary displays in full at the end of this notice. ITINERARY Day Date Itinerary Arrival Departure FRI 29NOV24 Sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US 3:00pm SAT 30NOV24 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas Tender Required Wheelchair Access Limited 7:00am 4:00pm SUN 01DEC24 Sea Day MON 02DEC24 Sea Day TUE 03DEC24 Oranjestad, Aruba 8:00am 8:00pm WED 04DEC24 Kralendijk, Bonaire 7:00am 8:00pm THU 05DEC24 Willemstad, Curacao 7:00am 4:00pm FRI 06DEC24 Sea Day SAT 07DEC24 Sea Day SUN 08DEC24 Debark Ship Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US 7:00am

Just received email notifying of a change in our Rotterdam itinerary. Turks and Cacaos is out and all the ABCs are in. Plus 4 sea days, which we love.

I look forward to sampling the new offerings in November.

Queue the wailing and moaning.

I just called the generalPCC number and told the person who answered that I wanted to switch PCCs and why. She connected me with a supervisor and the issue was shaken care of in short order.

Agreed. Schiphol is crazy busy at the best of times, let alone in the morning with flights to North America.

Sure you can take it home…for a fee.

November 29, 2024 Rotterdam 9 night Southern Caribbean Seafarer.

A little late following your travels. So glad to hear about the removal of the casino staircase. On the Rotterdam it makes the music venues very smoky as it acts as a conduit for the cigarette smoke from the casino. Will be happy to see it gone on the Rotterdam too.

Not to sound like a snob, but after many years cruising the Caribbean we have been to almost all of the ports. Prefer staying onboard and enjoying an empty ship, a cabana and the excellent service received. Never left the ship during port calls on the last two trips. For us, the ship is the destination.

Definitely not a holiday cruise. About half way through the 9 days we got to watch them putting up holiday decorations.

We sailed the day after Thanksgiving in 2023 on the Rotterdam and there were very few kids on board. Enjoyed a very comfortable and non-crowded feeling cruise. We’ll be doing the same dates this year.

Selections and quality are always subjective, but HAL still remains among the top IMHO. Fares have gone up for a number or reasons. One of the biggest is the cost of goods used by the line. As in all things, those increased costs are passed along as in any other business.

US Dollars are always universally accepted and appreciated.

And this is why I use tap water. Tap water on the ship essentials = distilled.

Are you serious? Have you no idea of what a cruise vacation entails?

I have not seen Rudi’s included as one of the HIA complimentary restaurants.

It’s not a Nessppresso machine. It’s something like it and not that great. IMO.