Holland America Line’s new flagship Rotterdam received the royal treatment in her namesake city on Monday (30 May) in a christening ceremony rich with Dutch heritage.
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands served as godmother and officially named the ship – the seventh to bear the name – in front of invited dignitaries and guests.
“Our heritage is rooted here in the Netherlands, and we are deeply honoured to have 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 and festivities continued into the evening with a gala dinner and the opportunity for guests to pour champagne over the ship’s bell in a tradition to welcome a new ship to the fleet.
Rotterdam arrives in her namesake city for the christening. Top of page: Princess Margriet, centre, with Holland America president Jan Swartz and ship’s Captain Werner Timmers
Rotterdam’s special seven-day “Rotterdam Naming Celebration” cruise departed Amsterdam on Sunday to sail roundtrip from Amsterdam, where she will spend the season operating seven- and 14-day Norway cruises, as well as explorations to Scandinavia, Iceland and the Northern Isles.
The third vessel in the Pinnacle Class series, Rotterdam carries 2,668 guests and features highly successful amenities and innovations introduced with her sister ships.