Holland America Line announced an extensive enhancement of its onboard entertainment options, debuting four mainstage shows and broadening its musical lineup to include destination-specific performances.
New Era Entertainment for Holland America Ships
Four innovative mainstage shows designed to captivate cruise travelers will debut on Holland America Line ships. The productions are part of a fleetwide enhancement that includes the addition of the Rolling Stone Lounge, an upgrade to the popular Billboard Onboard experience, and a tailoring of performances and content around to match destinations of specific voyages.
“Over the past several years we’ve built one of the strongest entertainment experiences at sea, working with world-class musicians and dancers,” said Bill Prince, vice president of entertainment and enrichment at Holland America Line.“Adding these new theater experiences continues to build on our momentum.”
The new lineup of shows includes “Song & Dance,” a musical journey through Broadway and Hollywood; “Class Act,” a Las Vegas-inspired celebration of iconic female performers; “All That!,” an homage to classic TV variety shows; and “Hey, Mr. DJ,” a concert featuring hits from the ‘60s to today.
The productions launched in February as a test run aboard ms Eurodam, and will be followed with subsequent launches through June 2024 on ms Rotterdam and ms Nieuw Statendam, currently sailing in the Caribbean, as well as ms Zuiderdam, which is traveling on its World Cruise until May 11.
Revitalizing Onboard Venues
As part of Holland America Line’s efforts to refresh its onboard entertainment offerings, the cruise line introduced its new Rolling Stone Lounge aboard ms Nieuw Amsterdam and ms Eurodam in December 2023.
The expansion builds on the success of the lounge on ms Noordam, ms Oosterdam, ms Zuiderdam, and ms Westerdam. Featuring a dynamic seven-piece band, the lounge brings a wide array of rock, pop, and R&B to the vibrant atmosphere.
Further enriching its entertainment portfolio, Holland America Line has updated the Billboard Onboard experience. This piano bar concept features a rotation of musical themes each evening, showcasing chart-topping hits from Billboard. This show can be found on nine of Holland America Line’s 11 ships. (It is not on ms Volendam or ms Zaandam.)
In a move to diversify the musical offerings on select European cruises, Holland America Line will introduce a classical music trio to perform on the mainstage. Moreover, B.B. King’s Blue Club continues to be a mainstay on ms Koningsdam, ms Nieuw Statendam, and ms Rotterdam.
Expanding Onboard Musical Horizons
In addition to the new mainstage spectacles arriving this year, Holland America Line is enriching its regional offerings, tailoring performances to the destinations its ships visit.
Caribbean cruises, where ms Rotterdam, ms Nieuw Statendam, and ms Eurodam sail, will feature the “Island Magic” steel drum concerts, while sailings to Canada and New England aboard ms Volendam and ms Zuiederdam will introduce “Breton Thunder,” showcasing Nova Scotia’s musical heritage.
When ms Rotterdam, ms Nieuw Statendam, and ms Eurodam change course for European voyages, guests will find performances by the Chordial Chamber Trip and Pantheon, a group of dynamic European tenors.
The Alaska itinerary aboard ms Eurodam, ms Koningsam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Noordam, ms Westerdam, and ms Zaandam will introduce “Destination: Alaska,” a show designed to immerse passengers in the spirit of the region, as well as Major Fourth, a group of four singers covering a number of genres from various decades. The cruises will also continue to highlight the Step One Dance Company.
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Holland America Line’s mainstage, known as World Stage, is the largest theater on its ships. The theater is a two-story stage aboard ms Koningsam, ms Niuew Statendam, and ms Rotterdam, where a panoramic LED screen surrounds the audience.
