Today, Holland America Line is owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company. Carnival Cruise Line is also a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation.
The current president of Holland America is Beth Bodensteiner, who reports to Carnival Corporation’s CEO, Josh Weinstein. Bodensteiner took over in December 2024 after the previous company president, Gus Antorcha, moved to take over the role at Princess Cruises.
This guide will explain everything you need to know about Holland America Line’s ownership, leadership, and more!
In This Article:
Who is the CEO/President of Holland America Line?
Since Holland America Line is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the cruise line and its fleet of 11 cruise ships are led by the company president, Beth Bodensteiner.
This means Holland America Line itself doesn’t have a separate CEO, but as company president, Bodensteiner reports to Carnival Corporation’s board of directors and acting CEO, Josh Weinstein.
Bodensteiner took over the president position on December 2, 2024. She is a 20-year veteran of Holland America Line and previously served as the cruise line’s Senior VP and Chief Commercial Officer.
Through these roles, Bodensteiner proved her leadership skills, but it was her involvement in getting the brand through the financial difficulties of the post-pandemic period that really put her in the spotlight.
Bodensteiner took over the role as company president from Gus Antorcha, who held the position from 2020 to 2024. Today, he serves as the president of Princess Cruises, a sister company to Holland America that is also owned by Carnival Corporation & plc.
Prior to Antorcha’s stretch as president, the cruise line was led by Norwegian-born Stein Kruse. (A fitting name for someone working in the cruise industry!) Kruse assumed the role in 2013 before retiring in 2020.
The current company president, Beth Bodensteiner, may not be a household name, and she doesn’t often present herself as the face of Holland America, but she is well known within the industry.
Even as far back as 2015, Bodensteiner appeared in the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list. In her previous role as Senior VP, she also spearheaded Holland America Line’s YODA System, which increased bookings and helped manage inventory across the entire company.
While Carnival Corporation’s headquarters are in Miami, Florida, Holland America’s home office is in Seattle, Washington. Holland America may employ staff around the globe, but Beth and the rest of the leadership team get to enjoy life in the Pacific Northwest.
Carnival Acquires Holland America
The Carnival Corporation acquired Holland America in 1989. Prior to that, Holland America Line was a fully independent cruise line that was founded back in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company.
At the time of the takeover, Carnival Corporation was the fastest-growing cruise company in the world. After going public in 1987, Carnival began expanding and buying other cruise lines.
In February of 1989, Carnival agreed to purchase Holland America Line, then known as Holland America Line and Westours Inc., for roughly $625 million, or around 1.2 billion Dutch guilders.
As part of the purchase agreement, Carnival Corporation agreed to keep Holland America as a distinct brand under the Carnival umbrella, rather than just absorbing its ships and other assets.
In fact, at the time of the takeover, a spokesperson for Carnival Corporation even explained that Carnival had “no intention of ‘Carnivalizing’ the Holland America ships” or adding any of their signature elements into their fleet.
The thinking here was that ships under the Holland America banner would have a distinct style and focus on sailing Alaska during the summer months, while Carnival-branded ships would stick to the Caribbean itineraries throughout the year.
While the acquisition meant Holland America Line was no longer an independent cruise line, ownership under the Carnival Corporation meant they were able to expand their fleet and upgrade their existing ships.
These efforts to expand the fleet with much larger ships stepped up in the late 1990s, when work began on two Rotterdam-class ships: the MS Volendam and MS Zaandam. Each had a capacity of nearly 1,500 guests, and represented a big step up for the Holland America fleet.
Changes Following the Takeover
Not only did the takeover mean that Holland America’s fleet was expanded, but the focus also changed.
When they purchased the cruise line, Carnival Corporation also took over Westours, which was a smaller tour company owned by Holland America.
Westours was a small branch of the company that focused almost exclusively on Alaska cruises, while the rest of the Holland America fleet toured the Caribbean and Europe.
Carnival saw the takeover as an opportunity to have the entire fleet begin focusing on Alaska and the Pacific coasts of Canada and the United States.
This focus helped spread awareness of the Holland America Line name in North America. Once established, the cruise line’s focus expanded beyond Alaska, and Holland America began offering cruise itineraries in other markets.
By 1997, Rotterdam VI, the biggest ship in the fleet at the time, set sail from Holland America’s newly introduced private island in the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay. This marked the beginning of Holland America’s move towards being a brand that would focus more on premium service and experiences.
In my experience, I’ve found them quite similar to Cunard Line, where the focus is more on luxury and traditional cruising experiences.
History of Holland America
Holland America dates back to April 18, 1873. It was first founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company (NASM).
As a passenger and cargo line, its first ship, Rotterdam, sailed from the Netherlands to New York City for its maiden voyage in 1874. In addition to carrying freight, the ship also carried immigrants and visitors between Europe and North America.
After the Second World War, Holland America began shifting its focus towards more leisurely transatlantic travel and European cruises. Through the 1950s and 1960s, they gained a reputation for fine dining, and their ships became known for their unique green and white paint.
In the late 1960s, the company rebranded its passenger arm as Holland America Cruises. When 1971 arrived, they bought Westours to strengthen and increase the size of the company and gain a foothold in the Alaska cruise market.
In 1975, Holland America ran the very first Alaska Inside Passage cruise with its ship Prinsendam. Then in 1987, they acquired 50% ownership of Windstar Cruises, which would eventually be fully acquired by Carnival Corporation as part of the Holland America purchase two years later.
After Carnival acquired Holland America in 1989, it continued evolving, right into the 2000s. Adding Vista-class and Signature-class ships to the fleet was a significant step forward.
In 2004, they made world headlines by offering adventure cruises that crossed the Amazon River. They also added a world voyage in 2008, which visited 39 different ports in 29 countries.
Today, Holland America Line is one of the most recognizable cruise lines anywhere. With 11 cruise ships that sail throughout the entire world, it has made major steps since its early days in Rotterdam.
Is Holland America a high-end cruise line?
Holland America Line markets itself as a premium cruise line. The branding tends to have a more upscale vibe to it than you get with the mass-market family fun ships operated by Carnival Corporation under the Carnival banner.
With that said, it’s not quite as luxurious as the most premium brands, like Regent or Silversea. Still, in my own experience, the focus is on excellent cuisine, classic décor, embracing the culture of the destinations its ships visit, and providing spacious staterooms and suites.
While there’s still plenty to do on Holland America cruise ships, their entertainment options lean more toward gyms, spas, nice restaurants, and live music, rather than theme park-style attractions.
Even some of the signature features on a Holland America cruise have a sophisticated feel, like art auctions, fine dining, and their unique EXC Talks, where local experts provide educational lectures about the regions the ships visit.
All of this is to say the target demographic tends to be older and more affluent travelers, rather than young families traveling on a budget. With that said, I’ve seen plenty of younger passengers enjoying Holland America cruises, so don’t feel like you’ll be bored or out of place if you’re looking for fun and relaxation.
Prices start in the hundreds of dollars for two-day trips to places like the Bahamas. A typical 7-day cruise package usually runs about $800 to $1,500 per person.
If you want to get into the really high-end side of things, you can spend well over $10,000 for their long-duration itineraries, like their 93-day Grand Australia & New Zealand Experience.
While they also offer cruise voyages in Asia, Australia/New Zealand, South America, and even Antarctica, their most common routes include the Bahamas, New England, Caribbean, Europe and the Mediterranean, Hawaii, and, true to their past, Alaskan summer cruises.
What is Holland America’s net worth?
Since Holland America Line is part of Carnival Corporation, it doesn’t have its own market value or public net worth. However, their parent company is worth just shy of $38 billion.
How many ships does Holland America own?
Holland America operates 11 cruise ships. Most of those ships can be classed as mid-sized cruise ships, with passenger capacities ranging from 1,432 to 2,650 guests.
All of HAL’s cruise ships are currently spread across four different classes:
- Rotterdam Class: MS Volendam (1999), MS Zaandam (2000)
- Vista Class: MS Zuiderdam (2002), MS Oosterdam (2003), MS Westerdam (2004), MS Noordam (2006)
- Signature Class: MS Eurodam (2008), MS Nieuw Amsterdam II (2010)
- Pinnacle Class: MS Koningsdam (2016), MS Nieuw Statendam (2018), MS Rotterdam (2021)
If you haven’t noticed, all of the ships carry names that reflect the cruise line’s historical ties to the Netherlands. MS Rotterdam is the seventh ship in the company’s over 150-year history to bear the name.
One thing I’ve noticed whenever I’ve traveled on any Holland America cruise ship is that they are maintained to a high standard-even the older vessels. This reflects the cruise line’s commitment to providing passengers with a quality and upscale experience.
So, why not check them out for yourself?
