Holland America Line took delivery of the 99,836gt Koningsdam (above) from Fincantieri shipyard on 31st March, making her the first Pinnacle-Class ship in the fleet. The handover ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy with the official presentation following on 2nd April. Following the signing, the Dutch flag was raised on the ship for the first time as the Koningsdam is registered in the Netherlands.

The ship later proceeded to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, for her Premiere voyage that departed 8th April. Following a series of Mediterranean voyages, the Koningsdam’s official naming ceremony was scheduled for 20th May in Rotterdam. For the summer the ship will be based at Amsterdam before returning to the Mediterranean in September. In autumn, the 2,650 passenger capacity ship will head across to Fort Lauderdale, where she will homeport at Port Everglades and spend the season exploring the Caribbean. Amenities aboard include alternative restaurants Sel de Mer, a French seafood brasserie, and an immersive farm-to-table concept dinner experience in the Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine magazine.

The grand Dutch Cafe debuts aboard with traditional Dutch treats and European beer, while a redesigned lido Market with themed serving stations revolutionises the buffet experience. A stunning main dining room is a focal point of the ship, and favourites return such as Pinnacle grill, Canaletto Italian restaurant and pan-Asian Tamarind. The 300m ship offers 1,300 cabins, 70% of which with private balcony overlooking the sea, and is the 15th unit realised by Fincantieri for Holland America line. The interior design was created by two of the world’s major and prestigious architecture studios, Tihany design and Yran & Storbraaten, with “the architecture of music” being an inspirational element for the design of many public areas.