News from Holland America Line

Golf 2001
Caribbean and Mexico

Enjoy a round of golf in addition to a Five-Star Holland America cruise. Eighteen holes range in price from $90 to $175 (US) per person, depending on course and season. This fee includes green fees and transfers between course and ship.

Guests will receive information about golf excursions in their stateroom at the beginning of the cruise. The onboard Shore Excursion Manager will assist guests with the necessary arrangements, including tee times.

Tee times cannot be confirmed prior to cruise departure. For best availability, inquire with the Shore Excursion Desk upon embarkation.

7- or 8-Day Eastern Caribbean
Dorado del Mar, or Bahia Beach Plantation, San Juan
Mahogany Run, St. Thomas

10-Day Wayfarer Southern Caribbean
Blue Bay Golf Resort, Curaçao
St. Andrew's Gold Club, Trinidad
Martinique Country Club, Martinique
Mahogany Run, St. Thomas

7-Day Western Caribbean
Golf Links at Safe Haven, Grand Cayman
Upton Golf Course, Ocho Rios

14-Day Southern Caribbean
Dorado del Mar or Bahia Beach Plantation, San Juan
Mahogany Run, St. Thomas
Sandy Lane, Barbados
Sandals, St. Lucia
Golf Links at Safe Haven, Grand Cayman

7-Day Southern Caribbean
Sandy Lane, Barbados
Martinique Country Club, Martinique
Mahogany Run, St. Thomas

10-Day Mexican Riviera
Estrella del Mar, Mazatlán
Mayan Palace, Acapulco
Marina Vallarta Club de Golf, Puerto Vallarta

10-Day Seafarer Southern Caribbean
Sandals, St. Lucia
Royal St. Kitts Golf, St. Kitts
Mahogany Run, St. Thomas


Holland America Joins International Seakeepers Society
Participating in Worldwide Ocean-Monitoring Project

Holland America Line has joined the International Seakeepers Society as a founding member, and is participating in an ongoing project to monitor the quality of the world's oceans from the ms Amsterdam.

The International Seakeepers Society Ocean Monitoring & Testing Module has been installed on board the 61,000-grt ms Amsterdam and is used to continually gather a wide variety of data about weather and ocean conditions. Along with information gathered by scores of private yachts, ships and research vessels, the data are used to create a profile of the health of the oceans of the world as well as weather forecasting.

"Holland America Line is pleased to be participating in this unprecedented worldwide data-gathering effort," said Stein Kruse, the line's senior vice president of fleet operations. "We believe it is incumbent upon us to take an active role as stewards of the most precious resource on earth -- our oceans."

The Ocean Monitoring & Testing Module was developed by scientists at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine &amo; Atmospheric Science, and records weather conditions (air temperature, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure and humidity) while simultaneously gathering data on ocean temperature, salinity, acidity, oxygen content, water clarity and color, pollution levels, phytoplankton (chlorophyll) levels and toxic algae blooms.

Data collected by the modules are transmitted via satellite to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The information is then forwarded to weather forecasters, government agencies and academic institutions for a variety of purposes, including weather forecasting, climate change prediction, validation and calibration of satellite data, and fishery-management applications.

The Seakeepers ocean-monitoring program was first proposed two years ago, and already more than 50 vessels have the unit installed and currently are gathering and transmitting data. Over the course of 10 days, the Seakeepers module can record up to 57,600 weather reports and can transmit a minimum of 80 reports to weather services for use in forecasting.

The International Seakeepers Society is based at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School in Miami, Florida, and is a project of the International Society for Ocean Monitoring and Research, a non-profit charitable organization. Members of the Seakeepers Society board of directors include some of the most distinguished names in the international oceanographic community, including Jean-Michel Cousteau; Dr. Sylvia Earle, former NOAA chief scientist; Dr. Jean Jaubert, director of the European Oceanographic Observatory; Dean Otis Brown of the Rosenstiel School; and Dr. Noel Brown, former director of Environmental Programmes for the United Nations.

Holland America Line's participation in the Seakeepers ocean-quality monitoring program affirms its commitment to responsible environmental practices. The line has implemented a comprehensive fleetwide program which emphasizes waste reduction and recycling, compliance with all international environmental guidelines, and a decision to incorporate cleaner-burning propulsion technology into its new ships.

Holland America Line currently meets or exceeds all provisions of the international regulations governing the environmental management of marine operations.

Holland America Contracts for Two
New 84,000-Ton, 1,800-Passenger Vessels

Holland America Line, a unit of Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL), has signed an agreement with Italian shipyard Fincantieri Cantieri Navali S.p.A. for the construction of two new 84,000-ton vessels expected to enter service in the fall of 2002 and summer of 2003. The agreement also includes options for Holland America Line to order up to three sister ships to be delivered between 2003 and 2005.

The 1,800-passenger vessels will be built at a cost of approximately US$400 million each at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard. It marks the beginning of a new class of vessels for Holland America and will introduce a number of new features, including the first "exterior elevators," located on both the port and starboard side of the vessel which will vertically transverse 10 decks, providing guests with panoramic sea views. Providing the hallmarks of the Holland America brand, the new vessels will sport larger cabins, extensive multi-million dollar art collections and expanded entertainment venues. In addition, the ships will offer expanded spa facilities and the line's first "cabaret-style" show lounge complementing a multi-level main show lounge.

At 951 feet, the new ships will be among the longest passenger vessels in the world, but will still be able to transit the Panama Canal. The ships will feature a wide variety of accommodation categories within its spacious staterooms, approximately 85 percent of which will feature an ocean view, with approximately 80 percent of those offering private verandahs. Other features include an internet café, business center and computer learning facility, internet/e-mail data ports in all cabins, an extensive CLUB HAL children's facility with inside and outside areas, concierge lounge for suite guests, and such dining options as a two-level main dining room, a casual Lido-area eatery and a specialty restaurant. The ships will also include two interior promenade decks, an exterior covered promenade deck encircling the entire ship, a large Lido-area pool with a retractable dome, an Azipod propulsion system, and Holland America's signature "crow's nest" observation lounge.

"Fincantieri has a rich tradition of building some of the most elegant and technically advanced cruise ships in the world, including Holland America's Statendam-class, Volendam, Zaandam, and the Rotterdam VI," said Kirk Lanterman, chairman and CEO of Holland America Line. "This new class of ships will build upon this tradition while allowing us to further enhance our position as the premium cruise leader with verandah cabins in more categories and many more on-board services.

Lanterman pointed out that Fincantieri delivered the $300 million Volendam to Holland America. That vessel began service November 12 from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on 10-day cruises to the Caribbean. Other ships in the Fincantieri order book for Holland America include the 63,000-ton Zaandam, which is slated to debut in spring 2000, and the 61,000-ton Amsterdam, scheduled to enter service later in the fall of 2000.

Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation, said, "New ships continue to be the primary driver of our growth. This new agreement brings Carnival Corporation's total new building order to approximately $4 billion -- a clear indication of our confidence in the future growth potential of Holland America and other Carnival company brands."




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Last Update: 01/15/01