Holland America Line’s newest ship, ms Koningsdam was officially christened by Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
The historic ceremony took place in Rotterdam in the Netherlands with Her Majesty Queen Maxima blessing the ship’s bell in the Lido pool by pouring a glass of champagne over the bell.
She was also the first to sign the Koningsdam’s commemorative wall which will become a permanent installation on the ship.
She was then officially christened during a ceremony in the World Stage theatre when Her Majesty Queen Maxima pulled a rope to trigger the traditional champagne bottle break on Koningsdam’s hill.
“It’s an honour to have Her Majesty Queen Máxima as the godmother to Koningsdam, and May 20 was a truly special day with Her Majesty delivering the ceremonial traditions of welcoming our newest ship to the fleet,” said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line’s president. “As our company was founded in Rotterdam more than 143 years ago, it was fitting to return to our roots for Koningsdam’s royal dedication.”
Also as part of the dedication, the line appointed Mariner Ambassadors who are loyal guests of the company. Holland America picked Enrique ‘Rick’ Encarnacion and Ernest Schnek. Both have sailed for more than 1,650 days each with the line.
During its inaugural season in Europe, Koningsdam sails in the Mediterranean and then repositions from Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome), to its summer homeport of Amsterdam. The ship will go on to sail roundtrip Amsterdam itineraries to Norway, the Baltic and Iceland.
Following its Europe season, Koningsdam will homeport at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ship will sail one cruise to the Bahamas and then a series of Caribbean voyages from November 2016 through March 2017.
