Taking a moment to think back to when Holland America Line (HAL) first announced the formulation of the new Vista Class at the Sea Trade Cruise Shipping Show in Miami, Fla. in March 2001, it is almost as though we are living in a different world. The cruise industry was booming, there was no such thing, as the Office of Homeland Security and the threats of terrorism seemed only real in distant lands. One thing is the same, however, and that is that despite all these obstacles — both financial and political — HAL stood its ground to work with Fincantieri to build a vessel class like no other - both on the technical and design fronts. MR/EN had the opportunity to explore the premiere vessel of this class — MS Zuiderdam —inside and out during its preview cruise this past December.