Orlando Ashford News

Carnival Corp’s Princess Cruises said on Wednesday its voyages would remain suspended through the end of summer as reduced flights and travel bans around the globe bring the industry to a virtual standstill.Holland America Line, Carnival’s another unit, said it has canceled all cruises for Alaska, Europe and Canada and New England for the year, as well as its Amsterdam vessel that was scheduled to depart in October to Fort Lauderdale, Florida from Boston.“As we continue to navigate through these unprecedented and challenging times…

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Florida officials to open an Atlantic Coast port to a Dutch cruise ship stuck at sea with a deadly coronavirus outbreak onboard, urging the governor to drop his opposition.Weighing in on the fate of Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam during a White House briefing, Trump said he would call Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has declared the vessel unwelcome to prevent its sick passengers from being “dumped” on his state.“They’re dying on the ship…

Carnival-owned Holland America Line, owner and operator of the coronavirus-stricken MS Zaandam, announced it will extend its pause of global cruise operations for an additional 30 days, cancelling sailings scheduled to depart through May 14, amid continued port closures and travel restrictions surrounding global health concerns."As the world addresses global health concerns, travel has come to a temporary standstill as communities take necessary precautions to protect themselves," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

Nieuw Statendam, the new cruise ship of Holland America Line, was presented at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice. Holland America Line is a brand under Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator.The vessel is the 16th Holland America Line ship built by Fincantieri and is the line’s second Pinnacle-class ship after Koningsdam, delivered in 2016.The 99,902-ton vessel accommodates 2,666 guests and is the ultimate expression of the Holland America Line brand. The ship features purpose-built staterooms for families and solo travelers among its 1,377 guest accommodations.While much of the ship's design will be similar to Koningsdam…

Holland America Line launched three new commuter “ships” Monday, Jan. 9, that will run on the Sound Transit Light Rail System in Seattle. The trains, which are wrapped to resemble Holland America Line’s newest ship, ms Koningsdam, will cruise the tracks through April 2017, when the summer cruise season to Alaska begins from the Port of Seattle. A special ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the University of Washington Station, with Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford and Honorary “Captain” Miles Lamb, an 11-year-old cancer survivor and patient of Seattle Children’s Hospital — a local nonprofit partner of the cruise line. During the ceremony Holland America Line presented a $5…

The captain and crew of Holland America Line’s ms Veendam were honored by the Association for Rescue at Sea with a prestigious AFRAS AMVER Award for the 2015 rescue of a pilot who ditched his aircraft in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System was implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1958, and the AMVER Awards were created in 1971 to recognize vessels that participate in the program. Holland America Line received the award at the annual Coast Guard Award Ceremony Sept. 21, 2016, at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Veendam’s Captain Eric van der Wal accepted the honor on behalf of the cruise line.

Holland America Line celebrated a significant construction milestone today as the first steel was cut for ms Nieuw Statendam, due for delivery in November 2018. The ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, and the block being built there will later be moved to the Marghera yard where the ship will be constructed. Holland America Group’s Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations Keith Taylor was at the yard for the event. The 99,500-ton ship — the 15th in the fleet — is the second Pinnacle Class vessel for Holland America Line, joining sister-ship ms Koningsdam that sailed its first cruise in April 2016. The steel cutting follows a period of design and development for the 2,650-guest ship that will feature enhanced Pinnacle Class amenities and innovations.

The Port of Seattle begins the 2016 cruise season welcoming the first ship call, Holland America Cruise Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam. Larger vessels and more cruises will make this the biggest cruise season ever with nearly one million revenue passengers. Each homeported cruise vessel is estimated to bring in $2.6 million for the local economy. “Cruising to Alaska continues to be an economic driver for our region," said Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton. Seattle’s cruise business—currently leading all cruise homeports on the west coast in passenger volume—is responsible for over 3,700 jobs, $459 million in annual business revenue, and $17.6 million annually in state and local tax revenue.

The Port of Seattle presented Holland America Line with its sixth consecutive Green Gateway Award. The Port of Seattle also presented Seattle’s hometown cruise line with the Technology Innovator award. The Port of Seattle presents the Green Gateway Awards annually to cruise and commercial lines that call at the port and whose environmental efforts are deemed worthy of recognition. “Holland America Line’s commitment to the environment is something we’re very proud of, and to be recognized for the sixth year by the Port of Seattle with a Green Gateway Award is a testament to our dedication and focus,” said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line’s president. “We are continuously seeking more ways to be an environmental steward and responsibly sail the world’s oceans.

Port Metro Vancouver’s 2016 cruise season officially kicks off today with the arrival of the Star Princess at Canada Place. Vancouver expects to welcome approximately 830,000 passengers on 228 calls, reflecting a forecasted 3 percent increase in passenger volume over 2015. “2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Canada Place,” said Robin Silvester, President and Chief Executive Officer at Port Metro Vancouver. The results of a joint passenger survey by Port Metro Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver…

Following on a March 2015 agreement and a memorandum of agreement last December, Fincantieri, a leader in cruise ship design and construction, and Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company, have finalized contracts for the construction of five next-generation passenger ships. The contracts finalized today envisage one further unit compared to the memorandum of agreement of December and mark the most important goal reached by the two groups in the last years, having a total value which exceeds 3 billion euros. Crucial, once more, for the finalization of the agreement, the supporting of the export credit system lead by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (Cdp).

Holland America Line celebrated the delivery of ms Koningsdam with an official Handover Ceremony, luncheon and shipyard workers party aboard the ship Saturday, April 2, 2016, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. In attendance at the ceremony was Italy’s Minister of Infrastructures and Transport Graziano Delrio, who expressed his appreciation for the long-standing relationship between Carnival Corporation, including Holland America Line, and Fincantieri. Other speakers included Giuseppe Bono, chief executive officer, Fincantieri, and Arnold Donald, chief executive officer, Carnival Corporation. A video was shown of the Italian flag being changed to the Dutch flag, as flown by all Holland America Line ships.

While in the vicinity of Jaw Point at Glacier Bay, Alaska, Holland America Line’s ms Noordam assisted 41 persons on a disabled sightseeing boat Wednesday, June 10. Noordam responded to a call for aid at approximately 12:35 p.m. local time to assist the 79-foot sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind, which was experiencing mechanical troubles near Johns Hopkins Glacier. The ship lowered a tender, which collected 40 tourists and one Glacier Bay National Park ranger and returned to Noordam. “We are proud of the proficient response Captain van Donselaar and his team executed in assisting the passengers of Baranof Wind,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

On recent routine United States Public Health inspections (USPHI) conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Holland America Line’s ms Statendam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam and ms Ryndam achieved perfect scores of 100. For Statendam, the unannounced inspection was Feb. 19, 2015, at Hilo, Hawaii, during a 30-day Tahiti and Marquesas cruise roundtrip from San Diego. CDC officials surprised Nieuw Amsterdam, on March 1, 2015, at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while preparing for its seven-day Caribbean cruise. Ryndam completed its inspection March 8 in Tampa, Florida, while also getting ready for a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Prior to these inspections, Statendam received a score of 100 in June 2014 during a call at Ketchikan, Alaska.

On Holland America Line’s new ms Koningsdam, entertainment meets innovation with a new main theater design that surrounds the audience with a 270-degree LED screen. Breaking from the line’s traditionally styled theaters, The World Stage is a flexible space that can have multiple stage configurations, ranging from in-the-round to the more conventional proscenium staging. The theater will initially host five new productions performed in repertory by a cast sourced from around the world. At two stories high and 250 feet long, the high-definition LED screens will make The World Stage a trend-setting theater at sea capable of showcasing an exciting array of performances and productions.

Holland America Line's new ms Koningsdam is set to be delivered March 31, 2016. This week the ship was transferred from its dry dock to its outfitting dock at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy, where the final construction and interior furnishings will take place. The initial stages of a cruise ship's construction take place in a dry dock facility. Once exterior outfitting is completed, the dry dock is flooded and the ship is floated to a wet dock where construction continues. “A ship’s construction has many key milestones, and floating it out and moving it to the outfitting dock is especially symbolic,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

Holland America Line topped the list in 2014 for the World’s Leading Weather Observing Cruise Ship Companies who submitted weather information to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Holland America Line fleet of 15 ships sent in a combined total of 22,281 observations during the year, landing them at number one. Holland America Line also was at the top of the list in 2008 and 2006. Among individual cruise ships that sent in information, ms Oosterdam lead the Holland America Line fleet with 2,858 observations. ms Zaandam, ms Volendam, ms Zuiderdam and ms Amsterdam also were listed among the top 10 of all individual cruise ship observations.

In honor of World Cancer Day, Holland America Line announced that to date, the guests and employees of the company have raised more than $4.3 million for cancer support through “On Deck” programming that began in 2006. Currently, the “On Deck for a Cause” program benefits six international cancer organizations located in the United States, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Germany and United Kingdom. On Deck for a Cause invites guests to participate in a noncompetitive 5k fundraising walk on every sailing aboard each of the line’s 15 ships, with proceeds distributed among the American Cancer Society, Canadian Cancer Society, Cancer Council Australia, Cancer Research UK, Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Aid) and KWF Kankerbestrijding (Dutch Cancer Society).

Cruise Shipping Miami 2015 is gearing up to offer the most comprehensive and robust roster of panel discussions featuring the industry's most knowledgeable and experienced executives. The panels will be grouped under several broad themes based on industry trends during the four-day conference. The 31st edition of Cruise Shipping Miami is scheduled for March 16-19 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Organized by UBM Connect, thematic topics include The Geography of Cruise Tourism, Safety and Ship Operations, Market Segments and Cruise Product Development. On Tuesday morning, March 17, the conference will open with the popular State of the Industry session. Participants in that plenary session will be announced in the coming weeks. This program may be subject to alterations and additions.

On Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, at 5:21 p.m. local time while en route to Lahaina, Hawaii, Holland America Line’s ms Veendam answered a request for assistance from the United States Coast Guard to rescue a pilot who had ditched his single-engine Cirrus SR-22 after he experienced a mechanical issue with the fuel system. The pilot was located approximately 225 nautical miles off the coast of Maui, Hawaii. In partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, Veendam was able to successfully rescue the pilot, who deployed the aircraft’s airframe parachute system and safely exited the plane into a life raft. Holland America Line crewmembers brought him aboard Veendam and provided him food and accommodations. The pilot, who was in good condition, disembarked today, Jan. 26, at Lahaina.

Beth Bodensteiner has been promoted to senior vice president, revenue management for Holland America Line. In this capacity, Bodensteiner will lead the development and execution of all revenue management programs and initiatives that support Holland America Line’s revenue goals. She will report directly to Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “Since joining the company more than a decade ago Beth has consistently demonstrated a level of professionalism and expertise that have been instrumental in the company’s planning and decision making,” said Ashford. Bodensteiner previously was Holland America Line’s vice president of revenue management and product marketing.

At 2:10 a.m. Jan. 3, 2015, while en route to Oranjestad, Aruba, Holland America Line’s ms Zuiderdam answered a distress call from the Bahamian inter-island vessel Excalibur that was sinking with eight crewmembers onboard. Zuiderdam was approximately 15 miles away and the closest ship in the area. Zuiderdam altered course and was able to successfully execute a nighttime rescue of all eight crewmembers at 3:01 a.m. The ship brought them onboard and provided food and accommodations. The rescued crewmembers debarked in Aruba on Jan. “Congratulations to the officers and crew onboard Zuiderdam for their quick response that saved the lives of eight people,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line.

Holland America Line announced today that effective Dec. 1 Orlando Ashford will join the company as president to lead the award-winning cruise line's brand and business, including its fleet of 15 premium vessels carrying approximately 850,000 guests annually to all seven continents. Ashford joins the company from Mercer, the global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement and investments, where he was president of the Talent Business Segment. “We are fortunate to have Orlando join our team, bringing with him a career's worth of global experience leading high-performance teams that helped innovate some of the most respected and well-known companies in the world,” said Stein Kruse, chief executive officer, Holland America Group.