Holland America orders new ship

[% 9823 | | Holland America %] has placed an order with shipbuilder Fincantieri for a new 2,100-passenger ship. This ship is scheduled to debut in fall 2010.

The new vessel will be a sister to the ms Eurodam, which will join the fleet in summer 2008. The two ships will be the biggest in the Holland America family, but will emphasize large staterooms and elegant restaurants and public areas found on the current ships. Of the 1,050 cabins, 85 percent will have windows and 67 percent will have balconies.

The unnamed ship will offer a specialty restaurant at the top of the ship, an expanded spa, and glass elevators on the outside of the ship. It will have Holland America’s signature facilities, such as the Crow’s Nest Lounge, Explorations Cafe, Culinary Arts Center, and Pinnacle Grill.

The Carnival Corporation, which owns Holland America, now has 17 new ships on order.