Nieuw Statendam Cruise Ship Delivered to Holland America Line

(2:01 p.m. EST) -- Holland America Line took delivery of its second Pinnacle-class ship today during a ceremony held at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice. Nieuw Statendam, which will introduce the line's first Rolling Stone Rock Room among other new features, is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades on December 19, for its inaugural season in the Caribbean.

In attendance at the event were Carnival Corporation & plc chairman, Micky Arison, and president and CEO, Arnold Donald; Holland America Group CEO, Stein Kruse; Holland America president, Orlando Ashford; and Fincantieri president, Giampiero Massolo, and CEO, Giuseppe Bono. The ship's official naming ceremony will take place on February 2, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale.

"Today the Holland America Line family celebrates the addition of Nieuw Statendam to our fleet, and it's a proud moment for everyone involved," said Ashford. "Thank you to our partners at Fincantieri and our own team members who worked diligently to deliver the ship looking more stunning than we imagined. Nieuw Statendam represents our continued evolution of adding exciting new experiences while maintaining the hallmarks that have made Holland America Line a leader in premium cruising."

While Nieuw Statendam will be nearly identical to its sister ship Koningsdam, it will offer a handful of its own unique features, including an expanded World Stage theater and a reimagined Tamarind restaurant with outdoor seating and a new Nami Sushi Bar.

Another new feature will be a suite passenger-exclusive restaurant, in place of the Culinary Arts Center found on Koningsdam. The restaurant is one of several perks that will be offered in Holland America's new Club Orange program; others include priority embarkation and disembarkation, and a dedicated concierge hotline. The program will launch on Nieuw Statendam and Koningsdam in December 2018, before being rolled out to the rest of the fleet.

After its inaugural season, Nieuw Statendam will head back overseas to sail Northern Europe, Iceland and Mediterranean itineraries through summer 2019.

Stay tuned for Cruise Critic's coverage from Nieuw Statendam's maiden cruise, departing on December 5 from Rome to Malaga.