Holland America Line celebrates an impressive 145 years of cruising

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Holland America Line celebrates an impressive 145 years of cruising

By Sally Macmillan
Malta has a rich history and a Game of Thrones connection.

Malta has a rich history and a Game of Thrones connection.

This month Holland America Line is celebrating an impressive 145 years of cruising, making it one of the longest established cruise lines – Cunard dates back to 1838, P&O to 1844 and HAL to 1873. What started as the shipping and passenger line Netherlands-American Steamship Company is today an award-winning premium cruise line taking guests to more than 400 ports around the world, sailing to all seven continents.

The HAL fleet consists of 14 ships, varying in size and age from the 1258-passenger Maasdam, which was built in 1993, to 2016's elegant Koningsdam, which accommodates up to 2650 passengers. In December this year, the second ship in the Pinnacle Class, Koningsdam's sister Nieuw Statendam, will set sail on its inaugural cruise from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

Orlando Ashford, who has been president of HAL since 2014, said the line has an amazing legacy to build on, "taking what we have always done well and enhancing it for the travellers of tomorrow".

"For example, we have always been known for the best food, entertainment and enrichment programs. Over the past few years we have evolved all those areas even further with new partnerships like our B.B. King's Club, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, BBC and America's Test Kitchen.

"We are the only cruise line with six world-renowned chefs partnering with us on our culinary offering. Our destination programming and shoreside experiences have also gotten even better as we have ensured we are offering the most in-depth ways to experience the culture and history of where we are sailing. We are getting rave reviews on our innovations and attracting new guests. And our service is one of the best in the industry, as it has always been. And the best is yet to come."

Nieuw Statendam will be the line's sixth ship to carry the name Statendam – the first sailed in 1898 – and it will be similar but not identical to Koningsdam. There will be eight more staterooms, family staterooms will be reconfigured and the ship's biggest suite, the Pinnacle Suite, has a more open-plan design for its living/dining space.

Pinnacle-class features introduced on Koningsdam that will also be on board Nieuw Statendam include the Music Walk, where you will find B.B. King's Blues Club, Lincoln Center Stage and Billboard Onboard, the two-deck Lido Pool and giant movie screen, and the popular dining venues Sel de Mer and Dinner at the Culinary Arts Center.

The third Pinnacle Class ship is due in 2021. As Orlando Ashford says, "We look forward to the next 145 years." See hollandamerica.com.au

SHORE THING

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THE PORT Valletta, Malta

WHO GOES THERE Azamara, Carnival, Celebrity, CMV, Costa, Crystal, Cunard, HAL, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, NCL, Oceania, P&O UK, Princess, RSSC, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Silversea, Star Clippers, Viking, Voyages to Antiquity, Windstar.

WHY WE LOVE IT Malta is slap bang in the middle of the Mediterranean, strategically placed between Europe and Africa – which is why it has been invaded and conquered by so many powers over the centuries. Evidence of successive civilisations dating back to 5000BC is dotted about the islands of Malta and Gozo – Valletta was founded during the 16th-century Crusades by the Knights of St John and strolling its streets is like being in an open-air museum.

TAKE A TOUR OR GO IT ALONE? Ships dock at Valletta Waterfront, a historic warehouse area that has been renovated and is now lined with shops, restaurants and cafes. The main street of the city is about one kilometre's steep walk above the waterfront. A half-day walking tour usually includes sites such as the Grand Master's Palace (home to Malta's Parliament), St John's Co-Cathedral and the ancient former capital Mdina. You can see the three main islands (Malta, Gozo and Comino) on a day trip and a nine-hour Game of Thrones tour takes fans to key filming locations across Malta (see viator.com).

MUST SEE The megalithic temples of Tarxien, Mnajdra and Hagar Qim; the crafts village of Ta 'Qali; and Marsaxlokk, the island's largest fishing village.

MUST EAT Fish and seasonal vegetables feature in Maltese dishes such as lampuki (fish) pie, bragioli (beef and olives), kapunata (like ratatouille) and soppa-tal-armia (widow's soup) – vegetable soup topped with sheep or goat's cheese. Snacks include bigilla (a pate of broad beans with garlic) and pastizzi (flaky pastry parcels filled with ricotta or mushy peas).

NEED TO KNOW The official languages of Malta are Maltese and English. Italian was an official language until the 1930s and is still widely spoken.

ESSENTIALS visitmalta.com

CRUISEFACT

Passengers on Regent Seven Seas Explorer get through about 900 kilograms of lobster on a typical 14-night cruise.

NEWS

Oceania foodie news

Oceania Cruises was at the forefront of bringing hands-on cooking schools to cruise ships, an activity that has been taken up with gusto by numerous ocean and river lines. Now Oceania is introducing 16 new cooking classes for its upcoming European season on board its two larger ships, Marina and Riviera. The new programs were developed by Oceania's director of culinary enrichment, chef Kathryn Kelly, who said classes are presented by chefs and restaurateurs who have trained under a "who's who" of world-renowned chefs. Keen foodie cruisers can sign up for a comprehensive knife skills class – "the first to be offered at sea" – as well as lessons in cooking crepes, fish, Nordic, French, Sicilian and Italian cuisine, and the most popular recipes from Oceania's Asian restaurant Red Ginger. See oceaniacruises.com

Sail from Santiago to Sydney or from Sydney to Durban on Viking Sun next summer, on two new itineraries – the 32-day "Islands of the South Pacific", departing Santiago on February 12, 2019, and the 29-day "Southern Australia to South Africa", departing March 16. Viking is providing one-way flights connecting to Sydney and Durban for $795; you can also combine the Sydney to Durban voyage with "Along Africa's Western Shores" (Durban to London) to create one 58-day back-to-back journey and receive the same flight offer. Viking Sun made its booked-out maiden visit to Australia earlier this year. Michelle Black, Viking managing director Australia and New Zealand, said, "We are thrilled that guests can experience our award-winning Viking ocean ships on amazing extended voyages right from their doorstep." See vikingcruises.com.au

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