THE PULSE: Staterooms for Solos and Families
WHY IT RATES: Holland America Line's new Koningsdam, due out in 2016, will include new stateroom categories designed to appeal to more travelers. The new family accommodations will have two bathrooms and sleep up to five people. The ship also will have 12 solo-occupancy staterooms that all have ocean views and are in a variety of categories - welcome news for singles tired of paying hefty supplements to stay in a cabin alone. - Theresa Masek, TravelPulse cruise editor
When ms Koningsdam debuts in 2016, the ship will feature Holland America Line's first-ever purpose-built staterooms for families as well as single staterooms among its 1,331 guest accommodations (total capacity is 2,650). In addition, many familiar stateroom categories such as Neptune, Signature and Vista suites will be available in a wider range of sizes and different configurations to choose from.
The 32 new specially designed family ocean-view staterooms will range from 222 to 231 square feet and feature special amenities such as two bathrooms and accommodations for five people. The 12 single ocean-view cabins will range from 127 to 172 square feet in size and will be available on multiple decks at a variety of forward, mid-ship and aft locations.
"A cruise is one of the most popular ways to travel as a family, and we continue to welcome more multigenerational groups each year. To help us better serve families, we are pleased to be able to offer these tailored staterooms on ms Koningsdam," said Richard Meadows, executive vice president, sales, marketing and guest programs. "And the new one-person staterooms enable us to serve the growing market of solo travelers."
With a sophisticated color palette and the freedom to design from the ground up based on guest feedback, ms Koningsdam's staterooms and suites feature a host of modern functional details such as bedside USB ports, custom casework and frameless glass shower doors that feel elegant and luxurious.
Additional amenities found in all suites and staterooms include Holland America Line's signature Mariner's Dream bed with finely woven cotton linens, plush bathrobes for use during the voyage, a premium massage showerhead, flat-panel TV with video-on-demand, mini fridge, complimentary fresh fruit on request and fragrant soaps, lotions, shampoo and other bath amenities from Elemis Aromapure.
On ms Koningsdam, the "suite life" gets sweeter with larger, more luxurious quarters. A grand Pinnacle Suite is an expansive 1,290 square feet with a bedroom, living room, dining area, dressing room and private verandah with whirlpool. The two Neptune Spa Suites and 43 Neptune Suites range from a generous 465 to a huge 855 square feet. Neptune and Pinnacle Suite guests have access to the exclusive Neptune Lounge, a private place to relax, socialize with other suite guests and enjoy the personalized service of a concierge. The fleetwide lounges provide worktables, a large screen television, library, sofas and chairs, and complimentary refreshments throughout the day.
Pinnacle and Neptune Suite amenities also include corsages and boutonnieres for the first formal night, a cocktail party with the ship's officers, priority dining and seating requests, binoculars and umbrellas for use during the cruise, a wall-unit bar, cold hors d'oeuvres served before dinner each evening on request and complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning throughout the cruise and more.
The 14 Signature Suites are up to 400 square feet in size and the 104 Vista Suites range from 260 to 356 square feet. Signature and Vista suite guests receive many special amenities, including personalized cruise stationery, oversized bath towels, fresh flowers, a pillow menu, mini bar and one-touch phone concierge service.
"Holland America Line is known in the cruise industry for providing well-appointed staterooms," said My Nguyen, Holland America Line's deputy director of interior design. "With ms Koningsdam we enhanced these qualities by including many thoughtful details that improve the functionality of the staterooms. We also adopted a color pallet that takes advantage of texture and quiet color combinations to achieve a feeling of serenity and luxuriousness in each category."
The ship will have the most staterooms with verandahs in the Holland America Line fleet with 912 total from Verandah to Pinnacle Suite categories. Guests looking to focus on health and wellness during the cruise can book verandah spa accommodations, conveniently located near the Greenhouse Spa & Salon that come with yoga mats for use during the voyage and an iPod docking station.
For guests looking for a more affordable option, the line is offering 266 standard or large interior accommodations up to 225 square feet.
SOURCE: Holland America Line press release
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