July 29, 2024 | Nordfjordeid, Norway
Rotterdam (Holland America Line) called at Nordfjordeid, Norway, on July 29, 2024, during Day 3 of our seven-night Norway cruise from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. After a day at sea, this was our first Norwegian port, with Molde next. Built by Fincantieri in Italy, she entered service in 2021 as the third Pinnacle-class ship and the seventh Holland America vessel to carry the name.
Rotterdam (Holland America Line) called at Nordfjordeid, Norway, on July 29, 2024, during Day 3 of our seven-night Norway cruise. We had boarded in Rotterdam in the Netherlands on July 27 and spent the following day at sea before reaching our first Norwegian port. Nordfjordeid began a sequence of four consecutive port days, with Molde, Geiranger and Bergen still ahead before our return to the Netherlands on August 3.
Nordfjordeid lies at the head of Eidsfjord, an arm of Nordfjord on Norway’s western coast. The town connects an active cruise port with a landscape of fjord waters, mountains and settled valleys, while its maritime history reaches back to the Viking Age. Near the waterfront, the Sagastad Viking Center houses a full-size reconstruction of the Myklebust ship. That local shipbuilding heritage offers a different perspective on the much larger passenger vessels that now bring travelers into the fjord.
Built by Fincantieri in Italy and delivered in July 2021, Rotterdam was less than three years old when these photographs were taken. As Holland America Line’s flagship, she combined the Pinnacle class’s contemporary design with a name carried by seven generations of the company’s ships. This gallery features our ship during the opening Norwegian call of the cruise, before the itinerary continued north to Molde and then through the fjord scenery around Geiranger.
Information List
Name: Rotterdam
Operator: Holland America Line
Type: Cruise ship
Class: Pinnacle class
Position in Class: Third ship
Fleet Role: Flagship
Builder: Fincantieri, Italy
Delivered: July 30, 2021
Entered Passenger Service: October 20, 2021
Maiden Voyage: Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Naming Ceremony: May 30, 2022, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Godmother: Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
Gross Tonnage: About 99,900 GT
Length Overall: 984 feet / 299.79 meters
Beam: About 115 feet / 35 meters
Guest Capacity: 2,668 at double occupancy
Propulsion: Diesel-electric with two azimuthing propulsion pods
Sister Ships: Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam
Naming Tradition: Seventh Holland America Line ship named Rotterdam
Our Cruise: Seven-night Norway cruise
Cruise Dates: July 27–August 3, 2024
Departure and Return Port: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Cruise Day: Day 3
Gallery Date: July 29, 2024
Gallery Location: Nordfjordeid, Norway
Fjord Setting: Eidsfjord, part of the Nordfjord system
Previous Day: At sea
Next Port: Molde, Norway, July 30
Remaining Norwegian Ports: Molde, Geiranger and Bergen
History and Features
Construction and Delivery:
Fincantieri built Rotterdam in Italy as the third vessel in Holland America Line’s Pinnacle class.
The ship followed Koningsdam, delivered in 2016, and Nieuw Statendam, delivered in 2018.
Holland America Line announced her delivery on July 30, 2021, following a handover ceremony the previous evening.
Delivery preceded the start of passenger service, which began with her maiden voyage that October.
Our Nordfjordeid call took place one day before the third anniversary of her delivery.
Pinnacle-Class Design:
Rotterdam continued a design introduced by Koningsdam, combining large public spaces with Holland America Line’s established passenger-ship style.
Tihany Design and Yran & Storbraaten contributed to interiors whose architectural inspiration included music.
Her nearly 300-meter length accommodates a broad range of staterooms, dining rooms, lounges and open deck areas.
Diesel-electric machinery supplies power to two propulsion pods, each fitted with a 14-megawatt electric motor.
The class brought a larger generation of ships into the fleet while retaining familiar elements of Holland America’s onboard experience.
The Seventh Rotterdam:
The ship carries one of Holland America Line’s longest-established names, becoming the seventh vessel in the fleet’s history named Rotterdam.
Her name connects the modern flagship with the company’s Dutch origins and its longstanding association with the city of Rotterdam.
Earlier ships bearing the name served different stages of the company’s development, from Atlantic passenger services to modern cruising.
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands officially named the current ship in Rotterdam on May 30, 2022.
The ceremony took place after the ship had already entered passenger service, making her naming and maiden voyage separate milestones.
Passenger Spaces and Scale:
Holland America Line publishes a guest capacity of 2,668 at double occupancy.
At 984 feet long and about 99,900 GT, Rotterdam belongs to the largest class of ships in the company’s fleet.
Music and performance spaces form an important part of the ship’s public-room arrangement.
The World Stage uses a wraparound LED screen to support panoramic visual presentations.
Dining spaces range from the main Dining Room to smaller specialty restaurants, allowing different settings within the same ship.
Service History:
Rotterdam departed Amsterdam on her maiden voyage on October 20, 2021.
That Atlantic crossing took her to Fort Lauderdale for an inaugural Caribbean season.
Her early operating history combined Caribbean cruising with Northern European summer deployments.
Norwegian fjord itineraries became part of her European programme, alongside other routes in Northern Europe.
By July 2024, she was sailing from her namesake city, providing the departure and return point for our seven-night cruise.
Nordfjordeid and the Fjord Setting:
Nordfjordeid stands at the inner end of Eidsfjord, a branch of the wider Nordfjord system.
The port provides access to the town and to destinations elsewhere in the Nordfjord region.
The historic street of Eidsgata retains wooden buildings associated with the town’s older commercial center.
Sagastad Viking Center presents a full-size reconstruction of the Myklebust ship, connecting the waterfront with local Viking history.
The surrounding region also includes the Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre, mountain viewpoints and routes toward the lakes and glaciers farther inland.
Our July 2024 Norway Cruise:
We embarked aboard Rotterdam in the Netherlands on July 27 for a seven-night roundtrip cruise.
July 28 was a day at sea before Nordfjordeid on July 29, the first Norwegian port and Day 3 of our cruise.
Molde followed on July 30, with Geiranger on July 31 and Bergen on August 1.
A final day at sea on August 2 preceded our return to Rotterdam on August 3.
These photographs belong to our cruise aboard Rotterdam and show the ship during the first of the itinerary’s four Norwegian port calls.
OLP Social: Nordfjordeid was the first Norwegian port on our seven night cruise, with Molde, Geiranger and Bergen still ahead before our return to the Netherlands.
OLP Social 2: Built by Fincantieri in Italy, she began her maiden voyage in October 2021, crossing the Atlantic from Amsterdam before an inaugural Caribbean season.
OLP Social 3: At 984 feet long with space for 2,668 guests at double occupancy, she brought the scale of a modern cruise ship into the waters of Norway’s Nordfjord.
OLP Social 4: The seventh Holland America ship to carry this name was christened by Princess Margriet in May 2022, continuing the line’s ties to the Dutch royal family.
