The work entailed lifting a 375-ton block onto the ship.
The project also configured accommodations on the walk-around promenade into 39 Lanai staterooms with doors opening onto the deck, and transformed 23 staterooms into spa accommodations with special amenities. Every room received newly designed bathrooms.
Other changes included a new Mix lounge consisting of three bars, the addition of an aft pool area called The Retreat with a number of chaise lounges resting in a shallow pool, a giant outdoor LED movie screen and a pizzeria. The Canaletto Italian dinner restaurant was incorporated into the Lido Buffet dining space, and the main lounge was transformed.
The casino and piano bars were reconfigured into the new Mix lounge with its three bars, Martinis, Champagne and Spirits & Ales. The casino next door was redesigned and refreshed. The main lounge was transformed into the Showroom at Sea with a nightclub ambiance, including a new front-of-the-room table seating area near the stage.
Carpets throughout the ship were refreshed.
Maasdam, Ryndam and Statendam are scheduled for similar work, beginning early in 2010. Veendam was the first ship to undergo the changes, also at Grand Bahama Shipyard, in April.
‘Rotterdam looks spectacular,’ said HAL’s Rick Meadows, evp marketing, sales and guest programs.
For his part, Carl-Gustaf ‘Calle’ Rotkirch, chairman and ceo of Grand Bahama Shipyard, was also pleased with the outcome. ‘The Veendam was our first project and we clearly had things to learn,’ he told Seatrade Insider. For Rotterdam, logistics were improved and the work was completed in a shorter period. Also, the yard’s ability to complete the 375-ton block lift for Rotterdam in one move improved on the several lifts required during the Veendam undertaking.
The future HAL ship enhancements will be completed in two phases. First, in a series of drydocks in 2010 and 2011, the three additional vessels will receive the addition of Mix, Showroom at Sea, Canaletto and other public area enhancements, and stateroom upgrades. The second series of drydocks in 2012 and 2013 will add The Retreat and new staterooms on the aft portion of the ships, as well as forward verandah and spa staterooms.
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