SIGNATURE OF EXCELLENCE

Meeting the demands of
discriminating cruise vacationers

When Holland America recently added a new Culinary Arts Center to the final ship in the fleet in October 2006, all structural changes originally envisioned for the company's $225 million Signature of Excellence initiative were complete.

The comprehensive Signature of Excellence upgrades announced in November 2003 triggered an industry trend of fleet rejuvenations and enhancements to meet the demands of an expanding set of discriminating cruise vacationers.

Signature of Excellence features and amenities are evident in every aspect of the Holland America Line cruise experience, offering guests more luxurious accommodations, more enticing destinations, enhanced dining experiences, more creative activities and even higher levels of service.

Says HAL president Stein Kruse: "We invested to realise a vision, and that vision was to make our brand experience even more relevant to today's and tomorrow's premium travleller," "I believe we've not only delivered on our promise, but exceeded expectations."

Signature of Excellence by the numbers

All told during the two-year implementation, 12 Holland America ships spent nearly 200 days in drydock receiving enhancements such as the Mariner's Dream stateroom experience with premium comfort appointments, the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine, Explorations Cafe - powered by The New York Times, exclusive Pinnacle Grill restaurant, refurbished Crow's Nest observation lounge, expanded youth facilities and enhanced Greenhouse Spa and Salon.

A broad range of employees led by Mike Novak, vice president, marine operations, was involved in every aspect of Signature of Excellence, from conception to the final products. Novak's team oversaw the work of nearly 2,000 people, including shipyard workers, contractors and ship personnel. They tested and retested hundreds of items to ensure quality, coordinated delivery schedules and oversaw complex installations.

Other statistics on Signature of Excellence include:

• 10 million hours worked in dry dock - the equivalent of 387 years.
• 1.2 million pounds of steel installed on the ships.
• 695,743 luxury items added to staterooms, from sheets to bathrobes to make-up mirrors.
• 49,372 pieces of electronic equipment, from televisions to CD players, DVD players to computers, installed on the 13 ships.
• 27,000 book titles added to Explorations Cafes. At one book a week, it would take more than 500 years to read them all.
• If you stacked all the new Euro-Top plush mattresses end on end, they would reach 18,985ft high - just 1,300ft lower than the summit of Alaska's Mt McKinley.
• 254 nautical miles of electrical cable installed on the ships - enough to reach from Ft Lauderdale to just off shore of Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private Caribbean island.
• 170 new ways to explore destinations on Medallion/Signature excursions.
• 60 nationalities represented by people working in the shipyards - a virtual United Nations.

The premium line also made additional enhancements to its Vista-class ships, including an Explorations Cafe and Pinnacle Bar. These venues, which have been enthusiastically received by guests. There are also new aft staterooms, increasing their guest capacity to 1,918.