Construction of the Amsterdam.
One of the many lounges on the Amsterdam.
Side view of the Amsterdam.
The Internet area.
The la fontaine dining room with a glass ceiling.
The theatre.
View from the odyssey restaurant.

The Amsterdam was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy for the owner/operator Holland America. It has a length of 238m and a maximum breadth of 34.4m. Its draught is 8m and the height to the top of the funnel is 54.6m. Its gross tonnage is 62,000t.

The Amsterdam can carry a maximum of 1380 passengers on board. They are served by 647 crew.

SHIP FACILITIES

The ship features ocean views from 557, or 81%, of the 690 staterooms, 172 (25%) of which have private verandahs with glass balustrades. The 690 cabins are divided into 135 inside cabins, 383 outside cabins and 120 de luxe mini-suites. The Amsterdam also has a concierge deck with two penthouses and 50 suites. The neptune lounge, offering personalised concierge services, is available exclusively to suite guests. Two suites on the concierge deck are equipped for the physically challenged.

The ship is laid out over 14 decks – ten passenger decks and four others. These are connected by twelve passenger lifts. In addition, there are 18 public rooms.

Above the dolphin deck and the main deck lies the lower promenade deck. Here lies the three-deck central atrium, which is dominated by an elaborate astrolabe. This is a 29.5ft (9m) astronomical timepiece with four different faces, one of which is synchronized with the ship’s clock. Its base includes a carillon, with bells that play music. There are a number of duty-free shops and lounges that are located on the promenade and upper promenade decks.

The Amsterdam offers six lounges: the queen’s lounge, the explorer’s lounge, the neptune lounge (on concierge deck), the ocean bar, the crow’s nest (a combined observation lounge and nightclub) and the Rembrandt lounge (a combined dance room and piano bar with a movable wall for different room configurations.)

The 557-seat queen’s lounge, the ship’s main show lounge, is situated at the other end of the ship on the promenade and upper promenade decks.

DINING

The main dining facility is the la fontaine dining room that features colourful and expansive stained glass ceiling. It is located at the stern of the ship, allowing a wall of windows to provide expansive ocean views on three sides. It can seat 747 across two levels connected by curved staircases.

On the upper level, a music balcony overlooks the main floor and, two side dining rooms, the king’s and queen’s rooms, each provide seating for 44 for groups or private parties.

The 217-seat wajang theatre, located on the promenade deck, is used for lectures, meetings and religious services, as well as current films. The seats have folding writing tables and headphone boxes. Next to the theatre is the 36-seat java cafe, offering espresso drinks for informal coffee breaks, and the seven-station internet centre.

On the upper promenade deck, the half moon and the hudson room, accommodating up to 115 persons, offer audiovisual facilities for meetings and private parties, as well as card-playing facilities. The 23-seat erasmus library provides desks with stationary, current newspapers and magazines. The casino is also on the upper promenade Deck.

The 386-seat lido restaurant, which features an extensive buffet for casual dining at breakfast, lunch and dinner, is adjacent to the lido swimming pool.

The pool area has a retractable glass ceiling. A second, outdoor swimming pool is located aft on the lido deck. A running track and a tennis/volleyball court are located on the sports deck, just above the lido deck.

SHIP PROPULSION

The Amsterdam employs the azipod azimuthing propulsion system, which is contained in two housings (pods). Suspended perpendicular to the ship’s hull, the azipod electric propulsion units can turn a full 360³.

The system essentially consists of a 15.5MW electric AC motor, which can generate 21,000hp. This is directly linked to a fixed-pitch propeller.