Holland America Adopts Carnival's Evolution Strategy for Updating Ships

Holland America Line is rolling out the details of what it is calling the largest fleet update in the 153-year history of the company and harkening back to the late 1960s and early 1970s when its liners were converted to be year-round cruise ships. Updating popular existing ships of the fleet is a strategy that has served Carnival Corporation well and provides an opportunity to add new features and more revenue opportunities.

For Holland America, the strategy calls for investing over $500 million over the next few years to enhance its four Vista class ships (Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam, and Noordam) as well as two Signature class ships (Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam). The ships range in age, having been introduced between late 2002 and 2010. The first ship to undergo what the company is calling its “Evolution” is Oosterdam, which will be out of service from mid-October to December 2027 and will be followed by Zuiderdam in 2028. No dates have been announced for the other four ships.

"Our guests have been very clear about what they love about our ships and what they want to see more of, and Holland America Evolution is our answer to that," said Beth Bodensteiner, president, Holland America Line, announcing the program in April. "This investment allows us to introduce experiences and venues that are new to the fleet, add Pinnacle class favorites like Grand Dutch Café, and create new stateroom categories designed for the way people travel today, all while preserving the perfectly sized ship experience that defines Holland America."

Following one of the key trends in the industry, Holland America is adding 30 purpose-built cabins for solo travelers, each with a veranda. The company introduced a handful of ocean view solo occupancy cabins on its Pinnacle class ships, which have been very popular, and now it is elevating the concept with verandas. It involves reworking the spaces used by existing double occupancy cabins.

Following a concept that proved popular on Carnival Cruise Line, they are adding two Bridgeview Suites with forward-facing views with wraparound windows, replacing some of the space in the current spa. They are also creating a large new suite (1,550 square feet), the Pinnacle Suite, although the ships go from two to one of these suites per ship. They are also introducing a new suite category called Vista Suites (280 square feet).

Public spaces are also being reworked, including the addition of a popular casual dining space on the line’s newest ships called the Grand Dutch Café. It is part of a “comprehensive ship-wide refresh,” which the company says will update all staterooms, bathrooms, carpeting, soft goods, corridors, and select public areas. Behind the scenes, targeted technical investments will improve energy efficiency with smarter power management.

The net changes on the 82,300 gross ton cruise ships increased the passenger cabin and suite count to a total of 1,030 from the current 993, while lower-berth capacity increases from 1,986 to 2,028 passengers. Holland America is working with Fincantieri, which built the ships, and which will execute the Evolution at its shipyard in Palermo, Italy.

Holland America is launching its Evolution, as Carnival Corporation’s AIDA brand is also executing its Evolution program. It launched in 2025 and added new suites, bars, and restaurants, and redecorated AIDAdiva, AIDAluna, and AIDAbella, with each ship spending almost seven weeks in dry dock. All told, AIDA plans to invest approximately €700 million in its fleet modernization program.

AIDA Cruises’ President Felix Eichhorn explains that by investing in the modernization of its Selection fleet. The line is demonstrating it is clearly committed to its smaller ships. He says they are making them fit for the future while at the same time “committed to constantly rethinking cruising.”

The same strategy was used at Carnival Cruise Line, which has undertaken refits across most of its fleet over the past decade. It continues to add new features to its existing ships while also introducing new ships. 

Even the venerated Cunard Line is quietly adopting the same strategy. A decade ago, it “re-mastered” the Queen Mary 2 with new staterooms and modernized spaces. The company confirmed to The Maritime Executive that during a scheduled refit in March 2027, they will introduce 30 new staterooms on board Queen Mary 2, and there will be updates in selected areas across the ship. Cunard also announced on Monday a planned three-week drydocking for Queen Victoria this fall to refresh spaces, including its suites, add eight new cabins, and introduce The Pavilion Wellness Café.

Revitalizing and modernizing existing ships has proven to be a very effective strategy for the cruise corporations. They are adding additional revenue opportunities and adding new luster to ships that have become familiar to travelers. Look for similar programs across more segments of the industry as the costs of new ships continue to rise and the corporations look for opportunities with their existing fleets.