Holland America Presidents Club

[goldengirl123]

Does anyone happen to know if Holland America Presidents Club Members are still receiving Free wifi? And is it 1000 nights you need to get to the President's Club level?

[Scrapnana]

I believe it takes 1400 actual days to make President's Club and then it is by invitation - not automatic like the star mariner levels.

 

Can't help with the wi-fi.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Scrapnana

[Krazy Kruizers]

WCB -- has done several blogs from their recent World Cruise and another cruise -- they had free WIFI.

 

 It is 1400 actual sailing days -- no spending or suite extra points.  And it is by invitation.

[Copper10-8]

President's Club member Dolly Smith; still going strong in her nineties!  She tells a story when, as a thirteen-year old, she and a girlfriend hitch-hiked it from Santa Monica, CA (Los Angeles) to San Francisco, CA. Upon arrival there, they made their way onto a Matson liner bound for Honolulu and stowed away. They were discovered however, did make it to Hawaii from where they were returned to their parents back home

 

[Cruising-along]

Thank you Copper for the photo and background story.  Awesome lady, I would love to meet her some day!

[bay guy]

We had the pleasure of meeting Miss Dolly while on the GWV this year. She's quite a character and a lovely lady. We saw her in the dining room several evenings sitting at a table for 2 and she always had a crew member eating with her. Our cabin steward told us that she used to have a tool belt and thought nothing of jumping in to help a crew member doing a maintenance job. The story was that she and her husband had owned a large plumbing company.

Also, during our cruise, there were several occasions when we were given various types of hats to wear during special dinners and celebrations. Many passengers left them at heir tables when they finished dinner. When we were at our stops in the Philippines and Indonesia, there were very large parties held on board for the crew family members. Imagine our surprise when we saw Miss Dolly and her helpers giving those special hats out to all the children who came aboard for those functions. She was having a ball!!!

[SilvertoGold]

Dolly is a lovely lady, a real character. We saw her in the, morning around 10 am, obviously just getting a start on the day after having closed one lounge or another the night before.  I am thrilled to hear she is still sailing!

[rkacruiser]

Never met Dolly; wish I have could have done so.  She is one of other "legendary" HAL guests.

 

Anyone remember "Kissing Annie"?

[Copper10-8]

Mama Lou was another member of the club and was loved by the HAL crew! Unfortunately, she passed away a couple of years ago; May she rest in peace!

 

[aotmc]

Could you imagine sailing 1400 days (nearly 4 years!) and then not being invited to the club?  😱

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

Anyone remember "Kissing Annie"?

Oh, yes. I remember her well. She died cruising against medical advice, but doing what she loved.

[St Pete Cruiser]

The President's Club members always fascinate me.  

 

Mama Lou was the first one I knew.  She cruised regularly out of Tampa in the winter months and brought supplies to children in the poorer port calls.

 

Dr Jack is another of my favorite PC members.  We met him on the Veendam first going to Rio for Carnivale and then again this year also on Veendam going to Cuba.  He always dresses in coat and tie for happy hour and dinner and usually joined us for classical music (Adagio).  He is 90, quite fit and except for eye sight, gets along very well.

 

On our last cruise on the Eurodam to Hawaii, we met a couple from Michigan who are PC who have apple orchards to fund their cruising habit!  They are in their mid 60's, so have the potential to really rack up some big cruise number days.  They did the Prinsendam this past summer and are going on the Nieuw Statendam in a few weeks when it gets to Ft Lauderdale.

 

I've met others, too, and the one thing they share is a positive outlook on life and of course HAL.  I've got a long way to go to get to 1400 days, but hope I'm up to the challenge.  It will take the time, the money, and good health....and a positive outlook.

 

[Copper10-8]

This is Mrs. Anne Marie Bartels, yet another HAL President's Club member who served as Nieuw Statendam's "Madrina" (different than godmother). The gentleman accompanying her is retired U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Keith Taylor, currently executive vice president, fleet operations for Holland America Group. Mrs. Bartels first sailed with HAL on the ship of state as well as "Darling of the  Dutch," the 1938-built Nieuw Amsterdam II from Rotterdam to New York when she was 21 years old. She has since been on 79 cruises with Holland America, including 12 Grand Voyages. When on the GWV, she is in the habit of hosting (and funding) at least one party for the entire crew 

 

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

the one thing they share is a positive outlook on life

 

Absolutely!  The ones that I have met are not negative people, whiners, or looking to find problems.

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Nieuw Statendam's "Madrina

 

Copper10-8,

 

Please define "Madrina".  Is she the one that pushed the button to break the bottle of Champagne on the ship's bow?

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Copper10-8,

 

Please define "Madrina".  Is she the one that pushed the button to break the bottle of Champagne on the ship's bow?

 

Howdy RKA; That'would/will be the primary job of the godmother, in Nieuw Statendam's case, Oprah W., during the naming.christening ceremony. The Madrina, in Nieuw S' case, Anne Marie Bartels, participated in the "coin ceremony" just prior to the ship's first float out from her building dock. The way I understand it, "madrina" while the ship is still in the yard and "godmother" when he ship is in the hands of the new owners

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by Copper10-8

[rkacruiser]

Thank you Copper!

 

Captain Albert had a photo on his blog while the ship while was still in the dockyard of a practice run of the equipment going to be used to break the bottle of bubbly.  That is why I thought the "Madrina" was involved with this tradition.

[Copper10-8]

59 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Thank you Copper!

 

Captain Albert had a photo on his blog while the ship while was still in the dockyard of a practice run of the equipment going to be used to break the bottle of bubbly.  That is why I thought the "Madrina" was involved with this tradition.

 

I read that also. My take on it was that they were making sure that the mechanism built to to smash the bottle of champagne to the hull was working properly. It would be embarrassing to many folks, incl. O, if it wasn't on the "big day"/February 2, 2019 

[Copper10-8]

54 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

...........................  

Does that mean NS has 2 "godmothers" once she is in her new owner's hands?

 

Yes and no!  It's kinda confusing! She already has a Madrina (Anne Marie Bartels) for when the vessel still belonged to the builder, was still in the yard, and had the "ceremony of the coin". Then her true godmother, Oprah Winfrey, will name her on February 2, 2019 in Port Everglades as HAL property (which, that handover from builder to owner/operator, occurred two days ago on the 29th in Marghera, Italy)

 

Madrina in this context means more a sponsor, a patroness and/or a supporter. To make it  even more challenging to understand, the word "Madrina" actually means "godmother" in Spanish  The bottom line; when folks ask in the future who Nieuw Amsterdam's godmother is, the answer is Oprah Winfrey

 

HAL godmothers; current ships:

 

ms Maasdam - June Allyson, actress
ms Veendam - Debbie Reynolds, actress
ms Rotterdam - Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
ms Volendam - Chris Everett, tennis star
ms Zaandam - Ashley & Mary Kate Olsen, actresses
ms Amsterdam - Janet Lanterman, wife of former HAL CEO
ms Prinsendam - All employees of HAL represented by Rose Abello, vice president - public relations, Eva Andresen, vice president - information technologies, and Linda Ehlenberger, vice president - sales
ms Zuiderdam - Joan Lunden, broadcaster/TV anchor
ms Oosterdam - Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
ms Westerdam - Renee Soutendijk, Dutch actress
ms Noordam - Marlee Matlin, actress
ms Eurodam – Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

ms Nieuw Amsterdam – Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

ms Koningsdam – Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

ms Nieuw Statendam – Oprah Winfrey, media mogul, producer, actress and philanthropist

 

Former ships:

 

ms Nieuw Amsterdam II - Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

ms Statendam IV   - Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands

ms Rotterdam V – Queen Juliana of the Netherlands

ms Prinsendam II – Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

ms Westerdam II – Clara van der Vorm, wife of former HAL Chairman Nico van der Vorm

ms Nieuw Amsterdam III – Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

ms Noordam III – Beatrice van der Vorm-van den Wall Bake, daughter of former HAL Chairman Nico van der Vorm

ms Statendam - Lin Arison, wife of Ted Arison, founder of Carnival

ms Ryndam - Madeleine Arison, wife of Micky Arison, CEO of Carnival

[rkacruiser]

Any idea as to why Oprah will be officially naming the ship after she has been in service for almost 2 months?

[Copper10-8]

7 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Any idea as to why Oprah will be officially naming the ship after she has been in service for almost 2 months?

 

I thought Oprah was older than that..............

[Copper10-8]

8 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Any idea as to why Oprah will be officially naming the ship after she has been in service for almost 2 months?

 

Sorry, childish response! Back to your question, it is not unusual. The current Prinsendam, as Royal Viking Sun, left Turku, Finland on 26 Nov 1988 and sailed all the way to San Francisco for her christening on 08 Jan 1989 by actor Jimmie Stewart and his wife Gloria. 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

6 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

I thought Oprah was older than that..............

 

LOL!  

 

Thanks for your other explanation, however!  

[goldengirl123]

So presidents club members get free wifi after 1400 nights.  Does anyone know of any other 'perks' someone will receive when they become president club members? Someone once mentioned that they get free upgrades and extra ship board credit and gratuities are included. Can anyone verify this?

We are only half way there, but just planning now to see if it is worth being loyal to Holland America to get to this level.  

[bet410]

Has anyone heard if/when the number of sailing days needed for Presidents Club went up from 1400 days to 1500 days?  We heard today at a Mariner Appreciation reception that it's now 1500 days.  Not happy when we are closing in the coveted 1400 days!  Would appreciate knowing if anyone else has heard the same thing.   

Edited August 31, 2019 by bet410