Holland America Line has announced further details on the current Signature of Excellence enhancement program, including project specifics, timing and the addition of the casual Canaletto Restaurant on all five ships scheduled for upgrades. New enhancements will now be completed in two phases during future dry docks, except on the first two ships in the schedule. This includes the Veendam, which is currently sailing in Alaska, after a 34-day dry dock makeover. Other ships receiving enhancements are the Rotterdam, the Maasdam, the Ryndam and the Statendam.

Signature of Excellence upgrades will include new fixtures and soft goods in staterooms and bathrooms. A new category of stateroom, the Lanai stateroom, will be added, along with several new staterooms on the aft portion of each ship. Highlights are a resort pool feature called The Retreat, the Showroom at Sea and the new Mix, which consists of three specialty lounges midship. Completing the projects will be the addition of Canaletto, Holland America's complimentary casual Italian restaurant, which was introduced on the Eurodam in summer 2008.
The most visible alteration will be to the aft portion of the ships, allowing for a new, resort-style pool area on the Lido deck called The Retreat. The area includes a new pool bar, an upscale pizzeria called Slice, and a giant LED screen for evening movies. A new canopy and wind screens will provide additional covered seating for the Lido restaurant, as well. In the Lido restaurant, Canaletto will be available for dinner when a section is transformed each evening into the specialty restaurant with glass partitions and an Italian ambiance. Although reservations will be encouraged, walk-ups will be accepted. Canaletto will be open for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Signature of Excellence plans also include the casino and piano bars, which will be reconfigured into a multi-themed area called Mix with three separate bars: Martinis, Champagne and Spirits & Ales. Next door, the casino will be redesigned. The main show lounge will be transformed into the Showroom at Sea with the ambiance of a nightclub and a new slate of shows. The Ocean Bar will be refurbished, and carpets will be replaced in most public areas. A Merabella luxury jewelry shop will be added midship.

To complement the new entertainment venues, entertainment and enrichment programming includes a new, contemporary look across the fleet. A new Explorations Team employs cruise staff, each specializing in a particular area, to educate and entertain guests with an expanded menu of activities including flower arranging, hands-on cooking, dancing, and working with digital photos, blogs and movies. Each team consists of a party planner, a travel guide, dance directors and a "techspert." On longer cruises, a book club leader joins the team to lead group discussions.

All staterooms will receive new decor, carpeting and soft goods, and bathrooms will receive new vanities and cabinetry. Plans are for each ship to have an additional 44 to 46 staterooms -- 32 with verandahs and the remaining as inside staterooms. On Statendam-class ships, 12 staterooms near the spa (Deck 9) also will have verandahs added, and along with three inside staterooms, become spa staterooms featuring a variety of enhanced spa amenities. On the Rotterdam, 23 staterooms on the Verandah deck will become spa staterooms. New Lanai staterooms will be created by replacing existing stateroom windows (Lower Promenade Deck 6) with lanai doors that open directly onto the walk-around promenade, as well as adding a few additional staterooms. There will be 38 Lanai staterooms on the Veendam and 39 on the Rotterdam. The Ryndam, Maasdam and Statendam will receive 38 Lanai staterooms during their second phase of dry docks.

Except for the Veendam, which was completed at end of April 2009, and Rotterdam, which will be completed in December 2009, enhancements will be completed in two phases. In a series of dry docks in 2010 and 2011, the Maasdam, Statendam and Ryndam will receive stateroom upgrades, the addition of Mix, the Showroom at Sea, Canaletto and other public area enhancements. The second series of dry docks 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. The total cost of the Signature of Excellence program is $525 million. For more information, call 877.377.2228 or e-mail info@SevenSeasEvents.com