Following in the wake of its successful Eurodam News Blog, Holland America Line today launched an ambitious fleetwide weblog that highlights all 14 existing ships, the upcoming newbuild ms Nieuw Amsterdam and a wide array of topics. The blog, which has been in development for several months, officially goes live today at www.hollandamericablog.com.
The new Holland America Blog comprises 16 blogs – one for each ship in the fleet and a shared main “landing page” that features the latest posts on all ships and serves as the portal to the rest of the blog. All of the individual ship blogs are cross-referenced through a series of categories listed on the main landing page.
“With Eurodam News Blog we created a community surrounding the building of our newest ship,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. “Now, with the Holland America Blog, we want to expand that community to engage Mariners, ship aficionados, potential guests and people interested in learning more about Holland America Line’s brand of premium cruising.”
Site navigation is both simple and self-evident. On the landing page, pull-down menus in the right column invite visitors to explore the blog by ship, category, destination, chronologically by date or through links in the site’s blogroll. Categories include “Captain’s Log,” “Crew News,” “Dining,” “Entertainment,” “Meet the Staff” and the popular “Postcards from…” feature, where guests and Holland America Line staff and crew submit photos from ports of call and interesting places.
The site also features podcasts and video content, as well as Captain Albert’s Blog, created by Albert Schoonderbeek, master of ms Veendam. Many of the line’s other captains, officers, staff and crew also contribute to the blog, giving each ship a voice while entertaining visitors with fun posts ranging from the captain’s own personal journal entries to photos from a crew celebration.
Another popular feature on the Holland America Blog is the ability for visitors to post comments or ask questions, making the blog truly interactive.
