Holland America Line (HAL) has created a new category of cabins for passengers who want to trade up from standard ocean view accommodation.
The Lanai cabins are part of the Signature of Excellence upgrades being rolled out to five ships, and have glass sliding doors onto the promenade deck.
Following a $40 million upgrade, 38 have been installed on the Veendam and they will be added to the Rotterdam, Maasdam, Statendam and Volendam between 2010 and 2012.
HAL executive vice-president marketing, sales and guest programmes Rick Meadows said the cabins are priced below a balcony cabin, giving an interim option for passengers who want to trade up from a normal outside cabin, which has a window that doesn’t open.
Doors to the cabins can be opened from inside or outside by a “proximity” key, which works when passengers are within a certain range of the door.
The glass is see-through one-way during the day, but he admitted passing passengers can see into the cabin at night if the lights are on.
The Signature of Excellence programme also includes a multi-themed area called Mix, comprising the casino and piano bars, and three bars that sell Champagne, Martini, and a spirits and ales. Also new is the Retreat, a resort-style pool area targeted at adults.
The self-service Italian restaurant Canaletto, which was first launched on new ship Eurodam, is being rolled out to all ships in the HAL fleet.
HAL has spent $525 million adding the first phase of Signature of Excellence features to its ships since 2003. These included culinary arts theatres for live cookery demonstrations and new mattresses in all the cabins. An extra $40 million per ship will be spent on the second phase of Signature upgrades.