A handover ceremony was held at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy where the 2,668 guest vessel was constructed.

The event was attended by the ship’s master, captain Werner Timmers, Holland America Group’s vice president of newbuilding services, Cyril Tatar, and chief executive of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono.

President of Holland America Line, Gus Antorcha, thanked Fincantieri and the line’s staff to help deliver the ship on schedule. 

"Rotterdam looks stunning and will certainly live up to bearing such an iconic name as the new flagship of our fleet, carrying on a tradition of excellence that our guests have loved for nearly 150 years," he added. "We cannot wait to welcome guests on board later this fall."

Rotterdam will remain in non-guest operations until its transatlantic crossing on 20 October from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale where it will then begin its maiden season in the Caribbean.