Holland America Line just gave its newest bar a founding year for a name. Bar 1873 debuts aboard Oosterdam. It’s a two-story atrium venue. At its heart stands a three-meter illuminated tulip sculpture. It’s a nod to the line’s Dutch roots and its signature orange tulip.
The venue is part of Holland America Evolution. That’s the largest fleet investment in the company’s 153-year history. It covers all six Vista Class and Signature Class ships, starting with Oosterdam and Zuiderdam. Each Bar 1873 gets its own heritage theme. Oosterdam’s is “May She Be Blessed.” It honors the maritime tradition of ship christenings and the godmothers who launched generations of HAL ships. This one draws from the 1958 christening of Rotterdam V by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.
The details do the heavy lifting. There are more than 200 heritage and repurposed objects. The carpet takes inspiration from the clock in SS Rotterdam’s main dining room. The fireplace comes from HAL’s original headquarters. The signature cocktail is also called May She Be Blessed, and you can personalize it with your choice of essence.
Oosterdam also gets a reimagined Crow’s Nest. It brings expanded live music programming, with songs from the ’70s through today. Bookings are already open for the transformed Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.
