Holland America Line has presented Bar 1873, a bar and lounge that will debut on Oosterdam as part of Holland America Evolution, the refurbishment programme for its Vista and Signature class ships. According to the cruise line’s press release of 16 October 2026, published on PR Newswire, the venue will occupy the ship’s two-deck central atrium. Oosterdam will also have a redesigned Crow’s Nest. The name of the bar refers to 1873, the year the company was founded.
A tulip and the christening of Rotterdam V
Bar 1873 was designed with the London design firm SMC and is built around the central atrium on Deck 2. Its main features, according to Holland America Line:
- An illuminated tulip sculpture, three metres tall, inspired by the national flower of the Netherlands and the orange tulip of the company’s logo, visible from several points of the atrium.
- More than 200 objects from the company’s history and reused pieces, with artwork, vintage-style maps and a timeline of the company.
- A theme for each ship. On Oosterdam it is “May She Be Blessed”, about ship christenings and godmothers, and in particular the christening of Rotterdam V by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1958. Each Evolution ship will have its own version of the bar, based on a different episode of the company’s history.
- Details from other ships and places: carpets inspired by light on the ocean, a central rug based on a clock in the main dining room of SS Rotterdam, and a fireplace inspired by the company’s first headquarters in Rotterdam, now the Hotel New York.
The lounge area of Bar 1873, with the fireplace inspired by the company’s first headquarters in Rotterdam (artist’s rendering). Image: Holland America Line.
Cocktails and live music
The bar’s menu is built around “May She Be Blessed”, a cocktail named after the blessing given to a ship before it enters service, which guests can customise with an essence of their choice. The menu also has new versions of classic cocktails and original drinks.
Live piano music will be played during the pre-dinner cocktail hour and in the evening, with some performances by vocalists and by Holland America Line’s Vivace musicians.
A renewed Crow’s Nest
Oosterdam’s Crow’s Nest, the observation lounge at the front of the ship, will keep its sea views and add more live music. During the day it will host activities and enrichment talks, and in the evening performances of songs from the 1970s to today.
Holland America Evolution
Holland America Line describes Evolution as the largest investment in its fleet in its 153-year history. It covers the six Vista and Signature class ships (Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam), starting with Oosterdam and Zuiderdam, and will extend to Arcadia, a Vista class ship the company is taking over from P&O Cruises in 2029. The programme includes refurbished public areas and cabins and some elements from the Pinnacle class ships.
Oosterdam’s refit will take place in Marseille. In a previous announcement, on 9 September 2026, Holland America Line brought it forward by five weeks and set her first cruise after the work for 31 October 2027: 10 days from Rome (Civitavecchia) to Trieste, with calls in Italy, Greece, Montenegro and Croatia. That announcement also mentioned new cabin and suite categories, the Grand Dutch Café and a redesigned Ocean Bar on Oosterdam. Cruises on Oosterdam and Zuiderdam after their refits are already on sale.
