Oprah Winfrey Names New Holland America Ship

She’s no stranger to the cameras however this naming was the first for Oprah as she said those magical words that blesses a vessel into it’s long life of service.

The ceremony in Fort Lauderdale followed a three-day ‘Girls’ Getaway’ cruise to the Caribbean.

Gayle King, editor-at-large of O, The Oprah Magazine and Winfrey’s best friend, joined her on the cruise, along with several other senior editors from the magazine.

Winfrey said: “It’s been an incredible experience to see people from across the world come together with one mind and celebrate themselves, honor themselves and honor each other. Everybody gathered, made friends and connected to people they didn’t know because they felt like they had met themselves on some level. I have never seen anything like it.”

Nieuw Statendam was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and will sail its inaugural season from Ft. Lauderdale to the Caribbean until April.

The ship will spend the summer sailing Norway, the Baltic and Iceland before relocating to the Mediterranean in autumn.

The 2,666-passenger ship is the line’s second Pinnacle-class vessel and the sixth in the company’s history to carry the name Nieuw Statendam.

Celebrity endorsements always work wonders for cruise lines and a star as big as Oprah will certainly get the ’tills ringing’ for Holland America. She isn’t the first Celebrity to join up with a cruise line. Ellen DeGeneres works with Carnival Cruise Line, Sophia Loren works with MSC Cruises and Pitbull works with Norwegian Cruise Line.

Have you cruised with Holland America before? Would an endorsement of this calibre make you want to book another?

Happy Cruising!

Ed x