Holland America Line Partners With The Statue Of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation To Celebrate 150thAnniversary

Holland America Line will partner with The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the eponymous landmarks, in celebration of the cruise line’s 150-year transition from immigrant carrier to consumer ocean liner fleet. The partnership features on-board video content across Holland America’s entire fleet produced by an Ellis Island researcher, as well as a curated exhibit launching in 2023 at Ellis Island detailing the brand’s historical prominence in bringing 1 in 10 immigrants from Europe to the United States.

The collaboration will launch with a joint talk between Stephen Lean, director of The American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island and Bill Miller, a noted cruise historian, detailing the immigrant experience in the late 1800s; the presentation will be available on-demand across all ships within the fleet. Noting the cruise industry’s – and particularly Holland America Line’s – importance in the immigrant journey from Europe to US, the Foundation will curate an exhibit in its History Center available for visitors from February to April 2023.

Holland America Line was founded in the Netherlands in 1873 as the Netherlands-American Steamship Company, and was primarily a carrier of immigrants from Europe to the United States until well after the turn of the century.  Carrying nearly 2 million passengers to new lives in the New World. Holland America Line was the first to do away with “Steerage class” altogether, renaming it “Emigrants Class” where unlike the competition, guests were served three square meals. It is this level of care and attention to detail – a tradition and hallmark of the brand that has continued to this day – that was the impetus for its nickname at the time: “The Spotless Fleet.” Holland America Line provided everything from doctors and a pre-departure hotel complete with English lessons and classes on American civics to ensure passengers a safe journey to New York; and in fact, 99% of the immigrants carried on the fleet were cleared for entry through Ellis Island, a tremendous feat at the time.

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