Holland America Line is giving its older ships a new centrepiece: a two-storey cocktail venue called Bar 1873, built around the line's 150-year history and rolling out across its fleet. The first one debuts on the Oosterdam as part of the cruise line's Evolution refurbishment programme.
The name nods to 1873, the year Holland America was founded, and each ship will get its own take on the concept. On the Oosterdam, the theme is "May She Be Blessed," a tribute to ship christenings and the godmothers who have launched the line's vessels over the decades — specifically drawing on the 1958 christening of Rotterdam V by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.
Physically, the bar occupies the Oosterdam's central atrium on Deck 2, designed with London firm SMC. Its signature feature is an illuminated tulip sculpture, surrounded by more than 200 heritage and repurposed objects, bespoke artwork and a visual timeline of the company's past. Lounges around the atrium are set up for cocktails, conversation and small-scale performances.
Entertainment is a big part of the pitch. Live piano runs through pre-dinner cocktail hours and into the evening, with occasional vocalists and the line's Vivace musicians joining in. The wider Evolution programme also expands the onboard music lineup, with evening sets covering everything from 1970s hits to current tracks.
On the drinks side, there's a house cocktail called "May She Be Blessed," named for the traditional blessing given to a ship before entering service — and guests can personalise it. The rest of the menu mixes modern riffs on classic cocktails.
The Oosterdam's refit also includes a reimagined Crow's Nest, the observation lounge long a Holland America staple. Line president Beth Bodensteiner framed the programme as a way to celebrate old traditions while adding fresh experiences, and Bar 1873 is clearly the flagship example: it will become a standard feature of Evolution, reinterpreted ship by ship with a different story or milestone from the company's archives.
The Evolution programme eventually covers all six Vista Class and Signature Class ships, starting with the Oosterdam and Zuiderdam and extending through to the Arcadia. Bookings are already open for post-refurbishment cruises on the Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.
For travellers, this matters if you're considering Holland America's mid-sized ships — the line is clearly investing in its older tonnage rather than phasing it out, and the additions lean into live music and a smarter bar scene rather than waterslides. If you've sailed a Vista or Signature Class ship before, the post-Evolution versions will feel noticeably different, particularly around the atrium and Crow's Nest. It's also a decent excuse to pick your sailing by theme: once the rollout spreads across the fleet, each ship's Bar 1873 will tell a different chapter of the line's Rotterdam-to-now story.
