Aegean Majesty

The 1996-built (as "MS Veendam") cruise ship Aegean Majestic is the 4th and final Statendam (S-class) vessel of HAL-Holland America Line. The sisterships (by design) are the former HAL vessels MS Statendam/Vasco da Gama, MS Ryndam/Celestyal Journey, and MS Maasdam/CFC Renaissance.

IMPORTANT (CruiseMapper-emailed content from Taryna Wawn/partially revised, received May 13th, 2024) Victoria Cruises Line [VCL] is an alleged scam cruise company defrauding senior citizens of their hard-earned money. I applied for a refund (US$10,000) in October 2023. My refund was due on January 7th [2024], and I am still waiting. I have a spreadsheet containing 30+ people who are also overdue with their refunds, and many more are now aware that it is a scam but have not yet applied. I am unable to furnish you with anything other than the lawyer's letter attached, as all other evidence is currently in the hands of a US Government official. The letter is from Mediterranean Dream Inc (Aegean Majesty's owner). They [VCL] have no connection to Aegean Majesty, no right to call it Victoria Majestic, and no lease or plan to lease [charter the ship] is in place.

Note: The attached letter (sent July 26, 2023) is from Milto M Papangelis, a partner at PPT Legal (Papapetros, Papangelis, Tatagia & Partners/Athens Greece-based law firm).

Victoria Cruises Line itinerary 2024-2026 (Victoria Majestic)

For 2024-2026, Victoria Cruises Line has scheduled a global itinerary for the Victoria Majestic ship, visiting popular islands and port cities—all with multiple overnight stays (up to 6 nights/7 days).

The voyages are planned to visit destinations on all continents except Antarctica, including Europe (Mediterranean, Baltic, Atlantic Coast), Africa and the Middle East (Arabian countries), Indian Ocean Islands (Reunion, Mauritius), Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia), Oceania and South Pacific Islands, Australia-New Zealand, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the USA (West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska).

The company's website lists an Around The World Voyage (2.5 years long) scheduled to depart from Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale on July 26, 2024.

The 887-day itinerary visits the Bahamas (Nassau), USA (Tampa, New Orleans), Mexico (Veracruz, Cancun), Belize City, Honduras (Roatan), Nicaragua (Puerto Cabezas), Costa Rica (Limon), Colombia (Barranquilla), Aruba, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago (Port-of-Spain), Guyana (Georgetown), Suriname (Paramaribo), French Guiana (Cayenne), Brazil (Belem, Fortaleza, Natal, Salvador de Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Santos/Sao Paulo), Uruguay (Montevideo), Argentina (Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn), Falkland Islands (Stanley), Chile (Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Valparaiso/Santiago, Antofagasta), Peru (Callao/Lima), Ecuador (Guayaquil, Galapagos Islands/Puerto Ayora), Panama City, Caribbean Islands (Grand Cayman, Providenciales, Puerto Rico/San Juan, Dominicana/Santo Domingo, Antigua/St John's, Montserrat, Martinique/Fort-de-France, Barbados/Bridgetown, St Vincent/Kingstown, Jamaica/Kingston), Panama (Colon), Costa Rica (Puerto Caldera), El Salvador (Acajutla), Mexico (Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, La Paz), USA (Hawaii/Honolulu, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Anchorage), Canada (Vancouver), Japan (Ishikari/Shapporo, Tokyo, Kobe/Osaka, Naha), Korea (Busan), China (Shanghai, Hong Kong), Taiwan (Taipei), Philippines (Manila, Davao), Palau (Jayapura), Solomon Islands (Honiara), Vanuatu (Santo), Fiji (Suva), Tonga (Nuku Alofa), New Caledonia (Noumea), Australia (Brisbane, Darwin, Fremantle/Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney), New Zealand (Wellington, Auckland), Indonesia (Surabaya), Malaysia (Kuching), Thailand (Bangkok, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phuket), Singapore, Bangladesh (Chattogram), India (Visakhapatnam, Mormugao/Goa, Mumbai), Sri Lanka (Colombo), Pakistan (Karachi), UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Qatar (Doha), Kuwait City, Djibouti, Maldives (Addu), Seychelles (Port Victoria), Mauritius (Port Louis), Madagascar (Antalaha), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), Comoros (Moroni), Mozambique (Nacala, Maputo), South Africa (Cape Town), Namibia (Walvis Bay), Angola (Luanda), Gabon (Libreville), Togo (Lome), Liberia (Monrovia), Guinea-Bissau, Senegal (Dakar), Cape Verde (Praia), Mauritania (Nouakchott), Canary Islands (Tenerife), Madeira (Funchal), Morocco (Agadir, Casablanca, Tangier), Azores (Ponta Delgada, Horta), Portugal (Lisbon, Oporto), Spain (La Coruna, Bilbao, Cadiz, Malaga, Almeria, Cartagena, Valencia, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ceuta), France (La Rochelle, Brest, Calais, Le Havre/Paris, Cherbourg, Saint-Nazaire, Marseille, Cannes), Ireland (Dublin), UK (Belfast, Liverpool, Cardiff, Plymouth, Tilbury/London, Leith/Edinburgh, Gibraltar), Iceland (Reykjavik), Faroes (Torshavn), Norway (Stavanger, Oslo), Denmark (Copenhagen, Aalborg), Sweden (Stockholm), Finland (Oulu, Helsinki), Estonia (Tallinn), Latvia (Riga), Poland (Gdansk), Germany (Rostock, Hamburg), the Netherlands (Rotterdam), Channel Islands (Jersey), Italy (Genoa, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Catania, Bari, Venice, Palermo Sicily, Cagliari Sardinia), Croatia (Split, Dubrovnik), Albania (Dures), Greece (Corfu, Argostoli/Kefalonia, Heraklion Crete, Piraeus/Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Limassol Cyprus), Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya), Romania (Constanta), Bulgaria (Varna), Israel (Haifa), Egypt (Alexandria/Cairo), Malta (Valletta), Tunisia (Tunis), Algeria (Algiers), and Bermuda (Hamilton), before returning to Port Everglades on December 29, 2026.

History - construction and ownership

Aegean Majesty's current owner is Mediterranean Dream Inc (a Liberia-based company).

On August 12, 2022, it was announced that in 2023 (May), the new travel brand "Victoria Cruises Line" (website victoria.cruises) would be inaugurated with a two-ship fleet: the sisterships Aegean Majesty (VICTORIA MAJESTIC) and Aegean Goddess (VICTORIA AMAZING, now Celestyal Journey).

• The Paralimni, Cyprus-based Victoria Cruise Lines company specializes in residential cruise shipping and is led by Olavs Zvinelis (CEO). The adults-only, all-inclusive travel brand provides a residential travel experience by allowing stateroom rentals for long-term occupancy (minimum 6 months).
• Victoria Amazing was scheduled to depart from PortMiami (Florida USA) on February 1, 2023.
• Victoria Majestic was scheduled to depart from Livorno (Italy) on April 1, 2023.
• Victoria Cruises' cabin rates start at USD 8,000 (inside cabin), USD 10,000 (oceanview), and USD 16,000 (balcony). Travel and rental options are offered only to adults (18 years or older).
• All interior cabins on both ships were fitted with a 100-cm/40-inch LCD monitor for real-time sea views, with feeds from 10 HD cameras.

In July 2020, Carnival Corporation (via Holland America Line) sold 4 liners. MS Amsterdam and MS Rotterdam were sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines (renamed "MS Bolette" and "MS Borealis"). MS Maasdam and MS Veendam were sold to an undisclosed buyer. In late August, the new shipowner's name was revealed as Eaglepower Shipping Ltd (Seajets Ferries Greece). The Greek ferry company operates the fastest ferries in the Cyclades Islands and has started a cruise shipping division with all 3 liners: Aegean Myth (HAL Maasdam), Aegean Majesty (HAL Veendam), and Oceana (P&O UK). Optimum ShipManagement Services SA (a Piraeus-based company) was contracted to manage the vessels, and it also manages Celestyal's fleet.

All scheduled cruises for the 4 ships were canceled or assumed by other HAL ships.

A total of 46 Holland America Veendam ship cruises were canceled (November 3, 2020, through October 2, 2021), including 7-, 14-, and 21-day Western Caribbean and 7-, 14-, and 21-day Southern Caribbean roundtrips from Tampa, Florida (through March 28, 2021), 28-day repositioning Mediterranean to Baltic (Civitavecchia-Rome to Amsterdam), Northern European roundtrips from Amsterdam (14-, 23-, 28-, and 37-day Baltic, British Isles, Iceland, and Norway Fjords, from June 5 through August 23, 2021), 12- and 26-day repositioning Baltic to Mediterranean (Amsterdam to Civitavecchia), and 14- and 28-day Holy Land roundtrips from Civitavecchia (Italy-Greece-Turkey-Israel-Malta).

Following the vessel's acquisition, Seajets Aegean Majesty was initially docked/moored at Katakolon (Olympia, Greece). As of 2024, Aegean Majesty is permanently docked at Port Aigio (Greece).

For Holland America Line, the vessel was flagged in the Netherlands (MMSI 246506000) and registered in Rotterdam. For Seajets Ferries, the ship is now Bermuda-flagged (MMSI 310801000) and registered in Hamilton.

SEAJETS Greece (founded in 1989) is a Cyprus-based shipping company that specializes in passenger and cargo ferry services exclusively in the Eastern Mediterranean (Aegean Sea). Seajets' fleet includes primarily fast ferries (14 high-speed catamarans, with a maximum capacity of 2,100 passengers and 600 cars) plus 3 conventional Ro-Pax vessels (maximum capacity of 1,300 passengers and 400 cars). Seajets operates from homeports Piraeus-Athens, Lavrion, and Crete (Heraklion and Rethymno), interconnecting 26 Cyclades Islands (including Crete) with 260 connections.

Decks and Cabins

MS Veendam/Aegean Majesty staterooms (675 total) include 193 Balcony Suites (29%), no Standard Balcony cabins, 344 Oceanviews (including 76 Lanai cabins on Deck 3), 138 Inside cabins, 16 Spa rooms, and a total of 31 cabin grades. Most staterooms are 175-255 ft² oceanviews. Spa cabins include 16 (12 VQ-Vista Suites and 4 IQ-Inside). There are 18 wheelchair-accessible cabins and 97 connecting cabins.

The ship has 13 decks, of which 10 are passenger-accessible and 5 have cabins.

Implemented fleetwide in 2019, the "Club Orange" program provides exclusive amenities to Suite passengers booked in Neptune and Pinnacle categories. Bonus perks by this program include:

• Priority services (check-in, disembarkation, tendering, dining reservations)
• 24-hour concierge service (assistance, information, reservations)
• Exclusive dining venue (serving complimentary Pinnacle Grill breakfast and Dining Room dinner, plus exclusive dishes)
• Dedicated Concierge Desk (Guest Services and Tours)
• Room service (à la carte breakfast menu with complimentary gourmet dishes, including smoked salmon, steak and eggs)
• Sparkling wine (embarkation day), Club Orange tote bag, and premium bathrobes (cabin use, available for monogramming and purchasing)
• Club Orange Restaurant is part of the Main Dining Room (designed as a separate VIP dining section)

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Veendam's restaurants include the Rotterdam Dining Room, the Lido buffet, and the intimate Pinnacle Grill. There is also a casual poolside option for hot dogs and burgers, a coffee bar, and complimentary 24-hour room service (offering hot breakfast choices to dinner selections). The Lido buffet is efficient and provides great sea views through its floor-to-ceiling windows. The buffet serves continental breakfast from 6:30 a.m., full breakfast (7-11 a.m.), lunch (11 a.m.-2 p.m.), and dinner (6-7:30 p.m.). Hours are adjusted during embarkation/debarkation and on port days. There are extended hours for ice cream, sandwiches, and late-night offerings. Tea and coffee are available at the Lido at all times. The lines are manageable, even at peak times, with plenty of available tables.

Here is the complete list of MS Veendam restaurants and food bars:

• Pinnacle Grill (62-seat reservations-only seafood/steakhouse restaurant with a fine wine selection; free for passengers under 12 years old). The venue transforms into “An Evening at Le Cirque” once per cruise via a partnership with NYC’s “Le Cirque” French restaurant.
• Rotterdam Restaurant (696-seat, aft Dining Room; features open seating for Breakfast and Lunch, and two Dinner options—fixed seating or “Any Time” dining between 5:15 p.m. and 9 p.m.)
• Terrace Grill (fast food pool bar; complimentary)
• Lido Restaurant (372-seat complimentary buffet restaurant; offers self-service Breakfast from 6:00 a.m. -11 a.m., Lunch from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., Afternoon Tea, and Dinner from 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.)
• Canaletto Restaurant (Lido Restaurant annex; operates as an Italian restaurant for Dinner, reservations required)
• Slice (poolside pizzeria).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The vessel's $2 million art collection exudes a stylish yet traditional ambiance, featuring superb antique Delft, marble busts, armor, and paintings of classic Holland America vessels. Even nightlife—historically one of Holland America's weak points—has been enhanced by the refurbishment; the open-plan Deck 8 creates an excellent atmosphere in the evenings, with the energy of the casino spilling over into the bars, and shoppers in the stores drawn to the piano bar by the sounds of a favorite tune. During the day, there are trivia games, Bridge, Bingo, Sudoku, movies, cooking demonstrations, and mixology classes. Poolside bands perform various music on sail-aways and sea days. The New York Times-sponsored Explorations Cafe serves as the ship's active hub throughout the day and evening. It holds over 2,000 books, plus a selection of periodicals and a DVD library. There are crossword puzzle tables with wipe-off markers, touch-screen interactive maps, and a collection of puzzles and games. An adjacent card room and computer/Internet stations are also available. Other amenities include: complimentary 24-hour room service, a supervised kids' program ("Club Hal"), cruise ship weddings, Internet/Wi-Fi access, and laundry/self-serve laundromats.

Here is the complete list of MS Veendam lounges, clubs, and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults:

• Atrium (3-deck-high midship open-floor area with live performances)
• Promenade Deck, Walking Track (jogging is not permitted)
• The Showroom at Sea (600-seat theatre/main show lounge; also serves Holland America’s enrichment program via a partnership with BBC Earth)
• Queen’s Room (40-seat meeting room, hosts digital workshops via a Microsoft partnership, computer classes, social networks, blogging, and photo editing)
• Photo Gallery & Shop; Art Gallery
• Wine Tasting Bar, Gourmet Shops (bottles available for purchase, wine sampling)
• Wajang Theatre & Culinary Arts Centre (203-seat cinema; offers culinary classes and cooking shows presented in demonstration kitchens)
• Atrium Terrace with boutiques; Atrium Shops (boutiques for duty-free tobacco and liquor, perfumes, watches, clothing, HAL logo merchandise, souvenirs); Marabella Luxury Shop
• Ocean Bar (121-seat Atrium bar and lounge, with a dance floor and stage for live performances)
• Casino (served by Casino Bar and Sports Bar)
• Hudson Room (40-seat meeting room; used as a Cards Room)
• Half Moon Room (60-seat meeting room)
• MIX Lounge (has 3 parts, with live music and trivia games)
• Explorations Cafe (88-seat specialty coffee bar and patisserie; also serves as the ship’s library and online center/Internet computers room)
• Explorer’s Lounge & Bar (60-seat lounge with bar; classical concert performances)
• Neptune Lounge (24-seat club venue for Deluxe Suite and Pinnacle guests only)
• Fitness Center (gym with a separate aerobics room); 2 jacuzzis
• Greenhouse Spa & Salon; Lido Pool area, served by Lido Bar and Terrace Grill; Sea View Pool area served by Sea View Bar
• The Retreat (sun deck area, adults-only)
• Crow’s Nest (250-seat observation lounge; bar and dance floor; becomes a disco at night)
• Tennis Court; Basketball Court; Shuffleboard
• Club HAL (kids' lounge, complimentary youth programming)
• The Loft (teen club lounge area, with a Video Games Arcade, computers, PlayStations; teen disco)
• The Oasis (40-seat teen-only outdoor area)

Itineraries

MS Veendam's itinerary program was based on Canada and New England cruises (departing from Quebec City and Boston, MA) in the summer, Mexican Riviera cruises (from California), and Panama Canal transits (during repositioning).

Between December 22, 2017, and April 2018, MS Veendam operated cruises to Cuba as roundtrips from Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). HAL's 7-, 11-, and 12-day Cuban itineraries also visited other Caribbean ports. Prices started at USD 900 per person (double occupancy) for an Inside cabin. Bookings opened on May 26, 2017.

From November 2020 to April 2021, the ship was scheduled to be homeported in Tampa, Florida. The program included 18 Caribbean roundtrips plus 2 Transatlantic crossings.