Nieuw Amsterdam

12 Night Cruise sailing from Barcelona to Venice aboard Nieuw Amsterdam.

Launched from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Venice on July 4, 2010, the 86,000-ton Nieuw Amsterdam celebrates the glamour and history of New York City, formerly called Nieuw Amsterdam, with its inspired interior design and art collection.

Holland America Line has installed an array of works valued at over $3 million, ranging from antiques by traditional Dutch masters to creations by renowned contemporary artists. Some pieces reflect the Dutch Golden Age while others, such as the spectacular centerpiece in the atrium, express a contemporary curiosity. Adorning the ceiling of Nieuw Amsterdam is an eye-catching abstract sculpture of the inverted New York skyline made from clear translucent blocks that hang upside-down. The sculpture was created by husband and wife Italian artists Gilbert Lebigre and Corinne Roger of Creazioni Lebigre & Roger. The significant collection, which includes works by celebrated artists Andy Warhol, Richard Estes and Roy Lichtenstein, continues with astounding displays throughout the ship.

Nieuw Amsterdam joins the recently launched Eurodam to further define and expand the Holland America Line premium brand with new concepts such as the innovative pan-Asian Tamarind restaurant and Silk Den lounge surrounded by panoramic views overlooking the ocean expanse and the Lido pool. Other additions are an Explorer's Lounge Bar, a premium wine-tasting lounge, an elegant luxury jewelry boutique, new atrium bar area, enhanced and reconfigured The Showroom at Sea, and a new photographic and imaging center.

The new ship continues several much-admired Holland America Line features, including outside-view, glass elevators at midship; the Explorations Cafe -- a cyber-coffee house powered by The New York Times; the Pinnacle Grill and Pinnacle Bar; the innovative Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine Magazine, where culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and intimate classes in a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchens; an expanded Greenhouse Spa and Salon with thermal suites and hydro-pool, the largest gymnasium ever built for Holland America Line; and a youth facility that includes the teens-only Loft. In addition the ship will feature the family-style Canaletto Italian restaurant.

Nieuw Amsterdam features 11 guest decks and staterooms spotlight all the Signature of Excellence® premium amenities. Also featured are innovative spa staterooms with additional spa amenities.

Highlights of this cruise:

Barcelona
Barcelona effuses the ancient, the modernist, and the Gaudi. Legend has it the city was founded by Hercules 400 years before the founding of Rome. Whatever the truth, the city today is a global capital of commerce, fashion, culture, and sunshine (the city gets about 300 days of it a year). Cruise visitors should start with a walk down Las Ramblas, the glorious tree-shaded thoroughfare at the heart of the city. Claim a patch of sand on one of the city beaches. But, most of all, see what visionary architect Antoni Gaudi wrought. Seven of his creations have been honored as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including La Sagrada Familia, the Park Guell, and Casa Mila.

Monte Carlo
The principality of Monaco is the essence of the Riviera: couture fashion, grand yachts, nightlife centered around its famed Casino.

Livorno
If on your cruise you you mistake Livorno for another city across the Italian peninsula, you'll be forgiven. The Venice District of town is a tangle of streets crisscrossed by canals. A beautiful Renaissance city in its own right, Livorno is also your gateway to Pisa, to the north, and Florence, to the west. Pisa contains a host of beautiful cathedrals, palaces, and bridges over the Arno River, as well as one glorious monument to faulty engineering. More than a city, Florence represents so much of what is vital to human expression in commerce, politics, and the arts.

Rome
Step off the cruise ship, linger at a sidewalk cafe in the early evening and take in the pageant: the taste of your cappuccino, the kiss of warm air, the immaculately attired locals just getting their evenings started. Rome is nicknamed the Eternal City, and rightly so, for the array of icons - the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica - and for the role it played shaping the Western world. But there is perhaps a less-recognized genius in the way the city embraces the sensual side of life, as if to acknowledge there's no eternity like the present.

Messina
Gateway to Taormina and its views of snowcapped Mt. Etna. The small museum here shows works by Caravaggio.

Katakolon
Gateway to Olympus, site of the original Olympic Stadium and host to some games of the 2004 Olympiad.

Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik, you Adriatic jewel box, where did you get that red? The city's old town is walled all around, with ramparts that drop to the sea and enclose a town of closely clustered buildings, mostly attired in white walls and brilliant red rooftops. Explore town highlights on your cruise, like Roland's Column, the Bell Tower, or the Old Port. Outside of town, go for a swim in the limpid waters at Lapad or Banje beaches. Or head to the top of Mount Srd for a view of the city, the beaches, and away west to Italy.

Venice
Your eyes deceive you as you get closer. An entire stone city concocted from spires and cupolas seems to float on water. The optics seem off, but by now you're too far charmed to turn back. Cruise to Venice with Holland American Line and start easily. Have a bicerin, a hot mix of espresso, drinking chocolate and whole milk. Then step out into the palatial arcades and outdoor cafes of St. Mark's Square. Ready? Now you can really get going. Venice has 117 islands and a million stories of empire, longing, and glory.