Venue
ARACON 2010 takes place onboard the famous and much-loved former ocean liner, the SS Rotterdam, which has finally returned to its home port to be fabulously — and very expensively — restored to its former glory.
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Two classes of luxury cabins have been reserved at specially-negotiated rates, allowing delegates to fully enjoy the experience of staying onboard one of the world’s finest vessels.
Bunker Events Limited has negotiated the following reduced rates for accommodation onboard the SS Rotterdam:
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Single Occupancy |
Double Occupancy |
Outside Cabin: |
€155 |
€172.50 |
Suite Cabin: |
€175 |
€192.50 |
These rates include all taxes and breakfast. Twin occupancy must be informed in advance.
The block is guaranteed until 22 February,
IMMEDIATE RESERVATION IS ADVISED.
Registered delegates will be issued a booking reference and contact details for the reservations department at the SS Rotterdam as part of their registration confirmation.
Wired internet access is available free of charge in all cabins, all cabins will be equipped with wire cables. |
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SS Rotterdam in the 1950s |
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SS Rotterdam in the 1950s |
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Known affectionately as ‘The Grande Dame’, the ship was built by the Rotterdam Drydock Company and launched in Rotterdam by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands on 13 September 1958. It ran a transatlantic service for the Holland America Line until 1969.
In service, the vessel carried 1,456 passengers and 776 officers and crew. Its maximum speed was 21.5 knots and it weighed 38,650 gross tonnes.
In 1971, the Rotterdam was refitted to allow for permanent cruising and began a new era as a full-time cruise ship, spending winters in the Caribbean and summers in Alaska, along with the occasional world cruise.
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The restored SS Rotterdam today |
The Rotterdam ended its last gala cruise for the Holland America Line on 30 September 1997, before being sold to Premier Cruises and renamed the Rembrandt. There followed some difficult years as financial problems at Premier Cruises caused the ship to be taken out of service and laid up in the Bahamas in 2000. It was then bought by a subsidiary of the Port of Rotterdam company, which went bankrupt, before being sold to a Dutch joint venture under the name De Rotterdam, the current owner.
Renamed the Rotterdam in 2004, the ship has undergone a hugely expensive refurbishment programme, starting in Gibraltar, Poland and Germany, before returning to the Netherlands on 4 August 2008. Now it is permanently moored close to Rotterdam’s the city centre.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is The Netherlands' second city and was developed as a shipping port in the 14th Century. Today, it is the biggest port, biggest refining and storage area and biggest bunkering centre in Europe. The original fishing village grew into a city on the back of the herring trade, the surging economy of the Dutch East Indies and the opening of the New Waterway link to the North Sea. New districts and shipping facilities opened up following the devastation of World War II, and the city centre was reborn. |
