Content Section

Holland America Line Adds BBC Presenter Michaela Strachan, Filmmaker James Brickell and Digital Specialist Simon Baxter to ms Maasdam’s July 8 BBC Earth Feature Cruise

BBC experts to givepresentations and workshops in their area of specialty

Seattle, Wash., June 8, 2017 — Holland America Line is adding the talentsof popular BBC presenter Michaela Strachan, wildlife filmmaker James Brickelland innovative digital specialist Simon Baxter to the July 8, 2017, BBC Earththeme cruise.

Guestson ms Maasdam's seven-day cruise toCanada and New England will be able to attend presentations and masterclasses bythe trio, who will share their expertise and behind-the-scenes stories of how BBCprograms are made.

"Noone brings the world to life like BBC Earth, and through our partnership it'sexciting to give our guests access to talent like Michaela, James and Simon onthis incredible feature cruise," said Orlando Ashford, president ofHolland America Line. "The BBC Earth experiences on board have grown to beamong the most popular we offer, and the feature cruises take the enrichmentprogramming to another level for our guests who seek to become moreknowledgeable about the world and the places we visit."

BBC Host MichaelaStrachan

MichaelaStrachan is one of the BBC's most well-known TV hosts. Hugely popular in the U.K.,Strachan started off presenting children's television, but today she is best knownfor her wildlife programs. For the past few years she has been one of the mainanchors on BBC "Springwatch," a live primetime British wildlife series thatfollows the emergence of spring. Her natural effervescence and engaging humorendear her to live audiences, and with her extensive experience in wildlifeconservation around the world, Strachan has some amusing anecdotes from thefield that are sure to entertain.

Filmmaker James Brickell

JamesBrickell has directed some of the most highly regarded BBC Earth shows, including"Big Cat Diary," "Life in Cold Blood," "Life in the Air" and the successful "Deadly60." He has captured some genuine world firsts in wildlife filming such as wildrattlesnakes hunting (never previously observed) and snakes jumping across amudflat in the Far East (behavior that was new to science).

Brickell'swork as a filmmaker and his enormous passion for wild animals have taken himall over the world, from the jungles of South America and the Mojave Desert tothe Arctic Circle and West African Plains (and just about everywherein-between). Brickell has won an array of prestigious awards for his work, andhe has many entertaining stories from the field, including some classics thatinvolve the great Sir David Attenborough.

Digital Specialist andFilmmaker Simon Baxter

Simon Baxter hasdirected a variety of wildlife films for many exciting platforms, including morethan a hundred short films for the BBC's ever popular "The One Show." He'sraced a peregrine falcon against a world champion mountain bike rider in aYouTube viral hit, and he's directed BBC Earth films for the widest indoorscreen in the world, stretching 131 feet across.

Currently Baxteris trying to harness 3-D, 360-degree cameras to help capture wildlife momentsand epic landscapes for audiences to enjoy in virtual reality. Storytelling isat the heart of every project he works on, and he always finds a new way of usingequipment — whether it's the latest "ultra-high-definition" lens or simply byadapting the camera on a smart phone. Above all, Baxter ensures everything hedoes is fun to inspire the next generation of animal enthusiasts.

BBC Earth Partnership

Throughits partnership with award-winning BBC Earth, world-class education and entertainmentare brought onboard Holland America Line's ships through live presentations,master classes, films, enrichment experiences and children's activities — inaddition to the special theme cruises.

For Holland America Line's 70thanniversary season in Alaska in 2017, BBC Earth launched a new "Alaskain Concert" multimedia production in the same format as the stunning "FrozenPlanet Live" performance. Combining live music set against a backdrop ofmesmerizing footage from the BBC Earthtelevision series "Wild Alaska," audiences experience thecycle of four seasons and see this place is as unforgiving as it isbeautiful.

AboutBBC Earth

BBC Earthis a global factual brandwhich tells the greateststories about our world, capturing the astonishing wonders of the universe andsharing them with audiences everywhere. From the epic to the everyday,BBC Earth brings you face to face with heart pounding action, mind blowingideas and the sheer wonder of being human.Celebrating the natural worldis more important than ever, so our teams continually push the boundaries ofpossibility to bring us the remarkable stories that change our perspectives andinspire us to care.Commercially and internationally the brand ismanaged by BBC Worldwide across multiple platforms, by means of television,live events, social media and online, theatrical releases for cinema and giantscreen films.

For more information, contacta travel professional, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL(1-877-724-5425)or visit hollandamerica.com.

Editor's note: Photosare available at # size="3">.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog.Access all social media outlets via the Online Communities quicklink on the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland AmericaLine [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]

Holland America Line's fleet of 14 ships offers more than 500cruises to more than 400 ports in 98 countries, territories or dependenciesaround the world. From shorter getaways to 113-day itineraries, the company'scruises visit all seven continents with highlights including Antarcticaexplorations, South America circumnavigations and exotic Australia/New Zealandand Asia voyages; four annual Grand Voyages; and popular sailings to theCaribbean, Cuba, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Bermuda, Europe and thePanama Canal. The line welcomed ms Koningsdam in 2016 and has a second Pinnacle-classship, ms Nieuw Statendam, to be delivered in December 2018. A thirdPinnacle-class ship, due for delivery in 2021, recently was announced.

The company isundergoing $300 million in brand enhancements to secure its position as theleader in premium cruising. Fleetwide, the ships feature innovative initiativesand a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination immersionand personalized travel. Guests can expand their knowledge through an exclusivepartnership with O, The Oprah Magazine;during an America's Test Kitchen show; at Explorations Café, presented by TheNew York Times; and by taking a Digital Workshop powered by Windows.Outstanding entertainment fills each evening at venues including Lincoln CenterStage, Billboard Onboard and B.B. King's Blues Club. The dining experience canbe savored at a variety of restaurants with menus that feature selections fromHolland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council that comprises world-famouschefs who design dishes exclusively for our guests.

Kaleidoscope powered