Zuiderdam Crew Jam Out To Their Own Radio Station

Anyone looking west from the beaches of Great Harbour Cay today might see something unusual; a gathering of cruise ships. In fact, eight ships from three different cruise lines have chosen to wait out the cruise delay in the calm, Bahamian waters, including Holland America Line Zuiderdam. 

Since the industry shutdown first began on March 18, Holland America Line Zuiderdam has been without passengers, but that hasn’t stopped anyone on board from making the best of the situation. Brent Kuttschreuter, who’s worked in the travel industry for more than 15 years, including six as a Port Shopping Consultant, decided that keeping his shipboard community together and happy was going to be a top priority. 

It was then he decided to launch Zuiderdam Radio, a community station broadcasting via the ship’s PA system which broadcasts from 2pm till 4pm with music, interviews, weather, news, comedy and even a fashion segment for upcoming events. 

READ: Interview: How P&O Britannia Pulled Off Last Minute Transatlantic

Crew can call in from any phone on board the ship for a Birthday shout out and or any other requests. The Captain even calls in daily with requests for rock music as do other crew with dedications. With the addition of our talk radio segments, there’s even talk of extending airtime from 10am to 4pm.

Holland America Line Zuiderdam | Photo: Holland America Line

There are more than 60 nationalities on board and the radio broadcast helps to bring everyone together. Along with Brent, a rotating cast of interviews helps keep things interesting and those on the air have given in to their inner DJs with names like Steam Boat Chili Dawg, aka Business and Brand Manager Tyler Wright. Other on-air talent include Entertainment Host Yulia Aranskova and Hannah Woodhouse from Human Resources. 

The station even plays live music thanks to Thiago Rodriugues, a broadcast tech, playing riffs on his guitar live for the entire ship. 

You can’t listen to the broadcast unless you’re on the ship, but we know every cruiser is happy to hear the crew on board is making the best of their situation! 

Did you miss our interview with Christine LaVonna, Cruise Director for Holland America Line? Watch it now!