To give students a better knowledge of the food that is on a ship's menu, they eat some dishes that are normally served to Holland America's's passengers. The students learn about cultural differences between North Americans, who make up the majority of Holland America's passengers, and Indonesians. For example, Canadians and Americans typically eat pork and many drink alcohol, but most Indonesians are Moslems and their religion forbids them to eat pork or drink alcohol. As in most schools, students at S.S. Jakarta must sit final exams. The graduation rate is between 95 and 98 percent.
Graduates begin working for Holland America as assistant stewards.
Previously, Dendi had worked aboard Statendam , Westerdam and Nieuw Amsterdam . When the contract expired, Holland America would pay his airfare home to Indonesia and give him one month's salary. He would likely remain at home for three months, after which he expected to sign a new contract and be assigned to any ship in the fleet. Aboard Maasdam , Dendi and his fellow stewards work seven-day weeks. There are no actual days off, but stewards may receive time off work when the dining room is closed or when a smaller staff is needed, which happens when the ship is in port and most passengers are ashore.