I love visiting new places in different countries throughout the world – I also really enjoy relaxing on a ship at sea, and today was perfect for that, as we enjoyed our first sea day on our seven-night Nieuw Statenam cruise... read more
On the first full day of our cruise we visited Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s private destination in The Bahamas. We took it easy and enjoyed what I truly feel is one of the prettiest beaches in the Caribbean... read more
Today we boarded Nieuw Statendam, a new Pinnacle Class ship from Holland America Line (HAL). Our seven-night sailing will take us to Half Moon Cay, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Usually I start with separate post explaining out upcoming cruise, why we chose it, etc, but since I’m starting right off on embarkation day, I’ll share a tiny bit of that information before jumping into our day... read more
This is the generic bar menu on Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam in November of 2017. Some bars have specific menus but the overall liquor selection seems to be the same at all bars. read more
The last day of any cruise is a sad one, but to us, it’s a bit easier when the last day is a port day as the distraction of going ashore keeps us from dwelling on the inevitable. On the final day of our Nieuw Amsterdam sailing we found ourselves visiting Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line’s private island in the Bahamas. We enjoyed the tropical paradise, thought about how it compared to other private islands, and then went back onboard to absorb the last hours of what Nieuw Amsterdam had to offer us this cruise, including dining in the Pinnacle Grill... read more
Sometimes we cruise to enjoy the destinations, the activities, and the entertainment – other times we cruise for the sake of leaving our cares behind. Today’s sea day on Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam was one of those days we just wanted to look around and bask in the enjoyment of doing nothing. Don’t worry, we still managed to do something, or else we wouldn’t have much to write about… read more
Amber Cove is just outside of the city of Puero Plata in the Dominican Republic. The lush mountains of the Island of Hispaniola overlook a beautiful resort, our third destination on this seven-night cruise. We took a cab to the city to get a spectacular (and scary) view, checked out what the resort had to offer, and enjoyed the ship once more… read more
