Category: Caribbean

Memories of cruises/trips to the Caribbean

Evening Activities

Each of our cruises had a variety of activities in the evenings. I think the biggest difference between the two ships was the amount of music venues. On the Eurodam, your choices were Rolling Stone Lounge, Billboard Onboard (piano players), Ocean Bar, and Explorers Lounge (classical music). On the Koningsdam, you had all of those plus the BB King’s Blues Club. On each ship, we were partial to the Rolling Stone Lounge bands.

Koningsdam Rolling Stone Lounge Band
Koningsdam Vivace Strings Trio

Both ships also offered Game Nights and were well-attended. These games included the ever-popular Game of Love (how well do you know your other half?), as well as Secret Identities, La La Land, Build the Scene, Poorly Explained Movie Plots, and Call My Bluff – just to name a few.

Both ships showed movies but only the Koningsdam showed movies at night. It has a big screen in the Lido pool area and you can relax on the padded loungers. During the movies you can get food such as chicken wings and sliders from the NY Deli and Pizza venue. Fresh popcorn is prepared on the Lido deck. Some of the movies shown during our cruise were Arthur the King, Song Sung Blue, The Senior, and Eternity.

On the Eurodam, you can watch movies, but they were shown in the afternoons at the Rolling Stone Lounge. Fresh popcorn was served. Some of the movies shown were Nobody 2, Materialists, and Love Hurts.

Note: You can find all the movies that they show on the big screens available on your TV in the stateroom. There are many other movie titles to choose from also.

Chuck and I almost always went to the World Stage shows. Those 45-minute shows are held at 7:30 and 9:00. We would usually go to the 9:00 show as it was less crowded than the 7:30 show.

We saw comedians:

and Singers/Musicians:

and the shows performed by the HAL Singers and Dancers:

I was very impressed with the HAL singers and dancers on both ships. There was a time that I could not give that praise. They were so amateurish, it was embarrassing to watch. Eventually, HAL did away with them and hired the Step One Dance Company. They were okay for a while, but they didn’t change their shows and we stopped going. HAL has once again employed their own singers and dancers, and we thought they were very good.

NOTE: HAL asks the audience not to videotape performances. Not hard to see who ignores that request when the phones light up. You can probably look up on You Tube and find some clips of these performances.

Both ships sponsored the Lido Fun Fair one evening. Games such as ring toss, tic-tac-toe, and hole-in-one golf putt were set up around the Lido pool. Participants collected raffle tickets and prizes were given to those who held the lucky tickets. Nice prizes too – dinner at the Canaletto, a stuffed Lewie the Lion, a HAL flower vase were some of the items I heard were won.

Both ships hosted the Orange Party one evening. Orange is the national Dutch color. It represents the legacy of William of Orange, the House of Orange-Nassau, and the Netherlands’ fight for independence. Everyone is encouraged to wear something orange that evening. You will see all manner of orange attire. Don’t worry if you forgot to bring something orange to wear – the shops have plenty of orange items to sell you – including wigs, hats, feather boas, and oversized glasses.

Typically, the popular Bar Hop (a fee) also happens that evening and all the participants end their night doing a conga line at the Party. Lots of dancing and the Orange Party venue gets very crowded.

The Koningsdam had a special evening on one of the dressy nights – the Koningsdam Ball by the Lido pool. The Rolling Stone Lounge band played and officers and HAL singers and dancers danced with the guests. It was a very nice evening.

Chuck and I spent time in the Casino too. However, on the Koningsdam, we found the Casino very crowded in the late evenings, so we tried to go only in the early evening. One night, during one of the special drawings, Chuck’s name was selected and he got some of the free play money. On the Eurodam, we partnered with our Canadian friends and had a good time laughing and cheering each other on.

When all the activities for the evening were over, I usually ended my night with a hot cup of Sleepy Time tea while looking at the stars from the balcony.

Next up: Ports of Call

Sea Days

On the February/March 14-day B2B cruise, we had four sea days. On the 22-day cruise in April, we had 10 sea days. On sea days, you can be as busy as you want to be. Or not.

Everything is open all day – the bars, the spa, the gym, the casino, the shops (clothing, sundries, souvenirs, liquor, jewelry, and art), the library and the photo gallery.

Sports – sun rise stretch, tai chi classes, pickleball (and lessons), ping pong, cornhole and basketball. These are all free. They do have some classes such as Pilates and Cycling for a fee. My exercise consisted of walking 40 minutes around the promenade deck (and going to the gym once-pitiful).

Shopping – There are art auctions, jewelry shows and raffles, liquor tastings, and a Poolside Marketplace that lets you browse some (relatively) low-cost items. The photography department is also always happy to have you browse and purchase photos, photo gifts, cameras, and binoculars. I have bought several HAL t-shirts in the past but didn’t buy anything either trip this time. Please be aware that if you need sundries (aspirin, cold medicines, suntan lotion, etc. you will pay a premium price for very small packages on the ship).

Seminars/Classes – Coffee chats (the cruise director interviews different ship personnel) cooking shows, origami classes, bridge classes, mahjong classes, painting classes, health seminars, calligraphy classes, line dancing classes, dance classes (salsa, tango, etc), technology for traveler classes, art seminars, wine tastings, mixology classes, beer tastings, and flower arranging. Most are free but some have a fee.

These classes are usually held in small venues such as the conference rooms or lounges. If there is something you want to do, I suggest getting there early. Seats fill up fast. I attended a couple of the technology for traveler classes and was pleased to discover some interesting travel apps. In the past, I have attended coffee chats, wine tastings, and flower arranging.

World Stage Events – This venue is used for activities that will draw large crowds – port talks (general info about upcoming ports) shore excursions presentations (focused on HAL shore excursions at ports), guest speaker presentations – a variety of topics, future cruise presentations, HAL presentations: ex – “A City on the Sea,” and “History of Holland America.”

Again, get there early if you want a good seat. On the 22-day cruise, the port talks were Standing Room Only. They finally recorded the sessions so that you could watch them in your stateroom which helped with the over-crowding.

Sample slide from a port talk

Trivia/Games – The Crows Nest has a large supply of board games that you can check-out and play. You will also see people all over the ship playing card or dice games. I get annoyed when I see people playing cards or games in the Lido during peak lunch and dinner times. It is hard enough to find a seat in there with all the people eating. So much harder when you add in the people in there not eating.

Some ships offer a scavenger hunt – fun for families. Bingo is another popular game on the ships. There is a fee for playing. Deal or No Deal has been introduced. It seems popular and, again, a fee for playing.

Then there is trivia – we found out early on in our cruising experiences that people are very serious about their trivia. The topics vary: pop culture, history, geography, travel, general knowledge, music, etc. Chuck and I, if we play (which is rarely), usually just make our own team.

On the 14-day cruise, our Canadian friends, who are trivia masters, talked us into teaming up for music trivia one day. Our team actually won but only because of them. We each received a HAL pin. I don’t think it is the prizes people covet as much as bragging rights although there was much tusseling over the wooden tulips at one time.

Special group meetings – you can usually find these group meetings on every HAL ship – PRIDE, single and solo, military, Friends of Bill W, bridge players, and mahjong players. If you belong to a Facebook and/or Cruise Critic group dedicated to that particular sailing, and someone in the group takes charge of arranging a room and time with HAL, you can meet the people you have been chatting with online for the months prior to the cruise.

Pools/Hot tubs – There are hot tubs and a pool in the middle of the ship on the Lido deck. That area has a ceiling that can be opened or closed depending on the weather. Those pools are open to all. The pool and hot tubs in the Sea View area are heated but there is no ceiling. Most of the time, this pool area is reserved for adults only. For both cruises, if I wasn’t on the balcony or at a random seminar/class, I spent most of my time in this area.

However, one of the best activities Chuck and I attended was on the 22-day cruise. It was the crew talent show held one afternoon. Crew members from different areas of the ship showcased their personal singing, dancing, or musical instrument talents. We thought some of them were better than some of the paid performers we saw in the evenings. There was no crew talent show on the February/March cruise.

I also enjoy the Towel-Animal invasion which is typically held once per cruise. The housekeeping staff go all out with their creations.

Whatever you decide to do, get in the habit of checking the HAL app or the daily program so you don’t miss anything. Here are a couple of sample Sea Day program front pages.

Next up: Evening Activities

Embarkation Days

February – I actually slept well the night before embarkation which rarely happens. The complimentary breakfast was fine. The day was overcast. We took an Uber to Port Everglades at 11:00 a.m. We arrived just as they were allowing boarding. We got in line, went quickly through security, got our faces and passports scanned and never stopped walking until we got to our room.

They hadn’t finished servicing the room so we dropped off our backpacks and got our keys. We were eating pizza from the New York Pizza on the Sea View level deck by noon. One of the easiest embarkations ever.

We checked into our muster station, watched the safety video, received all the luggage, got all our stuff stored, and met our room stewards – all before sailaway.

Our balcony room was a disappointment. Because this cruise was a casino offer, we had a guaranteed balcony room (we didn’t get to choose which one we wanted). This room was almost as far forward as you can get on the ship on Deck 5. The balcony had a metal panel instead of a plexiglass panel because of the wind force it would have to endure. Sitting, you could see in the distance but you couldn’t see what was happening close by.

I also had a notification that we had a Pinnacle Grill reservation that evening at 5:30. Nope. I didn’t make that reservation. I had to go get it cancelled.

The sailaway party was fun. We ate in the Lido for dinner. We skipped the Mariners welcome reception and the Welcome Aboard show on the Main Stage. We did attend all three sets of the Rolling Stone Band.

With such a full day, I was looking forward to a restful night. Being so far forward there was a lot of up and down motion but not enough to keep me awake. So, it was restful until about 1:00 a.m. when the balcony door blew open with a bang from the force of the wind. Sat straight up. The neighbors probably did too. Chuck got up and pushed it closed and locked it. It didn’t happen again. (The next day our room steward said “Oh, be sure to always lock your balcony door so it won’t blow open. Oh, okay. Wouldn’t want that to happen.)

February Sailaway

April – I had a terrible night’s sleep. Kept waking up and never going right back to sleep. I was glad when it was finally morning. The breakfast was fine. The day was sunny and breezy.

We got an Uber at 11:00 and walked right into the terminal building after dropping off our luggage with the porters. We were almost to the security line when we noticed that all the people who were already past security were not moving onto the ship. Security was not allowing anyone else to go through the scanners. So we stood. And we stood. More and more people were filling in behind us. Nobody seemed to know what was happening.

I told Chuck that it was either a computer problem or a problem with Customs clearing the ship. And we continued to stand. We soon saw the police come in and tell the port authorities that people were lined up in the street outside and they needed to move more people inside. HAL personnel started coming out with cans of water to give people. Not a great sign that we were getting on the ship any time soon.

Finally, the line started slowly moving. We got through Security. The problem – computer malfunction. The facial recognition system was not working properly and there were not enough people who knew how to check-in people with a manual process.

Chuck and I both went to a scanner. It would not recognize him. I was recognized and I was told to go on and board the ship. I said I was not going to board until Chuck could also board. They told me to just go to the waiting room which I did and sat where I could see him. I could see that it was hit or miss whether the system recognized people or not. Chuck was finally recognized at a different scanner. We stepped onto the ship at 1:00 p.m. – two hours after we left the hotel.

We had also gotten the bad news that our ship was selected to have a full muster drill which meant that we would have to line up at our life rafts for the Captain announcements, life jacket demonstration, etc. I didn’t see how the ship was going to get all the people on board and lined up for muster before our time to sail at 5:00.

Our room was ready. It was another guaranteed balcony room. It was on the fourth deck and the view was partially obstructed with life boats lined up slightly below the site line. Not great but the panel was plexiglass, so our view was okay.

We ate sandwiches at the New York Pizza and Deli on the 10th deck. As we were eating, the Captain announced that the full muster drill was cancelled and that we could do the expedited drill. Hallelujah! As soon as we finished, we checked in at our station. We had already watched the safety video.

I checked our room. Only 3 of our 4 bags had arrived. My biggest piece of luggage was not there. Not great.

Instead of attending the sailaway, we went to the Casino party. Every now and then we get invited to cruises that have extra casino comps. This was one of those cruises. They served free drinks and appetizers at the party. They had some free gifts for Chuck. They would also have some drawings throughout the cruise open only to the invited guests to win some free play money.

After the party, I checked our room again and my large bag had arrived. Thank goodness.

That evening we went to see the comedian who we both thought was “meh.” Went back to the New York Deli and Pizza and ordered pizza for dinner. We then went to the Casino which, not surprisingly, was very busy.

The last event of the day was attending the final set of the BB King Band. I slept soundly throughout the night.

Next up – Sea Day activities

Traveling Days

We take Groome Transportation to the airport for our flights. We fly Delta.

February – The trip to the airport had me biting my nails. We had to make two extra pick-up stops before we could get to the airport. It was pouring rain and foggy. The traffic was backed up for miles. We were 30 minutes later than predicted to get to the airport. Luckily, this trip was before all the TSA government shutdown, so we made it through security and were at our gate in plenty of time to board but not to get any lunch prior to boarding.

The flight was uneventful. We did have to wait quite a while before our luggage came off the Fort Lauderdale airport carousel. Then the Uber area was under construction, so we struggled to push/pull our luggage through and around the mess to the correct meeting point. The humidity was stifling and we were dressed too warmly for Florida.

We were very tired and hungry by the time we checked-in at the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport – South & Cruise Port. We used Door Dash to order from Fire House Subs. We didn’t even bother taking them to our room. We ate them right in the small breakfast dining room off the lobby. We practically inhaled them.

However, as we were finished and heading for the elevators, we heard someone say “hey, you guys got old!” We turned around and it was our Canadian friends whom we had met on our 2025 Hawaiian trip and knew would be on this cruise.

There are so many hotels in and around Fort Lauderdale. What were the odds that we would both choose the same hotel much less meet outside the elevators. They had arrived the day before and were just returning from dinner at a local restaurant. It was great to see them but we didn’t linger. Time to tag the luggage with cruise tags, watch some TV, and go lights out.

April – As the government shutdown loomed over our heads, I was worried about the wait times for this trip. However, the TSA agents started getting paid again days before our flight, so I didn’t add any extra time for travel. Our day was sunny, no extra pick-ups, traffic flowed smoothy and we arrived early at the airport. Only glitch was that I got chosen at the CLEAR line for a random ID check, so I had to dig around for my driver’s license and show it to the TSA agent. We were still early enough at the gate that we were able to get some lunch prior to boarding. Yay!

The flight was on-time and uneventful. There was still a wait at the Fort Lauderdale airport carousel for the luggage to get off-loaded, but the construction was finished so we could push/pull our luggage to the Uber meeting point much easier. We were better prepared, clothing-wise, for the humidity.

We stayed at the Hyatt Place Cruise Port & Convention Center. We participated in their Happy Hour and then ordered Fire House Subs using Door Dash again. This time we didn’t act like starving hyenas but instead took them up to our room to eat them like normal human beings. We finished the evening as always, tagging bags, watching TV, and going to bed early.

I like staying at Hyatt properties when I can. I usually check all of them in the Fort Lauderdale area and go with the cheapest one.

I forgot to mention Pumpkin. Both trips, when he heard the suitcases rolling, he went under the couch and sulked. I know when I get home, I will find a strategically placed hairball in my chair or on a piece of clothing.

Caribbean Fun X 2

So, we thought it would be fun to have two cruises to the Caribbean that only had a few weeks apart from each other. And it was. But, with all the appointments, tax preparation, and other obligations that we had between the two cruises, doing an individual blog for each one proved too overwhelming. So, this blog will combine the experiences of the two.

We sailed Holland America (HAL) for both cruises. The first cruise was on the Eurodam, a Signature-class ship we haven’t sailed on since 2011. At the end of February-first of March, we took a back-to-back (B2B) cruise from Fort Lauderdale. The first seven days, we were in the Eastern Caribbean.

The ports were Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; San Juan, PR; St. Thomas, USVI; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (private island). The second seven days, we were in the Western Caribbean. The ports were Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Georgetown, Grand Caymans; and Cozumel, Mexico. None of these ports were new to us.

At the first of April, we went back to Fort Lauderdale to take a 22-day transitioning cruise to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Our ship was the Koningsdam, a Pinnacle class ship that we last sailed in March 2025. We had tried to do this same transitioning cruise in 2024, but it was not meant to be. We had done some partial Panama Canal cruises where you enter from and exit back to the Caribbean Sea.

This cruise would take us from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The ports for this cruise were Cartagena, Colombia; Fuerte Amador, Panama; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Acajutla, El Salvador; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puerto Chiapas, Mexico; Manzanillo, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; San Diego, California; and San Francisco, California. Several of these ports were new to us.

The ships and itineraries may have been different but the anticipation excitement prior to both cruises was exactly the same. 😊🚢

Next Up: Traveling to Fort Lauderdale and Embarkation

Disembarkation & Traveling Home

Saturday, November 9, 2024

The ship moved the clocks back last night so we would match Boston’s eastern standard time. I woke up at 6:00 before the alarm. I felt the ship moving and realized that wasn’t right. We should have already been docked. I went out on the balcony and could see we were getting close, but we were definitely going to be delayed disembarking even with the extra hour we had gained.

Chuck and I went to the Lido for breakfast. It was very busy as expected. The Cruise Director came on the intercom to tell us what we already knew – high winds had slowed down our approach to the pier but, unlike a cargo ship in front of us, we would be docking soon. That cargo ship had to turn back and would have to wait for the winds to die down.

We finally did dock but then had to wait for the Customs and Border Patrol to come on board to clear the ship. The Cruise Director kept having to come on the intercom and ask people not to crowd the gangway area but to wait either in the staterooms or a public area like the Rolling Stone Lounge. Then, she started calling for guests who had to go have a face-to-face meeting with the CBP.

Finally, about 8:30 (an hour later than normal), she announced that CBP had finished their inspection, and the ship was cleared to start the disembarkation process beginning with those guests who needed no help with their luggage nor needed wheel-chair assistance. Those guests are called “self-assist group.”

We were scheduled to be called at 8:30 but I knew it would be at least 45 minutes after the self-assist people were called before we would be. The port has to get the luggage out and set up by the color and number codes in order for passengers to retrieve them.

Our flight was due to start boarding at 11:30 with takeoff at noon. I wasn’t sure how many other ships were in port today. In August, we were in port with several other ships and taxis were hard to come by. I was doing my deep breathing exercises and thinking about a Plan B if we missed the flight.

I was surprised when they announced at 9:00 that our group could disembark. We should have been able to leave the ship and walk right through the terminal to the luggage pick-up area. However, we were stopped in the terminal because all the luggage had not been delivered for our group. I could see the forklifts full of luggage moving back and forth from the terminal to the ship. The port people were not happy that the ship was disembarking people before the assigned luggage areas were ready.

About 9:30, we were allowed to go to our luggage area where we found our three pieces. I saw the taxi line starting to get long so Chuck got us a porter and the porter whisked us through the CBP facial recognition system and out to the cab area. He was able to grab us a taxi quickly (I think the cabbies give priority to the porters) and we were headed to the airport.

The airport is not that far away but there is still a lot of road closures because of construction so it took about 20 minutes.

We checked our two big bags at the outside Delta kiosk and found the TSA pre-check line inside. At security, I got stopped for a random hand-swabbing. Did they really think I may have handled explosives? We found our gate and I had time to buy a bottle of water. I gate-checked one of our carry-ons so we could have more legroom without a bag underneath the seat in front of us.

The flight was full and took off on-time. I watched Deadpool and Wolverine. I thought it was good but not as funny as the first two Deadpool movies. Chuck finished Horizon that he had started on the flight to Boston and was disappointed with the ending. Maybe the next installment of Horizon will be better.

We retrieved our luggage in Atlanta by 3:10. I was shocked to see the 3:00 shuttle was still there when we got to the ground transportation area. We had reservations for the 4:00 shuttle but he had 2 seats left on his shuttle by letting Chuck sit up front in the seat next to the driver.

The traffic was heavy as usual but at least it kept moving and we didn’t have to take any detours like we did the last time coming back from the airport. We were back at the shuttle office by 5:30.

We were back home by 6:30 met, of course, by a displeased Pumpkin who looked like he had gained weight while we were gone. I think he conned our sitter into giving him more of his special snacks than is normally allowed. He is good at acting pitiful.

All in all, I would not call this cruise the “Perfect” Caribbean Escape like it was advertised but it was “Very Good” and I’m glad that we went. It’s time now to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas activities.

Next Up: A 2025 Birthday Cruise

Sea Days #6, #7, and #8

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 6-8, 2024

We now had several sea days in a row and our routine was pretty standard – pool/sun time, casino, show, talking with friends, eating, and then ultimately having to pack. I will just feature some highlights from the three days.

Today we received our disembarkation information and tags for Saturday. Today was also the last day to turn in any laundry we wanted done.

On the Lido deck, we were greeted by the Towel Animal invasion. I always enjoy the creations.

We also attended the Mariner’s Luncheon. It is a limited menu that comes with free champagne. The officers attend and the Captain thanks the passengers for their patronage. We haven’t seen this lunch offered on every cruise but it was nice for this cruise.

However, we usually receive our HAL commemorative tiles either at this luncheon or in the stateroom. Today, we got a note that said they had not received their inventory of tiles, but we could hold on to the note and ask for them on a future cruise.

I know some people were disappointed, but we have several of them and I don’t always take the ones that we are given so it was not a big deal for us.

Tile from a Previous Cruise

For this lunch, Chuck had the filet and I had the cod.

Chuck played in another poker tournament today and he was the winner. Fun time and some cash. Great combination.

Tonight was the Orange Party. It is held every cruise to honor the Dutch heritage of the Holland America line. People are encouraged to wear something orange and enjoy the festivities in the Rolling Stone Lounge.

Today’s highlights – a Lido restaurant event called “Cake Me Away” and the afternoon Crew Talent Show. I attended both events.

The pastry chefs create a number of colorful cakes. They set them out so people can take photos and then they open up the serving line for people to sample them.

Chuck and I had attended the Caribbean Brunch earlier today, so we were not in the mood for cake; however, I did get some photos. I probably should have gotten some cake to save for later, but the line was already getting long. They have been having this event on every cruise usually on a sea day. You just have to watch for it on the daily planner.

Later that afternoon, various crew members performed on the World Stage. The audience of passengers (and it was standing room only) were given ballots to vote for their favorite act.

Traditional Dance from her Country

I was very impressed with the talents of these crew members. With the little free time they have from their ship duties, they had to prepare, audition, and then rehearse during the cruise to be able to perform that day. The top three vote getters were announced at the evening show, and they won various cash prizes.

The six-member band won 1st place

The crew talent show is not available every cruise. You usually only find it on a three-week or longer cruise.

Tonight’s show on the World Stage was the Impressionist Karen Grainger performing “Lasting Impressions.” We have seen her on a previous cruise and enjoyed her performance. However, tonight I thought her impressions were just “okay.” I much preferred when she sang a song in her own voice.

As we entered the World Stage, there was a gauntlet of waiters dispensing various small chocolate treats. If you ate the cake and the chocolate treats today, you were definitely on a sugar high.

Today was packing day. 🙁 It was also saying good-bye and exchanging contact information with the people we enjoyed hanging out with on this trip. Three of the couples were disembarking tomorrow in Boston as were we. However, one couple was staying on for another 14 days as the Zuiderdam makes it way to Ft. Lauderdale.

Chuck had another successful poker session. He and another player were going back and forth vying for first or second place. Instead of dragging the game on into the evening, they agreed to split the pots, and both were happy.

We ended our last night by playing off the casino points we had accumulated during the 3 weeks, eating dinner in the Lido and dancing in the Rolling Stone Lounge.

Back to the room, three bags were tagged, locked, and pushed out into the hallway. We kept one with us to put the last things that we needed to store before we left the room for the final time in the morning.

Tomorrow: Disembarkation and Traveling Home

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Cruise and Travel Director Kimberly warned the audience prior to the show that because today is election day in that no alcohol would be sold to anyone today in San Juan, including cruise passengers who might want a drink with their meal on shore. Since there are people who use a shore day to try a local restaurant for its food and adult beverages, this news was not a welcome one.

She did say that the ship was not affected by the law and that the Zuiderdam bars would be open during normal hours.

Speaking of the election, people have been very civil during this cruise if the discussion turned to the topic. I have only been aware of a couple of times that conversations got heated. It’s been interesting to note that the passengers who seem to bring up the topic have been, for the most part, Canadian.

It was already raining when I went to get coffee so I knew it would be another ship day. If you haven’t guessed already, we really love ship days.

We skipped breakfast and went to the gym.

After lunch, we spent the afternoon reading on the balcony. Again, we were fortunate that the rain did not blow in.

We started the evening in the Billboard bar talking with our Las Vegas friends. They walked around Old San Juan. Said they had difficulty with the cobble stones but did enjoy the Fort.

After some time in the Casino, we met up with our friends from Texas and had dinner in the Canaletto. We thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. Chuck had the Ossobuco, and I had the shrimp and clams in spaghetti. We split the gelato again. Excellent meal and service.

We decided not to go to the second show of the saxophonist but instead stayed for all three sets of the Rolling Stone Lounge band before calling it a night.

Today was our last port. We now have 3 sea days in a row as we make our way back to Boston.

Photos of previous visits to San Juan:

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

Monday, November 4, 2024

As the weather was supposed to be partly sunny today, we had the intention of going off the ship later today and possibly taking a taxi to Maho Beach to watch the planes take off and land. It is a popular activity in Sint Maarten. However, we discovered that along with us were 4 very large ships in port today. Nope, no thank you. We’ll hang out here.

So, we started our morning with breakfast in the main dining room. The service was slow, but we were in no hurry. I had two poached eggs on avocado toast. Came with goat cheese salad and I asked for a side of bacon. Chuck had the scrambled eggs with cheese and corned beef hash and a hash brown patty.

We spent the day in and out of the pool enjoying the warm, partly sunny skies.

For the evening, we met our Las Vegas friends at the Billboard bar. They took a nice island tour as it was their first time here.

We played in the Casino when it opened and had a late dinner in the Lido. Chuck had a steak and I had some shrimp. I also got some cookies to take back to the room.

I have probably eaten my weight in these cookies this trip. They’re available at the ice cream station and have been soft and warm every time. That has not always been the case. I have had some in the past where I was afraid I would break a tooth they were so hard.

Two left before I thought to take a photo

We finished the evening with the second show of the comedian Jim Short. It was entitled “Have Baggage Will Travel.” We sat with our friends from Michigan. After the show was over, we were chatting with the couple and the comedian came up to talk. He was very pleasant and we told him how much we enjoyed both of his shows. He will be disembarking tomorrow and heading to Texas to visit with his parents. He said, after the holidays, he would be back performing on more cruise ships.

The Rolling Stone Band had the night off.

Tomorrow: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Photos of previous visits to Sint Maarten:

Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Sunday, November 3, 2024

We had our last snorkeling excursion scheduled today, so we started the day with a room service breakfast. It was interesting to note that even though the United States observed the end of Daylight Savings Time, the ship’s time didn’t change because the islands don’t change.

We left the room at 9:00 a.m. to get off the ship and meet up with our tour operator. I was happy to finally see some golf carts in use for people who needed assistance walking down the pier.

The HAL tour description: St Kitts Snorkel Adventure – 3 hours

ABOUT THE EXCURSION: Enchanting, impressive and breathtaking — that’s a snorkel safari along the pristine Southeast Peninsula of St Kitts.

At Port Zante Marina, you will board a snorkel boat. Your snorkel stops will be at Shitten’s Bay and Ballast Bay — both teeming with tropical fish and coral life. Turtles, eagle rays, stingrays, schools of saltwater chub, snapper, angel, parrot fish, squirrel fish and sand sharks are usually seen.

Take time to explore the many virgin reefs and the extensive soft corals, fans and sponges that make up the reef life.

Notes: Non-alcoholic drinks and water are provided. Wear your swimsuit under your clothing; bring a towel, reef-safe/biodegradable sunscreen, light clothing to act as a full cover-up for further protection from the sun, and a hat. Swim at your own risk. Guests with a heart condition, epilepsy, diabetes or asthma are not allowed to participate. Waiver must be signed and medical conditions disclosed. Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed. All snorkel gear is provided. Life vests must be worn. Maximum weight is 300 lbs.

We’ve been on this snorkeling excursion twice before and always had a great experience. We were looking forward to today.

The tour operator walked us to the Marina where we boarded the snorkel boat. It was smaller than ones we have been on in the past. I noticed that the boat information focused on deep sea fishing and that they had two poles set up in the back so I don’t think snorkeling is its main purpose.

The sun was still out at the first snorkel stop and we had a pleasant 45 minutes there even though the water was not the clearest.

However, at the next stop, the water was extremely murky to the point you really couldn’t see the bottom. In fact, something popped the side of my head, and I never saw what it was. Very disconcerting.

Chuck and I quickly gave up and swam back to the boat. Soon, the clouds gathered, and the rain started coming down hard. I was already wet, but the rain stung so I crowded up under the awning with others who had abandoned the snorkeling. A few hardy souls stayed out in the water swimming around.

One woman (the same one who swam to the wrong boat in an earlier excursion) had another mishap today. As she was trying to climb the ladder back in the boat, she dropped one of her fins that she had borrowed from the tour company. It sank. A crew member tried to retrieve it, but the water was too murky to see where it went.

As we motored back to the ship, we were served so-so rum punch, and they didn’t play any music. One crew member took one of the poles and caught a fish. I assumed it would be his meal that evening since he didn’t throw it back.

Because the first stop was okay and the crew was professional, if not fun, I will be generous and call this excursion a tie. Our final snorkeling tally on the “great – meh – poor” scale: 1 – 2 – 2.

Back at the ship, we opted for a Dive-In lunch and then a nap.

We started our evening in the Casino and then went to enjoy our Pinnacle meal that was compliments of the Casino. We each had the filet mignon and lobster tail along with our usual appetizers. We took the cheese plate dessert back to the room.

Afterwards, we went to Antwan Towner’s second show “Thought Seer” which focused on his skill as a mentalist. We really enjoyed the show and some of his routines really made you go “how did he do that?”

We finished the evening dancing to the last set of the Rolling Stone Lounge Band.

Tomorrow: Philipsburg, Sint Maarten