Tag: HAL

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

Today we had a tour and had to be at the World Stage at 9:00 a.m. We ordered room service breakfast to be delivered at 8:00 and it arrived on time. Holland America still provides a hot breakfast delivered at no charge although the choices have been reduced. As I have heard some cruise lines charge for any room service, I am grateful that HAL still provides this service.

We have taken several tours in Costa Rica before including one similar to this but did not include a butterfly garden. This one seemed like it would be at a relaxing pace.

Our tour today is titled: Jungle Crocodile Safari & Butterfly Garden

ABOUT THE EXCURSION: This eco-adventure is ideal for those who prize nature in its most pristine state, uninhibited by anything but its own biodiversity.

Enjoy a leisurely panoramic drive along scenic coastal and country roads, past quaint towns and villages. You’re headed to the Jungle Crocodile Safari dock on the Tarcoles River, famous for its mangrove forest and home to one of the largest populations of American crocodiles. More than 50 bird species live here, including the endangered scarlet macaw, and are also protected in the neighboring estuary.

Board a riverboat; then, sit back as your expert guide leads you on a fantastic journey to see the astonishing variety of wildlife.

Your tour concludes at El Jardín, where you’ll explore a butterfly garden and enjoy a refreshing tasting experience featuring tropical fruits, natural drinks, and Costa Rican coffee. There’s also time to shop for locally made souvenirs before heading back to the pier with lasting impressions of Costa Rica’s rural heritage. This is ideal for nature lovers looking for a relaxed and enriching experience.

Notes: Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed. Boats are covered and with open-air seating, offering shade and unobstructed views. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Shade is limited; to avoid sunburn, wear light, long clothing suitable for use as a cover-up. Bring a hat and sunglasses; wear biodegradable/reef-safe sunscreen. Bring bottled water.

We boarded a tour bus. It was comfortable and the air conditioning was working, thank goodness. It was another hot and humid day.

The guide’s English was pretty good and the sound system worked well but he spoke so rapidly that we missed some of the words. But he was very knowledgeable and happily answered any questions. One question was about butterflies. He said that Costa Rica is home to over 1500 butterfly species, so I was really looking forward to going to the butterfly garden.

Our bus did not follow the exact schedule as printed above. There were a lot of tours that included floating on the Tarcoles River, so I assume they were trying not to overload the area.

Our first stop was El Jardin. We were greeted by servers with plates full of sliced fruit and cups of fruit juice. You could also go to another area and have small cups of Costa Rican coffee. The tour guide said that Costa Rica produces the best coffee anywhere because of the soil produced by the many volcanoes.

This was a good place for a bathroom break and to buy souvenirs. I already had souvenirs from Costa Rica on previous trips so I didn’t purchase anything, but many people did.

We were then allowed to go to the “butterfly garden.” Now, I have been to several butterfly gardens, and they were large with meandering paths and many species of butterflies to view. This one was not like that.

The path was one circular stone walkway from the entrance to the exit. You could walk the whole way in a few minutes if you wanted. If you wanted to linger, you just had to be sure you weren’t standing in the way of others. You also needed to constantly watch where you stepped so not to crush a butterfly. They seemed to love landing on the stone path.

Maybe there were other butterflies that I didn’t see but the only ones I encountered were the Blue Morphos, which is considered the most famous of the Costa Rica butterflies. They were everywhere. I took many photos but not many came out very well. I loved how the brown outer wing camouflaged their brilliant blue inner wing.

Coming in for a landing
Caught in flight – see shadow on ground
Feeding on mangos – blue peeking thru

So I was disappointed in the venue but I loved what butterflies were there.

It was time to load the bus and leave for the river. The guide counted heads and we were missing someone. A husband spoke up and said it was his wife. The guide went back inside to look for her. We waited. We waited. After about 10 or 15 minutes, he comes back with her as she is sipping her coffee with not a care in the world. I assume she ignored the glare from the rest of us or really just didn’t care.

It was a short ride to the Jungle River Ride area. There were several buses there as well as some private tours. We had time for a quick bathroom break before boarding our boat. He said we could shop here afterwards if we wanted. The boat had a cover which was nice but the seats were very hard. I was glad there was a breeze but I had brought our cooling towels that get cold when you snap them. They felt good around our necks.

We pushed off from the pier and the guide was starting his spiel when he suddenly stopped and said we were missing 2 people. Yep, you guessed it – the same husband and wife. We all just said – leave them. We all had the same instructions and the rest of us made it. Nope. He went back and they came strolling down the pier – she with her shopping bags. Some people booed. They got on and the only seats left were the ones in the back next to the smelly motor. Served them right. Rude people.

The guide gave out a bird identification brochure which was helpful. We saw birds, crocodiles, monkeys, lizards, and iguanas. It was a nice river ride.

Same type of tour boat as ours
Tiger Heron
Great White Egret
Kite
Roseate Spoonbill
White Ibis
Black-necked Stilt
Whimbrels
Anhinga
Yes, that dark blob in the middle is a monkey
Loved this little guy – looks like he is frowning at us – “Get off my River”
He is so well camouflaged

After the tour and a bathroom break and/or shopping, we headed back to the ship. The heavy traffic, exasperated by a bad wreck, and all the road construction was terrible. I knew we weren’t going to make it by all-aboard time. I wasn’t concerned since this tour was a HAL tour and they guarantee the ship will wait or they will pay to get us to the next port. We were 30 minutes late, but we weren’t the last bus to arrive. The last 3 buses didn’t arrive until 6:00. We were supposed to have left at 5:00. We set sail at 6:30. The sky was pretty.

Next Up – Acajutla, El Salvador

Panama City, Panama

We had found a HAL excursion that we wanted to do but we were wait-listed and never got off the list.

So, we went to Plan B – take a 20-minute walk to the nearby Nature Center. Then I checked the website and it didn’t open that day.

Plan C – walk to the port area and look at the shops. It was a long walk to the port area from the ship, but it was all inside and air conditioned. Yay!

The port area had several kiosks filled with all the usual souvenirs. It also offered free wifi. I bought a Christmas ornament and a t-shirt.

Maybe if we ever go back, I will get to take the excursion I wanted. In the meantime, we enjoyed the pool that day. I got some nice photos of the interesting Panama City skyline as we were sailing away.

Panama Canal

So you can do all the sea day activities today that you want. However, the focus is on the traversing of the Panama Canal. On one of the early sea days, the Travel Director (a different position from the Cruise Director) did a long presentation about the Panama Canal history in the World Stage. I had heard it before, so I didn’t attend this time, but it is very well done. Today, she kept up a running commentary about our location and some of the history. I was glad I was able to hear it from the balcony.

I got up early so I could be sure to see us passing under the Atlantic Bridge and to have a cup of coffee and a couple of cream-filled Panama rolls on the Sea View deck.

I spent the rest of the day going around the different parts of the ship to get different views of the canal. I also went to the Panama Marketplace on the Lido deck. I was disappointed at the paltry selection of true Panama items. Most of what I saw could be found in the ship’s gift shops.

It was so very hot – Dante’s levels of hell hot. The staff constantly walked around the bow, Lido pool area, the Sea View deck, and the promenade giving out glasses of ice water, frozen grapes, and cool wash cloths. The Travel Director kept reminding everyone to stay hydrated and come into the air conditioning periodically.

We stayed pretty much on schedule until it came to exiting the Cocoli locks to the Pacific Ocean. Every ship waiting to enter and exit the Canal, on both sides, is at the mercy of the Canal officials. When they say you can go, you go. We did not pass under the Bridge of Americas until it was almost dark.

We arrived in port around 10:00 p.m. We were free to start exploring Panama City then and a number of people chose to go ashore immediately (we did not). All aboard would not be until 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.

One of the many cargo ships waiting their turn
Tour boat racing past us

Next Up – Panama City, Panama

April Ports of Call

On our 22-day cruise in April, we had 10 ports of call. Cartagena, San Diego, and San Francisco were the only ports that we had visited before; however, we have been to Guatemala and Costa Rica before but at different ports.

Some people call the Panama Canal day a port of call because there are excursions that you can take during that day and meet up with the ship at the end of the day. But, I think the Panama Canal day is a unique blend of a sea day and a port day.

After two days at sea we arrived at our first port of call –

Cartagena, Colombia – Today was a short port day. We docked just before 7:00 a.m. and everyone had to be back on board by 12:30 p.m. Most of the tours were leaving between 7:00 and 7:30. We decided to do the same thing we had when we were there the last time. We ate a leisurely breakfast and then took the local shuttle to the port area. They have a nice area to view birds and some animals. I also wanted to replace the Christmas ornament that I bought the last time and promptly dropped and broke when I got home. 🙁

We remembered what a shady, cool area it was to walk the paths looking at the birds. Not today. It was still shady, but the heat and humidity slapped us in the face like a hot wet washcloth. I had brought my canon camera to take photos, but it wasn’t long before it fogged up so much the photos were blurry. We soon gave it up and went to the gift shop. It was crowded but at least it was cool inside. I bought my ornament and we took the next shuttle back to the ship.

Below are photos I was able to take before the camera fogged up.

Later on that day, we heard people talking about how unbearably hot and humid it was in Old Town. One woman said her companion tripped and fell on the cobblestones and was being looked at by the ship’s doctor. Another person said they were over-charged by their taxi driver.

Then as it was getting closer to sail-away, the Cruise Director kept calling for 2 guests to check-in with Guest Services. That is never good. Either they hadn’t gotten back or somehow when they got on the ship, the ship personnel failed to read their ship cards. The ship did not leave exactly at 1:00 which is unusual. Rumors were swirling that they never made it back to the ship. Scary.

I took a photo of the Cartagena skyline as we were sailing away. They call it “new town.”

Next up – The Panama Canal

February Ports of Call – Western Caribbean

Fort Lauderdale – You may be wondering why I am including Fort Lauderdale as a port of call since it is an embarkation/disembarkation port. When you are on a B2B, the embarkation port becomes a port of call for all those people who are staying on for the next cruise. You are called an in-transit guest. Just as disembarking guests received paperwork explaining how to get off the ship smoothly, in-transit guests receive paperwork on the procedures they need to complete.

In addition to the two options as described in the photo, Holland America does offer excursions in Fort Lauderdale for those guests who will be returning to the ship. Our Canadian friends opted to take a HAL airboat tour of the Everglades. We had already done that tour, so we chose to stay on board. If you signed up for a tour, you will get a different set of instructions from the one above.

We had a light breakfast in the Lido and then proceeded to the World Stage a little before 9:00. There were a lot of people who had also decided just to stay on the ship. We had to wait there until all disembarking passengers had gotten off the ship. They kept announcing over the intercom for 4 guests who hadn’t left yet (give it up people, your vacation is over).

Finally, we were escorted as a group to the port terminal and met with Customs officials. The facial recognition system was only working sporadically so some of us had to meet face-to-face with the officials. (At least it wasn’t as chaotic as the April embarkation snafu – if you don’t know what I’m talking about go to the Caribbean link of this blog and find Embarkations).

Once we had all met with Customs, we were escorted back on the ship and were free to go about our business. We were back on board by 10:00. We had pizza for lunch and then went to read on the covered balcony because it started to rain and hard. I felt bad for those new embarking guests who were caught out in it.

Later on, we had to deal with another issue -attending the safety drill. Our in-transit paperwork (on the back page) said that we would not have to participate in that afternoon’s safety/lifeboat drill. We only had to watch the video in our room. The Cruise Director kept coming on the intercom urging the new passengers to go check-in at their life boats. I was taking a shower, and Chuck was napping when all of a sudden she announced (and not kindly) that all passengers including the in-transit guests MUST do the safety drill or we would be interfering with the operation of the ship by preventing sail-away.

I jumped out of the shower with my head full of shampoo, almost slipped on the floor, barely toweled off, and threw on clothes. Chuck was mad about being woken up and thought I had misread the instructions. Nope. I showed him our paperwork. We both went down to our lifeboat and checked-in. We were not the only in-transit guests fussing at the poor crew at the lifeboat.

Once we were done, Chuck went down to Guest Services to show them the paperwork and have them explain why we were just now hearing of this change to procedure. I went back to the room and sent a message through the Holland America app expressing the same sentiments. We both got apologies from Guest Services, but the Cruise Director just came back on the intercom and said “Disregard the last announcement. In-transit guests are exempt from the safety drill.” We thought she could have at least said “Oops, my bad. I received incorrect instructions. So sorry for the inconvenience” Nope. Nada.

Poor communication drives me crazy.

Half Moon Cay – Yes, we returned to the private island on this leg of the cruise. We were sharing the island again with the Rotterdam but this time we were first so there was plenty of loungers to choose. As I mentioned, the island is a tender port for now. However, Carnival Corporation is building a dock at the other end of the island to allow their Carnival mega-ships to be able to port there. They are also doing some other construction on various parts of the island. I hope they don’t put so much on it that it finally loses its laid-back appeal.

Our Canadian friends and Chuck decided to snorkel again. But I was not going to be fooled twice. I knew the water hadn’t warmed up in a couple of days, so I was going to spend it either on a lounger or strolling up and down the beach.

Our friends and Chuck went on in the water, and I was talking to a person on the next lounger when – Surprise! Dark clouds rolled in quickly and the rain started coming down so hard it stung and it didn’t look like it was going to blow away any time soon. Light, pleasant rain I don’t mind if I am on the beach, but this rain was too much. We joined the long line at the tender area and at least we weren’t being pelted since that area was covered. We had to wait quite a while to get on a tender as they had suspended going back and forth because the waves were too high. What a mess.

I was glad to finally get back on board, dry off, and get some food at the Lido.

Ochos Rio, Jamaica – The only time we have ever been on the island of Jamaica was when we stayed at an all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay many, many years ago. While there, we were able to climb Dunn’s River Falls (so much fun), shop at the Straw Market, enjoy the beach, snorkel, kayak, and try to windsurf (major failure). For today, we talked about the Jamaican bobsled excursion or the river float excursion. Finally, Chuck decided he was going to walk into town, but I decided I was just going to stay on the ship and enjoy the pool.

However, the rain and humidity upended both plans and we found ourselves on our covered balcony again reading and people-watching. Not a bad way to spend the day.

Double Rainbow on Jamaica day

Grand Cayman – So today, we had a HAL snorkel excursion, and we were joined by our friends.

REEF n’ RAYS SNORKELING

About the Excursion – A sandbar inhabited by curious, graceful stingrays awaits you just a short boat transfer away across placid, turquoise waters in the company of a smiling crew.

You’ll set out by coach, headed to a private dock in Snug Harbour. A professional crew welcomes you onto a spacious boat for a transfer across North Sound.

At the world-famous Stingray Sandbar, enter the water to interact with graceful southern stingrays. The experienced crew will feed the rays and allow you to touch them. You’ll learn about the southern Atlantic stingray, including its anatomy, habitat and lifecycle.

Make the most of a snorkel stop at one of Grand Cayman’s beautiful coral reefs. Expect to see beautiful corals and prolific marine life, including a wide array of tropical fish such as angelfish, parrotfish, sergeant majors, lobster and maybe even a turtle.

At the end of your adventure, you’ll transfer back to the pier in town.

Notes: Guests with all snorkel experience levels are welcome. 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. Minimum age is 8 years; maximum age is 70 years.

We had to meet in the World Stage at 7:00 a.m. (yes, 7:00 in the morning – ugh). When our group was called, we all made our way to the tender area and climbed into the lifeboat (ugh again). Thankfully, it was just a 10-minute ride to the Cayman dock.

From the HAL dock, we had to board a bus that would take us to the tour boat dock. Then, the boat ride to the sandbar was 30 minutes. It was overcast and I thought I heard thunder in the distance. When we got to the sandbar, we were just one of many, many other tour boats. We also saw some large stingrays floating around.

We had actually done this excursion a long time ago, but our friends had not. I had told them how much fun it was just to stand in the shallow sandbar water and let the stingrays float right by you. They might even touch you. You might even get lucky enough to feed one. Well, not this time.

This time, we had to stand in a large circle, and the tour operator had grabbed one of the stingrays and was taking it around and letting people pet it and feed it. Of course, the other tour person was out there taking photos. We fed it and then just got back on the boat without a photo. I noticed that the other tour operators were doing the same thing with their groups. I just wondered when the process changed. I was not a fan.

Once everyone was back on the boat, we rode for about another 5 to 10 minutes and were allowed to jump in and swim near the reef. The reef was very nice and there were lots of different fish. We had about 35 minutes to snorkel and Chuck and I used all of the allotted time. We were the last two people to get back on the boat.

Going back to the pier, the crew cranked up the music, and we had fun dancing and singing all the way.

At the boat pier, we got back on the bus for the ride to the HAL pier. However, the driver did not drop us off at the spot where we were picked up. He dropped us off at the South Terminal. We realized it when we didn’t see the HAL ship in the distance. We asked a port official and he said that HAL was at the North Terminal. We had to walk a block up the street to get to it and then stand in the line to wait for a tender.

The tender ride back to the ship was bouncier than the ride over. The wind and waves had picked up. It was a challenge to get from the tender back onto the ship. The crew on the tender basically grabbed me by the arms, lifted, and passed me over to the waiting crew on the ship like a sack of potatoes. Oh well, whatever works. I was ready for some lunch.

Cozumel, Mexico – I think every Western Caribbean itinerary for every cruise line includes Cozumel. I have lost count of how many times we have been here. Our excursions have included a day-stay at an all-inclusive resort, snorkeling, island tours, and shopping. However, I think our most memorable excursion was the one where we took a class on how to properly snorkel. We had tried on our own several times and either kept sucking in sea water or our masks leaked, etc. We were on a Carnival cruise, and they offered an excursion called “beginner’s snorkeling class.” We signed up. It was us and a bunch of 6-year-olds. Hah!

I didn’t care. The instructor was excellent and we have been snorkeling successfully ever since then.

Cozumel is also famous for “pier runners.” You can search YouTube for those poor souls who spent too much time in Senor Frogs or maybe just didn’t set their watch correctly. Whatever the problem, you will see them running wildly down the pier (and it is long) waving their arms over their head, while people on the ship are yelling “run Forrest run!” and other catcalls. The really sad ones are the ones who get to the end of the pier and no ship is waiting for them. When the ship has to leave, it has to leave.

Today, there were six ships in port. I have seen more. We were sandwiched between the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and the Norwegian Escape. We were close enough that we could wave and shout to the people who happened to be on their balconies too.

We stayed on the ship and spent our last remaining on-board credit money on a couple’s massage at the Spa. I was concerned that the atmosphere would be ruined by the masseuses trying to upsell some products, but they did not. It was a very nice, relaxing experience.

Up Next – The April Cruise Ports of Call

February Ports of Call – Eastern Caribbean

As I mentioned earlier, we had been to all of the ports in the Caribbean before. When this happens, we may elect to just stay on the ship.

The pros to staying on the ship when most people are heading to the port – sleeping late because you don’t have to be up for an excursion, a leisurely breakfast in the main dining room, uncrowded pools and hot tubs, faster bar service, spa appointments easier to get, more seats in the Lido, and shorter lines at the restaurants.

The negatives – the shops and casino are not open while in port, ship activities are limited, the crew drills might happen so you have to put up with the loud announcements and very loud alarms (but I am glad they do them since we will depend on them in case of a real emergency), and you miss the experience of exploring the port.

Grand Turk – I can highly recommend snorkeling, a tour of the island, walking down the beach to Jack’s Shack, or just relaxing/swimming/snorkeling or shopping at the beach/pool area right next to the ship. We’ve had fun doing all of those activities in Grand Turk.

We were going to get off the ship and just snorkel in the area next to the ship, but it was so windy that the water looked too murky and choppy for snorkeling. Instead, we stayed on the ship and had the pool almost to ourselves. Later that afternoon, we participated in some general knowledge trivia. We weren’t winners but we weren’t terrible.

People getting on catamaran for a snorkeling excursion

San Juan – We have taken the Old San Juan city tour including the two forts. We did it on Segways but there are other methods too. We also hiked in the tropical rainforest – El Yunque. And, we have enjoyed strong coffee and quesitos near the port. We have never been to the beaches there. Today, we spent most of the day poolside.

Google photo of Puerto Rican quesitos
Sailing by one of the forts in Old San Juan

St. Thomas – I can recommend snorkeling, an island tour, and shopping in St. Thomas. If you do an island tour, be sure you take something for car sickness if you are prone to it because the climb up and down the mountains are very twisty and the local drivers go pretty fast.

We were going to do an excursion here – a HAL boat ride over to St. Johns and snorkeling there. But the excursion got cancelled. This cancellation was probably the 3rd time that we have signed up for this particular excursion only to have it cancelled for one reason or another. Instead, Chuck slept in and I went to the gym (my one and only time 😒). The rest of the day was spent poolside.

Leaving St. Thomas

Half Moon Cay (HMC) – This Cay is Carnival Corporations’ private island in the Bahamas. It was once owned solely by Holland America but became Carnival’s when the Corporation took over Holland America. It is currently a tender port which means that the ship anchors away from the island and smaller boats shuttle people from the boat to the island and back. I think the beach is one of the softest and prettiest I have ever seen (Grand Cayman 7-mile beach being one of the other ones).

I’m not a huge fan of tender ports because you have to wait for an available tender, the lines to get on and off the tenders can be long, and stepping on/off the tenders can be tricky if the waves make the tenders bob up and down too much. The tender boats can be small too, especially if they have to use the ship’s life boats. HMC has its own double-decker tenders which are pretty large so they can cram a lot of people on each one (which they do).

If I know there are going to be tender ports (the itinerary will show you which ports are tender before you book a cruise), and I really want to see the port, I will either take a HAL excursion (they have priority on tenders) or I won’t plan anything and just go to the port when the rush has died down. I have heard too many stories of people missing their independent scheduled tours because the tender process took too long.

Today, we and our Canadian friends decided to take our snorkel gear and go to the island to snorkel in the beach area. We were sharing the island with another HAL ship – the Rotterdam – which got to the island first. I was concerned that we would have a hard time finding loungers because of the crowds. We did have to walk farther down the beach than planned, but we did eventually find loungers.

We donned our snorkel gear and entered the water. Crap – the water was much colder than I expected. Our Canadian friends thought nothing of it. Eventually we made it out deep enough to snorkel. I was surprised at the number of fish there were, but I was not surprised that the variety of fish was minimal.

We stayed on the island until 1:00. We didn’t participate in the free Bar-B-Que island lunch (but it did smell great). We ate a late lunch at the ship’s Dive-In burger place. The afternoon was spent by the pool.

Selfie on HMC (ship and tender in the background)

HMC was the last port before we returned to Fort Lauderdale to start the second half of this B2B cruise.

Next up – The ports of the February cruise – Western 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.