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

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

Today we woke up to the kind of sea day everyone wants while sailing the Caribbean, though everybody else started their great day a few hours earlier.  After being up a bit late last night, a time-zone change, and a lack of morning-obligations we found ourselves up and moving around 11am.  Despite this, we feel like we really got to enjoy the ship during the day, including a stroll, beer-tasting, a cooking class, and a beautiful start to our evening out on deck. read more

Embarkation day is one of the most exciting days of any cruise - you're vacation is just starting and you've got so much ahead of you!  At the same time, even when it all goes smoothly, there are logistics (unpacking for example), muster drill, and other things that make the day pass by quickly.  Despite this, we had an enjoyable day, so we'll quickly recap our embarkation process, initial observations, and our first evening on Holland America Line's m/s Nieuw Amsterdam...

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