Nieuw Amsterdam Live Blog

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

Today we visited the island of Grand Turk, the capital island of The Turks & Caicos Islands – a self-governing nation with close ties to the US and UK.  The ship docs at a purpose-built cruise center, which is not the manufactured experience we usually advocate, but several surprises were in store for us on this trip, including a great tour and an island of resilient folks... 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

The first full day of our cruise brought us to a cloudless Key West, Florida.  We spent a bit of time in port, but took it pretty easy, and then enjoyed more of what the Nieuw Amsterdam has to offer including a beautiful sail-away, pizza, our first experience with the main dining room... read more