Westerdam crew members experienced the thrill of racing multi-million dollar America’s Cup race boats in the warm, blue waters and trade winds of St. Maarten. They became a different kind of crew, as they were assigned jobs as grinders, trimmers, look-outs and time-keepers. The two boats were neck and neck throughout the entire race and… read more of “Westerdam’s…”
Rick Beato sent us this amazing photo of the fountains at the Grand Peterhof Palace in St.Petersburg, Russia, from his recent cruise aboard Eurodam. If you have a favorite photo from a Holland America cruise, share it with us.
All I could think as the bus pulled away from the ship was, “I’m really here … really in Africa … really on my way to the only remaining wonder of the ancient world.” You guessed it, today we’re in Egypt! Alexandria is a three-hour bus ride from Cairo and I knew that, like Jerusalem,… read more of “Walking Like an…”
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from our call at Jerusalem. Growing up Catholic I am very familiar with the stories and the significance of the place, but I never quite appreciated it fully until I was there. Yesterday, Rotterdam called on Ashdod, Israel, gateway to Jerusalem. Starting over a month ago, I organized… read more of “Exploring…”
Yesterday Ryndam call at the beautiful port of Huatulco, Mexico — the “place of beautiful wood.” Our crew went on a float trip on the Copalita River. As they were floating quietly down the river they could enjoy the spectacular view and watch a magnificent bird ballet.
Yesterday was a busy day in Santorini — nine ships visited at different times during the day. Two of those ships were Holland America Line ships. The Noordam has been following us for the last few days! If you’ve ever seen a picture of Greece, you’ve seen Santorini. Santorini is “the Greek port.” Little white… read more of “It’s All…”
Like many people, I am a lover of sherry. Sherry comes exclusively from the Jerez de la Frontera region of Spain, and lucky for me Rotterdam called nearby at the port of Cadiz. With the help of Cellar Master Frank, I arranged a trip from Cadiz to the Jerez region, about 45 minutes away. The… read more of “Education Takes…”
This summer I sailed on the Maasdam’s Voyage of the Vikings — a 35-day cruise which left Boston in late July and sailed to Rotterdam via Greenland and Iceland, then returned to Boston, visiting different ports each direction. Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life: One is as though… read more of “Postcards from…”
