Jo Johnston, Eloise Johnston and Elaine Durham love traveling together. They have embarked on family adventures since they were kids, making memories around campsites and sandcastles. Nowadays you\u2019ll find them soaking up the sights on cruise vacations, from Alaska to Australia. Here\u2019s what these sailing sisters love most about cruising with Holland America Line, especially our Grand Voyages<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div> Having completed nine cruises together \u2013 and many more to go \u2013 these sisters say their favorite is the Grand World Voyage<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s something special about boarding the cruise and seeing the \u2018Welcome Home\u2019 banner and all my friends,\u201d Jo said.<\/p>\n Making new friends is what Eloise loves most. \u201cThe voyages are long enough that the new friend you met at dinner or on an excursion shows up again and again,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cYou have a chance to get to know each other and become firm friends.\u201d\u00a0Eloise also enjoys the onboard activities. \u201cHolland America Line takes it up a notch on Grand Voyages.\u00a0The classes are excellent, the lectures are excellent, and the Block Parties turn your hall into a neighborhood.\u201d Block parties are unique to Grand Voyages, giving guests the opportunity to get to know their new neighbors at the beginning of the cruise.<\/p>\n Another aspect the sisters enjoy is the warm and friendly environment created by the crew, making it feel even more like their home away from home. \u201cThe friendly greetings from the staff cause a ripple effect where even the passengers end up greeting each other in the halls,\u201d Eloise said.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Feeling at home is important to Jo, Elaine and Eloise. Jo currently spends up to 10 months a year cruising different itineraries aboard our fleet. Eloise and Elaine cruise four to six months a year.<\/p>\n When you set sail on a Grand World Voyage, you\u2019re traveling around the globe on perfectly sized cruise ships<\/a> where you may find yourself becoming the best of friends with guests who enjoy the same hobbies you do. Imagine watching world-class shows, indulging in exceptional dining, learning something new in onboard classes, soaking up the sun around the pool or playing a round of pickleball. There are so many onboard activities<\/a> to enjoy as you sail the world with us, especially on sea days.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> \u201cWatercolor classes, learning to crochet and making baby blankets to support Project Linus<\/a> really have me coming back to the world cruises again and again,\u201d Elaine said.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> These sisters also love cruising to unique destinations off the beaten path. \u201cI enjoy traveling to remote locations on cruise ships, like Guam, Saipan, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, and the Panama Canal,\u201d Elaine said.\u00a0Though its hard to choose a favorite destination when you experience so many breathtaking locations on a Grand World Voyage, Jo and Eloise agree that visiting places less frequented by travelers is a treat. \u201cI really like ports that seldom see a cruise ship,\u201d Eloise said. \u201cI see the everyday life of people in the area,\u201d helping to experience local customs in a unique way.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Shore excursions<\/a> enable guests the opportunity to become more fully immersed in cruise destinations<\/a>, and Jo, Eloise and Elaine have made many memories ashore. One experience that has them laughing to this day was from a South Africa<\/a> safari. They were thrilled to see so many animals in their natural habitat until an elephant began flapping its ears and running in their direction. \u201cI did not know a van could back up so fast on a dirt road!\u201d Eloise laughed. \u201cI guess the elephant finally felt he had intimidated us enough and strolled off.\u201d Talk about a close encounter!<\/p>\n When they\u2019re not diving into activities onboard or ashore, you\u2019ll likely find them kicking back and relaxing in the Crow\u2019s Nest. This is one of Jo\u2019s favorite places, where she can sip on a latte and enjoy incredible ocean views.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Experiencing breathtaking destinations, enjoying life onboard and making new friends aren\u2019t the only reasons they love cruising with Holland America Line. For them, it\u2019s being able to escape the everyday routine back home.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that I do not have to spend time menu planning, grocery shopping, prepping food for dinner, cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry…\u00a0I call this running away from home to live on a cruise ship,\u201d Elaine said. She also appreciates only having to unpack once and being able to focus on destinations without worrying about how to get from one place to another.<\/p>\n Eloise added one more thing: not having to make her own bed!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Have you traveled the world on a Grand Voyage<\/a> with Holland America Line? What do you like about this epic getaway? Share in the comments below. Also check out what one of our crew members loves most about our Grand Voyages<\/a>. He\u2019s about to embark on his 30th<\/sup> one before he retires in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1984,"featured_media":81313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,30],"tags":[4243,4193,4190],"class_list":["post-81312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-travel-inspiration","category-travel-inspiration","tag-grand-voyages","tag-travel-insight","tag-world-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1984"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81312"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81329,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81312\/revisions\/81329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Home Away from Home<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Family](\"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/hiking-family-vacation-rocky-mountains.webp\" "\\"Backpacking")
<\/span><\/div>The sisters have always enjoyed adventures. Here they are with their parents in 1971, backpacking in the Rocky Mountains.<\/em><\/h6>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Extraordinary Experiences Around the Globe<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Escaping the Everyday<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.hollandamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/family-cruise-holland-america-line.webp\" "\\"2024")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>