Sailing the 7 seas...ok, maybe not 7 (Caribbean cruise, Dec 2024)

I saw an offer 3 months ago. I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of cruising (this being my 3rd - not counting the overnight cruise in Halong Bay Vietnam a few years ago). But what jumped out at me was one of the destinations - Jamaica. A long time ‘must visit’ on my bucket list - but let’s face it, most destinations are on my bucket list. I had been planning a 10-day trip here last year which didn’t work out. Then I noticed that I hadn’t been to any of the islands listed on this, Nieuw Amsterdam, Holland America, 14-day cruise so I jumped at the opportunity. 

I hadn’t heard of the travel company, recommended by Travelzoo, but did due diligence in my checks and decided it was safe to book with them. Booking was smooth enough, a few small issues with errors and things they’d missed but easily rectified.

Not so easily rectified was an occurrence about 12 hours before the flight. Despite the flights being booked via BA, it turned out the outbound flight had a codeshare with AA. Missed on my part - due to the BA logo and BA flight number on the booking. I was immediately disappointed when I realised this as I am not a fan of any American-owned airlines and, after 2 American flights, decided I would avoid them at all costs and instead fly either Virgin or BA to the States. When my 11.45 am flight was changed to 13.50 after checking in, I fixed my sights on the earlier 9.50am BA flight.

I had a few issues, namely, having booked via a travel agent, they prefer that to be your first point of recourse. But it was 11pm and the agency was closed. After speaking to AA directly they informed me that as the booking was initially booked with BA I had to speak to them, and BA informed me that as it was an AA flight, AA had to make the change. I praise God for the BA assistant who, in her frustration, called AA and patched me in on a 3-way call. I listened to them wrangle for ages as to whose responsibility it was to get me on the earlier flight. AA said they could make the change if I held for 5 minutes - held for 20 then she apologised profusely that she couldn’t. Finally, I said “BA, is there anything at all you can do. It’s almost 1am and I have to leave for the airport in a few hours to get the earlier flight.” In the end, BA sorted it and I was on the earlier flight - BA booked and BA operated.

Then there was the whole matter of Uber (a recently downloaded app on my part and only the 3rd time I’d used it - in almost as many weeks, charging me an extra £30 than the price I had clicked on! Quick phone call to rectify this and I was soon in the lounge and ready to start my first ‘real’ holiday of 2024. March was spent in Barbados, never really a ‘holiday’ as such. Sep break in cold / rainy Isle of Sheppey - more of a change of scenery. Oct - Istanbul - very last minute short, 5 night, break. Nov - New York - family trip. Yes, I’m aware of how this sounds to some. 

Slept a lot on the 10-hour flight direct to Miami. Had my first Christmas meal of the season; surprisingly good for a flight meal. Tri-Rail from Miami Airport to Fort Lauderdale (my word this old, raggedy, train looked like something from the 60’s) then Uber to hotel. The Resort had lots to offer - pools, bikes, gym, beach, but it was after 6pm and after less than 3 hours sleep last night (an even that was interrupted) I just wanted to sleep. But hubby wanted something to eat so a short walk to a row of eateries nearby and I was in bed not long after.

Which meant I was up nice and early! Had grand ideas for exploration today but it ended up being a walk along the main seaside strip taking in sites, restaurants, bars - some of which were opened and serving at barely 9.30am. Plans for lounging on the beach after checkout didn’t quite materialise as it was overcast and there was a slight chill in the wind. Instead, I opted to read by the pool and make full use of the wifi as I wouldn’t have access to it for the next few days (definitely not paying $20pp per day, per device). 

I can’t remember much about embarkation in Barbados for my Carinval cruise in 2017 but Southampton, for P&O last year was so simple, smooth and straightforward and it was a beautiful port. The Fort Lauderdale experience, in my opinion, was a lot less glamorous. A lovely Uber driver who had some issues with Sat Nav but was very patient and did some skilful manoeuvres to save having to add another 10 min the trip (he got a large tip). 

We received notification that the ship would be undergoing a thorough sanitation process at the port as they had experienced a small outbreak of gastronomical issues. This delayed boarding. The arrival time slots were only only 15 mins apart and didn’t work because everyone showed up when they liked (yes, including me) and there was a long delay and long wait but hey.

Eventually, we boarded, and once aboard, that was it - holiday time! Keys were left outside the room. Once the ship started moving I knew I couldn’t stay in that room - very close to the front - due to the motion. Was quickly allocated another room which had a better layout than the original so all good. 

Let the feasting begin - this is my 3rd cruise, and no, I haven’t learned my lesson when it comes to eating. Despite having a perfectly good sit-down 3-course meal, I always find myself at the buffet. This was a good one as it was served so I didn’t have to worry about peoples' little grubby hands on everything.

And yes I found myself in the 7am stretch, followed by abs classes which didn’t at all put any kind of dent in the calories I consumed. Made some little gym buddies and general buddies as I do on these sort of trips. 

Half Moon Cay

Our first stop was this privately owned island - only cruise ship passengers can access. Passengers disembarking had to take a tender - small boat - to shore as the ship was too big to port.  A stunningly beautiful beach with powdery, white sand (move over Browns Beach Barbados, I have a new favourite, lol). There was a beach BBQ which wasn’t on the sand as I had imagined but set back a little further from the beach which its own separate seating area. Pulled 2 deck chairs into the shade behind the lifeguard tower and set up for the afternoon. Stayed in the water until my fingers started to prun-i-fy. Then chill-laxed in the shade with my headphones and my book until it was time to leave.

Sea Day

As much as I promised myself I would rest, I didn’t. My FOMO had me checking out the various activities, booking a $20 manicure and eating everything I happened across til I felt like I might explode. Then there was the captain's champagne welcome, gala night and of course - dinner!

Jamaica 

The stop that attracted me to this cruise! I was disappointed that, due to storm damage at Ocho Rios (the port we were initially going to dock at) we were now docking in Portsmouth. I wouldn’t usually book an excursion with the cruise ship as, in my opinion, they are geared towards non-independent travellers. However, this one was a little distance away from the port and I didn’t want to risk the anxiety of any delays on the way back. Thankfully there was a coach and a smaller mini-bus and we got onto the smaller one. I sat right at the front to help with my travel sickness. We’d also met a couple, Jan and John, who we recommend the trip to as well so the 4 of us hung out.

As my hip had started twining that morning I didn’t want to risk the walk up the falls - especially in the human chain form they insisted on. John was the only one of us who bravely did the entire climb. I climbed the gentler section for some amazing photo opportunities, then walked down to the beach, walking along the side of the falls, marvelling at its beauty - and the brave souls making their way up. There was an amazing waterfall effect at the bottom where the walls spill out into the sea - great bathing and photo opportunity.

On the way back there was a quick stop for some authentic Jamaican jerk pork with rice and peas, a beef patty and a salt fish fritter - and a tiny sip of hubby’s Red Stripe.

Back at the port, I decided to brave it and do a solo walk around the streets of Falmouth. First, there were the dogs to contend with. But I bravely reminded myself that these are Caribbean dozy dogs and probably wouldn’t want to exert energy chasing anyone. I carefully dodged them, then came up against the unwanted attention of the 'charming' Jamaican men. Some parts of the town area looked a little - hmmm - to me so I decided to head back to the port and use the wifi (kindly given by one shop) to catch up with family and friends.

Grand Cayman

Today was slower. Another tender to the largest of the Cayman Islands. Today was mostly spent around the centre of the port. A walk to Hero’s Square, around the souvenir shops and then down to the seafront for a Mudslide - the island’s localdrink but it didn’t look very authentic. The highlight of the day was videoing -little baby sharks or large fish- which were swimming near the shore. They were inches from my feet and I cautiously stepped back every time I felt they were getting too close.

Cozumel

There must have been at least 4 ships docked here today and every taxi driver and tour operator in town knew it! First impression of this port wasn’t great. Upon leaving the ship you had to walk through a large duty-free store. Once you cleared this, you were greeted by all the other shops the port had to offer. The hustle and bustle was immense and then the taxi drivers and tour operators were also out in full force. I walked as quickly as I could to clear them. But low and behold, the vultures outside the port were even greater in number. So we started walking. Realising where we must have been heading, many a concerned taxi driver warned, ‘It’s too far to walk to the town.’ But we kept walking and the further away we got, the quieter it was until it was just us and the open road along the seashore and no one trying to sell us anything. 

It was actually quite a nice walk. We met a couple coming in the opposite direction who were on another ship. They warned us of some of the scams awaiting us in the old town. The old town had a port, a public garden area, shops and restaurants. We sampled some local tacos and a margarita - half-measure of alcohol for mine. Bought myself a Cozumel purse (to replace old travel purse) and then headed to the supermarket. There was a very hot pepper sauce that came with the tacos. Too hot for me but I knew some at home who would appreciate the heat with their meals so I headed to a local supermarket to purchase a few bottles and while I was at it, some authentic soft tacos. Quick taxi ride back to the port, which was a lot less manic than several hours ago.

Day at sea

Fort Lauderdale 

Our new-found friends joined us for a short shopping day that turned out to be a bit of a waste as Coral Ridge Mall - next to the beach - turned out to be a few shops and over a mile from the beach (fine driving but we only had til 3pm in this port).

Half Moon Cay

I felt I did it better the time round. The day started with a walk around the island. The sting rays swimming in shallow water, the horses going out to sea, the nature walk and Ted, the solo donkey on the island, were all great to see. Very thankful I had my umbrella to shade me from the beating sun. After the gentle walk, I didn’t feel overly guilty about the large lunch and the 2 ice-cream cones. And then it was time to enter that glassy, clear water followed by some reading on a shaded beach lounger.

Day at sea

Grand Turks

This was the most fun day of the entire cruise. I was talking to a couple the morning we returned to FL who had been to Grand Turk previously and told me about the golf buggies you could hire to drive around the island. Mentioned it to Jan and John (our new mates) and they fancied it as well. John and I were the designated drivers for the day. One main road around the island and a little buggie that went no faster than 10 miles an hour was a lot more exciting than you would imagine. No traffic lights, box junctions or speed cameras to worry about. The main hazard was the many, many donkeys scattered around the island (a result of the donkeys needed previously for the salt raking). Visited the museum, ate some conk-fritters - 6 for $6 and could have put all 6 in my mouth at the same time. John drove the wrong way down a one-way road and took a slight detour - which led to a local telling us to follow him as he patiently led us (in our 10-mile-an-hour vehicle) to our destination. I stopped to fill up at a petrol station, and hot no idea where to put the fuel, lol.

Another highlight of the day was finding the deserted beach I had been told about when the only directions I had were - turn down the little side road by the white wall. Well, it was the only white wall I saw on the island and sure enough, there was the beach that we had all to ourselves.

Sadly, there was another cruise ship which was supposed to dock near ours but due to winds and the position it had to pull in at, it was unable to. After 2 - 3 attempts the ship sailed off. Felt very sorry for all those onboard. Didn’t even know that was a thing but very glad we had no problems.

Dominican Republic

I was desperate to get on a local bus and explore the island in a similar way to some other destinations. Although I read it was possible, it seemed not so from our port. By passed all the eager taxi drivers in port, and got excited when I saw a bus stop at the side of the busy highway. Excitement soon turned to disappointment when I was repeatedly told that no busses stopped there. So plan B kicked into action. I negotiated with a taxi driver to drive us to Puerto Plata and accept ££ as we had run out of $$. He agreed. I thought he’d leave us to wander around and then meet him back but he wanted to act as some kind of tour guide. The kind that takes you to local shops and if you spend, there’s something in it for them. We humoured him for the first few but it was hard to relax so after a while, told him where we’d be going and allowed him to follow us. Visited a church, main town square and then wandered down the seafront. Immediate shore surroundings weren’t great but lovely views out to sea. On our way back we stopped for some souvenirs. Our driver, Valentine, was given a beer while we shopped and after, the shop owner offered me some Mama Juana. I had to ask for clarification as I thought he’d offered me marijuana! Mama Juana is their local drink made by infusing rum and red wine with honey and herbs. It reminded me of homemade Sorell but had a much stronger taste. 

He then drove to the fort - Fortaleza de San Felipe. Some more lovely views before heading back to port.

There was a sky bar with an amazing view of the contrasting sea and surrounding trees and greenery. Purchased a couple of virgin daiquiris, my mango one was lovely, and used their wifi for the remaining hour before it was time to head back to the ship.

Day at sea

Nassau 

What a day! So, from the time I heard Nassau was one of the destinations I knew what this day had to be about - seeing the swimming pigs. The night before the ship had informed us that the wind was going to be very high so many of the trips had been cancelled. It was extremely choppy pulling into Nassau and I was almost blown from the top deck. Lovely port directly opposite The Straw Market.

There were some verified tour sellers, just outside the port, who were doing trips to see the pigs swim. Epic fail! What we actually got for our $80pp was a bunch of pigs following us around on the beach and an opportunity to feed them. It was ridiculous but I got some interesting video footage. The journey back on the speedboat (which we exited and boarded via a banana boat from the island) was an adventure. The rain was falling heavily, the wind was high and the boat was going at top speed. How we didn’t all blow off was a wonder. The weather wasn’t the best so, bravely withstanding the wind, I made the extremely difficult walk back to the ship, boarded for the final time and looked forward to a hot shower.

Dinner with the friends we had made while onboard and one last sleep before disembarking.

One last day in Fort Lauderdale 

We cheekily made our way back to the hotel we had spent the first night in. We slipped the friendly bag keeper a note to watch our bags for a few hours and logged into the free reception area wifi for a few hours. Met up with a young man we’ve known for years and his 2 young sons. Then the Tri-rail back to Miami. On arrival at the FL station, I learned that police had fatally shot a man just a few hours prior. Apparently, the body was still there and so was a police presence. 

At the airport, I heard my name and called and realised someone I knew, a friend’s ex, was also on the same flight back to London. The flight was delayed slightly during take-off and had to return to the terminal for engineers to check a fault light that kept flashing. Lo and behold the total delay was a few minutes under the 2-hour mark.

A 2-week cruise, on the face of it, has the potential of being a relaxing holiday. Comfortable beds, blackout rooms, spa, endless loungers around the pool and upper decks; lots of places to relax and take it easy, especially on sea days. But not for Silvano-on-the-go! When not exploring the destinations, there was loads to keep me occupied on the ship. Screenings, seminars and presentations, discounts on manicures and pedicures which had to be taken advantage of, various restaurants and cafes which all needed to be sampled - let’s face it, I’d already paid for it soo… :) Then there was the lighting of the Christmas tree sing-along. Funny as the tree that had been lit up all week was suddenly unlit so it could be relit in the little lighting extravaganza once the new passengers boarded. Still, I’m a lover of anything Christmas and enjoyed singing with the choir comprising of the ships’ officers. 

I also quite enjoyed the orange party - a nod to the Holland roots and the opportunity for everyone to get dressed up in orange and party the night away to the amazing music of the B.B King’s Blues Club singers and band.

Would I sail Holland America Line again….maybe. They give a very hard sell on board which is frustrating. Our accounts were also over-charged and they promised refunds within a few weeks, which, up to the time of posting this (7 weeks later) had still not been refunded. 

Next stop - Latvia