So long snow and cold weather.
We are setting sail today on a 7-day Western Caribbean Cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam.
We’ve sailed on this ship — the newest in Holland America Line’s fleet — twice before, during the New Year’s cruise to ring in 2011, and on the Christmas cruise in 2013.
For this cruise, we are mostly excited to enjoy a relaxing, sun-filled Caribbean vacation, after a particularly cold February. None of the ports on this cruise itinerary are new to us.
Day-by-Day Itinerary for the 7-Day Western Caribbean Cruise
| Day | Port | Arrive | Depart |
| 0 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US | 04:00 PM | |
| 1 | Half Moon Cay, Bahamas | 08:00 AM | 04:00 PM |
| 2 | At Sea | ||
| 3 | Georgetown, Cayman Islands | 08:00 AM | 04:00 PM |
| 4 | Costa Maya, Mexico | 10:00 AM | 11:00 PM |
| 5 | At Sea | ||
| 6 | Key West, Florida, US | 08:00 AM | 05:00 PM |
| 7 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US | 07:00 AM |
We are looking forward to trying out some new experiences and attractions on this cruise. Since we’ve last sailed on this ship, Holland America has added the B.B. King’s Blues Club, with performances every evening in the Queen’s Lounge.
The last time we sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam, the Signature Beverage Package was new, and we purchased it during our cruise.
For this cruise, we received the Signature Beverage package free as a result of booking our cruise last fall during Holland America’s Explore 4 promotion.
Our favorite special dining experience at sea is An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill. The menu has just been updated, and we are scheduled to try it out during this cruise.
In another first for us, we’ve also booked a Retreat Cabana on the 11th deck to enjoy throughout our cruise.
We will be sharing our experiences here. Thanks for following along.
Have you sailed on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam? What was your favorite experience on board? Please share in comments below.
Are you cruising on Holland America Line? These are other posts that you may want to check out:
- Celebrating New Year’s Eve on Holland America’s Volendam Cruise Ship
- Getting an Introduction to Yangon via a Shore Excursion from Thilawa, Myanmar (Burma)
- Christmas Day in Phuket, Thailand with a Visit to Tiger Kingdom
- Christmas Eve on Holland America Line’s Volendam
- A Close-up Look at Holland America’s Dive-In at the Terrace Grill Menu
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