Holland America Cruise: Western Caribbean Review #HALCruises

Do you see that level of relaxation right there in that photo?  That was after  24 hours of travel.  36 hours without sleep.  Within 29 minutes of making it onto the ship before it set sail.  That was my husband silently praising Holland America cruises for their compassionate team who went above and beyond for us when nothing in our flight schedule could.  That was him finally catching his breath as he guided his frantic wife (me) and his exhausted in-laws on an adventure that ultimately turned out to be fabulous!  It took a bit of time, but our hearts came to a normal rhythm and we sat on our balcony as we left Fort Lauderdale in that moment and said, “we won’t talk about this part the rest of the week.  It will all be smiles and positivity from now on!”

I booked our Holland America cruise back in December.  It was a gift for my parents for all they’ve done for our family.  We were heading to the Western Caribbean for the first time on this cruiseline as well as to this part of the Caribbean.  Western Caribbean can mean a lot of different things as far as cruises and cruiselines go.  Our trip was taking us to the beautiful locations of Half Moon Cay, Ocho Rios Jamaica, Georgetown Cayman Islands, and Cozumel Mexico over the course of seven days.  The price was right for a February sailing ($599 for a Verandah room) and I was on winter break from school, so my husband said go for it.  I read numerous reviews and logged into forums to learn about the ship.  Now my husband and I are in our mid-forties with my parents in their mid-seventies.  Something I constantly saw in reviews was that this line was lower key that most.  It’s not the booze cruise, dance party, 20-something experience and that’s exactly what made me book the Nieuw Amsterdam!

Right off the bat, what I loved about Holland America is their website.  I logged in with my booking number and had access to the itinerary, ways to book excursions, making specialty dining reservations, purchasing gifts or beverage packages, print luggage tags and boarding passes and more!  I was able to somewhat be my own travel agent for our family and it was a great feeling.  Our rooms ended up being right next to eachother and were equipped with a king bed, TV, desk, couch, small dining table, ample closet space, and a nice-sized bathroom with shower and tub.  The balcony (verandah) had a small side table and two lounge chairs and was ideal for the gorgeous weather and amazing sunsets we encountered in the Caribbean.  Who doesn’t love getting away from the cold in the winter to tropical temperatures?

Something that we had seen in photos from other cruiselines was the adorable towel animals left from the stewards.  We were surprised to see some amazing creations on our ship as well!

Sometimes just the little things make a huge impact on your stay!  More on the stewards, they are the lifeline of the ship.  They are the nicest people and genuinely have your best interests at heart.  Make sure you make note of their names and find out more about them if you have the time, they work tirelessly for guests and we made sure we let them know they were appreciated by adding extra tips for them.  

Another set of staff that needs mentioning…room service! Each night with our towel animal, the next day’s itinerary, mints, and comment cards, we also got a breakfast menu for room service.  Included with your stay, room service doesn’t offer a whole lot of options, but we used it almost every morning!  Some days it was just juice and coffee to have for us when we’re getting ready for the day, other times it was to just take our time and sit on the verandah or stay cozy in bed with our eggs and bacon.  Timing was always within about 5-10 minutes, the server was always smiling and so helpful.  I left a few tips like “no milk with my cereal boxes,” or “please send ketchup” for our hash browns and I’d always get what was needed and the coffee was HOT!  These guys always got an extra $3-5 tip from us as well!

I’ll get back to the food later, but here’s a pic from our first morning in bed.  We always slept with the drapes open so we could see the day start on the water.

There was always something to do on the ship.  When you board you can load the Navigator app to your phone, it doesn’t use data or need wifi and you can see the daily itinerary, chat with other family onboard, book excursions, make reservations, and see your ship account throughout your stay.  If you’d like to buy an internet plan for your voyage, you can do it through the app.  They sell access by the day or week, plus there are different levels depending on what you’ll use it for.  For the week, I bought the middle plan that was $100 and I could iMessage with my kids at home, check my email, post to social media, and load photos while on the ship.  The reception was pretty good and for someone like me who likes to remain connected, I felt it was worth it!

The entertainment on the ship was better than we’d expected.  Our first night we watched some fabulous music in BB King’s Blues Club.  Seating was great where ever you were and we found a cozy round booth with a small table to enjoy the show.  Something we didn’t expect, the temperature in the club was COLD!  I mean when the temps are a lovely 77-80 outside and you’re in the air conditioning, you know it’s going to be cooler.  But, as the week went on we realized this was the absolute coldest spot on the ship, so much so we didn’t order drinks or stay the entire event.  We did find that the Billboard Onboard area of the ship was probably our favorite.  Here we dabbled in Bingo, played numerous styles of Trivia, and listened to pianists playing the hits.  It was fun and you’d find people of all ages enjoying themselves here.  It was right across from the casino, which was another spot we had fun in.  Slot games, poker, black jack, and more tested our Lady Luck, and my mom and I found ourselves in the running for the slot tournament at the end of the week.  Though we didn’t make it to the winner’s circle we did come home with some pocket change.

The Mainstage was the place to be some evenings whether it was for a band, a comedian, or some magic.  Kira Soltanovich made us laugh until our bellies hurt with her comedy.  I now listen to her on a podcast, so it’s cool that I was introduced to her style.  We found ourselves at both shows of The Runaround Kids, phenomenal young musicians from England playing hits from the 50’s and 60’s.  Their voices were outstanding, Elvis and Buddy Holly would be proud for sure, and they threw in some fun comedy with their sets and were overall a blast to watch!  We also joined together at the Mainstage for the Captain’s Reception complete with a champagne toast. 

To excursion or not to excursion, that is the question.  My answer of course depends on your ports of call.  Also, I think it’s really amazing if you can do some but not all.  Our first port of call was Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.  This spot is owned by Holland America and is exclusive to cruisers to the cruiseline. All four of us decided to do this excursion, it was reasonably priced to get a pair of lounge chairs beneath a clam shell (shade) on the white sand beach.  After a short walk from the tender, we passed a few popup stores, dining, drinks, then a spot to check in for our spot.  We took an early tender that morning to get a spot on the beach and it was pretty majestic! The water was a gradient of turquoise and pretty stunning.  The temperature of the water was brisk, but felt good in the 80 degree weather.  The clarity was so clean we could see the white barracuda (?) swim by.  The clam shell was so helpful to get a break from the sun, it was well worth the $40 for the full day!  Bartenders strolled the sand with cold drinks (alcoholic and non-) for purchase, no cash needed, they’d bill your ship account and some came in souvenir cups.  Don’t miss out on the free BBQ lunch included with this excursion, it’s a short walk from the beach and if you get there early the lines go fast.  We enjoyed jerk chicken, hot dogs, burgers, veggies, rice, fruit, tea and water.  Sodas were available for purchase, and a free ice cream cone was offered on your way out.

The next stop on our Holland America cruise found us in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  Here I’d decided I wanted to stay on the ship while my parents and husband enjoyed an excursion to Konoko Falls. Their choice included a bus transfer and had some historic themes to it and wasn’t my cup of tea, so I opted to grab my swimsuit and head to the adult pool. I am so glad I did.  Many of the 2000 passengers on the ship get off on the excursions and leave the ship pretty empty.

Strolling on the Lido deck of the ship, I almost felt like a VIP with the whole place to myself.  It was still early in the morning, the sun was shining and only a few people were walking around the pool.  Because it was the adult pool, the noise level always remained minimal and there was always a sense of calm in this area.  Caribbean style music played at a mellow volume while I took in the February sun on my lounge chair in front of the pool.  I got in to do a few laps after I warmed up and it was a lovely calm morning.

Georgetown, Cayman Islands was the next port of call and we decided on a girls day and guys day.  My husband and father got off the ship and went shopping in the nearby district, while my mom and I enjoyed the pool again on the ship.  Don’t get me wrong, swimming with dolphins and sting rays are so cool and if you want, by all means pay for that experience.  We had a more relaxed vibe after our turmoltuous arrival that we were happy with enjoying the ship to it’s fullest.

Our last stop of the trip was to Cozumel, Mexico.  We decided on an excursion much like the one in Half Moon Cay, it was to an isolated sand bar named Passion Island and from the port we took a boat ride to the island.  If you thought the sands in the Bahamas were white, these were whiter!  The palm trees, ocean, and sand color contrast was almost indescribable.  Here we enjoyed about 4 hours of relaxation, lunch, and cocktails that left us just in heaven.  Pop up shopping also can be found here while we enjoyed a traditional Mexican feast of fajitas and rice and beans.  Cocktails and beer was plentiful and free of charge, make sure you have water back up because the heat will dehydrate you pretty quick.  

If you’re lucky, you’ll find a hammock in the shade or a palapa with some plastic seats.  Then you must venture out to the water and cool off, there are also water hammocks available to enjoy!  I could have spent every port day on this island, it was so beautiful.  We took photos as we arrived and for a mere $12 I opted for the print, look for a salesman who will walk around with all the photos before you depart.

So how is that cruise ship food??!!  Well, it’s pretty damn good!  Our choice of anytime dining and open seating found us at the Lido or Dive In Market most days and evenings with a full buffet of pretty much anything you’d like.  Pasta, pizza, breads, sandwiches, hot comfort food like fried chicken, mac and cheese, meatloaf, and more.  Fresh salads made to order, appetizers, veggies, fruit, desserts of all types, I mean, you name it, it’s there at some point in the week.  

For a reasonable fee, make a reservation at the Main Dining Room, Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind or Canaletto.  Here you get personalized service with a waiter and wine expert to make the most of your meal.  Dress is more conservative in these areas, but don’t worry, tuxedos are a rarity.  A button-down shirt and khakis for men is acceptable, just no jeans or shorts.  I made do with cotton dresses, skirts, and sweater/legging combos.  

My parents were celebrating 54 years of marriage, so a special night out was in order.  Let me tell you, you will never leave any of the spots on the ship hungry.  If so, you must be doing it wrong!

Just a note for people thinking about purchasing drink packages.  My husband and I love wine, we’re allowed a bottle per person in checked luggage when we come so we brought some of our own.  Now in the bars and with dinner we decided to purchase a few drinks a day (take advantage of daily happy hour locations!) plus a bottle of wine and we didn’t come close to what we’d pay for a drink package (around $300/per person).  Drink responsibly and remember that tea, lemonade, water, and coffee is almost always free at meal times.

Some other things to note.  Take advantage of the scenery even if it’s endless ocean.  Take in the beauty and count your blessings every moment you can, from your balcony, from the top deck, from the windows, from the shores.

I mentioned happy hour, enjoy it!  We went to the Crow’s Nest near nightly and had this view most often in ports.  

Here you can curl up in cushioned chaise and enjoy the view with your cocktails (often buy 1 get one for half price).  Or, you can pull up a table with a board game or puzzle and chat with other guests.

One of our favorite hidden gems on the ship was the Tamarind Bar.  Twice we stopped in and adored the Asian inspired decor, panoramic views, and unique drinks, it was all quite romantic!

To top it off, the appetizers here were out of this world!

Bottom line, would we vacation on a Holland America cruise again?  Absolutely! We’re waiting on my son’s college decision in the fall and then we’ll be booking our next one.  Eastern Caribbean perhaps, maybe Alaska, either way it will be on Holland America cruise line.

For more information and to book your cruise, visit https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US.html.

Our trip was not sponsored in any way.  We purchased the trip on our own, all experiences are 100% ours.