or
"I got home hung over, sunburned, with my checking account empty and my Visa card maxxed out. I must have had a great time."
April 21, 2003
Melissa and I (Kyle and Levi didn't go this time but they will certainly go next time) enjoyed our first ever cruise last week. It was simply fantastic. There's no other way to describe it. We were spoiled completely rotten for 7 full days and nights and only want more, more, more! I'll never again be happy living on land.
On April 13, we flew on AirTran from BWI to Ft Lauderdale and took a short taxi ride to board Holland America's MS Maasdam. The boat is about 750 feet long and can accommodate about 1260 guests and 600 or so crew. It has 10 decks and is like living in a hotel on water. Most of the officers are Dutch and most of the wait staff is Indonesian. We were given a map to get to know our way around the boat. There are many bars, a complete spa, movie theater, restaurants (upscale and casual), 2 pools, piano bar, big screen TV room (showing only CNN and ESPN), liquor store, library, computer room (Internet access was priced by the minute. We passed on this.) small shops, board game room, video arcade, basketball and tennis courts, shuffleboard, casino, and rooms ust for kids. We enjoyed leisurely walks (almost essential considering all of the eating we did) around the boat on the Promenade level. Four laps is one mile.
Lots more info on the boat is here
Our cabin was decent size. It had full size window (not just a porthole), king size bed, small loveseat, dressing table, full bath, TV (with only CNN, TNT, and a few ship channels), and very good closet storage. We were relatively low in the boat (on level "A" if you visit Holland America web site above).
By 5 or 6 pm Sunday, we push off from the pier at Ft. Lauderdale on the start of a 7-day Caribbean cruise. We have stops at Half Moon Cay, Grand Caymen Island, Cozumel, and Key West. I cannot believe how blue the Caribbean water is. It's just as blue as any picture you've seen of it.
We enjoyed fantastic dinners (one featured Dutch food) with guests at a table for 8. One of the couples was from St Louis; another one was from New Brunswick Canada (French speaking). Both of the women were pregnant (they had plenty to talk about). Rounding out our dinner group was Robert, a member of the crew and his parents (all from Holland). Robert is an engineer…. he very patiently answered all of our questions. It was a great mix of people. We were always the last ones to leave the dinning room. We talked and talked as if we were life long friends at a reunion. One time our waiter jokingly turned all of the lights off and on quickly as if to signal us it was time to leave.
Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by the cruise line. No one lives there. Everything we ate, drank or bought on the island came from the ship. Another Holland America ship was there with us. We spent Monday afternoon on the beach. We even got massages in a tent right on the beach. There were small sailboats to rent but we were content to sit on the beach chairs, swim, read books/magazines, drink fruity drinks, and suntan. By 2:30 pm or so, we head back to the ship on board the tenders (life boats). There was no deep-water pier so the Maasdam had to anchor out and use the tenders to ferry guests ashore. Each tender held about 70 people for "commuting" purposes or maybe 120 people in an emergency.
two Holland America ships at anchor in Half Moon Cay
Melissa and I try to take a self portrait at Half Moon Cay
Tuesday was a day at sea as we headed towards Georgetown in the Grand Caymen Islands at about 20 knots (max cruising speed for the boat).
some of the amazingly blue water of the Caribbean
Wednesday morning we woke up in Georgetown. After riding the tender
to shore, we took a short bus tour of the island. The bus stopped
briefly at the beach where a wedding was taking place.
the beach at Grand Cayman Island
the beach at Grand Cayman Island (wedding on the right)
The bus then took us to a turtle farm where endangered sea turtles are raised. After leaving the turtle farm, it was off to Hell! (a little village) It has only a t-shirt shop and a post office. We mailed post cards to the boys and bought shirts. Next up was a swim with the stingrays! About 50 of us got on a boat for a 30 minute ride out to a reef where stingrays can be found. We waded into the 3-4 ft deep crystal clear blue water and picked up cut up squid (given to us by boat captain) to feed to the stingrays. The stingrays would swim over our hand and gently suck the fish out of it. It didn't hurt at all and was a lot of fun. The stingrays are very soft and felt like velvet. However, we got there late in the day and the stingrays weren't eating very much. They range in size from 18 inches wide to 4 feet wide. I enjoyed local beer on the boat ride back from the reef. We board the big ship by 5pm or so and get ready to weigh anchor for Cozumel.
big sea turtles
small sea turtles
yes, we were allowed to hold the turtles
Melissa gets a turn (yucky)
no cruise is complete without a little time in Hell
the rocks of Hell
those people in Hell really don't want you to take their rocks
Yes, I've done some time in Hell.
Around noon Thursday, we drop anchor in Cozumel and board the tenders for the short ride to shore. We will be here until around 10pm. Melissa had booked us a few hours of off-road driving. We met our group of 40 or so, got our orientation, and paired up with another couple (from Olney MD.. very close to us in Columbia) in a Chevy Tracker that we took turns driving. We are part of an 8-10 vehicle convoy as we head to a private and very undeveloped beach on the other side of the island. Half way to the beach, we stop at the "Pee Pee Station" for t-shirts and um, well.... the obvious. We drive for what seems like forever on a bumpy, narrow, hot and dirty road before meeting up with MANY other off-road drivers on the beach for swimming, fajitas, nachos, and sodas. By 5pm, we're back in town and give back the keys to the Trackers. It's happy hour time. We walk to Carlo's and Charlie's for margaritas. I somehow manage to drink way too many drinks and stumble my way back to the ship. (Thank You Melissa!)
Pee Pee Station, near Cozumel
No idea why we stopped at the Pee Pee Station (I haven't had a beer all day.)
Iguana in the road
at the wheel of a Tracker
offroading
cookout on the beach after offroading.
more beach
we were told to stand on the chairs at Carlo's and Charlie's. Honest. (that's Dan and Jennifer)
more fun at Carlo's and Charlie's.
Despite holding a beer in this pic, I might have had a few margaritas by now.
Friday was another day at sea. We suntanned, read books (one of us recovered from a hang over) at the open-air pool on the aft deck (the boat also has a mid-deck pool with a retractable roof). It's surprising how much sunburn one can get after only 2 hours in the Caribbean sun! I should have put sunscreen on right away after going on deck.
I think it was Friday night that we saw a great magic show/juggler. The two performers were very impressive and didn't hesitate to "mix things up" with any outspoken audience members.
We stop in at the Crows Nest bar for a nightcap after dinner. We win a picture frame in a dance "contest" (hard not to win when we are the only couple dancing to that song!) that Calvyn the DJ runs. (It wasn't really a contest but just a way to get people out on the dance floor.) We chat briefly with the magician and juggler.
Saturday morning found us at the dock in Key West. We don't need to use tenders ("tenderizing" as I called it) today. We simply walk down the gangway. We took a 90 minute trolley tour of the island (only 2 miles by 4 miles but quite a bit to see), had a drink at a dockside bar and came back to the ship to change into bathing suits.
We then headed back out on a 60 foot catamaran to go snorkeling with about 95 other people. We motor-sailed (there was not enough wind to turn off engine and still keep to the schedule) out about 7 miles before dropping anchor near a coral reef. After a brief introduction to snorkeling, it was time to jump into the water! It took a few minutes to get acclimated to the gear but pretty soon we were snorkeling. (Another "first time" for us.) The water was about 75 degrees and crystal clear, visibility was 70 feet or so. We saw many, many fish. Someone spotted a nurse shark that was just looking things over. I took about 15 pictures with an underwater camera. I enjoyed free beer on the ride back to Key West.
at the dock in Key West (Mallory Point)
Key West harbour
looking back from catarmaran towards the Ms Maasdam
hoisting the main on the Fury catamaran
more of that darn blue Caribbean water
the captain at the helm of the catamaran
We had our last dinner (a casual evening) Sat night before heading to the Crows Nest one more time. After that, it was time to back our bags for trip back home.
Formal Dinner
The Ms Maasdam
It was a wonderful week at sea and one that we won't soon forget. We will certainly cruise again on a Holland America ship. If you've never gone on a cruise, give it a try.
Thank you Arthur and Pamela for helping make this happen!