This afternoon we boarded Holland America Line’s newest ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam and are waiting to set sail from Ft. Lauderdale. To the local Floridians, the wind and temperatures are cold; we consider the weather pleasant. Our departure is delayed until after 6 pm, waiting for guests with flight problems. (A reminder of why to fly in the day before departure.)
A Revised Itinerary
The weather has changed our itinerary. Rather than Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk, we are sailing south to Belize, and having an extra day at sea. The other planned ports of Cayman Islands and Costa Maya are unchanged.
Trying Out New Spa Staterooms
Our room, # 11007, is considered a “Deluxe Spa Verandah Oceanview”. It’s on the ships 11th deck, near the Crow’s Next and Exploration’s Café. The special “spa” rooms come with extra amenities including a yoga mat, pedometers, a countertop waterfall device, discounts on spa treatments from the Greenhouse Spa, and an iPod® docking station that lets us play our own music.
The room is compact – it would be tough to use the yoga mat – but the location is ideal, especially if we stick to our resolve to use the stairs. Climbing from the third deck is a good workout.
Looking forward to a Relaxing Cruise
The captain indicated that the seas will be rougher than usual. That won’t bother us. We look forward to a relaxing New Year’s cruise.
Do You Have Questions About the Nieuw Amsterdam?
Post them here and we will do our best to answer them while onboard this week.
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