Honeymoon 2.0? That’s what we decided to call this spontaneous trip! We have been bit by the travel bug and just can’t get enough of it. We are so fortunate enough that we are able to travel so we want to as much as possible before we start a family. We had never heard of Holland America Line, but we loved an itinerary they had so we said why not?!
Holland America Line is considered a luxury cruise and the ship we went on was newer than others we were looking at with other lines. In my opinion, it makes a huge difference on the overall experience. HAL is also known to have incredible service and live music.
Ports of Call:
Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos- We did a beach excursion to one of their beach clubs on the island. We spent the whole day soaking up the sun and getting in the ocean. I am so grateful we did a relaxing excursion on this day since we knew the next port was going to be hectic.
San Juan, Puerto Rico- BEAUTIFUL. San Juan is rich and culture and history-it made a great day adventure. Most people did excursions with the cruise line, but we decided to explore on our own. We walked miles on the blue cobblestones of Old San Juan, took photos of their colorful buildings, saw some historic sites, and tried local foods! A typical dish is the Mofongo which was delicious.
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.- This is the scenery that you think of when you think Hollywood stars on vacation on their yachts. We headed on a beach excursion (we love doing beach excursions are relaxing) to Magens Bay Beach in Charlotte Amalie. It is said to be one of the best beaches in the world! We spent hours on the beach sipping on our pina coladas.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas- Our last stop was a private island in the Bahamas that is own by the cruise line. The water was as clear as it was when we went to the Bahamas on our honeymoon which made it a perfect last stop!
Where to eat on board:
The Dining Room- Think Titanic when they open the door to the dining room! It’s incredible!! Decorated elegantly and the food was delicious. We had breakfast lunch and dinner at least once here and they did not disappoint. Two-course meals for breakfast and lunch and three-course meals for dinner included in your fare…who would complain!
Canaletto- This Italian restaurant was our favorite on board hands down! We ended up having dinner here a couple of times during our trip. And the best part-they had a great view overlooking the ocean. After getting back on board from an excursion we would get ready for dinner and sit here with a glass of prosecco to watch the sail away.
Lido Market- The on-board buffet. We primarily had breakfast or lunch here as a quick meal before we headed off the boat to a port or took it to our spot at the pool. Convenient and a variety of choices for different tastes.
Dine-in & New York Pizza- These were located by the pool. Dine-in had burgers, hot dogs, and specialty fries while New York Pizza had a wide range of pizzas. Great place to pick up food and go!
There were more places on deck that we did not get a chance to try but will make it a point to try them next time we sail on that ship.
Entertainment on board:
BB Kings Blues Club- FAVORITE spot onboard. There was a jazz band that played 2-3 shows a night. We were there promptly at the start of the first set and didn’t leave until the last set. They were so fun to watch with a glass of wine! The cruise has an Orange Night where the guests where orange, orange drinks were passed around, and the music was amazing!
Billboard Onboard- If you like 80s music, this cover band did it well! We had so much fun singing along.
World Stage- The shows were great and the venue was surprisingly big. They had comedy some nights, dance shows other nights and sometimes had a bad on stage. We usually headed here after dinner and before our nights at the blues club. I would recommend seeing at least one show here!