Following a very long port day in Aruba, Day 6 of this 21-day cruise on Holland America Line's Rotterdam was a sea day and we also had a time change overnight, with clocks being set back one hour.  Depending on the cruise line and destinations, some will use "ship's time"…

Hello from "One Happy Island," Aruba!  To be more exact, Oranjestad, Aruba where we are on the 5th day of this 21-day cruise on Holland America's Rotterdam.  The ship docked around 7:30 am and the gangway was open just before 8:00 am for those who wanted to be one of…

Today I'm talking about sea days, days where there are no port calls just a day spent travelling to the ship's next destination.  The 4th day of this 21-day cruise on Holland America's Rotterdam is the second of two back-to-back sea days as we make our way to Aruba.  The…

Day 3 of this 21-day cruise on Holland America's Rotterdam and we're sailing the first of two back-t0-back sea days as we make our way to Aruba, our second port-of-call and always a fun stop in the Caribbean.  So far the weather has been cooperating, the sea has been flat…

One day into this 21-day Holland America Line cruise to the Panama Canal and the Southern Caribbean we're at our first port-of-call, Half Moon Cay.  East of Miami in the turquoise waters of the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay (also known as Little San Salvador Island) is a 2,400-acre private island,…

It's been a while since I've been on a Holland America ship and there's no better way to get reacquainted with the line than with a 21-day cruise on the newest ship in the fleet and the line's flagship, Rotterdam!  Actually, this cruise was sold two different ways - as…

The final day onboard the Carnival Horizon was a day spent at sea as we made our way back to PortMiami.  In terms of weather, there was a lot of talk onboard about Hurricane Lee and whether or not it would impact cruises leaving after us, but the weather for…

Day 7 onboard the Carnival Horizon and one day closer to the end of this 8-Day Southern Caribbean cruise where today we are spending a second day in the Dominican Republic, this time at the Carnival-owned and created destination - Amber Cove.  Near the resort city of Puerto Plata on…

Our next port of call for this 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Horizon is La Romana in the Dominican Republic.  The Sugar Breeze Cruise Terminal gets its name from the history of the city which was once known for its sugar manufacturing industry.  A quick Google search will…

As the sun began to rise on the 5th day of this 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise, the Carnival Horizon sailed into the beautiful harbor of Curacao, docking around at 7:00 am. A picturesque Dutch Caribbean island, Curaçao is famed for its pastel-colored colonial architecture, coral reefs, and vibrant art scenes. …