After consecutive days in port, a well-timed sea day was exactly what we needed to catch up on some leisure time. Whether you want to stay on the go or simply find a lounge chair and chill, there’s plenty to do — and plenty of deck space to do nothing…

Day 7 is here and just like that, we’ve reached the end of this 7-day western Caribbean adventure aboard Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam. Over the past week we made our way from Miami to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, hopped over to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, almost didn't make our…

Day 6 already — and yes, I’m back in Cozumel, Mexico. If you’ve been following along, I was just here last week during my cruise on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, and before that… well, I’ve lost count. Let’s just say Cozumel and I see each other more often than most people…

Day 5 onboard Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam and today we’re visiting Grand Cayman, our third stop on this 7-day western Caribbean cruise. So far we’ve had perfect beach day on Half Moon Cay, survived my least-favorite port of call — Ocho Rios, Jamaica — and on Thursday we’ll hit our…

Today we woke up pulling into Willemstad, Curaçao — and what a colorful welcome it was! Looking out over the port, the vibrant buildings and bold hues grab your attention from every direction. It’s the perfect way to spark excitement for the day of exploration ahead. Putting the C in…

Today the Zuiderdam is visiting Jamaica — Ocho Rios, to be exact. Now, you may be saying, “Scott, didn’t Jamaica just have a Category 5 hurricane blow through? Why on earth are you going there?” Well, Zuiderdam happens to be one of the first cruise ships to call on Jamaica…

Day 3 on Zuiderdam was spent at sea as we continue our journey toward our next port of call, Ocho Rios, Jamaica — our second stop on this seven-day Western Caribbean cruise. Our first stop, of course, was Holland America’s private island, Half Moon Cay, which I covered in detail…

“Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya.” You know you read that in rhythm! It’s Day 3 aboard the Disney Magic, and we’re making our first port of call of this sailing — Oranjestad, Aruba. As I mentioned on Day 1, this is our first time visiting the island chain…

On the second day of this 7-day western Caribbean cruise, Zuiderdam dropped anchor off Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas — Half Moon Cay. Or, as the marketing folks in Seattle are now trying to rebrand it, “RelaxAway Half Moon Cay.” Yes, you read that right. RelaxAway. Can we…

As we begin our week sailing out of San Juan, we have a full day at sea to relax and enjoy the open ocean on our way to Aruba. It’s the perfect opportunity to explore the ship and, more importantly, to simply settle in and soak up the tranquility of…