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This past August our family decided this would be the
year for a family cruise vacation. With our oldest son Brian now in
the Marines and on his own "extended cruise", we decided the
rest of the family should also go on a cruise.
Our younger son Ben was a little worried about being stuck
on a ship for a whole with his parents. As it turns out, Ben's pre-cruise
worries were found-less. Ben had a great time, and as many parents would
agree, when your kids have a great time on the family vacation, so will
Mom and Dad.
We chose Holland America's Maasdam and the Eastern Caribbean
itinerary for our cruise vacation. The ship departed from Ft. Lauderdale,
FL and the ports of call included Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto
Rico; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. We selected
this cruise for a variety of reasons: 1. we liked the idea of beginning
our cruise in Ft. Lauderdale, it is easy to fly in and out of; 2. the
opportunity to experience Holland America's renowned service and cuisine,
3. the tremendous value a Holland America cruise offers, 4. and finally,
the ports of call.
Holland America is famous for its outstanding on-board
service. From the cabin stewards to the dining room staff, all do an
outstanding job and go above and beyond to help make your cruise experience
a happy one. We were also very impressed with the dining experience.
Everyone has heard about the abundance of food cruises are known for.
Unfortunately, some cruises offer abundance of food but ignore quality.
Holland America did an exceptional job in pleasing our palates!
With all the fine dining that we indulged in, I am happy
to report that I did not gain any weight, thanks to the well equipped
exercise room and spa that I frequented every day. The exercise area
was huge with plenty of stationary bicycles, treadmills, stair climbers,
weight machines, and a full time staff to answer questions and explain
use of equipment. What I also enjoyed were all the floor to ceiling
windows where you could gaze out over the rolling waves as you cranked
out the miles on the treadmill.
Due to the timing of our cruise in August, this was definitely
a "family" cruise. Much to Ben's delight, he found all kinds
of kids who were also just as eager as he to "ditch the parents"
and to find other kids to hang out with. The great part of a cruise
vacation with kids is there is so much to do that everyone can go their
own direction and do what you want to do. We always reconvened at dinner
to catch up on the days activities and then Ben was off again with his
new found buddies. Because Ben is confined to the ship with plenty of
staff for supervision, Mom and Dad do not worry about what kind of trouble
Ben may be getting into.
I am not going to talk about our ports of call just because
so much has been written already about Nassau, San Juan, and St. Thomas.
The cities are all popular destinations and each has its own unique
flavor of the Caribbean. What I do want to talk about is the outstanding
value a cruise vacation presents. For one very reasonable price the
vacation is all-inclusive. On some non-cruise vacations you can spend
so much on getting there and on the hotel, you end up scrimping on meals,
activities, and that all important shopping. With a cruise, one price
covers almost everything, which allows you to indulge yourself when
it comes to dining and activities.
Another big factor in considering a cruise is the simplicity
and convenience. A whole lot can be said for unpacking once and every
day having a new destination to explore. The cruise experience takes
care of your transportation, lodging, meals, activities, and entertainment.
There is no better time than now to consider a cruise.
With the unfortunate events in New York this past month, there is now
plenty of availability. We are also seeing prices and discounts that
we have not seen in years. If you have even considered a cruise, now
is the time to act. If you would like more information about a cruise,
give LaRue our cruise expert a call at:
303 442-2340.
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