Cruisers of the Caribbean

Taking a cruise is like going to an exotic buffet. For one price you can try a whole bunch of different dishes, then come back later to the ones you enjoyed. You can pick the destination that intrigued you the most, then plan for a longer holiday for your next vacation.

Since my wife Krista and I hadn’t experienced the southern Caribbean or Central America before, we elected to head out on New Year’s Day for a Holland-America Line (HAL) cruise. Departing from Ft. Lauderdale, with stops at HAL’s private Bahamian island, Half Moon Cay, Aruba, Curacao, the Panama Canal and Costa Rica, we got to sample a good assortment of destinations without the nuisance of having to pack and unpack.

On boarding our vessel, the MV Volendam, Krista and I noticed the clean and opulent décor of the vessel, dotted with art treasures, which included ancient meso-American gold! Our stateroom was ample including a queen-sized bed and a bathroom with both a shower and tub. Meals were plentiful and first class, with impeccable service and a good wine list. Free first run movies and complimentary live entertainment were just some of the ways guests could amuse themselves while aboard.

While the at-sea experience can be fun, most people want a chance to enjoy different ports of call. For this, Holland-America Line offers a good variety of tours with the added benefit that if you book through them, you are guaranteed the ship won’t leave without you if you get delayed (more about that later).

Our first destination was Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. With a gorgeous white sand beach, this is a great spot to relax. Or the more adventurous can para-sail, kayak, jet ski, horseback ride or swim with the stingrays. I chose the latter and spent some time in a small lagoon observing and petting these fascinating creatures. They are very gentle with their sharp spines safely retracted most of the time. A caveat, though; don’t step on one! Afterwards, I walked far up the beach enjoying the sunshine and sea breeze.

After a sound night’s sleep, rocked gently by waves of the Caribbean, we awoke to breakfast served in our room and to a full day spent at sea. That afternoon I succumbed to a long-standing vice. No, not gambling, alcohol or showgirls, but rather my weakness for fine art. Park West puts on regular on-board auctions, with works by artists as varied as Rembrandt, Picasso and Peter Max. Let’s just say my daughter Ariana now has an unparalleled collection of original animation cells decorating her bedroom.

Next stop was the Dutch protectorate of Aruba. We docked at its capital, Oranjestad. Located not far off the coast of South America, this is truly a desert island, dotted with cacti, volcanic rock and bizarrely twisted divi divi trees. There is also a superb sandy beach, but visitors who choose to visit the other side of the island can climb Casibari Rock, see the California lighthouse (named for a ship which sank nearby), explore spectacularly wild and rocky shorelines and even visit an ostrich farm. I’ll warn you from personal experience, however, that they bite. The island’s much-touted natural bridge fell down in 2005 but there is a smaller one nearby, which is still intact.

The following day we docked in Curacao, another Dutch possession famed both for its picturesque capital, Willemstad, and its orange liqueur. Willemstad has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With multi-hued gabled buildings lining the harbor, the waterfront looks like a slice of Amsterdam colorized by Van Gogh.

The city is also home to the Mikve-Israel-Emanuel synagogue. Founded in 1651, it is the oldest Jewish house of worship in the Western Hemisphere. Also, be sure to take a walk over the unique Queen Emma pontoon bridge, which opens and closes to allow ships to enter the harbor.

Further afield, a tour of Curacao’s countryside is rewarded by views of ancient plantation houses and idyllic beaches. If you happen to see a small apple-like fruit growing near the beach, though, give it a wide berth. The manchineel or “beach apple” is quite poisonous and consuming once is a guaranteed way to spend the rest of your holiday in a hospital.

While touring around the island, be sure to visit the salt flats, which were once owned by the notorious Dutch planter and playboy, Jan Kok. At one time worked by hoards of Kok’s slaves, the lonely flats are now frequented only by flocks of pink flamingos.

After Curacao we cruised on to our next stop, the Panama Canal. Construction of this waterway, connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, was initiated by the French in 1880, but horrendous manpower losses from yellow fever, malaria and landslides forced them to abandon their efforts.

The Americans recommenced building efforts in 1904 and completed the canal in 1914. In total a 27,000 people died in its construction, about one for every 3 meters of the waterway’s 77 kilometers! Fares through the canal can range up to several hundred thousand dollars for large ships. The cheapest toll ever paid was thirty-six cents by a swimmer in 1928. He must have been brave, judging from the crocodiles I saw gracing the sides of the canal.

The Volendam did not traverse the entire canal, but ascended the three-stage Gatun locks to Lake Gatun in the early morning, returning in the afternoon after an hour anchored in the Lake. A lot of passengers chose to take land based tours but Krista and I elected to stay with our ship, and enjoyed a gourmet lunch (not “lox” and bagels) at a table with a first class view of our transit. Following this we docked for a few hours at the main Panamanian port on the Caribbean, Colon (which is Spanish for Columbus).

Our penultimate stop, the following day, was Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. This proved to be my favorite stop, and the one to which I would choose to return for a longer stay. Costa Rica is the nature lover’s Holy Grail, with rushing streams, verdant cloud forests and myriads of exotic plant, bird and animal life. Visitors can white water raft, volcano watch, kayak, hike in the rain forest or take an aerial tram through the forest canopy. There are gorgeous beaches, especially on the Pacific side of the country. Costa Rica is a very civilized country with no standing army and an advanced health care system with life expectancies similar to Canada. They also welcome retirees or pensionados as they are called.

Krista and I elected to take a bus tour up through the rain forests of the Braulio Carrillo National Park to San Jose, the nation’s capital. Mountains surround the city on all sides. Its nineteenth century opera house is spectacular, a miniature Paris Opera Garneau, and the National Museum also rewards visitors.

After our visit we headed back through park, but were unfortunately delayed by construction. I knew we’d never get back by the time the Volendam was scheduled to depart, but no worries as this was a HAL sponsored tour so they had to wait. Captain Eversen was not amused, however.

Following our sojourn in Costa Rica we had two full days at sea to eat, sleep-in, and enjoy shipboard entertainment. This also allowed plenty of time for me to max out my credit card at the Park West art auctions (I figured out why they pass out free champagne) and Krista to do the same at the ship’s duty free shop.

Too soon we arrived back to Ft. Lauderdale and the end of our cruise. But one more treat awaited us. Our flight to Halifax did not leave until mid-afternoon, giving us an opportunity to take one last tour aboard a prop-driven airboat in the Everglades.

Zooming around a seemingly endless expanse of wetland, we saw ospreys with fish clutched in their talons, huge leatherback turtles, and best of all, alligators that swam right up to the boat (note: remember to keep small children or dense husbands from trailing their hands in the water).

Overall our trip had been a wonderful mix of fun, leisure and learning. Would I cruise again? You bet!

If you go…

Information on Holland America can be found on line at www.hollandamerica.com.

Photo Credits

All photos by George Burden

Lots of secluded beaches to escape to on Curacao

Dinner, buffet style, aboard Volendam

Progressing through the locks of the Panama Canal

HAL’s waiters aim to please on Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Fine a la carte dining is also available aboard ship.

Old Dutch Colonial architecture along waterfront, Curacao

Originally published in The Medical Post, March 20, 2007.

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