Hey I’m back!! Brr it’s still cold here in Victoria, what’s up with that! I really thought that the good weather would have been here by the time I returned from the trip. It was beautiful on Friday afternoon when the Nieuw Amsterdam pulled into port in Victoria but the next day rain and COLD! Ugh!
Mom and I had a great trip. We picked up the ship in Fort Lauderdale Florida. The weather was warm but not really that sunny as you can see from the photo below. 
Here I am sitting by the aft pool. Mom and I arrived at the ship early so we were able to tour the ship with relatively few people hanging about. The Nieuw Amsterdam is with the Holland America line. It is one of the larger in the Holland America line but it’s not so large that you get lost.
Fort Lauderdale is has many canals and small channels near the port. Here is a picture of a freighter coming through the channel that we left by.
Our first port of call was Holland Americas own island Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. It is a beautiful location with a gorgeous white sand crescent beach. I found the water temperature cooler than I expected however it was nice and refreshing once you took the plunge.
Here is a picture of the Island taken from the ship. You can just make out the crescent shape beach.
Mom and I got there earlier than most so once I had settled her into our sun shade I walked the length of the beach. It was so beautiful and peaceful. There was still a bit of cloud cover so although it was nice and warm it was perfect for a long stroll on the beach and since we were one of the first groups to land on the Island the beach was almost empty. Heaven!!
The next two days were sea days where we found time to relax and enjoy the warm weather and find things to do on the ship. Mom and I splurged for a “spa package” where we had access to a thermal pool, sauna, heated beds and a meditation room.
During those sea days Mom and I spent some time getting to know two of our dinner table mates a little better. It was great fun going to name that tune or listening to some of the on board bands and music with them.
Well that’s it for this leg of the journey soon I will post pics on Cartegena and the Panama Canal transit.
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