|
Holland
America’s 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise
by Courtney Caldwell
with contributions from Shannon Caldwell
I’m
a workaholic, I admit it. I’ve never
taken a vacation. Not one. Ever. But I
love what I do so every day is like a
vacation to me. Call me crazy.
 |
|
Courtney
Caldwell (right) and her daughter,
Shannon. |
So,
when the press trip invitation arrived
for a 10-day Holland America Cruise to
the Mediterranean, my first impulse was
to assign it to one of ROAD & TRAVEL
Magazine’s excellent travel writers,
someone who could spend 10 days away from
their office. This is standard procedure.
They go off on all the press trips; I’m
chained to the desk to keep my own ship
afloat.
Jokingly, I forwarded the email to my
daughter, Shannon, with a quip, “Too
bad you can’t go on this with me.”
In
her final month of school in New York
with graduation looming, and holding down
a part-time job with RTM, not in my wildest dreams
did I expect her to be able to go but
knowing she had always wanted to go to
Italy where the cruise embarked, I thought
I’d tease her with a what if.
Within
minutes she shot back, “Why wouldn’t
I be able to go?” After reminding
her of the job she was holding
down, her weekend trips
to classes in NY with graduation right
around the corner, she said it wouldn’t
be a problem. Ironically, the trip dates
fell right in-between her last class and
graduation. Stars aligned indeed.
She
was not the problem. I was. Could I really
afford to jump ship for two weeks? The
thought sent shivers down my spine. I’d
never left my company in the hands of
anyone before, not in its 25 years. After
all, it was my baby. But so was my daughter.
So, after days of self-debate on the shoulds
and shouldn’ts, the shoulds won.
I must say though that making preparations
for this much time away turned me into
a maniac. Going away for two weeks presented
several challenges not to mention fears,
which needed to be overcome if it was
going to work.
FEAR
OF CONFINEMENT
One of my fears, in addition to being
away for so long, was the sense of confinement
that I thought I’d feel being on
a ship for 10 days, which would most certainly
conflict with my A-Type personality. In
an effort to quell that fear, I interviewed
other business owners and executives and
learned that for the same reason many
had never taken a cruise either, which
didn’t help much.
Another
fear was not being able to stay connected
with the office for that long. You laugh,
but with more than 250 emails a day, some
of which need immediate attention, and
endless deadlines for the magazine, being
disconnected for that long was a real
issue — one that almost nixed the
trip. After all, if something can go wrong,
it will and always does at the worst possible
times it seems.
With
these two fears looming I vacillated whether
to go or not.
However,
when Holland America sent the itinerary
with the shore excursions it become very
clear very quickly that confinement was
not an issue. The ship would be sailing
at night while we were sleeping. Each
morning we would wake to a new destination
and the option of disembarking for a shore
excursion to view the amazing ruins and
history of each ancient city and of course,
SHOP.
 The
second fear was also quickly dissipated
when Verizon Wireless offered global phone
service to test on the voyage. Providing
a standard, slighter older model cell
phone, Verizon set up the phone to receive
global communication as soon as we landed
in Rome. It was so simple, even a caveman
could do it. (Couldn’t resist).
All
I needed to do when I arrived in Europe
was click on settings, which brought me
to several choices, one of which was a
simple click on GPS global and in an instant
I was connected. Both emails and phone
calls arrived without issue. The only
caveat was that service was not accessible
while at sea, which included two full
days and every night, but otherwise, it
was available in every port. This put
me at ease immediately. Ironically, Verizon
released their new Blackberry
with global service shortly after
my return so now their global service
is available to everyone on the most up-to-date
equipment.
AIR
FRANCE by Shannon Caldwell
We flew from Detroit to Rome via Air
France, an airline that impressed the hell out of us.
Far more sophisticated and equipped than
the usual American planes on which we've
flown, Air France provided far more leg
room, very comfortable seats, and more
amenities with each seat. In-flight service
was exceptional. We thought flying a 7-hour
flight in coach would be difficult, especially
flying all night and landing with a six
hour time difference. We were so wrong.
The
comfort of the Air France plane coupled
with the excellent service made the time
fly by (pun intended). Of course, a couple
of movies and a good book helped. As far
as sleep, we basically got little to none
but that ended up working in our favor
because by the time we got to the hotel
in Rome on the first night, we were so
exhausted, we immediately crashed, allowing
us to quickly acclimate to the European
time zone.
 |
|
Holland
America's Westerdam |
THE
DAY HAS ARRIVED
Embarking on the Westerdam was an experience
in itself especially if you’ve never
cruised before. The ten-story, 60-million-ton
vessel was a sight to behold, so massive
it stopped us in our tracks with mouths
agape. Security is very tight both embarking
and disembarking so first timers should
have no fears of unsavory pirates (unless
it’s Johnny Depp) unwittingly boarding
the ship.
Photo
ID key cards are provided to each passenger
who must show the card to get on or off
the ship. One thing to note is that the
gangway on which passengers embark and
disembark is very steep. Those who needed
assistance were escorted by the many officers
on hand, inside and outside of the ship,
to greet and help any passengers needing
help.
 HollandAmerica’s
10-day Mediterranean cruise offers a wide
variety of shore excursions in each port
from two-hour bus tours to eight-hour
walking tours. Be wary though, the walking
tours are vigorous with lots of hills,
stairs, and uneven and rocky terrain in
ruin locations, so those with bad backs
or weak ankles should carefully weigh
their excursion options. We opted for
four-hour tours that included riding the
bus and walking. Most cities also offered
hop-on/hop-off bus tours so you could
go at your own pace and see what you want,
when you want.
There
is much to see and do in each port but
Holland makes it easy to choose by providing
a full schedule of what’s available
on each tour, what to expect, and what
you’ll see. Additionally, a tour
seminar is offered each day by a tour
guide who explains what the region is
about. He’ll even share which areas
accept Euros or American dollars, or both.
He
also provides warnings of the specific
areas where taxi drivers are the least
honest or where local pick pockets are
the worst. These were very helpful warnings
and should be heeded. What I found most
entertaining about the seminars was his
advice about shopping locations in which
many vendors are willing to bargain, which
saved us a lot of money, however negotiating
with some of these characters is exhausting
as they work hard to get the most out
of you while you argue for less. I
had to drag my pip-squeek mother away from some of the negotiators
in fear of a brawl.
 |
|
Westerdam's
Pinnacle Grille |
MORE
TO DO THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE
For those who preferred not to leave the
ship Holland provides dozens of onboard
activities for people of all ages. Although
they target affluent boomers, we found
most passengers to be about 75-years-young.
However, with so much to do on board and
in each port, age doesn’t deter younger
people from cruising.
In
fact, there were many occasions when Courtney
and I shared a lunch or dinner table with
several seniors, many of whom had unique
and interesting tales about their numerous
cruising adventures. They also shared
many tips on what to do and not to do
based on their experiences, which became
very useful on our virgin cruise.
Each
evening, our cabin steward left a new
schedule in our room of the next day’s
activities. For those who choose to stay
aboard or return early from a shore excursion,
there are literally dozens of activities
offered. If you opt not to participate
in an activity there are two huge pools
on board, one forward and one aft with
more than enough lounge chairs and full
bar service via deck stewards. Aside each
pool is a Jacuzzi, a ping pong table,
a basketball court, tables for card playing,
snacking or just hanging out, and near
the forward pool, a band that helped celebrate
a the med event each evening.
 |
|
Greenhouse
Spa & Salon |
In
addition to its pools, dozens of activities,
numerous restaurants and bars, movies
and live entertainment, the Westerdam
offers The Greenhouse Spa & Salon,
a full-service spa, which impressed me
a great deal. The services rivaled that
of any upscale full-service land spa with
everything from seaweed treatments, foot
and body massages, hydra pool, couples
treatments, and facials.
They
even offer classes for couples to learn
how to massage each other. Very romantic!
For black tie nights, there is also a
full service hair and nail salon. After
going on a few of the more demanding shore
excursions we found the foot and leg massage
treatment to be especially delightful.
Each night in the activity schedule, there
is a list of spa specials and gift shop
sales, which are especially nice for those
on a more limited budget.
EXCURSION
BRAWL THWARTED by Courtney Caldwell
Of the seven shore excursions I found
Sicily, seeped in rich and ancient history,
to be my favorite. Of special interest
were rumors revealed on how Sicilian men
look at and ‘appreciate’ women.
For awhile there I thought I might have
to wrestle a few to the ground to protect
my youthful and robust daughter. From
the youngest to the oldest, there wasn’t
a block we walked where a local native
either stopped us on the street with a
touch to her arm to say ‘Bella’
or ask if we wanted a ride. Keep in mind;
these were taxi drivers who already had
customers in the back seats of their cars.
Even
the polizia were craning their necks around
corners to catch a glimpse. There is nothing
shy about Italian men expressing their
thoughts in word or deed as to what they
think of young women passing by. As for
me, a couple of spunky 80-year-olds gave
me a nod from their rocking chairs, or
perhaps they were just nodding off, but
I couldn’t let that deter me from
blocking my 5-foot-6-inch daughter with
my aging and incredibly shrinking 5-foot
body from anyone who wanted to usher her
away. Shannon commented on how they made
her feel like a goddess. I guess that
would make me the godmother… considering
the location. Unscathed, on
we went.
DON’T
BE LATE
The ship sailed at approximately 6 p.m.
every night so you’re strongly urged
to be back on time. Watching the ship
set sail every night from our stateroom
balcony was one of the highlights. It’s
such an amazing process to see the engines
churn up the mud beneath the sea and then
slowly float away into the sunset. This
is something you don’t want to miss.
In fact, you don’t want to miss the
ship either because if you do you’re
plum out of luck… and cash. They
hold the ship for no one so if you miss
the boat you have three options.
First,
they can arrange a flight back to the
ship from your stranded location to the
ship’s next port, at your own expense.
Second, they can fly you home from the
location where you’re stuck. The
ship steward will pack up all your stuff
and ship it back to you at home (all at
your own expense plus no refund on the
unused portion of the cruise). Or you
can make your own arrangements to either
get back to the ship when it arrives at
the next port or fly home (again, all
at your own expense). So you better not
be late.
NO
SHORTAGE OF FOOD
There is no shortage of food on the Westerdam.
The Lido deck (or 9th floor) is open from
6 a.m. to dinner time and offers a wide
variety of buffet style meals. This allows
a lot of flexibility for people with different
schedules or dietary needs, from multiple
choices of healthy foods to your basic
cheeseburger and fries. It’s quite
easy to put on 10 pounds on a 10-day cruise
if you don’t watch it. I’m not
a dessert person but they were so deliciously
outrageous that I found myself eating
at least one a day.
 |
|
Westerdam's
Fitness Center |
For
those who want the best of both worlds,
there is a full size gym at the front
of the ship with huge windows overlooking
the sea in front of you. There, you can
work off the added calories and enjoy
the view at the same time. Additionally,
the outside deck of the ship is perfect
for power walkers or joggers, with three
full walks around the ship equaling one
mile. The gym also provides aerobics classes,
yoga, and health seminars.
Evening dining takes place in the elegant
Vista Dining Room, which offers two seating's;
one for the early crowd at 5 p.m., and
the other at 8 p.m. The two-story restaurant
is divided by a majestic glass-studded
spiral staircase with a landing half way
up. The positioning of the landing makes
it visually easy for guests in both dining
rooms to see special presentations like
parading chefs showcasing an impressive
Baked Alaska with sparklers aglow in a
darkened atmosphere.
Dress
is upscale in the Vista Dining Room with
two evenings set in black tie. As journalists
we were assigned to a specific table during
the cruise, however there is ample room
for all passengers whether a party of
two or 10. No reservations necessary.
Together, both dining rooms hold about
1,000 people so with 1,800 passengers
on board, the two seating times easily
accommodate everyone. Additionally, the
Westerdam provides a more intimate dining
experience in their upscale Pinnacle Grille,
which does require reservations.
 |
|
Deluxe
Verandah Stateroom |
GOING
BEYOND EXPECTATIONS
During my initial cruise research I heard
from just about everyone who had ever
taken a Holland Cruise that their service
was impeccable, which is likely why they’ve
earned the honor as the leading cruise
line. Holland didn’t disappoint.
In fact, their motto is to provide service
above and beyond passenger expectations
and they did indeed live up to that motto
at every wave.
From
the state rooms to the dinner service
to the poolside treatment and everything
in-between, Holland staff make you feel
like royalty. They not only provide exceptional
service they also fulfill special requests
such as birthday cakes, anniversary surprises,
special meals… even at the last minute,
although they do prefer advance notice
when possible. The ship’s captain
even performs marriage renewals on Sunday
evenings.
To
give you an example of their superb service,
I purchased a lovely Roman glass necklace
in the ship’s jewelry shop as a graduation
gift for Shannon. The goal was to surprise
her with it at dinner one night with all
of our new-found journalist friends. I
asked the manager of culinary operations,
Sam Ismail, if the kitchen would make
her a sugar-free cake (she’s a diabetic)
with congratulations to Shannon written
on top.
Not
only did they make a delicious cake, Sam
left in the middle of another dinner commitment
to personally deliver it to the table
at the perfect moment and with the perfect
presentation speech. Moments later, he
presented her Roman glass necklace, wrapped
in gift paper, on a silver platter with
a rose. We were all blown away at the
entire presentation not to mention the
surprised look on Shannon’s face,
who knew nothing of my devious deployment,
and employment of participants, leading
up to the surprise.
And,
to top it all off, the cake was the best
any of us had ever had, sugar-free and
all, bar none. Shannon cried with tears
of joy, which made me cry, which made
the other journalists cry, which made
Sam cry. It became the kind of moment
that will be forever burned into our memories.
That’s the kind of service Holland
Cruises provides.
CRUISE-AID
ON THE HIGH SEAS
While most cruises are very exciting and
full of fun, they usually stay on course.
Rarely does anything unusual happen, oh
say, school of sharks lurking, unusually
high seas, or people falling overboard.
However, during one particular evening,
we experienced something rarely seen on
a civilian cruise — the rescue of
eight Algerian refugees stranded in a
rowboat at sea, and with some of them
near death from machete wounds, dehydration
and a sinking boat. Oh, what a night!
[Read
about the adventure]
THINGS
TO BRING
I learned the hard way of what to bring
by things forgotten. In addition to casual
and dressy outfits, both of which you’ll
need, be sure to bring at least two pairs
of very comfortable walking shoes. There
is a lot of walking on the tours, even
on the ship. If you use arch supports
or any other types of products that provide
the kind of support you use at home in
your everyday life, be sure to bring them
along. Bring a hat… there is lots
of sunshine in the Mediterranean and don’t
forget your suntan lotion.
The
one thing I forgot and missed the most
was a pair of binoculars. There are so
many sights to see from the ship while
at sea; castles on mountain tops, little
villages still living as they once did,
and historical caves used during Viking
days, as well as other unusual sights
that from a distance look like little
mountainside dots but with binoculars
would have been an entirely different
experience.
Also,
be sure to bring enough of your own meds,
aspirin or pain relievers for whatever
ails you as it will be quite unlikely
that you’ll find the same products
that you use in your home town in other
countries.
And
last, if you still use a film camera,
bring plenty of film. If you use a digital
camera, the Westerdam even offers a class
on how to use it.
While
the Westerdam does have an extensive gift
shop where most of these items can be
found, they are expensive compared to
normal retail prices. Additionally, the
gift shop is not open when the ship is
in port, which means if you do run out
of something you either have to go into
port to find it or wait until the ship
sets sail in the evening to access the
gift shop. So stock up before you leave
home on the essentials you'll need for
your trip.
Holland
America is proud of their reputation and
they should be. It's clear that they live
up to their motto to impress passengers
beyond expectations. They certainly exceeded
mine and by the happy faces that disembarked
the ship on our final day, I'd say they
exceeded everyone else's too.
Would
I cruise again? I’m just sorry I
didn’t do it sooner. In fact, don’t
be surprised is you never hear from me
again. I just may embark on a permanent
world tour.
If
You Go...
Holland
America Line
(206) 281-3535
The
Holland America 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise
included several port stops in countries
including Spain, Italy and Tunisia. Read
more about each individual port and what
it has to offer travelers.
Westerdam
Mediterranean Shore Excursions
Barcelona,
Spain
Mallorca,
Spain
Naples,
Italy
Sicily,
Italy
Livorno,
Tuscany
La
Goulette, Tunisia
|
