10-Day Caribbean Cruise on Holland America's MS Koningsdam
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
Caribbean cruises from Florida take place throughout the year, but the variety of ships, routes, and destinations is much greater during the winter months: between November and April. There are two main reasons for this: First, most ships that sail in Northern Europe and Alaska during the spring, summer, and fall arrive in the Caribbean for the winter—a sunny, warm, and ideal destination for the winter months.
Grand Turk Island in the Caribbean:
The second reason: Americans living in the cold northern states escape to the warmth of Florida and the Caribbean, making the demand for Caribbean cruises in the winter extremely high. This is the most successful season to sail in the Caribbean because it is the "dry" season, with almost no rain and no tropical storms or hurricanes. You reach a variety of diverse islands and enjoy ideal weather where air temperatures range between 26-30°C and water temperatures are 26-28°C.
There is nothing like escaping the gray, cold, and rainy winter days in Israel—where it starts getting dark at 16:00—to exotic islands with wonderful beaches, diverse cultures, and plenty of active vacation options.
The cruise described in this article lasts 10 nights and was conducted on the ship MS Koningsdam of Holland America Line, a high-quality line belonging to the Carnival Corporation and rightly considered a premium line. Most of the company's ships are medium-sized, and the "Koningsdam" is the largest among them: with a volume of 99,840 tons, carrying 2,600 passengers and over 1,000 crew members. The ship was launched in the spring of 2016 and has two main starting points: Fort Lauderdale in Florida during the winter for Caribbean sailings, and Amsterdam, Netherlands in the summer months for sailings in the Baltic Sea, Norway, and even the North Pole and Iceland.
Holland America is known for the high-quality and pampering service it provides to its passengers and for food of the highest standard. The entertainment programs are also high-quality and diverse. The company is also known for its special and varied itineraries. Unlike the standard and fixed routes of many companies, Holland America has a very large variety of routes, mostly long—10 nights or more—including many less commercialized ports off the "beaten path." This is not a company suited for families: there are no climbing walls or water slides here. There is no ice skating and no ziplines. While there are activities for children and youth, playrooms, and entertainment staff according to age groups, the facilities and options are much more limited than in companies like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Norwegian.
However, for couples sailing without children who are not interested in challenge and action activities, this is an ideal ship: It has seven restaurants (some for an extra fee) which include, in addition to the dining rooms and buffets, a Dutch cafe, a pizzeria, an Italian restaurant, French, Asian (highly recommended!), and an innovative restaurant called: Culinary Art Center, where the concept is farm-to-table food (believe it or not, they grow various vegetables and herbs on the ship) while the chef cooks most of the meal in front of the diners' eyes with explanations and stories.
Grand Dutch Cafe:
The Culinary Art Center is also used during the day for cooking classes (for an extra fee) and many demonstrations (free, including tastings) of cooking in different styles and cake decorating. The ship also has five entertainment centers and stages, mostly concentrated on the second floor along the "Music Walk," where bands play every day in various styles—from classical music at the "Lincoln Center Stage," through popular music of all times at the "Billboard Onboard" club, to soul music at the "B.B. King's Blues Club."
B.B. King's Blues Club:
Of course, the ship has pools, hot tubs, a spacious gym, and a spa. This is the ship for those who know how to enjoy and appreciate high-quality food and especially pampering service and are interested in traveling to new and successful destinations.
Towel animals made by the room steward for the passengers:
The Cruise Itinerary:
The cruise includes 6 different ports in six different countries, each on a different island, as well as three sea days for rest, entertainment, and recharging. You can board the ship starting from 12:00 PM. It is advisable to arrive at the port as early as 11:00 AM to go through all the bureaucracy as early as possible and enjoy the ship and its facilities by 12:00 PM. Tour the ship independently or join one of the guided tours held onboard.
♦ The First Port: A Private Island in the Bahamas
Already the next day, on the second day of the cruise, the ship arrives at the first port: "Half Moon Cay," a private island in the Bahamas owned by Holland America Line.
Half Moon Cay Island in the Bahamas:
This is part of an island named Little Salvador Island, covering almost 10,000 dunams, most of which is wild and natural. Only a section of about 200 dunams has become the "playground" for Holland America passengers. The island was declared by the Bahamian authorities as a wild bird sanctuary. The island is known for its wonderful beaches with soft golden sand and quiet, crystal-clear turquoise water. All the ship's pampering is brought to you on the shore: lounge chairs, food, and drinks. This is the only port in the cruise where the ship anchors and is not tied to a pier. Landing on the shore is carried out quickly and efficiently in "tender" boats, which sail for about five minutes from the ship to the shore. Naturally, the beach is much more crowded near the pier where the boat anchors.
In this area, you can also rent boats, water mattresses, and there is a water play area for children.
The further you move along the shore, the number of lounge chairs decreases and the number of people diminishes. After about a ten-minute walk, you can reach an almost private beach with very few people.
The length of the beaches available to passengers is over 14 km. Paved paths where trolleys travel connect the different areas of the island. There is no need to book a tour on this island. It's best to enjoy the wonderful sea and revel in its colors. Those looking for action can join a horseback riding tour that combines riding both in the water and on land.
You can sail in the lagoon on jet skis or go for a catamaran sail and snorkel. There is even a natural pool on the island where you can pet and feed stingrays, but in my opinion, this is not the ideal place for it, and it's better to wait for the next port (details below) for a touch encounter with these fascinating creatures.
Video of Half Moon Cay private island:
♦ Grand Turk Port
On the third day, you arrive at Grand Turk Port, the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, located at the southeastern tip of the chain of islands making up the country. It is a small island (contrary to what its name suggests); it is 11 km long and about 2 km wide, with about 4,000 residents. The main town on the island is Cockburn Town, where the country's government buildings, several small hotels, the National Museum of Turks and Caicos, and several wonderful beaches with soft white sand and turquoise water are concentrated. Cruise ships arriving at the island dock at the modern and well-kept pier. Adjacent to the pier is a modern center full of facilities, very similar in style to a cruise line's private island. At the Grand Turk Cruise Center, there is a large and beautiful swimming pool, a visitor center, duty-free shops, handicraft stalls, restaurants, taxis, and various types of tours on the island and at sea. In the port itself, right next to the cruise pier, there is a successful beach with soft white sand, lounge chairs, umbrellas, and hammocks. For those looking only for the sea, pool, and a bit of shopping, there is no need to leave the port area at all.
Details and booking of recommended tours for this island in the article on Turks and Caicos Islands
However, Grand Turk has a lot to offer: The island is considered one of the five best diving sites in the world, thanks to the giant coral reef that drops like a steep wall to a depth of 2,133 meters into the ocean, located just a few hundred meters from the shoreline. This is the third largest reef in the world. Visibility in the seawater in the area is excellent. The entire western coast of the island is a protected marine park.
Many companies specialize in diving tours on the island. Even if you are not a diver, you can experience the wonders of the underwater world on a tour that includes a motorboat sail to several islets near Grand Turk and snorkeling. The reef near Round Cay is considered one of the best diving and snorkeling sites in the Grand Turk area. Horseshoe Reef is also an excellent destination included in most tours. Those who prefer to swim with stingrays can do so near Gibb's Cay.
Exclusive Escape Tours has a recommended tour called: Grand Turk – Exclusive Supreme Snorkeling Tour, which includes snorkeling, meeting and petting stingrays, a walk on Gibb's Cay for a view of the islets and surrounding beaches, and also watching the retrieval of giant shells called "Conch" from the deep sea, explanations about the unique mollusk growing in the shells, watching it being removed from the shell, and eating a salad composed of vegetables and the conch meat.
Those willing to experiment can also eat the conch's transparent, jelly-like sexual organ (completely tasteless), which is considered the "Viagra" of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The duration of the combined tour is about 3:30-4:00 hours, and it departs from the beach near the ship. The tour is conducted in small, intimate groups, unlike the mass sailing tours organized by the cruise ship. It is recommended to book places in advance!
For those who prefer a land tour, it is recommended to go on a guided ATV tour or a tour in toy-like red electric Hummers that are self-driven.
A successful company organizing riding tours on the island is Funtastic Tours – during the two-hour tour, you will learn much about the island's flora and fauna, drive among the many salt ponds (which were once the main industry on the island but are no longer active), and encounter plenty of wild donkeys. Salt was used in the distant past to preserve fish in an era when there was no electricity or refrigerators. The salt was once transported using donkeys, but after the ponds were abandoned, the donkeys were set free. Today, about 300 donkeys wander freely all over the island without a care.
Video of a trip to Grand Turk:
♦ Amber Cove Port
On the fourth day, you arrive at Amber Cove Port in the northern Dominican Republic. This is a new port inaugurated by the Carnival Corporation only in 2016, and it is located about a 20-minute drive from the resort town of Puerto Plata. The port and its surroundings are charming and beautifully designed for the convenience of cruise ship passengers.
This port is also in the style of a "private island," including a variety of options: a giant pool for the free use of ship passengers, an observation tower with a bar at the top offering a wonderful view of the port, the ship, and their surroundings, plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants, a "zipline" sliding from the tower to the pool area, and plenty of pampering cabanas (for an extra fee, of course)—some on the edge of the sea (the beach itself is not exciting), some by the pool, and some near the tower and zipline, which also include a private hot tub. You can rent boats and other marine equipment.
For those interested in getting a taste and a glimpse of the Dominican Republic, it is recommended to take a guided tour (preferably private or in a small group) to the neighboring city of Puerto Plata, see its "must-see" sites, get an impression of the lifestyle there, and also take the cable car to the top of the nearby mountain to overlook the city and its beaches. You can also take a guided ATV tour or a nature trip.
Guided tours in Amber Cove available for booking from Viator:
Marysol Tours has a successful tour of about 4:30 hours which includes: driving among the houses of the luxury villa neighborhood on the outskirts of the city (most belong to wealthy foreigners who live in them during the winter months), a visit to the local rum factory including explanations and watching the production process and tastings, and a visit to a small local cigar factory where you watch and hear explanations on the manual production process of cigars. The Dominican Republic is considered the world's largest producer and exporter of cigars.
Cigar making:
Later in the tour, you visit the Amber Museum, where you will learn about the unique gemstone created from the resin of ancient trees in the dinosaur era and buried deep in the ground along with leaves and small animals trapped in it.
The museum has displays and explanations about Amber and about the national turquoise-colored stone named Larimar. From there, you continue on foot to the "Central Park" of Puerto Plata. This is the central square with the largest church in the city, the government house, other impressive buildings, statues, and monuments. Nearby is a colorful market.
Continuing, you drive along the promenade on the edge of the sea named Malecon and reach Fort San Filipe overlooking the sea, where you conduct a guided tour.
The fifth day of the cruise is the first day at sea without a port. This is a time to enjoy the ship and the rich cultural activity it offers, especially in the culinary and musical fields. The ship also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of BBC EARTH nature films thanks to the collaboration between the cruise line and the BBC. Activities include films on a giant screen over the pool about how nature films are filmed and produced in glaciers and remote places, and also an artistic program in the impressive circular central hall with giant LED screens, combining breathtaking nature films with suitable music played by the ship's musicians. The next three ports are the ABC islands, the three Dutch Antilles islands.
♦ Bonaire Port
The first of the three you reach on the 6th day of the cruise is Bonaire—a small island located only about 80 km from the coast of Venezuela (it is the letter B in ABC) in the southern Caribbean. A wonderful island for ecotourism enthusiasts, known for its flamingo sanctuary at Goto Lake, but primarily considered a paradise for divers and snorkelers and one of the best places in the world for diving.
The island is home to only 14,000 residents, most of Dutch or German descent. It is an arid and flat island where the main vegetation is cacti.
Guided tours in Bonaire from the successful Viator site:
♦ Land tours adapted for cruise ship passengers - including collection and return from the port:
♦ Sea/Water tours adapted for cruise ship passengers - including collection and return from the port:
The island has no rainy season and temperatures are warm and comfortable year-round, ranging between 26-30°C. The cruise ship pier is located in the center of Bonaire's capital, Kralendijk. On the main street near the pier, there are several pubs, restaurants, and mostly souvenir shops and a small artist market. Nearby, about a fifteen-minute sail from the cruise pier, is a small island named "Klein Bonaire," which is a nature reserve with no hotels, restaurants, or services but with wonderful beaches and a reef surrounding the entire island teeming with fish of all sizes and species, and also a sea turtle sanctuary. In fact, all the water between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire is a marine nature reserve called Bonaire National Marine Park. Since I had already snorkeled in Klein Bonaire, I decided to discover the land side of the island this time. A very amusing and successful way to tour the island is on a guided self-drive tour in a small and cool electric car called "Twizy" by the company Roadrunner.
Driving the vehicle is easy and enjoyable. it is designed for at most a driver and a passenger. The successful German guide, Hans,
who is also the owner of the company (and has a vacation apartment for rent in a central location), will lead you among the island's must-see sites in a scenic drive among many cacti and giant lizards: a visit to the villa neighborhood at the top of the hill, where there are charming villas with spectacular views, the popular and impressive diving site "1,000 steps" (don't worry, you reach it in just a few dozen steps, but its name was given because when climbing the stairs with oxygen tanks and all the diving equipment, it feels like climbing a thousand steps), Goto-meer salt lake with many pink-orange flamingos,
A visit to the town of Rincon in the northwest of the island, stopping at a cute local restaurant with a view of cacti to eat "Iguana Soup" (considered the Viagra of the island) and tastings of interesting flavored and brilliantly colored liqueurs at the "Cadushy" Distillery. Highly recommended is a green liqueur produced from cacti (watch a short video there describing how the liqueur is made). The duration of the electric car tour is about three hours, including all stops. Afterward, Hans will take you to a successful beach at Eden Beach near "Spice Beach," where it's wonderful to swim and snorkel. At the successful beach, where there are lounge chairs and organized changing rooms, and even a swimming pool, there is free Wi-Fi.
Video of Bonaire:
♦ Curacao Port
On the 7th day of the cruise, you reach the port of Willemstad in Curacao (the letter C, of course). The stay in port is particularly long: from morning until 11:00 PM. The cruise pier is within a 10-15 minute walk from the city center. You can reach the city center on foot, including crossing the famous floating "Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge." This bridge opens to allow ships to pass. When it is open, or for those not fond of walking, you can take a free ferry (a very photogenic five-minute ride) to the city center where there are preserved houses in pastel colors, each house in a different color.
Booking recommended tours and excursions in Curacao from Viator:
Water attractions:
Land attractions:
It's worth starting the visit to the island with a successful and cheap guided tour by Irie Tours. The company has a successful and comprehensive three-hour tour to the East side of the island, which includes, in addition to various viewpoints of the city of Willemstad and a drive over the high and impressive Juliana Bridge, from which the port and city are visible in all their glory,
a visit to the ancient Jewish quarter among impressive mansions, a visit (including tastings) to the Curacao Liquor distillery where they produce the famous popular liqueur: "Blue Curacao," a visit to the beautiful residential neighborhood of Spanish Water Bay, and bathing at the beach near the Aquarium. This is an organized and well-kept beach with clear and quiet water, ideal for bathing, with plenty of water sports options (including inflatable water facilities and snorkeling). You must book places for the tour in advance!
After returning from the sea to the ship (transportation is included in the tour price), showered and ate lunch, it's worth walking (or combining with a free ferry ride) to the photogenic city. A walk in the colorful Floating Market of Curacao
and among the colorful buildings of the city center full of souvenir shops alongside brand stores, restaurants, and cafes, and a visit to the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, considered the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
The Synagogue:
It is important to know that in the port and city center, there is free Wi-Fi without the need for a password. Therefore, after you have finished with tours and recreation, you can browse for free comfortably almost anywhere.
Video of a trip to Curacao:
♦ Aruba Port
The 8th day of the cruise is dedicated to the final port: Aruba (the letter A in the ABC islands). This is undoubtedly one of the most popular and successful cruise ports in the Southern Caribbean—a sunny, desert island full of cacti and, primarily, wonderful beaches with golden sand and quiet, warm turquoise water.
For more information about the island, see the article: Travel in Aruba
♦ Booking land tours and excursions in Aruba from Viator:
Also suitable for cruise passengers - with collection from the port:
Recommended tours in Aruba including water or sailing:
With collection from the port except for the catamaran sailing:
Snorkeling with Sea Bob
Since I had already explored the island by Jeep and ATVs and also spent time on some of its beaches, I decided this time to experience a different kind of marine adventure: snorkeling with a Sea Bob. This is a personal motor for sailing and diving, fast and user-friendly to operate, which moves the holder both on the surface of the water and in diving to a depth of several meters without effort from the diver.
With its help, you can dive to a shipwreck surrounded by fish and sea turtles and to a reef full of corals and schools of fish.
Seabob Aruba offers successful snorkeling tours with the Sea Bob in small groups with friendly guides. They will pick you up from the port entrance and also return you to it after about three hours. A cool experience where you will feel you are swimming effortlessly faster than the fish.
Video of snorkeling with a motor aid:
In Aruba, there are plenty of other water toys and games: parasailing, banana boats, jet skis, kayaks, etc. For those looking for internet Wi-Fi before returning to the ship, it's worth visiting the Renaissance shopping center/hotel/casino located a five-minute walk from the cruise port. After all the wonderful ports where you tour, spend time, and vacation day after day, there is nothing like the last two days at sea to enjoy the ship's facilities and pampering.
Utilize the time on the 9th and 10th days of the cruise for rest, entertainment, and planning your next cruise...
Those who want to be especially pampered can rent a private cabana on the last days on a dedicated deck on floor 12, where there are private cabanas, each with two sun loungers, and service by a personal waiter who takes care to pamper you with champagne, juices, fruits, lunch according to your choice, cold towels for refreshment, and plenty of additional treats. The cabanas are very popular on sea days, and it's advisable to book a spot early in the cruise. This is the perfect way to finish a perfect and pampering cruise.
On the morning of the 11th day, you will wake up in Fort Lauderdale port. You will say goodbye to the ship and the wonderful crew who took care to pamper, entertain, and feed you throughout the cruise, and after the final breakfast, it is recommended to drive directly to the airport (Fort Lauderdale or Miami) and fly home. Any other activity or trip will be a letdown after the cruise. You should book a flight departing after 12:00 PM.
For shopping enthusiasts, it is recommended to do all your shopping in Florida before the cruise. There is plenty of storage space in your room on the ship, and even if you are serious shoppers and plan to bring additional suitcases of shopping, everything will disappear under the bed and in the closets without you feeling it throughout the sailing. For an article on shopping in the USA, click here.