Our New Home for 4 Months

The 2012 Holland America World Voyage will be on the ms Amsterdam!

Here are some facts about the ship: 

The ship only holds 1,380 passengers and 615 crew members!


It is 62,735 gross tons and 780 feet in length!


The ms Amsterdam is the third ship to bear the name of the Dutch capital and it was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy!


At the heart of the ms Amsterdam is the Planeto Astrolabium, a commissioned signature sculpture soaring in the three-story atrium.  This stunning Astrolabe tracks constellations, the planets, world time and ship time! I am so excited to see this!

The two-tiered dining room is called La Fontaine and it offers five-course menus nightly that reflect the culture of the cities we will be visiting.  FYI there are vegetarian and low-carb options available!

There is the Lido Restaurant which offers a relaxed ambiance for all three meals and features a variety of fresh, cooked-to-order specialties.

Also there is the intimate, reservations-only Pinnacle Grill. This dining option offers an elegant, sophisticated dining experience and features premium hand-selected cuts of Sterling Silver beef, inspired seafood dishes and many select wines rated "Excellent" by Wine Spectator - as well as distinctive Bvlgari china, Riedel stemware and Frette linens for $25 per person each night you dine there!

The Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine magazine, is the setting for gourmet cooking demonstrations and interactive classes. Maybe I will come back a chef!  

Explorations Café, powered by The New York Times, features the largest library at sea, as well as comfortable music listening stations and Internet access.  This sounds relaxing!

The Greenhouse Spa & Salon features thermal suites, a hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy pool, heated ceramic lounges and more!  I will need to get a haircut here!

The Queen's Show Lounge features Las Vegas-style productions, talented vocalists, illusionists, comedians and variety acts! Sounds exciting!

The Crow's Nest, where sweeping views make this observation lounge a top choice for relaxing during the day, and in the evening transforms nightclub featuring DJs and live bands!  

The Fitness Center is fully equipped with state of the art equipment. 

There are 2 outdoor pools - one with a retractable roof, plus a whirlpool, hot tub, sauna and steam room. 

There is a Digital Workshop, powered by Windows, that has free workshops that teach camera classes, movie making, picture editing, scrapbook design and many more classes. Even though I am now I converted Mac user, I think this will be pretty interesting!

Holland America says that they ships are known for their graceful rooms with generous amounts of personal space! We will see about this!

Our Room!

The Room I Want!

Circumnavigating the Globe

7 Continents, 4 Oceans, and So Many Picture Perfect Places

1.4.12 - Arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Arrive and Relax before the trip begins! Also buy bottles of water and some supplies that we couldn't fit into our luggage! 

1.6.12 at 6pm SHARP - We depart on our cruise AROUND THE WORLD!

1.9.12 - Roseau, Dominica - Seeing Trafalgar Falls and the Emerald Pool

1.10.12 - Bridgetown, Barbados - Going to see St. John's Church and Sunbury Guest Plantation House 

1.13.12 - Belem, Brazil - Cruising on the Amazon River and Walking in the Amazon Jungle

1.16.12 - Recife, Brazil - Touring Recife and Historic Olinda

1.19.12 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain and the the Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain then going to Copacabana Beach!

1.20.12 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Not sure yet!

1.23.12 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Gaucho tour and Tango show!

1.24.12 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Going to see Recoleta, Evita's graveyard, Puerto Madero, La Boca, Caminito where Tango originated, Avenida Corrientes and San Martin square

1.25.12 - Montevideo, Uruguay - Visiting the Old and Modern City of Montevideo and visiting Bouza Winery

1.28.12 - Stanley, Falkland Islands - 4x4 Tour to see over 2,000 King Penguins and newly born chicks at Volunteer Point

1.30.12 - Antarctic Sound, Antarctica - Cruising and hoping to see some Iceburgs

1.31.12 - South Shetland Islands - Sailing around the islands

2.1.12 - Wilhelm Archipelago - Cruising the waters

2.2.12 - Cape Horn - Sailing around the tip of South America 

2.3.12 - Ushuaia, Argentina - Visiting Tierra Del Fuego National Park and the Beagle Channel

2.4.12 - Punta Arenas, Chile- Going to Patagonia to see the Otway Penguin Perserve and Torres del Paine National Park 

2.10.12 - Easter Island, Chile - Can't wait to see the Mystical Moai Statues that cover the island!

2.15.12 - Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia - 4X4 Tour of Tahiti

2.18.12 - Pago Pago, Tutuila, American Samoa - Going to see Fatu-ma-Futi (Flower Pot Rocks), Leone Village, Leala Sliding Rocks and many more sights!

2.22.12 - Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia - Walking around the Island

2.25.12- Sydney, Australia - Considering climbing Sydney Harbor Bridge and attending the opera at the Sydney Opera House and seeing all the sights of Sydney!

2.26.12 - Sydney, Australia - Cruising Sydney Harbour at Darling Harbour, going to the Rocks, and spending the night in Sydney

2.27.12 - Sydney and Cairns, Australia - Spending the morning in Sydney and then flying to Cairns

2.28.12 - Cairns, Australia - Taking a train to Kuranda and then a Skyrail over the rainforest

2.29.12 - Cairns, Australia - Snorkeling The Great Barrier Reef

3.1.12 - Great Barrier Reef -  Cruising the Great Barrier Reef

3.2.12 - Great Barrier Reef -  Cruising the Great Barrier Reef

3.3.12 - Great Barrier Reef -  Cruising the Great Barrier Reef

3.5.12 - Slawi Bay, Komodo Island, Indonesia - Visiting Komodo National Park to see the Dragons

3.6.12 - Lombok, Indonesia - Visiting a Sesak Village

3.11.12 - Hong Kong, China -Touring the city to see the  great sights including the Jade market, Flower Market street and Bird Market (a lot of markets!) Then going to the top of Victoria Peak by Peak Tram funicular to have lunch. Then riding a Sampan boat to see the Stanley and more markets!

3.12.12 - Hong Kong, China - Traveling on a 4 mile cable car to visit the Monastery and the Big Buddha on Lantau

3.14.12 - Nha Trang, Vietnam - River cruise to see the Pattyfields and the Ancient City where villagers weave their mats and bind the traditional conical hats

3.15.12 - Phu My (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam - Going to see Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office, Thien Hau Pagoda, then go round China Town by cyclo and to  Ben Thanh market 

3.18.12 - Singapore - Tour the old town, Chinatown, and visit all the sights 

3.19.12 - Singapore - Not sure yet!

3.21.12 - Phuket, Thailand -See the all best sights of Phuket, a Thai village and the beautiful beaches

3.24.12 - Colombo, Sri Lanka - Touring the area and going to Galle Face Hotel for afternoon refreshments

3.26.12 - Mangalore, India - My Birthday! Take in the city for a while then fly to Delhi, drive 5 hours to Agra and stay in a fun hotel with a bowling alley

3.27.12 - Agra, India - Spend the entire day seeing the Taj Mahal and other sites

3.28.12 - Mumbai, India - See the Red Fort on the way to the airport, then fly to Mumbai and ride through the city at night - the Queen's Necklace

3.29.12 - Mumbai, India - Spend the Day in the Life of a Mumbai citizen - Start with the Gateway of India, go to Churchgate Railway Station to watch the Tiffin Box Suppliers Association deliver lunches, take a train to the Dhobi Ghat to see the laundry washing, then spend the rest of the day at the markets

4.5.12 - Safaga, Egypt - Visit Luxor, an open-air museum, see the Valley of the Kings, the Karnak Temple, the Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon

4.6.12 - Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt - Go to Mount Sinai, visit St. Catherine Monastery, Ride a camel ride through the desert and have an authentic Bendouin dinner, stay in a resort in Sharm

4.7.12 - Cairo, Egypt - Fly to Cairo and see the Pyramids of Cheops and the Great Sphinx!! Go on a dinner cruise on the Nile River with belly dancers, stay in a resort in Cairo

4.8.12 - Piraeus (Athens), Greece - Fly to Athens and spend the day walking around, stay at a hotel overlooking the Acropolis

4.9.12 - Piraeus (Athens), Greece - Go to Delphi 

4.10.12 - Piraeus (Athens), Greece - See all the wonderful sights of Athens! 

4.11.12 - Katakolon (Olympia), Greece - Visit the fishing village of Katakolon and then off to Ancient Olympia

4.12.12 - Messina, Sicily, Italy - Tour Taormina and Mt. Etna

4.13.12 - Naples (Pompeii), Italy - Go to Sorrento, Positano and the Amalfi Coast

4.14.12 - Ajaccio, Corsica, France - See the sights of Ajaccio

4.15.12 - Barcelona, Spain - See all the wonderful highlights of Barcelona

4.16.12 - Barcelona, Spain - Take a trip to Coasta Bravia and Girona

4.18.12 - Cadiz (Seville), Spain - Drive to Seville and tour the wonderful city and at night see a Flamenco show

4.20.12 - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Ride a cable car to the city of Monte, take a basket sleigh ride to Livramento, then visit Cabo Girao, Camara de Lobos and end the day with afternoon tea at Reid's Hotel

4.28.12 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Arrive home from the Cruise of a Lifetime