Backstory

We took our first cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary and we have enjoyed them occassionally ever since.  However, I would describe us as not your typical cruisers because we stay away from shipboard activities and pretty much keep to ourselves.  We cruise because it takes us places we want to go with the luxury of unpacking only once and most of the traveling is done while we’re sleeping.  Plus having your own bathroom and shower and sleeping in the same bed every night is very appealing.

Most cruise lines offer around the world (ATW) cruises every year and although the routes and destinations differ, they typically last about 120 days.  We chose to sail on Holland America’s  2025 offering which started in early January from Fort Lauderdale and will return there sometime in May.  We decided that was way too long for us so we opted for just a segment, from Singapore to Athens lasting 49 days.  The ships name is the Zuiderdam and there are about 1800 passengers on board and probably ¾ of that group is doing the full cruise . The Zuiderdam is far from the new megaships of today that have roller coasters and zip lines because ATW cruises use smaller ships that can easily maneuver in the more remote locales.

At each port stop you can get off and if you like, take a “shore excursion” which is a tour of the local area. These can vary from strenuous (hikes, bike tours etc.) to basically just sitting on a bus with a guide describing the scenery, and everything in between. We’ll be getting off at each port and our adventures will be what I document in this blog.

 Lastly, I am a very inexperienced blogger and I will no doubt make some mistakes and/or could do some things better.  So apologies in advance but hopefully, despite my amateur status you will enjoy following us along on this trip of a lifetime!