Caribbean Cruise Travel Diary — Day 2

Date: 2018-05-10

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Caribbean Cruise — Day 3: A Full Day in Fort Lauderdale

Good morning. Up around 4:30am thanks to jet lag. Outside it looked cloudy and a little windy — chilly. After a shower, we headed to the club room for breakfast at around 6:30. All kinds of bread, scrambled eggs, crispy American bacon, muffins, very sweet-looking pastries, equally sugary cereal, cake, melon, pineapple, and an impressive array of spreads. American food really does seem to contain a lot of sugar and animal fat. After eating, our bodies were crying out for movement, so we headed to the gym. A kilometre on the treadmill and a bit on the exercise bike soon warmed things up — we could still feel the effects of the cold air conditioning from the previous day's flight. Back in the room for some reading, and then sleep crept up on us — we napped solidly for about two hours.

In America, steak is non-negotiable. For lunch we ventured straight to a steakhouse — Longhorn Steak House, a short 3-minute walk from the hotel, and apparently a popular local chain. We arrived around 1pm and it was busy enough to need the waitlist, though we were seated in about 10 minutes. The beef was sirloin, chargrilled beautifully. We each had a steak, plus a strawberry and pecan salad, a beer and an iced tea — $42 in total, with an 18% tip on top (around $7). The system of having three set tip amounts to choose from was a surprise. Inside the restaurant, well over 90% of diners were what you might diplomatically call generously proportioned — we felt positively slim by comparison.

In the shade it felt cool, but in the sunshine it was warm and lovely. We spent the afternoon sunbathing by the hotel's heated outdoor pool and enjoyed the Jacuzzi. The sky was so blue — a precious dose of winter vitamin D. Lying back, we kept noticing private jets flying overhead. Fort Lauderdale really is a playground for the wealthy.

Back in the room for some yoga, a shower, and suddenly it was evening. The mad rush before leaving London means we often arrive at a holiday destination carrying accumulated exhaustion — but one day like this genuinely seemed to restore us. We felt ready and energised for the cruise starting tomorrow.

The club lounge snacks that evening: a small fried shrimp on sweet-salty soy-flavoured rice pilaf, and a large-cut vegetable salad. In the corner: red, black and yellow tortilla chips (the red and black ones were new to us). The salad included red peppers, yellow and green courgette, thin asparagus, celery and cucumber in a yoghurt dressing that worked beautifully. Who knew you could eat asparagus raw? Light as it was, after the steak lunch, this was more than enough. A glass of red wine at the bar to finish.

The evening bar had a great atmosphere. We watched the basketball game from 8pm and were in bed by around 9:30. American TV always seems to have basketball on. Another good day. Good night.

Caribbean Cruise — Day 4: Boarding the Cruise Ship. Departure from Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale at 4pm.

Good morning. Woke just after 5:30. Got up at 6:00 and showered. Sunrise at 6:30. According to the local ABC news, today would be another fine day. "There's a chance of a little rain this afternoon!" announced the weather presenter — in a region with such little annual rainfall, that apparently qualifies as good news.

Today we had breakfast in the main dining room rather than the club lounge — apparently the lounge does not serve breakfast at weekends. The menu was much the same as the day before, but with the addition of pancakes, waffles and French toast. Today we fancied a bagel — warm, with cold cream cheese. Perfect. There was a little turtle in the hotel pond, gliding serenely through the water. Coffee here was all Starbucks — in the rooms, restaurant and lounge alike, and in larger-than-usual cups. Quintessentially American.

We needed to check out before noon, so we repacked our suitcases and got ready to leave. Each of us had one large suitcase at 23 kg for this trip — Formal Night means suits, dresses and extra shoes, so the luggage adds up. Personally, I do think it would be nice if cruises dropped the formal element entirely and went fully casual, like Azamara — though Azamara's prices are too high for us to sail regularly.

We took the hotel shuttle bus to the cruise terminals, dropping other passengers at the Miami terminal for the Disney Cruise Line ships. We were headed to the Port Everglades terminal in Fort Lauderdale. We dropped off our luggage, checked in at the counter (photo registered for our cruise cards), and received our cruise cards — a key for the cabin, a credit card for on-board purchases, an emergency lifeboat assignment, and a dinner table number, all in one.

Our ship for the next 7 nights: Holland America Line's ms Nieuw Amsterdam, launched in 2010. Passenger capacity: 2,106. Crew: 929. Length: 285 metres, width: 32 metres, 86,000 tonnes. Holland America Line has a history dating back to the 18th century, when it carried emigrants and cargo from Europe to America. Today it is part of Carnival Corporation — the world's largest cruise company — and sits in the premium tier of the cruise market.

Usually you have to wait before being allowed into your cabin after boarding, but here we were taken straight to our room. Our cabin for the week was on Deck 7, a veranda room on the starboard side — the Signature Suite with Balcony. King-size bed, sofa, study desk, vanity desk, three wardrobes, a bathroom with double washbasins, a toilet, and a Jacuzzi bathtub — with a separate shower. Toiletries by Elemis, the British luxury spa brand.

A protective vinyl sheet had been laid on the bed so we could unpack our suitcases there without scratching anything.

The room was more than twice the size of the standard veranda cabin on a typical casual cruise line — we were thrilled. It was just past 1pm and we were hungry, so we headed to the buffet. On Deck 9 is the "Lido" restaurant — a help-yourself buffet with an enormous spread: salad, breads and sandwiches, a pasta station where they cook to your choice of ingredients, Asian cuisine, carved roasted meats, tacos and South American dishes, sushi, desserts and ice cream. Outside on deck: a pizza counter and a burger station.

Drinks: water, lemonade, iced tea, hot coffee and tea — all complimentary. Soft drinks, alcohol, mineral water and juices are charged separately. Since we drink a lot of water every day, we signed up for the non-alcoholic drinks package — about $20 per day including service charge ($140 for the 7-day voyage). This covered unlimited mineral water, various hot and iced coffees, juices, mocktails and smoothies at any café, restaurant or bar on the ship. Given that a litre of Evian on board cost $5 plus service charge, the package was clearly worthwhile.

After lunch, our suitcases had been delivered to the room. We unpacked everything into the wardrobes — and that was it until the night before disembarkation. Our floating hotel would carry us to a different destination each day while our belongings stayed neatly in the wardrobe. Cabin cleaning and fresh towels twice daily, food available around the clock — this is the great joy of cruising. Empty suitcases slid under the bed.

Just after 4pm, the ship began to move — slowly, gently. The cruise ships lined up at Port Everglades departed one by one. The sea was calm, the ship's movement perceptible but not enough to make anyone feel wobbly.

This cruise featured lectures by Anita Moorjani, whose book we had been reading. The first orientation session ran from 4pm for two hours. Dinner was at 8pm each evening. Our assigned dinner companions were two young women from India — both married, though still young. They had flown from New Delhi via Istanbul — 23 hours of travel. They looked exhausted and headed to bed shortly after dinner.

The sea was not particularly rough, but there was still that gentle floating sensation that takes getting used to. In bed though, the gentle rocking felt rather like being in a cradle — strangely soothing. The air conditioning was a bit too strong and the air felt dry on my nose and mouth. The first night on any new ship always takes a while to settle into. But it was a good day. Good night.

Holland America Line's steward turns down the cabin each evening while guests are at dinner — and leaves a towel sculpture on the bed. Tonight's: a stingray?

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