We boarded our ship in Ft. Lauderdale on December 22, 2012.  The Prinsendam is a small ship, the smallest we’ve ever cruised. It had 778 passengers and 450 crew.  The lounges, dining areas and auditorium were all an intimate atmosphere. As we departed port, we were in a cocktail lounge in the top deck overlooking the bow of the ship. There we met a couple from Scotland, Jimmy and Kathleen. Since the ship was so small, we tended to meet people and see them during the day.

We elected to take advantage of Holland America’s open seat dining. Each evening, we simply walked up and asked for a table. Some nights we sat alone especially while Al was nurturing a cold for a few days. Other nights, we sat with another couple or a group of people. We enjoyed meeting a variety of passengers. We noticed that there was a large contingency of Europeans. There were many, many people with walkers, canes and scooters. So, you could say that the ship was full of OLD PEOPLE!

We choose this ship because it went at ports we had never visited and where only small ships stop. Our ports included a private island in the Bahamas (the Exumas), Puerto Rico, St. John, St. Baarts, Guadelope, St. Lucia, Bequia, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic.

We  particularly enjoyed St. Baarts which is an upscale island that is clean and well kept. The mega yachts were impressive docked downtown at the marina. Suzanne found a special treasure, a turtle at the Choppard shop. It was a perfect Christmas present.  We also enjoyed a tiny island of Bequia.  There was something about the island that made us feel welcome even though it appeared to be a relatively poor island. We did have one exciting moment.  During our Barbados bus tour, the bus broke down. We had about a 45 minute wait until the tour company could get a new bus to us. We enjoyed that stop where we explored the Atlantic Ocean beaches.

We were disappointed that the original itinerary which included the Turks and Caicos was cancelled. San Juan Puerto Rico replaced it. Since we have been in San Juan many, many times, we decided to stay aboard the ship.

We arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale on January 5, 2014. While we enjoy cruising, we are going to stick with our Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines where we enjoy long term cruising benefits and a little better food.

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