A Great Idea For A Christmas and New Year’s Party

How could you spend Christmas away from your four children and 11 grandchildren? This was the reaction from friends who no doubt thought that my wife and I were mean grandparents.

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But after many past get-togethers we believed it was time that our children in various locations spend the holiday in their own homes with their own families. We, of course, missed them. But we discovered that many parents chose to spend the holidays with children and grandchildren aboard the Holland and America ship, MS Zuiderdam. As a former ship’s surgeon I love being at sea and have enjoyed extensive cruising. In retrospect, I now wish I could have had all our family with me as I discovered the itinerary and Caribbean destination of this ship was ideal for families. It got off to an excellent start. Sailing from Fort Lauderdale, the first stop was Half Moon Bay, Bahamas. This is Holland and America’s superb private island, a paradise with every activity you can imagine for adults and children. With its one mile crescent-shaped beach, rated one of the world’s best beaches, families spent the entire day exploring the island discovered by Columbus 500 years ago. The choice of activity was mind-boggling, swimming, parasailing, horseback riding to mention a few. The Dutch islands of Aurba and Curacao, just off the coast of Venezuela followed. Curracao is one of the oldest islands with a narrow canal-type entrance and walled city that protected it from invaders for many years. Shell’s principle oil refinery in the West Indies is located here. On a ship’s cruise sailors of any age never have to look far for activity. Happiness may be the ship’s library, having a massage, walking the decks, learning computer skills, culinary arts, joining sunrise Tai Chi on deck or a premier wine tasting group. But there’s also ample time for sunbathing at one of several pools. This trip also provided a wide range of shore excursions for families from snorkeling, visiting World War II ship wrecks, swimming with dolphins or exploring the fauna and flora of rain forests. A fascinating segment of the trip was the Panama Canal. Every year 15,000 ships travel the 77 kilometer (48 mile) passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a massive project and costly exercise. As I looked at the dense jungle on either side of the canal it was easy to see why the French stopped original construction after losing millions of dollars and 21,900 workers who died from Malaria and Yellow Fever. The British finally finished the canal after losing another 5,600 workers to disease. Now the tedious task is guiding massive ships through the canal with one foot of clearance on either side of the vessel. To keep the ship in position cables are attached from both sides of the ship to locomotives on rails that guide it through the canal. The canal cost for each ship a staggering $270,000.00. Our last port of call was Puerto Limon in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is often described as the Switzerland of Central America. It does not have an army and has more teachers than policemen. Public education is free and the illiteracy rate is only 10 percent. It’s an interesting vacation destination for tourists with a wide range of natural attractions and magnificent landscapes. As a result of government foresight a quarter of Costa Rica’s territory is made up of natural reserves. So, in addition to the miles and miles of white sand beaches, Costa Rica has become a favourite destination for both sun-loving tourists and adventure seekers. Some families explored the Costa Rican jungle by boat to see a variety of vegetation, birds, monkeys and crocodiles. Others elected to travel to the Veragua Rainforest just one hour from Puerto Limon noted for its unique research and adventure reserve. This area receives a staggering 13 feet of rainfall every year and is home to large animals such as jaguars. Still others took a 90 minute ride in an aerial gondola that rises from the forest floor above giant trees. The rain forest can then be seen from the top where more than half the species live. I’ve travelled extensively in the Caribbean. But this Christmas voyage aboard the MS Zuiderdam provided the most unique combination of ship-board life, exotic beaches and variety of shore excursions. And it was obvious that both individuals and families had a joyous time.