Among the things for which Holland America Line ships are most noted is the presence of cultural enrichment activities and events about its destinations. On this cruise you'll find films and presentations about Caribbean history and culture as well as about the Caribbean today.
Finally, Holland America Ships are famous for its multi-million-dollar art collections, and you can take advantage of a self-guided audio tour of all the art that is exhibited on the ship.
One of the features Holland America ships are most noted for is its
Enrichment Lectures and Activities. On this cruise, you can expect multiple film presentations shown on the
World Stage (forward Decks 1, 2, and 3 - Main Deck, Lower Promenade Deck, and Promenade Deck) about the Caribbean,
its history of piracy and stolen treasure, its underwater world, and how rum created the Caribbean we know today. You can also anticipate talks and/or
films about the building of the Panama Canal.
During our voyage, there will be a Port Talk for
each of the ports we'll visit. The various sites and attractions worth seeing and experiencing along with tips for getting around. Each Port Talk is
usually followed by a talk by the Shopping Ambassador who will discuss some of the shops in the port, how to get there, and what you'll
find. Take everything the Shopping Ambassador says with a grain of salt. The shops discussed have all paid Holland America to be featured by the
Shopping Ambassador. Caveat Emptor.
There are likely to be "Coffee Talks" where a ship department head or
entertainer is interviewed (generally by the Cruise Director) to tell us about what their department does and what life on board the ship is like for them
and the others in their department. In my experience, these are fascinating things to attend. Two of the most interesting were the head of Security on
board the ship (who had formerly worked as the head of security for Princess Diana) and (surprisingly) the ship's florist. I had no idea the ship even
HAD a florist, much less that their job could be so fascinating!
There is always a Galley Tour where you can see the ships culinary staff
in the process of preparing the meals served in The Dining Room, The Lido Market, and all of the ship's specialty restaurants for the
day. You'll see where all the breads and pastries we eat are baked and all the precautions and procedures that the kitchens use to make sure that all the
food prepared doesn't end up making any of us ill.
We are HOPING we'll be able to arrange a Bridge Tour
for those interested. This used to be a standard perk for those in high-end suites, but in recent years, security concerns have led to curtailing these
tours. Kristy and Lee and going to work to try to arrange a special Bridge Tour (and perhaps even an Engine Room Tour) for interested members of our
group, and we'll have to see if we can talk them into providing this for us. Watch this space.
One important characteristic of every Holland America ship is its
multi-million-dollar Art Collection. As with every HAL ship, a self-guided audio tour of its Art Collection is available to
passengers.