Archive for the 'Holland America' Category

After two days of more than sufficient wine samplings, I returned to Chile’s capital to check in at the Grand Hyatt Santiago, with rooms that look out on the Andes.

Near the hotel is Cerro San Cristóbal and the adjoining Parque Metropolitano, Chile’s largest urban park. I walked to the park and hopped on a cable car to the top of San Cristobal Hill for sweeping city views. On a crisp spring or winter morning, the sight must be even more stunning, with the majestic, snowcapped Andes towering over the basin where Santiago sits.  Read more... (332 words, 1 image, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)

Can a cruise line with no newbuilds in sight compete with ones taking on dazzling new ships every year? Can a luxury line compete on service alone when its rivals are taking part in a wave of new construction?

The lines on the non-newbuild side of the equation say yes, and in fact, they contend that they offer their guests an advantage: Instead of investing in newbuilds, they spend resources keeping their current fleets fresh.  Read more... (449 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

You could spend a few days pre- or post-cruise on excursions to the Andes, Easter Island (a five-hour flight from Santiago) or even visiting Machu Picchu in Peru. But my experience with Chile back home has been with Chilean wines, and so I decided to see Chile — a country that has been making wine since the 1500s — vineyard by vineyard.

Leaving Vina del Mar, my first stop was the William Cole Winery (www.williamcolevineyards.cl). Situated in Casablanca Valley, not more than 30 minutes from Vina del Mar, the winery is principally noted for its whites, namely Sauvignon Blanc, as the strong influence of the Pacific Ocean makes for a better climate for white grapes than for red ones.

For red wines, my driver (yes, you need a driver if you’re sampling wines) pointed the van to Colchagua Valley, Chile’s equivalent of Napa Valley (www.colchaguavalley.cl).

The two-hour drive from Santiago took us past immense fields of grapes and fruit-producing trees, family-owned ranches and bodegas, or wineries. Our destination was Santa Cruz, a small, unremarkable town that is in the heart of wine country.  Read more... (368 words, 2 images, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)

Holland America’s Veendam rounds Cape Horn on a series of cruises between now and March 2010. The following reports highlights Valparaiso, the embarkation/disembarkation port.]

Occupying a narrow swath of South America’s west coast, Chile extends nearly 2,700 miles from its southernmost point at Cape Horn to its northern border with Peru. The majestic Andes and the Pacific Ocean flank the country’s western and eastern borders, with slender Chile squeezed in between — averaging only 110 miles wide so that no matter where you are, you’re rarely more than a 90-minute drive from the Andes or the ocean.

Your cruise on Veendam will show you a fair bit of the southern Chilean coastline, including the country’s beautiful fjords and glaciers, as you make your way to or from Valparaiso, Chile’s principle port for cruise passengers.

But to truly get a feel for Chile, you’ll want to spend some time with your boots on the ground, particularly in Central Chile, home to the capital Santiago and a Mediterranean-like climate that lends itself to beautiful beaches and fine wines.  Read more... (810 words, 2 images, estimated 3:14 mins reading time)

[Holland America's Veendam rounds Cape Horn on a series of cruises between now and March 2010.]

From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, around Cape Horn to Valparaiso, Chile, or in the reverse direction, “Round Cape Horn” cruises are South America’s most popular itineraries. You’ll typically spend two weeks on board ship, and overnight in some ports.

For example, Veendam overnights in Buenos Aires (on select sailings), giving you sufficient time to take in the Argentine capital (you can even get to Iquacu Falls on the Argentine-Brazil border while docked in Buenos Aires).

For a full taste of Santiago (about 90 minutes from the port of Valparaiso), you’ll want to build in extra time before or after your cruise. You may want to plan on three nights to see the sights around Santiago — particularly if you plan to visit the area’s wine country.  Read more... (317 words, 1 image, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)

Rotterdam departed Copenhagen yesterday, bringing to an end Holland America Line’s cruise season in the Danish capital for 2009. Holland America Line will return in 2010. Following is a story about my move to Scandinavia in 2007 and why any cruiser should consider a visit here.

In December of 2007, I moved from America’s happiest city to the world’s happiest nation. In case you missed it, a major news network cited Asheville, North Carolina as the happiest city in the United States — with Denmark taking honors as the world’s happiest country.  Read more... (519 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

The cruise lines are all dressed up with plenty of places to go, but they still need some more dance partners. And they are prepared to use all their wiles to get more people to join them out on the floor — er — make that, out to sea.

Spicing up the conversation or adding a note of jazz during the 114-day grand world voyage next January aboard the ms Amsterdam, Holland America Line is bringing some well-known guests on board for segments of the trip.

Cruise lines invite famous guests for portions of extended itineraries such as Holland America’s grand voyage in order to generate stimulating presentations during the cruise. Frequently, the featured speakers will mingle with guests for small-group discussions.  Read more... (357 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

With the ships all spruced up and traveling to destinations that are famous for romance, Holland America Line has sent out the wedding invitations. Holland wants to leverage its obvious assets — beautiful destinations and luxury accommodations at sea — as well as a surprising price advantage, to attract more wedding parties to its ships. The premium line has introduced a Wedding Package to its Group Advantage Program, allowing couples to create their own ceremonies and parties that can be shared with as large a group of family and friends as they like.  Read more... (274 words, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

Swine-flu fears and the threat of epidemic have subsided sufficiently that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lifted an advisory warning against nonessential travel to Mexico. During the past few weeks, more than three dozen ships rearranged their schedules to avoid Mexico, which points to the flexibility of a cruise vacation, where the ship can avoid regional problems that may crop up. For instance, the Disney Magic canceled calls to Cozumel in May and replaced them with visits to the Bahamas. Disney Magic’s next scheduled call to Cozumel is two weeks off, and Disney, which is certainly monitoring health news as well as pulic perception, has not indicated any changes in its plans.  Read more... (257 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)