October 14-21, 2023:

Our last stop before cruising 6 days to the US was scheduled to be the lovely Punta Delgada. As we left France and headed into the North Atlantic, we were treated to a glorious sunrise, promising a fabulous day. 

We have visited this port in the Azores a couple of times during our previous cruises so we were planning on exploring the town on our own.

As the Rotterdam finally approached Punta Delgado after 2 sea days, there was a change of plans due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Sean. After 3 failed attempts at entering the harbor, the captain made the decision to cancel this port and modify the trajectory of our cruise.

The captain made the right decision and kept us informed daily as to the ship’s location as it cruised south by southwest, altering our course but not losing time regarding our scheduled stop in Half Moon Cay. We spent our time on the ship catching up on sleep, attending lectures, indulging in spa treatments and delicious meals and spoiling ourselves before reality sets in! Sea days are wonderful in that they make you relax. No rushing to catch an excursion or missing any Mah Jongg opportunities.

We were entertained by a group of peregrine falcons who may have been blown off course when near the Azores. They stayed with us for a full 6 days, hitching a ride and fishing for their meals.

We sailed into Half Moon Cay, Bahamas in the early morning hours of October 21, observing the tranquil sunrise and brightening turquoise waters lapping at the white sand at the shore. Gorgeous!

We had scheduled a shore excursion that would have us in a trolley for about an hour, exploring the island highlights. Mary Margaret had secured a cabana that provided shade and shelter for 2 beach chairs that we would set up before our trolley tour.

Have Moon Cay is owned by the Holland America Line and gives its guests a true island experience with no hassle. We took a shuttle from the ship to the island, checked in and went straight to the beach to set up our cabana. That task completed, we returned to the meeting area in the small shopping square for our trolley excursion. It was such a lovely location with most of the passengers being quite jolly (did it have something to do with the island beverages?).

The island is quite small so our trolley tour took less than an hour to complete. In that time, we watched manta rays being fed, horses being saddled and ridden by our fellow passengers and a tour “behind the scenes where the island employees live.

Back to the beach to swim and nap before lunch.

Holland America put on a huge spread, up to the challenge of feeding nearly 2,400 passengers! There was an abundance of food, drink and places to sit and eat spread throughout an acre of lush greenery.

All aboard happened all too soon. We were shuttled back to the ship to shower and change for our last evening on board. Looking around our “home” for the past 36 days made us realize we had lots of organizing to do, making room for purchases and time for a last show in the Main Stage. Ft. Lauderdale was a short cruise away and we had to be off the ship by 8:30 am the next morning.

October 22, 2023: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and the cruise end

The Rotterdam slipped quietly into Port Everglades, well before sunrise. We stood on our stateroom veranda for the last time, watching as small boats floated past. There were egrets on shore and a crew team practicing their strokes. In the distance we could see container ships cruising with their cargo to places unnamed.

Leaving the ship and flying back to Wilmington, NC, was largely uneventful. There was a bit of a process taking a shuttle bus from Port Everglades to the airport, which we could see off in the distance. We decided that, next time, we would either take a taxi or Uber leaving a cruise as it would be better coordinated.

Overall, it was a fabulous cruise with so much to see and learn! We appreciate our ability to travel despite heading into our “Go Slow” years, recognizing the need to have others plan sightseeing adventures, such as can be found on cruise ships or land tours. Despite all our travels, there is still so much more to see. Postpone nothing!