ArcaMax

It's always interesting to meet fellow passengers on a cruise. I learned that on the first cruise I took as a young teacher while on a six-week European tour in 1976. Since then my husband, Carl, and I have been on several cruises in various countries and on different lines. During that time we have established deep friendships with new cruise buddies. We've met passengers from England, Australia and South Africa with whom we have kept in touch. We have visited our British friends several times in England, and they have been guests in our home.

Our first Holland America cruise was in October 2022 on the Nieuw Statendam, when we sailed from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale. Recently we did the reverse, starting in Fort Lauderdale on the Holland America Zuiderdam. There were 1,857 passengers: 1,446 from the United States, 336 from Canada and several from Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia.

This was one of the more interesting cruises we've been on since we had previously visited most of the ports of call -- Norfolk, Virginia; Newport, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and the eastern Canadian towns of Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown, cruising the St. Lawrence River and ending in Quebec City. This time we had the luxury of time to explore the ship.

The first evening of the 14-day cruise, Carl and I headed to the upper deck for the sail-away party, toasting this, our 41st cruise, with Champagne. Marilyn, another passenger who hailed from Canada and has taken 40 HAL cruises with her husband, asked to join us at our table, and we chatted and shared cruise stories.

"On one cruise passengers had a party in their PJs!" she said with a laugh. "And we had great musicians!"

Earlier we had met our room attendant from Indonesia, who has worked for HAL for 17 years and has been on five 125-day cruises. Our longest has been 27 days -- from San Diego through the Panama Canal, ending in London. Later we met a woman from Fresno, California, a retired nurse who was enjoying her first cruise with her husband, a retired engineer.

"I love the friendly passengers, the food and the entertainment," she said.

Carl and I enjoyed having massages in the spa. My young masseuse from northern India told me that she would soon be on a five-month vacation and she was leaving in two days to surprise her family. As we talked, we realized that we would be on another HAL cruise from San Diego to Hawaii next January.

While I read a book on our balcony, Carl spent time one day in the hot tub and met Judy from New Jersey, whose husband had recently passed. Her family and friends had encouraged her to take the cruise they had planned, and she was glad she did. Cruising can be good therapy.

One evening at dinner we met a couple from Atlanta who have health problems, so they had chosen to take this cruise along the eastern United States and Canadian coast to be closer to home. We have learned that cruising is also favored by passengers who need to use walkers or wheelchairs.

During lunch one day we met a woman and her husband -- a retired airline captain -- who were on their first cruise.

"We selected this one because of the good value," she said. "You can't beat the price, which includes your stateroom, all meals, twice-daily room service, transportation and entertainment."

We enjoyed touring Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; the Paul Revere House in Boston; and having lunch in the popular Little Italy neighborhood. It was a thrill to visit Newport, taking a shore excursion around town and touring one of the mansions (The Elms), getting a glimpse of St. Mary's Church where John and Jacqueline Kennedy were married and seeing a bit of the estate (Hammersmith Farm) where they had their wedding reception. We also loved touring the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, which had an interesting Titanic exhibit.

Longtime friends who also love cruising joined us on this trip. Janet and John Burgess of San Diego have been on 10 cruises, six with Holland America. On this itinerary they had only been to Boston, so they were excited to tour the other ports.

"We like exploring new places," Janet said. "Maine, Nova Scotia, Quebec. And we loved Peggy's Cove and the lighthouse tour in Nova Scotia, as well as touring the Breakers mansion in Newport."

Carl and I enjoyed browsing the ship's well-stocked library and were happily surprised to see recent hardbacks. It was also a thrill to tour the bridge. Prior to COVID-19, we had also toured the ship galleys, behind-the-scenes at the theater and other highlights. These tours are now returning -- for a fee -- so that cruise guests can intimately explore the ships. Another highlight was dining again at the specialty restaurants Morimoto, Canaletto and the Pinnacle Grill.

Once the cruise was over, we spent a few days in charming Quebec City. Then we took a relaxing and scenic four-hour ride on VIA Rail Canada to Montreal, another favorite Canadian city to visit and an excellent close to our adventure.

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WHEN YOU GO

Holland America Line: hollandamerica.com

Colonial Williamsburg: colonialwilliamsburg.org

The Paul Revere House: paulreverehouse.org

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax: maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca

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Sharon Whitley Larsen is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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