Here we are on another Sea Day. A large number of passengers started the day with a 5 km Walk for the Cure for Breast Cancer Research. It was amazing how many passengers participated – even after the late night before. Holland America’s fundraising for this cause has generated over $2 million to date. At the end of the walk Captain Harris was there to congratulate the finishers – just another touch to make you feel special on this ship.
Speaking of Captain Harris, we have been anxiously awaiting news as to the state of the rest of our cruise. At this point, we had 4 ports left to hit before San Diego – all in Mexico. The US, UK and Canada have all declared a semi state of emergency with the outbreak of Swine Flu originating in Mexico. There is somewhat of a panic on board as people were concerned about what the plans would be for us. Would we be floundering out in the Pacific Ocean for the rest of our lives??!!
Finally we got the news that Holland America would not be stopping at ANY Mexican destinations. So, goodbye to Acapulco, Haultico, Cabo san Lucas and Porto Chiapo. Guess we have to do this cruise again!! At least we saved about $300 in excursion and port fees by not stopping. Our captain and the Holland America line were frantically trying to find alternatives so we would not end up just sailing in circles for a week like a ghost ship. The first stop they were able to secure for us was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala which was rather neat as now I can cross another country off my list. Later in the evening we found out that we would also be turning south and heading to Nicaragua before heading back north to San Diego. The trip to Nicaragua will be very exciting since this will be the very first time that a Holland America ship has docked in that country. We will be making history.
Because it was a Sea Day, we had another Formal Evening. CAA Niagara Travel hosted a cocktail party in the Crow’s Nest for our group so Rick and I were dressed for the occasion. The party was a success with all of our group attending. Sparkling wine and tapas were served.
The rest of the day was a typical shipboard evening of dinner, show, piano bar and dancing. There’s always something to do on a ship if you want to keep busy.
For more information, go to CAA Niagara Travel
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