This past winter, Tom and I found ourselves back aboard the m.s. Amsterdam, a 780-ft ship operated by Holland America, for our second Grand Voyage circumnavigation cruise. This years intended itinerary was to be 128 days, following a route around the southern capes of South America and Africa. And while we were to have a few repeat ports of call, we would visit many new places, including Antarctica. What we did not expect, was a pandemic that would bring the entire world to a halt. Including our voyage after 80 days. I hope you’ll enjoy my travel journal for our ‘Half-World’ cruise of 2020…
As I described last year, because of the length and scope of this type of cruise, the onboard atmosphere becomes more of a ‘community’ of travelers, rather than passengers. In contrast to short cruises where, for the most part, where everyone typically remains strangers. And the first night’s “Welcome Home” Party turns out to be quite a celebratory reunion! It feels good to be back aboard, rejoining many of the same crew, friends, and familiar faces from last year! (To read about our previous 2019 Grand Voyage cruise, see Travelogues/Cruising section to access all four chapters.
Our departure was Fort Lauderdale, January 4, 2020, bound for the Caribbean Sea. The unexpected begins within the two days while transiting the Mona Passage (the deepest waters between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic). We experienced a 6.5 magnitude earthquake! It was quite surprising to feel the ship shake and shudder during an otherwise sunny and peaceful day at sea; the epicenter was within 100 miles of us. Captain Mercer shared that he has only felt 2 earthquakes at sea in all of his 50 career years, so it was quite a remarkable event. And perhaps an omen of things to come worldwide.
Sorry…This blog post is under repair!
Life in Nautical Miles 