Thanks to Mariner Bradley Elliott for sharing with us this stunning online photo book from his latest Grand World Voyage.

This is my fourth world cruise and I cannot tell you how pleased I am with Holland America. It would be my pleasure if you would share my photos on your blog. I learned this skill from the HAL Digital Workshops. World cruising with HAL is like no other cruising in the world!

After looking at all the pages you can then order a copy of the book if you wish. The pictures in the book are also available on my blog http://mrvideo1949.wordpress.com and they are free for the taking. I also learned this skill from the HAL Digital Workshops.

To access the photo book, click here to go to the My Publisher website.

Editor’s Note: This is a photo book made on a photo-sharing website. This is not a book sold for profit.

Topics: Grand Voyages, Mariner Voices | | 1 Comment

Guest Marijane Carlos has sailed with us many times, and she shared some of her special memories.

Passing Great Piton Mountain as we sail away from St. Lucia on the Noordam.

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Topics: Caribbean, Grand Voyages, Half Moon Cay, ms Amsterdam, ms Noordam | | No Comments

Here are pictures of the recent safari crew tour we went to Inverdoon Nature reserve. A two-hour drive from Cape Town, Inverdoon is well known for its Cheetah Reserve.

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Topics: Grand Voyages, ms Amsterdam, Staff & Crew | | 1 Comment

Dear readers, my apologies for not contributing for several days. Towards the end of one’s contract, there never seem to be enough hours in a day. What with social functions, endless paperwork, (reports in various guises) and the everyday responsibilities of commanding a cruise ship, time to sit and write to you seems to be at a premium.

I write from the Atlantic, we are enroute towards Castries, St. Lucia, where we arrive tomorrow, Saturday. Since writing to you, we have called at Fortaleza and Belem, Brazil, and Devil’s Island, French Guyana. We have been blessed with relatively nice weather, being near the equator we have seen increasing humidity, temperatures and rain, nevertheless, our guests seem to have enjoyed it all.

Fortaleza is Brazil’s 11th most populated city in Brazil and lies on its north-eastern coast. Like many ports we call at, it is mainly commercial, however they are building a new cruise-ship berth which will be completed by 2014. The challenge with this port is the swell, it can roll into the harbour and make docking, or more to the point, staying alongside, difficult. Our pilot informs me that we are the first cruise ship to make it for some time, others having to cancel because of the conditions. Even so, with the swell we ranged up and down on the dock and moorings lines had to be tended all day. I spent the day on board, too much to do and hence the photos come from my ‘roving reporter’, Karen.

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Topics: Captain's Log, Grand Voyages, ms Amsterdam, South America | | 13 Comments

Since we left Fort Lauderdale in January, the Project Linus team has been hard at work. More than 170 blankets, not to mention countless hats and bears, have been made. That is twice as many as last year! (Thanks to Brad Elliott for some of the below photos.)

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Topics: Captain's Log, Good Deeds, Grand Voyages, ms Amsterdam | | 4 Comments

Here are some pictures of ‘Mariner Appreciation Night’ aboard ms Amsterdam.

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Topics: Art, Activities & Entertainment, Grand Voyages, ms Amsterdam | | 2 Comments

Belem, Brazil, with quite a “unique” tender ride using shoreside tenders – wooden boats. It was an adventure yet ran smoothly under the circumstances.

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Topics: Grand Voyages, ms Amsterdam, Postcards from..., South America | | 1 Comment

Theme nights are our favorite aboard Holland America Line! Check out our celebration photos of ‘Carnival Night’ on Amsterdam!

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Topics: Art, Activities & Entertainment, Grand Voyages, ms Amsterdam | | 1 Comment