Oct 31

Oct 31 Day 2 - Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Today, Rotterdam is anchored off the coast of Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas. As it is the first morning of the cruise, my task is to seek out, and secure, a good spot where I can enjoy a cup of coffee and work on my daily cruise blog, photos and videos, in relative peace and quiet. I found the perfect spot at the Grand Dutch Cafe on Deck 3.

After completing my daily blog, I decided Rickee and I would try the Dining Room for breakfast. The Dining Room has seating on Deck 2 and Deck 3. This morning, only about half of Deck 2 is being used as most guests opt for the Lido Market breakfast buffet. We prefer the quieter, more relaxed atmosphere of main dining to buffet dining at breakfast.

*Rickee looks over the menu at breakfast in the Dining Room*

The breakfast menu is quite extensive offering a variety of egg dishes, cereals, pancakes and waffles, etc. Rickee ordered the banana pancakes and I ordered the Classic Eggs Benedict. Rickee requested extra syrup for her pancakes (they never bring enough for her) and I requested that my eggs be cooked medium. I also asked for a side order of corned beef hash.

Rickee’s pancakes were good, but on the cold side of the temperature spectrum. My Eggs Benedict would have been good except the eggs were way under cooked. I like the egg whites completely cooked and don’t even mind if some of the yolk is cooked through, but these egg whites were runny and uncooked. I could have sent them back and had them re-cooked, but I was not that hungry anyway so I ate the ham and the corned beef hash. The hash was strange, unlike any I have ever eaten, but it was good and I will order it again.

Later in the morning, we boarded one of the large tender boats for the short ride to Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas.

There are some excursions offered at Half Moon Cay, but the most popular activity is definitely lounging at the beach and taking a dip in the clear blue waters of the Caribbean. There are shops selling logo gear, souvenirs, t-shirts, etc. and all purchases on the island can be charged to your onboard account. There are some bars here, too, but drinks here are not included in the Signature Beverage Package.

The Island BBQ offers guests a complimentary lunch with burgers, hot dogs, steak, chicken, fish and all the fixin’s you would expect at a barbeque. There’s even hand-dipped ice cream cones! It was so hot and humid on our visit that we decided to skip the Island Barbeque and head back to the ship where we could enjoy lunch in the air conditioned Lido Market.

Holland America has a shaded waiting area for guests waiting to return to the ship. Today, the wait was very long and, as I mentioned, it was extremely hot and humid. It would have been nice if Holland America would have at least provided ice water in this area for guests waiting to return to the ship.

Once back on board Rotterdam, we had a light lunch in the buffet and spent most of the afternoon enjoying our stateroom. While Rickee is relaxing on the balcony, I have time for a short nap.

There is a Happy Hour each afternoon from 4pm to 5pm in Billboard Onboard, Rolling Stone Rock Room & Ocean Bar, all located on Deck 2. During Happy Hour, drinks are 50% off. Fortunately, Team Trivia is also held at Billboard Onboard at 4pm. We enjoy playing trivia, but we usually just make up our own two-person team. We did okay today, but we did not win. Bummer.

Since we wanted to make it to the early show in the World Stage by 7:30pm, we decided to return to the Lido Market for dinner. As you may know, neither Rickee nor I are big fans of buffet dining. However, Holland America goes the extra mile by having crew members serve guests so we are not made to handle utensils that have been touched by hundreds of hands. Personally, I think every cruise line should provide this service, OR they should be required to provide disposable plastic gloves for guests to wear when self-serving. But, since the cruise industry is obviously waging a war on plastic, I don’t see that happening. Therefore, being served by crew members is the cleanest, safest way to enjoy a buffet.

Rickee had some spaghetti and meatballs while I went to the more exotic Indian flavors on offer at the Distant Lands station. The Biryani rice, Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Kebabs were all excellent, and even had a little kick of spicy heat. This was some of the best Indian food I have had on a cruise ship.

*Lamb and Beef Kabobs are spicy and delicious*

During dinner, Rickee received a notification from the Navigator app that the evening show had been changed from Humanity to a comedian. We decided we would give the comedy show a try and as we walked to the World Stage on Deck 2, we could see evidence that the crew was ramping up for the Halloween party later this evening.

The comedy show this evening was performed by Steven Scott, a prior contestant on America’s Got Talent. One of his great talents is the ability to use his voice to make all kinds of sounds, like musical instruments, a subway train, or even the sound of playing back an answering machine message on fast forward. The show was very funny and we are glad we decided to go.

After the show at World Stage, we walked back by B.B. King’s Blues Club where the Stars of B.B. Kings were about to perform. A lot of guests were already seated, but we were able to find a table for two. Many guests are dressed up in costumes for Halloween. It is amazing to see the lengths that some people go to for Halloween.

After the excellent jazz performance, there was a contest to select the best Halloween costume. We did not stay for the final decision, but our personal favorites were the group that came dressed as characters from Wizard of Oz. There was a tin man, cowardly lion, the good witch and of course, Dorothy. Very clever.