Holland America’s Cuba trips delve into cultural exploration
Cruise line’s 1,350-guest Veendam offers up some creative itineraries
I’ve been to Cuba a lot lately. As the hottest cruise destination in the Caribbean, I’m eager to see what each individual line offers travellers in Cuba. This time, Holland America Line’s (cruise.center/ holland) gracious, 1,350-guest Veendam served as my base of exploration.
Holland America Line began offering cruises to Cuba in December, sailing round-trip aboard Veendam from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The itinerary I was on combined an extended call on Havana with port stops in Cienfuegos and Georgetown, Grand Cayman. It’s a unique itinerary that offers plenty of opportunities for exploration.
Many tours are offered in Havana and Cienfuegos as part of the line’s Explorations Central (EXC) excursions. These indepth adventures are full-day tours that comply with the U.S.’s People-to-People regulations. I wish every cruise destination offered tours that were as good as these. While they are on the expensive side (most run between $100 and $150 per person), they offer culturally immersive experiences that would be hard to come by otherwise.
In Havana, my culinary tour introduced us to intricacies of enjoying good Cuban coffee, appreciating Cuban rum, mixing your own mojito and, finally, smoking a Cuban cigar. We were then treated to lunch at the striking Teatro de La Habana (Great Theatre of Havana) accompanied by live music, followed by a walking tour of Old Havana.
In the evening, a visit to the legendary Tropicana cabaret did not disappoint, and I — along with most of my fellow guests — returned well after one in the morning, just in time for Veendam to set sail.
Cienfuegos provided the chance to explore this alluring seaside town, or to venture further afar to the historic city of Trinidad, or inland, to Santa Clara to see the tomb and mausoleum of Ernesto (Che) Guevara.
Most cruise lines call on either Havana or Cienfuegos. Holland America has the distinct advantage of calling on both Cuban ports. And after two busy days of exploration, the stop in Grand Cayman provided a much-needed beach day for guests.
As for Veendam, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed sailing aboard this intimate Holland America ship.
Built in 1996 and refitted throughout the years, Veendam still offers up a classic cruise experience that just can’t be replicated aboard ships carrying 4,000 or 5,000 passengers. You’re not going to find brash, in-yourface entertainment on board, but rather enriching days filled with lectures and trivia on Cuba and its history, along with cooking classes, presentations and nights bookended by live music, cigars and cognac under the stars (appropriate for Cuba), and classic dining experiences.
One of the best new features onboard was Rudi’s Sel de Mer, a pop-up restaurant that overtakes the elegant Pinnacle Grill specialty dining venue for one evening. Curated by Holland America’s master chef Rudi Sodamin, this seafood-themed brasserie is one of the best dining experiences I’ve had on any ship. For real wow factor, order the salt crust baked branzino, which is duly trotted out and presented to you raw, then covered in its salt crust enclosure and finally as a delectable dish ready to eat.
All of this is overseen by Veendam’s friendly crew, currently headed up by Capt. Colm Ryan and hotel manager Frank Ulbricht. Holland America’s service is legendary, and its primarily Indonesian and Filipino crew members are as likely to greet you with a smile as they are to remember your name and your favourite drink.
If you’re interested in sailing to Cuba with Holland America, the line is sending Veendam on some of the most creative Cuban itineraries out there.
These include spectacular Summer Cuba sailings departing round-trip from Boston on June 23 and Aug. 4 that last two weeks and pair calls on Havana and Cienfuegos with stops in Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios and Half Moon Cay — Holland America Line’s private island in the Bahamas.
This fall, Veendam returns to Fort Lauderdale to operate a series of 10- to 12-day Cuban Explorer cruises, starting in October and running through to March 2019. These itineraries vary quite a bit and offer a mix of Western and Eastern Caribbean ports of call, along with stops in Cienfuegos and Havana.
Happy cruising.
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